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02-11-2005, 12:52 AM
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#1 of 14 
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Member
Join Date: May 2000
Local Time: 02:39 AM
Local Date: 08-30-2008
Posts: 225
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Hi All, Quick question for anyone who's done this. I have a great PC, but I think I've modded too much and need to upgrade the power supply. I'm assuming, anyway. The symptom I have is that when I crank up the graphics card (ATI 9700Pro) I lose signal on the monitor after a short period of time. [Edit] I've also had problems in the past with the recovery app that ATI puts in their drivers as well. I think it's called VPU Recover [End Edit]
The module I have is a Zinfandel PS2 (250W). It's an HP system, that I've added sound and graphics to.
Do you think that the power supply is the problem? Being an HP box, am I gonna have problems finding a compatible upgrade path?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks all,
Kraig
MOISTURE...*Silica Absorbs It*
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02-11-2005, 12:55 AM
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#2 of 14
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Member
Join Date: Jul 1997
Local Time: 04:39 AM
Local Date: 08-30-2008
Posts: 20,941
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Can you give the details on the motherboard and/or other specs?
You might try running Everest or Belarc ( http://www.belarc.com/) and post main details (motherboard model, CPU type, memory + drive IDs) then we can calculate your usage of power..
However, the ATI 9700 Pro has posted in the manual a requirement of a 300W or higher PS 
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02-11-2005, 07:57 AM
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#3 of 14
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Member
Location: Charlotte, NC
Join Date: Dec 2003
Local Time: 05:39 AM
Local Date: 08-30-2008
Posts: 2,539
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There's a good chance that the PSU is proprietary. If so, HP will probably charge a ridiculous amount for it. My parents needed to get a new PSU for their gateway one time. After the quote of $200+ from gateway, they decided on a new computer instead.
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02-11-2005, 11:15 AM
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#4 of 14
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Member
Join Date: May 2000
Local Time: 02:39 AM
Local Date: 08-30-2008
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That's sorta what I was thinking. I'm tempted to canabilize the darn thing and build from scratch. I hate that I have an OEM motherboard.
The system is as such;
P4 3.0e
HP OEM MOBO
1GB RAM
ATI 9700Pro
Audixy 2 ex
Couple of HDs
What I really hate about this is that the case has a frontside rack with all the USB, Firewire, and Memcard ports that anyone could ask for. If I switch, I lose all that and will need to buy more cards.
Well, I've got a call out to some local "Geek" shops. Depending on the response from them, I'll make my decision.
Thanks for the help.
MOISTURE...*Silica Absorbs It*
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02-11-2005, 11:25 AM
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#5 of 14
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Member
Join Date: Jul 1997
Local Time: 04:39 AM
Local Date: 08-30-2008
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Yeah, you're way over.. realistically, you should be looking at about a 350/400W supply.
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02-11-2005, 05:45 PM
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#6 of 14
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Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Local Time: 04:39 AM
Local Date: 08-30-2008
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Yeah but I would get a 500 watter just to be safe and also in case he adds anything else to the board that draws alot of watts. Better safe now than sorry later so he wont run into this again
Trukindave
ALways on the road, Loves his laptop and wireless modem
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02-11-2005, 08:34 PM
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#7 of 14
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Member
Join Date: Oct 2003
Local Time: 09:39 AM
Local Date: 08-30-2008
Posts: 863
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Antec TRUE PSUs are good ones I think a 430w would be perfect for you.
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02-11-2005, 08:39 PM
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#8 of 14
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Member
Join Date: Nov 2003
Local Time: 09:39 AM
Local Date: 08-30-2008
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Kraig,
If you do decide to rebuild the system in a new case, you won't necessarily lose your ports and card readers. Many cases have front-mounted USB, Firewire and audio jacks, and card readers that mount in a 3.5" floppy drive bay are plentiful and inexpensive.
As an aside, I recently retired my 4-year-old Compaq in favor of a new homemade monster. The PSU in the old machine was rated at 146W. My new PSU, an OCZ, is good for 520.
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02-12-2005, 12:17 AM
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#9 of 14
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Member
Join Date: May 2000
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Well, it's pretty much shot. The power supply is definitely proprietary, and HP has no upgrade path available. Argh!
So now it looks like I'm on a quest. I've pretty much decided that after 10 year of playing with middle of the road PCs, I'm gonna go all out and get my dream system. I just haven't decided if I want to build my own or go with a pre-built.
I've been reading up on systems all day long and also spoke with a local shop. I've got a system set to pull the trigger on at Dell for $2794 after discounts and a $300 rebate. It's one of their XPS systems. Wow is really all I can say. I thought my system was good, but these. Holy Schnikes.
What I did was pull the parts list and sent it over to the local shop to see what it would be for them to get all the parts. To be honest though, I like the thought of having a 3 to 4 year warranty on a system that I would be spending that much on. If I built it myself, well, I don't know if I have the patience.
If I do this, the system I have now will either become a dedicated studio system in my music studio or dedicated home entertainment PC. Not quite sure yet.
Any input would be great, but I do thank you for all your help.
Kraig
MOISTURE...*Silica Absorbs It*
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02-12-2005, 12:57 AM
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#10 of 14
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Join Date: Oct 2004
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Well thats not true, I just put a power supply in a HP case like that but you have to modify a little to get it to fit in the case. In fact the one I put in the case was only a 300 but thats all that was needed.
A dynex power supply will work fine.. But as I stated you will have to modify the case a little to get it to fit..
You can get these from best buy..
Trukindave
ALways on the road, Loves his laptop and wireless modem
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