is my system under powered?

[kalelreturns]

could someone tell me if my system is under powered?

phenom II x4 3.5ghz 970
Asus m4a78t-E motherboard
4GB crucial ballistix tracer ddr3 1600
seagate barracuda 1Tb 7200rpm
2x radeon hd 6850 in crossfire
blu-ray burner
cooler master gx 750w
razer lycosa
razer mamba
razer megalodon
2x 230mm led fans
2x 140mm led fans
2x 120mm led fans
cooler master gemeni II cpu cooler

I believe that is everything that runs off my power supply. nothing is overclocked

 

[essenbe]

I don't see a problem with the PSU. I think it's plenty.

Are you having some problems, or just worried?

 

[kalelreturns]

I've been having a few BSODs while playing games, but mostly I can very rarely start up my computer. It wont even boot to BIOS menu, so I'm suspecting that I have a faulty part.

 

[essenbe]

It could be a PSU issue, but also could be several other things also.
Start by reading this tutorial about Memtest86 and check the ram. PSUs are difficult to diagnose. Start by going into bios and look at hardware monitor and check the +12V, 3.3V, and 5V readings. They should be +/- 10% of those values. But even there it dosen't mean what they are doing under strain. How old is your PSU and did you install any programs or change any settings before the BSODs started?

 

[essenbe]

Also, read this tutorial about posting bsods. I'll see about you getting to the right section.

 

[kalelreturns]

I ran memtest and it found nothing, I'll run it again overnight. my entire computer is 6 months old, I don't recall downloading and programs before the BSODs started, and no settings are changed. I'll post the BSOD, but there all different.

 

[essenbe]

The last 6850 I saw required a 450W PSU so 2 would be no more than 600-650 I would think. Everything else i saw in your system seemed to be pretty much standard, but that does not mean it isn't a PSU problem.

 

[Britton30]

Hello. I used Newegg's and Antec's PSU calculators:
Newegg=646W
Antec=706W
Based on the specs you listed. With your 750W you are on the verge of overloading it. I'd say go to a 850W from Corsair, Seasonic, or some good name to give you some headroom and for future upgrades. Check you current 12V max Amp out put. Note this will be for all your 12V connection, which the 2 6850's will be the biggest user.
You could try removing one 6850 and test again to see if your BSODs still happen.
EDIT: not antec, but this one http://extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine

 

[essenbe]

I checked the 6850's and the recommended wattage for 1 was 450W so 2 should have been no more than 600. And they usually overstate wattage. So, I'm a little surprised at the wattage calculators.

 

[Britton30]

True Steve, but it's better to have your PSU running at, say, 70% load than 90%. Since there are BSODs involved, may be something to look at. Seems when one uses more than one graphics card the amps needed is more than it seems it should be.
In my opinion CoolerMaster is not a good PSU.

 

[kalelreturns]

your the 2nd person who told me that cooler master doesn't make good PSUs. I have checked several calculators and I'm above the recommended min. and thats with everything that runs off my PS. Before I start buying stuff, I need to know whats causing the problem.

 

[kalelreturns]

ok , so it might be my memory?

heres a BSOD I got today. I had problems uploading the file so I just copied and pasted it.



Microsoft (R) Windows Debugger Version 6.12.0002.633 AMD64
Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.


Loading Dump File [C:\Windows\Minidump\071911-23166-01.dmp]
Mini Kernel Dump File: Only registers and stack trace are available

Symbol search path is: *** Invalid ***
****************************************************************************
* Symbol loading may be unreliable without a symbol search path. *
* Use .symfix to have the debugger choose a symbol path. *
* After setting your symbol path, use .reload to refresh symbol locations. *
****************************************************************************
Executable search path is:
*********************************************************************
* Symbols can not be loaded because symbol path is not initialized. *
* *
* The Symbol Path can be set by: *
* using the _NT_SYMBOL_PATH environment variable. *
* using the -y <symbol_path> argument when starting the debugger. *
* using .sympath and .sympath+ *
*********************************************************************
Unable to load image ntoskrnl.exe, Win32 error 0n2
*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for ntoskrnl.exe
*** ERROR: Module load completed but symbols could not be loaded for ntoskrnl.exe
Windows 7 Kernel Version 7600 MP (4 procs) Free x64
Product: WinNt, suite: TerminalServer SingleUserTS
Machine Name:
Kernel base = 0xfffff800`02a13000 PsLoadedModuleList = 0xfffff800`02c50e50
Debug session time: Tue Jul 19 21:46:44.292 2011 (UTC - 5:00)
System Uptime: 0 days 7:49:00.978
*********************************************************************
* Symbols can not be loaded because symbol path is not initialized. *
* *
* The Symbol Path can be set by: *
* using the _NT_SYMBOL_PATH environment variable. *
* using the -y <symbol_path> argument when starting the debugger. *
* using .sympath and .sympath+ *
*********************************************************************
Unable to load image ntoskrnl.exe, Win32 error 0n2
*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for ntoskrnl.exe
*** ERROR: Module load completed but symbols could not be loaded for ntoskrnl.exe
Loading Kernel Symbols
...............................................................
................................................................
.............................
Loading User Symbols
Loading unloaded module list
.................
*******************************************************************************
* *
* Bugcheck Analysis *
* *
*******************************************************************************

Use !analyze -v to get detailed debugging information.

BugCheck A, {fffffa7fffffffb0, 2, 1, fffff80002aa902e}

***** Kernel symbols are WRONG. Please fix symbols to do analysis.

*************************************************************************
*** ***
*** ***
*** Your debugger is not using the correct symbols ***
*** ***
*** In order for this command to work properly, your symbol path ***
*** must point to .pdb files that have full type information. ***
*** ***
*** Certain .pdb files (such as the public OS symbols) do not ***
*** contain the required information. Contact the group that ***
*** provided you with these symbols if you need this command to ***
*** work. ***
*** ***
*** Type referenced: nt!_KPRCB ***
*** ***
*************************************************************************
*************************************************************************
*** ***
*** ***
*** Your debugger is not using the correct symbols ***
*** ***
*** In order for this command to work properly, your symbol path ***
*** must point to .pdb files that have full type information. ***
*** ***
*** Certain .pdb files (such as the public OS symbols) do not ***
*** contain the required information. Contact the group that ***
*** provided you with these symbols if you need this command to ***
*** work. ***
*** ***
*** Type referenced: nt!_KPRCB ***
*** ***
*************************************************************************
*************************************************************************
*** ***
*** ***
*** Your debugger is not using the correct symbols ***
*** ***
*** In order for this command to work properly, your symbol path ***
*** must point to .pdb files that have full type information. ***
*** ***
*** Certain .pdb files (such as the public OS symbols) do not ***
*** contain the required information. Contact the group that ***
*** provided you with these symbols if you need this command to ***
*** work. ***
*** ***
*** Type referenced: nt!_KPRCB ***
*** ***
*************************************************************************
Probably caused by : ntoskrnl.exe ( nt+9602e )

Followup: MachineOwner
---------
I also got a BSOD that said something about memory management, it wasnt able to save the dump, cause the computer froze up. and I only get BSODs when I play games

 

[cluberti]

Without symbols configured, that output is not helpful. Also, the file is binary, meaning it is searchable (which is what we do with it), which is where it's useful. So if it's too big to zip up and post somewhere, it's not going to be much help to any of us unfortunately.

 

[kalelreturns]

ok, zipped the file and uploaded it.

071911-23166-01.dmp.zip

 

[cluberti]

The memory dumps do actually point to memory corruption, although it's not 100% clear if it's a driver issue or if it really is a RAM issue. You mentioned earlier that you had tested the memory earlier, so that would leave potentially a software issue. The PSU could still be an issue if the power is not sufficient or clean, but I leave that to the hardware folks. However, the error really is happening when reading memory due to an invalid memory address (passed in via an invalid PTE), but it's just not easy to say whether it's a software or hardware issue.

 

[essenbe]

When you said you tested your ram did you use memtest86 and did you run it for at least 8 passes? If not, I would suggest you download free memtest86 and run it at least 8 passes (which will take several hours. 7 on my machine). Download the ISO file and byrn it to disk and boot from the disk. They also have a version that will install to a USB drive.

 

[kalelreturns]

i tried the ram in another system and it was fine, and I ran memtest86 for 4 hrs, I'll run it again overnight.

 

[Britton30]

Coolermaster has a decent 600 watt unit here. The unit does pretty well for stability and efficiency, doesn't get very loud, and... what? It's a 750 watt unit?

More at Johnny Guru.
This is a link to the last review page. Fortunately it has a 5 yr warranty. While the PSU may not be the root cause of your issue, I think you should look into it. If it is bad you could end up with more problem, such as a motherboard fried.

Also test your RAM modules individually. Then with all installed.

 

[kalelreturns]

ok, I did 10 passes with no errors, with both sticks of RAM. Over the next few days, I'll test the individual sticks. I think I'm going to get a new PSU, because I'm begining to worry that this coolermaster wont last long, and like you said, could end up frying my computer. do you have any suggestions for PSUs. I'm looking for the best so price isnt really a concern, with around 800-900w.

 

[essenbe]

In my opinion the best PSU's are Corsair, Antec and Seasonic. There are some other good ones, but I think those 3 are the best. Best suggestion is go to Newegg, pick some out and spend some time reading customer feedback on them. Reading the reviews from those that use them will give you a better idea of which ones are best.