Enough power?

[TheGreatSatan]

My new system has just been put together and when I plugged my flash drive in I got a BSoD!:banana:

I'm wondering if maybe it's my PSU? I have a 600 Watt OCZ (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341010); I assume it barely has enough power for the flash drive and crashes?? Is there a up-to-date power calculator on the web?

My specs are:

Foxconn P45A-S (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186148&Tpk=p45a-s)
Intel QX6850 3GHz
8GB DDR2-800 (2GB x4)
Radeon 3870 X2 1GB
250GB Hard drive for Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit, 500GB hard drive for just storage
OCZ StealthStream 600 Watt OCZ (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341010)

[TheGreatSatan]

Newegg's calculator is a little out of date. I said that I had two GeForce 8800's to make up for my 3870 X2 and it said I needed nearly a KiloWatt!

[nevermind1534]

Newegg's calculator is a little out of date. I said that I had two GeForce 8800's to make up for my 3870 X2 and it said I needed nearly a KiloWatt!

I don't quite believe that. Maybe try another calculator?

[TheGreatSatan]

I may get this one (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139007)

[nevermind1534]

I built a computer for a friend, plugged in a plash drive and got a BSOD. Reinstalled windows and it worked fine.

[TheGreatSatan]

I found a better calculator here (http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp). It actually has the components that I have. It said I needed:

http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/782/wattagedn7.jpg

[nevermind1534]

That seems a little more accurate than the 1KW. I know one of the manufacturers, it might be OCZ, they advertise the watts with the continuous output, not temporary peak wattage.

[Spawn-Inc]

I may get this one (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139007)

i would get that one its a great product and should be able to handle the next build you plan. (i mean after the one you want it for right now)

[FuzzyPlushroom]

The OCZ's probably not far from its limit in terms of power output. I'd bet on power not being the issue here, though - USB ports are powered from 5v, and the 5v line isn't being heavily taxed in that system, it's the 12v I'd watch.

It's probably some weird incompatibility, nevermind's rather blunt solution might turn out to be the best one. Do other flash drives work fine? If a reinstall of Windows doesn't take care of it, I'd look at the motherboard, or try a PCI USB 2.0 card if you have one. It ain't gonna be the PSU, though.

The Corsair you're considering is an excellent unit. If you want more peace of mind, and have the cash, pick one up. That'll give you more overhead for future builds. However, your OCZ should be fine, as it's really a decent 700w unit (http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/451/10), and I doubt you'll be using that system at peak all that often.

[TheGreatSatan]

I forgot to mention that when I plugged in my flash drive I was actually plugging it into a 4 port USB PCI card. It might just be the card. I still have experimenting to do, like installing my Blu-Ray drive.

Is there a program that will tell me my current total power use?

[FuzzyPlushroom]

A Kill-A-Watt or similar will give you your input power, you can figure it out based on that, roughly - I've never used one, mind, but if they give you the amperage, multiply by .8 or so (assuming 80% efficiency) and then multiply by 115. If it's in watts, just multiply by .8. I know AC power isn't simply a*v=w, and someone's gonna chew me out over power factor, but I'm not sure how to factor (heh) that in (and your OCZ has active power factor correction anyway, so the apparent power *should* be pretty much dead on, .99:1).

In other words, yes, but not exactly. You have to measure from the plug, assume some efficiency numbers, and convert. Don't take my word for how to convert it until someone more knowledgeable replies, though.

[TheGreatSatan]

I'd rather have a program that measures it.

[nevermind1534]

I'm not sure if it is possible to just use software to monitor usage. I can't see how it would get the usage, as the power supply doesn't really communicate about how much power is being consumed.

[TheGreatSatan]

Does Motherboard Monitor have a power guage?

[nevermind1534]

Does Motherboard Monitor have a power guage?

I can't remember. It doesn't really work with new motherboards.