Need some advice and help

[Corveux]

I have two gaming computers at home and I just need some advice and assistance if possible:

 

PC1:

 

CPU: i7 4771

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212x

Motherboard: MSI Z87-G43 (Installed the newest BIOS version)

GPU: MSI GTX 770 Twin Frost OC Edition 2Gb (Newest driver installed)

RAM: 8Gb (2x4Gb) Corsair

O/S: Windows 8.1 64bit (Fully up to date with all the updates)

PSU: 650w Huntkey

HDD: 1Tb SATA 

          320Gb SATA

CASE: Thermaltake Commander GS-III with 2 x 120mm fans

 

Specs of the PC I'm having trouble with, lets just call this PC2:

 

CPU: i7 4771

CPU Cooler: Stock

Motherboard: MSI Z87-G43 (Installed the newest BIOS version)

GPU: MSI GTX 770 Twin Frost OC Edition 2Gb (Newest driver installed)

RAM: 8Gb (2x4Gb) Corsair

O/S: Windows 8.1 64bit (Fully up to date with all the updates)

PSU: 550w Thermaltake LT (I suspect this is the culprit...)

HDD: 1Tb SATA 

CASE: Thermaltake Commander GS-III with 2 x 120mm fans

 

The problem with PC2:

 

Whenever I try to run a game on it (demanding games) it just reboots, sometimes the games work for hours without restarting and sometimes they restart just after the intro.

 

I've seen League of Legends (which is not that demanding in my opinion) run for weeks without a single reboot, and sometimes it reboots twice during one match.

Seen the same thing with LEGO Batman 3 (when my son uses the computer).

 

Temps on the CPU and GPU are fine, they don't go very high.

 

What I've tried and tested:

 

Swapped the GPU with the one in PC1 (same model and make) still reboots.

Swapped the RAM with those in PC1 (same model and make) still reboots.

Swapped the PSU with the one in PC1 (650w Huntkey (I know its a terrible PSU)) and the problems ceased  , hence the previous comment about the PSU being the culprit.

 

Advice and assistance needed:

 

What PSU's would you recommend I install into both these machines? (Only after purchasing the Huntkey did I research to find out its crap )

- I will be adding a few 120mm case fans (lets say 4) to each of these machines later.

- PC2 still needs a decent CPU cooler, will add a Cooler Master Hyper 212x as well.

- On the MSI website I saw that they recommend 600w PSU's for the GPUs.

 

And lastly do you agree that it is indeed the PSU in PC2 which is causing the reboots?

 

(I did not build these machines, the insurance replaced them after our other 2 got stolen. I only added the PSU, CPU Cooler and extra 320Gb HDD to PC1)

 

[Birdhunter]

1st: Do you mean Black- or BlueScreen with "Reboot"? (The first indicates HW problem, the later stability issues)

Yes, that 550w seems to be on the low side for those Specs. I don't want to rule out other problems, but I think it's the culprit.

As for calculating:

You could use this calculator to check, if MSIs recommendations makes sense:

http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

I normally add another 50-100W as Reseve.

As for Buying:

1. Calculate the Power

2. Go to the store/website of your choice

3. Filter for Power, Non-/Modular and remove unknown/cheap brands (Generally good Brands are: Corsair, Cooler Master, NZXT, Super Flower). You should be left with a handful options now.

4. Google the name +"review" and "test" and see, if there are serious shortcommings (like, cheap capacitors, high noise, high ripple).

5....

6. Profit!

[Corveux]

Black screen, even if I try and force the PC not to restart it does. Thanks for the quick reply

[Corveux]

Used the calculator it shows +-400watts, which is strange because on the MSI website it states the the card needs a 600w PSU

[Birdhunter]

Used the calculator it shows +-400watts, which is strange because on the MSI website it states the the card needs a 600w PSU

That's because they calculate with 30% capacitor agging. (= more Reseve for wear&tear)

[Corveux]

O ok, did not know that. I just want to be sure before I replace the PSU's on both of these machine (which could be quite expensive). I'm going to do some more research before I buy them, because I need power supplies that are not super expensive (but they shoudl be reliable). Thanks again!

[Corveux]

Antec High Current Gamer 620 W

Considering the above, do you think this would suffice? Read before that Antec make the best PSU's. And this is is Haswell Compatible (for the i7 4771 CPU). Would 620w suffice? Even if I decided to add the 4 extra 120 mm fans later to the case?

[Birdhunter]

Just had a quick look over google - seems, that your PSU is of a rather questionable quality that is mainly build for cheap, low power consumption and not well suited for heavy loads.

As for suggestions:

I recently build one with a Cooler Master G650M

http://www.gamezoom.net/artikel/Cooler_Master_G650M_650W_Test_Review_Exklusiv_-29580-3

Corsairs CX550 are not that bad either - if budget is a concern.

[Birdhunter]

Antec High Current Gamer 620 W

Considering the above, do you think this would suffice? Read before that Antec make the best PSU's. And this is is Haswell Compatible (for the i7 4771 CPU). Would 620w suffice? Even if I decided to add the 4 extra 120 mm fans later to the case?

The power consumption of fans is fairly low (about 10-15W on 100%, depending on the fan modell).

Your 4 fans would take 30-50W extra top.

I would suggest 550W as a baseline for you (420W min, +30W fans, +100W Reserve)

[Corveux]

The price is not that far from the Antec one, maybe I'll give the CM G650M you mentioned a go. Thank you again for the assistance! Appreciate it a lot!

[Allahrakha]

Hi there Corveux, I would like to know something from you. You are using Cooler Master Hyper 212x with Thermaltake Commander GS-III. Now I have the same chassis and I am planning to get the same cooler you are using for my CPU. But as per Thermaltake the GS-III has a maximum CPU Cooler height limitation of 150 mm, whereas the height of the CM Hyper 212x is 158 mm. Now how could you manage this cooler in that case? Does it fit anyway without any problem? Would appreciate very much as I need to know this urgently and I was not able to find anyone else using this combination of chassis and cooler. Thanks in advance.