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Installing a GPU

cmo429

cmo429

Newbie
My PSU (800w) in my machine recently conked out on me and I had to replace it. So I bought a new 900w PSU (Rocketfish™ 900-Watt ATX CPU Power Supply : Rocketfish) to replace it. Setting it up and connecting all the cables was a breeze but when I got to connecting the GPU (Nvidia GeForce GTX 285) is when I completely blanked. The PSU has two 6-pin PCIe and two 8-pin PCIe connectors. The GPU has two 6-pin connectors on the back, too. So I initally connected the two 6-pins on the PSU to the two on the GPU. I thought I was good to go...but nooooooo. The card over heats like crazy (I'm talking about I almost burnt my finger just touching the top of the video card!) and then fails on me whenever I try to play any type of game/anything that is graphic intensive.

Am I using a power supply that is too powerful? Or did I just connect it wrong?

The reason why I think I connected it wrong is because I did some research and I heard all this talk about the different rails and amps on the PSU and how my GPU needs about 40ish amps on a 12v rail.....WHAT?!?! How do I know which rail I'm using?

Any help would be appreciated!
http://www.rocketfishproducts.com/products/computers/RF-900WPS.html
 
Uber Schwarz said:
Sounds more to me like a faulty GPU but I'd wait for someone else here to answer your question further.
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I was starting to think that, too. But then I realized if that were the case then I shouldn't be able to see any video at all, right? I can still see my desktop any everything.
 
cmo429 said:
I was starting to think that, too. But then I realized if that were the case then I shouldn't be able to see any video at all, right? I can still see my desktop any everything.
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Hmm that is true. But to my knowledge you can't have a "too powerful" PSU and from what you said about using the 6-pin connectors for the GPU that requires the 6-pin connectors that is right.

What is the temperature during standby or normal desktop use?

I think around 80C-90C is when it would shut itself down for overheating. But when playing games it should be around 70C.
 
Well I highly doubt that it's connected wrong... those 6/8 pin adapters are more or less fool proof. As for the 12V rail stuff.. don't worry about it. It's just a figure that you should look for when purchasing a PSU. Simply put, a video card has a few power requirements, one of them being amps. When a video card needs 40A on the 12V Rail(s), just look for a PSU that can supply it... (ie. If that PSU has 10A on each rail, and has 5 12V rails, that's 50A on "the 12V rail"). Long story short: You're fine, Amp wise...


I would say it sounds like you have a faulty video card... my "old" 8800GT would get crazy hot, even with a great case and ventilation, so I really doubt it's that... those cores (as mentioned) can get around 80-90C during heavy lifting. Do you see any artifacts or anything on the screen before it shuts off? Which manufacturer makes your video card? I would look into replacing it..
 
Your mobo has an integrated gpu anyway which it would revert to, but if the gfx card was broken the mobo would beep to alert you.

Modern cards can actually stand well above 100c for short periods. Check the manual for recommended temperatures. Get speedfan or check in your BIOS.

The pin connectors are fine to work with less pins than they have, they're designed to work like that.
 
That PSU is certified for 3-way SLI so should have no trouble coping with a single GTX 285. Are the PCIe power cables correctly connected to the red or blue sockets on the PSU? When it's powered up can you verify that the GPU fan is working?
 
I forgot to mention that when I do start up a game I hear a quick buzz from the graphics card then receive this message: "Display Driver Stopped Responding and Has Recovered." I can also confirm that the fan IS spinning on the GPU.

Here are some pics of the PSU if that helps.

I have the top blue PCIe (8-pin) connected to the PSU (12-pin)
 

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cmo429 said:
"Display Driver Stopped Responding and Has Recovered."
Click to expand...

That may be down to funky Nvidia drivers.... tried booting in Safe Mode?

Here are some pics of the PSU if that helps.
I have the top blue PCIe (8-pin) connected to the PSU (12-pin)
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Nice.... better labeled than my Corsair. :)

I don't quite follow your description - I interpret the labeling as meaning the two blue or red PCIe outlets should feed the 2 x 6-pin PCI-e inputs on the GPU. The MB(CPU) outlet feed the 24-pin 12V... what is this "12-pin" you speak of? :)

A few other suggestions..... d/l GPU-Z and see what temps the sensor(s) on the card are reporting. My old 8800GT seemed dangerously hot but it was actually down to the card shroud acting as a heatsink (as designed). Also check there are no "dust bunnies" lurking around the fan intake.
 
Slug said:
That may be down to funky Nvidia drivers.... tried booting in Safe Mode?

Nice.... better labeled than my Corsair. :)

I don't quite follow your description - I interpret the labeling as meaning the two blue or red PCIe outlets should feed the 2 x 6-pin PCI-e inputs on the GPU. The MB(CPU) outlet feed the 24-pin 12V... what is this "12-pin" you speak of? :)

A few other suggestions..... d/l GPU-Z and see what temps the sensor(s) on the card are reporting. My old 8800GT seemed dangerously hot but it was actually down to the card shroud acting as a heatsink (as designed). Also check there are no "dust bunnies" lurking around the fan intake.
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Yea, I like the fact that everything is labeled clearly and also that it is modular.

By 12-pin I should have said two 6-pin connectors on the GPU. I accidentally added them up. Sorry for the confusion.

I think I am all set now actually. I took out any uncessary power cables and tried to consolidate anything that needed power to one or two cables. The way I had it set up before was for each SATA drive to have their own power cable which was stupid on my part. One power cable has like 3-4 SATA attachments so I just connected them all to one. Also, it never occured to me to try the drivers directly from EVGA instead on the ones from the NVIDIA site.

So now I am able to play my games like normal without it crashing back to the desktop and getting an error message. I'm not sure if it was because I consolidated cables or becase I used drivers directly from the manufacturer of the card. I'm sure it was the latter. I always seem to overlook the simple solutions.

Thanks everyone for the help! Appreciated! :D
 
How reliable are these rocketfish Power Supplies? I've never heard of them before. If you're putting serious cash into a GPU, CPU, MOBO, etc. You might as well get a name brand, well respected Power Supply. I've used Antec in the past and currently and they have worked wonderfully.
 
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