eVGA e-GeForce FX 5200 Ultra -- low power message

I just bought this card and upgraded to the recommended 300W power
supply. This was hard due to my tiny micro atx case, but i managed to
find a small unit by Arrow. Despite upgrading my power supply I get a
message on startup stating that the card is not getting enough power,
and that the settings have been downgraded to protect my system from
getting fried. This is vey frustrating--it was difficult enough
finding a new PS to fit in my case, only to now get this message that
I do not have enough juice. And yes, I do have power running into the
card directly.

I am not really a gamer--I am a musician who needs two monitors for
home recording. I bought this card because it was the best value
two-output card I could find. Is this error message critical? Is there
a workaround?

Specs:
P4 2.4 ghz
512 MB ram

There are five devices receiving power:
CD-R and DVD drives
80GB and 30 GB HDs (both 7200 rpm)
Audigy 2 Platinum ex sound card (requires power of the small 4-pin
floppy variety)

Not all 300 Watt rated power supplies put out a real 300 Watts. It sounds
like you bought a cheaper power supply
that can't really supply the power that you need. Also remember that 300
real Watts from a reliable manufacturer is the MINIMUM required. More is
preferred.
--
DaveW



"Bjorn Bjork" <> wrote in message
news: om...
> I just bought this card and upgraded to the recommended 300W power
> supply. This was hard due to my tiny micro atx case, but i managed to
> find a small unit by Arrow. Despite upgrading my power supply I get a
> message on startup stating that the card is not getting enough power,
> and that the settings have been downgraded to protect my system from
> getting fried. This is vey frustrating--it was difficult enough
> finding a new PS to fit in my case, only to now get this message that
> I do not have enough juice. And yes, I do have power running into the
> card directly.
>
> I am not really a gamer--I am a musician who needs two monitors for
> home recording. I bought this card because it was the best value
> two-output card I could find. Is this error message critical? Is there
> a workaround?
>
> Specs:
> P4 2.4 ghz
> 512 MB ram
>
> There are five devices receiving power:
> CD-R and DVD drives
> 80GB and 30 GB HDs (both 7200 rpm)
> Audigy 2 Platinum ex sound card (requires power of the small 4-pin
> floppy variety)

Bjorn Bjork wrote:

> I just bought this card and upgraded to the recommended 300W power
> supply. This was hard due to my tiny micro atx case, but i managed to
> find a small unit by Arrow. Despite upgrading my power supply I get a
> message on startup stating that the card is not getting enough power,
> and that the settings have been downgraded to protect my system from
> getting fried. This is vey frustrating--it was difficult enough
> finding a new PS to fit in my case, only to now get this message that
> I do not have enough juice. And yes, I do have power running into the
> card directly.
>
> I am not really a gamer--I am a musician who needs two monitors for
> home recording. I bought this card because it was the best value
> two-output card I could find. Is this error message critical? Is there
> a workaround?
>
> Specs:
> P4 2.4 ghz
> 512 MB ram
>
> There are five devices receiving power:
> CD-R and DVD drives
> 80GB and 30 GB HDs (both 7200 rpm)
> Audigy 2 Platinum ex sound card (requires power of the small 4-pin
> floppy variety)

With the price of Arrow '500-watt' power supplies listed around US $23.00,
I'd put the blame squarely on the power supply.

As DaveW mentioned in a followup post,
>> Not all 300 Watt rated power supplies put out a real 300
>> Watts.**It*sounds like you bought a cheaper power supply
>> that can't really supply the power that you need.

If your budget can handle it I'd suggest the purchase of a new case with a
power supply from a respected manufacturer.
My personal favorite is Antec. Their cases are readily available and their
power supplies meet or exceed industry specifications.

As an example, the
Model# SLK3700AMB
is available from < http://www.newegg.com >
as Item# N82E16811129122.

Newegg lists the price (as of the time I checked) at US $73.00 with free
FedEx shipping.

Antec cases are also available through BestBuy, CompUSA, and other
retailers.

(I suppose I need a disclaimer here: I'm not an employee or contractor of
Antec, nor am I otherwise compensated by company.)

--
Ron n1zhi