19 Apr
2002
19 Apr
'02
8:21 p.m.
On Fri, 19 Apr 2002, Zane H. Healy wrote:
Now that you mention it I don't think my XP system
has crashed once since I
got the cooling under control, it has only crashed twice. The amazing thing
is that the i850GB motherboard is supposed to require a minimum of 250W PS,
and I've got a 240W PS with a Pentium IV, and 512MB RDRAM, as well as other
bells and whistles.
Speaking as a generally unwilling but frequent Fixer-of-Busted-PCs,
I'd highly recommend spending a few bucks on a 300W-400W PSU. A lot of
the better PC power supplies are rated 10-15% below their real max, so
I'm not surprised that yours is working, for now. I'd bet that's
part of the thermal problem, though - an overworked power supply throws
a lot of heat. I'd also bet large odds the PSU doesn't last very long.
"Commodity Hardware" isn't an idle epithet. Fortunately, the concept
includes cheap fixing.
Doc