Issues with the GeForce 9600 GT card

[Maritas]

Hi there,
I'm having issues with my card and Nvidia tech support is clueless as to what and why this is happening.

The Card will just shut down my PC - I can hear the fan spinning and that's about it. I have to hard boot the system to get it to power back up.

I have a 430 psu, 2 gigs of ram and running XP
It only does this when I'm gaming - World of Warcraft. I can hear the fan kick start and then my screen goes blank and the amber light of the monitor will light.

I updated the Bios and the chipset - removed and used drive sweeper to clean out the old drivers and then re-installed everything and this keeps happening. I also used PC Wizard and nothing is running hot - everything's normal.

I even checked the event viewer and there's nothing - so it's shutting down before anything can even be written.

I don't want to have to get another type of card - and oh, this is the 2nd card because the person from their tech support told me last night that maybe the memory was bad so I returned it and got another one - the same thing is happening.

Any ideas would be much appreciated?

 

[Namslas90]

Please use the 'user cp' to fill out complete system specs. (Would help a lot)

Without complete system specs my first reaction is; the PSU not strong enough. Even though it may have enough watts, it may not have enough amps on the 12v rail for the card.

Granted the card does not have a high power requirement, but with no specs on the PSU and Mobo (complete specs)its just a guess.

Make and model of PSU?

 

[candle_86]

well my allied 400W powers my 8800GS fine which draws more juice last time i checked

 

[GLD]

I also bet it is your psu.

 

[Solaris17]

psu...the 9600GT requires a 450w psu minimum with 26A on the +12v

 

[PaulieG]

We need to know the make and model. Some 430w would power this card just fine, others...not so much.

 

[PaulieG]

well my allied 400W powers my 8800GS fine which draws more juice last time i checked

wow, you're playing with fire here. The PSU is the most important component in your system. I had a 380w Allied in the first PC I built years ago, and it fried my board. Generally very unstable rails, not to mention you're under spec I believe.

 

[Maritas]

Yeah, sorry this would help...

Brand Thermaltake
Model W0070RUC
Series TR2
Spec
Type ATX
Maximum Power 430W
Fans 2
PFC No
Main Connector 20+4Pin
+12V Rails Single
PCI-E Connectors 1 x 6Pin
NVIDIA SLI Support No
Modular Cabling Support No
Hold-up Time 16ms min.
Efficiency > = 65%
Over Voltage Protection +5V trip point < +7.0V, +3.3V trip point < +4.5V, +12V trip point < +15.6V
Input Voltage 115/ 230 V
Input Frequency Range 47 - 63 Hz
Input Current 9A @ 115V, 5A @ 230V
Output +3.3V@20A, +5V@30A, +12V@18A, -5V@0.5A, -12V@0.8A, +5VSB@2A

After checking the Nvidia forums as well...
I am not alone. I also would bet that it's the PSU - even if the specs say 400 - I think they're lying.

 

[Black Panther]

psu...the 9600GT requires a 450w psu minimum with 26A on the +12v

And if I read the OP's PSU specs well, he has only 18AMPS on the +12V... and it's a single +12V rail.

 

[InnocentCriminal]

There you have it, it's your PSU. I recommend any from Corsair's excellent range, if you're on a budget, the 450W is excellent, absolutely excellent value for money.

^^

 

[Shurakai]

I'll have to agree with InnocentCriminal, i recently purchased a Corsair HX620, solid as a rock, quiet as one too

 

[InnocentCriminal]

\m/

 

[Maritas]

Thanks
Now I'm not sure if I want to go through all the trouble of pulling, sending it back and ordering a new PSU or just get a different card.

I thought I would be safe with the extra 30 being the specs say 400

I'm going from a GeForce 7900 256 so I think just about anything with 512 would be better.

 

[InnocentCriminal]

I'd definitely get a new PSU, as it's already been said, it's the most important factor of your system.

 

[Solaris17]

dont get a new card dude major waste...just grab a 500w psu...with some decent amps...it will be like idk 70/80 roughly just grab one...of course ppl in this thread will tell you get a $200 OCZ powerstream or something but honestly....though it IS a good idea if your not running alot and your not stressing your rig alot 70/80 $$ for a 500w PSU with some decent rails..

 

[3870x2]

Remember that the psu is probably actually something like 380 Watt +/- 50, or 330-430, 430watt being the maximum burst potential of the PSU, some companies do that. You can get a good 700W PSU for 50-70 dollars, but remember that you get what you pay for. If its cheap, it will be cheap, if you get my drift.

 

[Maritas]

Hmm trouble is, I just bought and installed the PSU *Tuesday* I even had to buy a few more SATA connectors for the DVD/CD drives and I'm still waiting for them in the mail.

It's going to be more trouble exchanging everything to Newegg than to just replace the card - tho I really want to keep the card. >.<

And I don't have any decent computer stores close by and BestCrap just doesn't cut it so I have to get everything online.

 

[Maritas]

I decided that I'm going to suck it up and get:

Brand Antec
Model EA500
Series earthwatts
Spec
Type ATX12V v2.0
Maximum Power 500W
Fans 80mm low noise cooling fan
PFC Active
Main Connector 20+4Pin
+12V Rails 2
PCI-E Connectors 2 x 6Pin
NVIDIA SLI Support Yes
Modular Cabling Support No
Efficiency > 80%
Energy-Efficient 80 PLUS Certified
Input Voltage 100 - 240 V
Input Frequency Range 50/60 Hz
Input Current 9A
Output +3.3V@24A,+5V@24A,+12V1@17A,+12V2@17A,-12V@0.8A, +5VSB@2.5A
Approvals UL, CUL, FCC, TUV, CE, CB, C-tick, CCC
Features
Features Dual 12V outputs: 12V2 for Motherboard and peripherals; 12V1 for processor
Industrial-grade protection circuitry prevents damage resulting from short circuits, power overloads, over voltage, and under voltage
80 Plus Certified is the newest standard in power supply efficiency.
At least 80% high efficiency at any load, will save you money on your electrical bill.
Reduce heat in your computer's system.
4 SATA connectors
2 PCI-E connector
Universal input
PF value up to 99%

Does this look like it can do the job? I just need to check my motherboard and make sure it'll take it. The fact that has 4 SATA connectors is already a bonus.
thanks!

 

[Black Panther]

2x17A on your +12V rail should suffice well for the 9600.

I run my 8800GT perfectly on a PSU with 2x rails as well, one at 16A and one at 18A.

With that PSU you'd probably even have room to slightly upgrade in the future.

 

[PaulieG]

I decided that I'm going to suck it up and get:

Brand Antec
Model EA500
Series earthwatts
Spec
Type ATX12V v2.0
Maximum Power 500W
Fans 80mm low noise cooling fan
PFC Active
Main Connector 20+4Pin
+12V Rails 2
PCI-E Connectors 2 x 6Pin
NVIDIA SLI Support Yes
Modular Cabling Support No
Efficiency > 80%
Energy-Efficient 80 PLUS Certified
Input Voltage 100 - 240 V
Input Frequency Range 50/60 Hz
Input Current 9A
Output +3.3V@24A,+5V@24A,+12V1@17A,+12V2@17A,-12V@0.8A, +5VSB@2.5A
Approvals UL, CUL, FCC, TUV, CE, CB, C-tick, CCC
Features
Features Dual 12V outputs: 12V2 for Motherboard and peripherals; 12V1 for processor
Industrial-grade protection circuitry prevents damage resulting from short circuits, power overloads, over voltage, and under voltage
80 Plus Certified is the newest standard in power supply efficiency.
At least 80% high efficiency at any load, will save you money on your electrical bill.
Reduce heat in your computer's system.
4 SATA connectors
2 PCI-E connector
Universal input
PF value up to 99%

Does this look like it can do the job? I just need to check my motherboard and make sure it'll take it. The fact that has 4 SATA connectors is already a bonus.
thanks!

Yeah, 2 17A 12v rails should do the job just fine. Wise choice getting a new psu instead of downgrading your card. My 9600gt is showing some very good results so far.

 

[Maritas]

Cool
I use the PC mainly for gaming so yeah, it makes sense that I would beed more umph for the video card. That's what I get and not trusting my gut and going for more power.

 

[PaulieG]

Just remember that good psu's are all about stable rails and continous power. Peak power is more of a marketing scheme aimed toward noobs.

 

[Maritas]

The only thing that I keep seeing, at the nVidia forums, it seems a lot of people are having the same issues. What worries me, some of these people are having the same issues and they're running a 500 psu and up - someone with a 630 was having the same issues.

Maybe the card is just crap?
I can't think of anything else it could be other than the PSU or the card itself.

 

[Maritas]

I just got off the phone with BFG tech support and the guy told me that it's a firmware issue. They're aware of the issues and "should" be issuing an update within the next few weeks.

K...that doesn't really help me now.

I think I'm just going to return the card and go with something else - I don't want to wait a couple of weeks.

 

[divinebaboon]

Antec Earthwatts 500W are awsome. I'm using mine lol. you can grab one for around 50 on ebay.
ebay link