GTX 550 ti + Corsair VX450 = Blackout in games ?

[Julian]

Hi,

My PC Config:

Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4ghz @ Stock
Gigabyte EP45-UD3L
Corsair xms2 8GB DDR2 800 Mhz ram
Sparkle 550 ti 1gb
2x500gb hdd and 1tb external USB hdd
Corsair VX450 PSU

Usage: Gaming (skyrim/BF3) and 3d applications (maya/3dsmax)
Issue:
Any graphics intensive games runs but the screen goes black for 1-2 seconds and comes back, and does so repeatedly with artifacts. Happens more promptly in games like mafia 2, bf3. Previously had a XFX GTS 250 and the psu held it pretty well, but this card seems more power hungry The only solution I've found temporarily is to downclock the card using MSI afterburner by about 20%, and that makes all of them run. If it is my PSU that's not enough, then please tell me how much power will I require ? If the PSU is enough, what other problem might be there ?

[Extreme Gamer]

How old is that PSU?

You need a good 500W at the very least.

[Julian]

How old is that PSU?

You need a good 500W at the very least.

about 2+ years. But I read that it can even handle a 560ti :? It ran my GTS 250 fine, shouldn't the newer card supposed to be less power demanding ?

[Extreme Gamer]

Not necessarily. Both the 550Ti and 560 Ti draw more power than a GTS 250. Fermi is a power hungry GPU generation.

Since your PSU is somewhat old now, due to wear and tear it is not performing optimally for you. Or it could be that the rail's amps are being distributed to too many components for the PSU to handle the GPU along with it.

I advise you to run the GPU on another PC first, then switch PSUs on your PC to eliminate your GPU or PSU from blame. If that does not work, retry the GTS 250, and try another GPU if you can lay your hands on it. That would mean mobo is at fault.

[roydon]

The VX450's true peak power is somewhere around 550W, so that shouldn't be an issue. The fact that you're getting artifacts points to a GPU issue more than a PSU. The PSU was a problem, you're PC would have either froze, shutdown or rebooted. Make sure the card isn't dynamically being overclocked through Afterburner and that the temperatures aren't going overboard. Clean the insides of your chassis and try gaming with the side panel off and see if it makes a difference.

[Extreme Gamer]

I would stick to the seller's claim of 450W rather than the 550W as you pointed out. Over time PSU peak power drops, and when you go past the rated specs you are actually wearing your PSU out much faster.

My AX-1200 can take 1400W peak but then efficiency drops by a huge amount.

That said, he should check both his PSU and GPU like I stated before.

I have experienced artifacts befor when my PSU was unable to supply enough amps from its 12v rail to my GPU. But that was in an older setup. I do agree that shut downs, freezes and reboots are more common though.

There is no harm done if he checks both.

[The Sorcerer]

The VX450's true peak power is somewhere around 550W, so that shouldn't be an issue.

not-so-Newer Rev units are degraded. They're not as good as it used to be.

@OP: Run 3DMark benchmarks and see if it shuts down- or does it shut down only when you play those 2 games? Most likely there might be something wrong with the card.