I'm sorry if I sound a bit thick, but looking at the specs for this power supply of mine it doesn't sound too bad, what should I look out for in a good PSU??? Is my 800W no good, or is there not enough amperage on the 12v rails??? Please explain so that I can make a more informed decision in the future.
well from looking at the specs i would say your 800w PS is lacking. it has two 12v rails each rated at 19 amps. now i'm not a genius with these things but i know a good 750w to 800w PS should have at least a single 12v rail with a minimum 60amps on it, or three or four 12v rails with a combined minimum if 60+ amps on it. to supply good power
the fact you have an 800w PS with only 19amps on both 12v rails doesn't mean its a bad PS necessarily, but if they cut corners there they probably did elsewhere, too. plus as another poster said, he suspects it might be a 600w PS from the spec label. i don't know what your label says, 800w or 600w....but my 500w PS has 22amps on each 12v rail, to give you an idea
so far as what brand to buy and what is a good PS? lots of good answers will come your way here. there are no guarantees, but i've learned some brands are more reliable then others, use better "internals," and perhaps most of all have earned good reputations among builders and box makers alike
a couple of myths is you have to spend over $100 for a good PS. not necessarily true, although if looking at 700w and above you most likely will. but from 600w to 700w bargains can be had. this unit from Antec, for instance:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371015
if you NEED the power (which i doubt unless you are making a moon launch) something like these would be fine:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256009
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006
they're on sale. i'm not sure what part of the world you are in because prices can vary, but i think something comparable can be had just about anywhere. and something is always on sale. so far as what makes these PS's good, here are a couple reviews:
http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews.php?type=3&id=124&page=1&desc=silverstone_strider_750w_st75f_psu
http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=474
so that is just an example. look for a maker with a good reputation and a supply with good
professional reviews, make sure you get what you need so far as power, and make your best choice based on need / price.
a helpful list so far as choosing a more reliable brand / model is right here:
http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/101922.aspx
as you can see ATRIX (your brand) is "not recommended" across all its model lines. so its something you may want to avoid. again, some people use these and they are fine, others use better and they crap out. but in the world of PS's its always better to go with reputation for quality right off the bat imo
My POV 8800 GT is running at 64C idle, but seems to have some kind of spack attack at 75-80C and turns off my computer, any idea's how to fix this as it's starting to really P%*$ me off!!!
i just saw this while browsing the thread
my evga 8800GS does something similar at those temps. once it hits 75c to 80c the driver has crashed. on Vista the picture / game comes back after a few seconds or so, if you have XP idk? it might turn the computer off. my computer has rebooted a couple times from it, but its not usual. and THAT isn't a PS issue for me
just FYI
