Im very suspect of my PSU and don't think it's giving enough power. Is there a program that will tell me how efficiently it is running?
No. The power supply is one component that can't be measured with software...at least not accurately. Most motherboards do keep some sort of figure on the voltage, but it's not measured at the source, so it's dubious at best. The only way to properly figure out how efficient the unit happens to be is to use a load tester and measure the output of each rail. The bad news is these aren't something you can just snag off the shelf. Having said that, is the 550W EZ Cool PSU you have listed in your computer specs still accurate? If so, EZ Cool is unfamilar, and if it was cheap, light weight, and/or came with the case, the odds are it's a piece of junk all around.
yep its the 550w EZ cool. At the time i built the pc i had to scrimp somewhere and i went for the bad choice of scrimping on the PSU. It's started making some funny noises recently especially on start up. I were just wanting to know if it was still effectively running all the main components or if it wasn't providing enough power. Im getting alot of windows and IE crashes. Together with my graphics card not wanting to play ball nearly as much as it used to.
Yeah, that sounds like it, and typical of a PSU going out. Fortron Blue Storm II 500W or the Seasonic S12II 500W would be some of the better choices for that box. The Seasonic is in the 80%+ efficiency grouping, so that might be something to consider, especially since that can help some with your electric bill.
