Hey guys, just got a used Raidmax Volcano 630W Power Supply today from eBay. The seller said there were no problems with it. After installing it, Windows booted up with no problems except now my Audio sounds messed up. All i hear is a blurry mess. I switched back to my older PSU and the sound was normal again! What could the problem be? Which PSU cable is affecting my sound? The 24-pin cable really has 23 pins but it comes that way from the manufacturer. I think the company must have thought the 24th pin would have been unnecessary. My older PSU does have the 24th. Other than that everything is normal. These speakers are fairly new and all my audio drivers are up to date. Here's a look at my Audio Card and Motherboard.
RaidMax Sucks...It is a recipe for disaster. What one needs to know about...the relation of the negative effects of heat on the computer...That can be caused by the power supply. Manufacturers test their PSU's at a set temperature...from this their rating is determined... for most this No. is 25 degrees Celsius...which falls short of the temperature that most computers are capable of achieving. Given that a PSU will actually lose 2-5 watts per one degree of heat above the 25 Degree Celsius testing temperature...coupled with the fact that computers tend to run at 10 degrees higher than room temperature... In the summer time when the room temperature can easily reach 80 degrees F... your computer will be running at 33 Degrees C. or 90 Degrees F. So the...math can make...your 500 watt power supply into a 460 watt unit. In addition to this...what needs to be taken into account is that each degree that your computer components are operating at...under powered...adds more heat to the equation. Consider also...the possibility...that ratings given by the manufacturer of single components...such as graphics cards...need to be treated with skepticism...Manufacturers may minimize support issues and under rate the power required...in order to make a larger profit. The above has not taken into account...the issue of high quality vs poor quality units...Power supplies convert voltages from wall outlets to lower levels used by the PC. During this conversion, some power is lost as heat. The efficiency level of the PSU determines how much extra power must be put into the power supply to run the PC. A high quality PSU can help reduce the noise and heat generated within a computer system. The higher the efficiency rating the less heat the PSU has to deal with. Therefore heat is the computers enemy...The hotter the temperature your PSU is forced to run at...the poorer the supply of power the rest of the components will receive...which has been known to lead to such things as crashes, freezing, rebooting, BSOD’s, and video distortion, as well as partial and complete failure of other components. The fact is very few PSU’s are capable of producing the wattage that the companies advertise. For a very good comprehension of recommended brand names, wattage, and models in listed categories...Plus much more...check out this link. Power Supply Information and Selection - Tech Support Forum
Thanks man, very informative. I normally go here to check how much wattage i need. My current system needs just roughly 360 watts to run. So from what you're saying, my PSU may not be utilizing all the wattage it can put out? I don't see how my 630 watt can be keyed down to less than 360 watts, otherwise even my VGA card wouldn't even work! Heres another thing i should mention. My current audio card is a Creative SoundBlaster Live 24-bit. My friend lent me his Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi Titanium (one of the newest cards out there) and it works with my new PSU! Also i installed my old card into my friends system and it works! So heres a rundown of whats going on: 1. My current card works with my old 550 watt PSU but not with my new 630 watt PSU 2. My friends new card works with my new 630 watt PSU 3. My current card works in my friends system .....What the f*$& is goin on...
Your new Raidmax is not keyed down...It is not a quality unit...so it can not put out what it should...It is a recipe for disaster. Poor quality units will run a PC...but there is a hidden cost to using them. Your graphic card plays a huge role in how much power you need. The Truth About Graphics Power Requirements V2 - Atomic 3.0
