totally OT: Two powersupplies???

I just snagged a couple of CompUSA powerbricks to stuff in my aging computer systems(2 PIII 500's). If I upgrade to AMD XP systems, these will be ok but right on the limit.(300watts). Here is my question, since I will still have the original power supply, couldn't I use the new power brick for the cpu & motherboard and keep the old PS taped to the top of the case and use it to supply the power to the peripherials??(hard drives, Voodoo 5, cdrom etc.) Is that nutcase tech or a half workable idea?? dave henrie

On Tue, 19 Feb 2002 15:41:00 GMT, "Dave Henrie" <[email hidden]> wrote:

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> I just snagged a couple of CompUSA powerbricks to stuff in my aging >computer systems(2 PIII 500's). If I upgrade to AMD XP systems, these will >be ok but right on the limit.(300watts). > Here is my question, since I will still have the original power supply, >couldn't I use the new power brick for the cpu & motherboard and keep the >old PS taped to the top of the case and use it to supply the power to the >peripherials??(hard drives, Voodoo 5, cdrom etc.) > Is that nutcase tech or a half workable idea?? >dave henrie >

It would work - I've done it myself for diagnostic purposes. It's not particularly elegant, however! Also, dont't assume that your 300W is not up to it. My Deer 300W supply is currently powering an AMD XP 1700+, with two hard drives, CD-burner, DVD drive and Voodoo 5 without any problems. It's as much down to power supply quality - and the current that it can supply at the various voltages - as total power rating. Ian -- Ian Riches GPL Rank +1.76 Monsters of GPL +284.19

On Tue, 19 Feb 2002 15:47:36 +0000, Ian Riches <[email hidden]> wrote: > >It would work - I've done it myself for diagnostic purposes. It's not >particularly elegant, however! But the other PSU was a Baby-AT, right? Isn't the ATX ones relay switched from the MoBo?

I have seen dual power supply systems before. I just ran into a little problem myself. I have an ASUS A7M266 motherboard with a 1.4 T-bird CPU. I flashed the BIOS so that I could run an XP chipset. The BIOS flash appeared to work ok going thru multiple reboots and running for over an hour with no problems. After power it down however it wouldn't restart. To make a long story short after the BIOS flash my current 300w power supply no longer supplied enough initial power to start things up. I ended up buying a 350w power supply to get the system up and running. So I'm not sure if a dual power supply would provide enough "kick" to get it going or not. BTW my 300w was a CompUSA as well. the new 350w is a Sparkle. MadDAWG

On Tue, 19 Feb 2002 17:02:56 +0100, na_biker <[email hidden]> wrote:

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>On Tue, 19 Feb 2002 15:47:36 +0000, Ian Riches <[email hidden]> >wrote: > >> >>It would work - I've done it myself for diagnostic purposes. It's not >>particularly elegant, however! > >But the other PSU was a Baby-AT, right? Isn't the ATX ones relay >switched from the MoBo?

Whoops - correct. The other powersupply was an old AT one. Not sure how it would work with two ATX supplies. Sorry for the confusion! Ian -- Ian Riches GPL Rank +1.76 Monsters of GPL +284.19

If both are ATX power supplies then cut the motherboard connector off one of them, that's the one to use for the peripherals. The trick with 2 ATX powersupplies is, well, powering them on <g>. To fix that simply slice open the green wire near the middle of the connector on the PSU that'll power the motherboard. Take the green wire from the other PSU and wrap it to this wire. Then do the same with any of the black wires. When you power on the main PSU the green wire will trip the relay to power on the second PSU. If you're really serious about this your best bet it to search some of the overclocker websites where multiple PSU's are often discussed and have how-to articles. "Dave Henrie" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:gmuc8.87931$fK1.4224298@rwcrnsc54... > I just snagged a couple of CompUSA powerbricks to stuff in my aging > computer systems(2 PIII 500's). If I upgrade to AMD XP systems, thesewill

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> be ok but right on the limit.(300watts). > Here is my question, since I will still have the original power supply, > couldn't I use the new power brick for the cpu & motherboard and keep the > old PS taped to the top of the case and use it to supply the power to the > peripherials??(hard drives, Voodoo 5, cdrom etc.) > Is that nutcase tech or a half workable idea?? > dave henrie > >

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Thunderly <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:3c7288ad$[email hidden]... > If both are ATX power supplies then cut the motherboard connector off oneof > them, that's the one to use for the peripherals. The trick with 2 ATX > powersupplies is, well, powering them on <g>. To fix that simply sliceopen > the green wire near the middle of the connector on the PSU that'll powerthe

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> motherboard. Take the green wire from the other PSU and wrap it to this > wire. Then do the same with any of the black wires. When you power on the > main PSU the green wire will trip the relay to power on the second PSU. If > you're really serious about this your best bet it to search some of the > overclocker websites where multiple PSU's are often discussed and have > how-to articles. >

Good advice, I have found that the green wire is the one (in an ATX connector) that is on the 'clip' side of the connector, like the 4th down from one side, then the black wire 4th down from the other side (still on the 'clip' side) mates well to trip the unit on. I short these with a paper clip if my power supply acts up to see if it is the PS or the mobo. Its the only way I have ever been able to get an ATX unit to fire up without being plugged into the mobo. Good luck, wear rubber shoes and use rubber gripped tools :)

Dave, I just upgraded to an Athlon XP 1700+ about a month ago, and also worried over whether my existing 300W PS would suffice. No Problem! And I have 2 hard drives, a Voodoo5, 1 DVD drive, 1 CD-RW drive, a SBLive card, and a load of fans. I say try things with your existing power supply first. I'll bet you'll be OK. If not, go ahead and up the wattage. (I'm no expert, but I would recommend, in that case, to just get a 350W or 400W PS and swap them out. That's what I was planning to do, if need be....) Dave Henrie wrote:

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> I just snagged a couple of CompUSA powerbricks to stuff in my aging > computer systems(2 PIII 500's). If I upgrade to AMD XP systems, these will > be ok but right on the limit.(300watts). > Here is my question, since I will still have the original power supply, > couldn't I use the new power brick for the cpu & motherboard and keep the > old PS taped to the top of the case and use it to supply the power to the > peripherials??(hard drives, Voodoo 5, cdrom etc.) > Is that nutcase tech or a half workable idea?? > dave henrie

Dave, I just upgraded to an Athlon XP 1700+ about a month ago, and also worried over whether my existing 300W PS would suffice. No Problem! And I have 2 hard drives, a Voodoo5, 1 DVD drive, 1 CD-RW drive, a SBLive card, and a load of fans. I say try things with your existing power supply first. I'll bet you'll be OK. If not, go ahead and up the wattage. (I'm no expert, but I would recommend, in that case, to just get a 350W or 400W PS and swap them out. That's what I was planning to do, if need be....)

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> I just snagged a couple of CompUSA powerbricks to stuff in my aging > computer systems(2 PIII 500's). If I upgrade to AMD XP systems, these will > be ok but right on the limit.(300watts). > Here is my question, since I will still have the original power supply, > couldn't I use the new power brick for the cpu & motherboard and keep the > old PS taped to the top of the case and use it to supply the power to the > peripherials??(hard drives, Voodoo 5, cdrom etc.) > Is that nutcase tech or a half workable idea?? > dave henrie

On Tue, 19 Feb 2002 19:34:18 GMT, BRH <"bertrh<no-spam>"@attbi.com> wrote:

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>Dave, > >I just upgraded to an Athlon XP 1700+ about a month ago, and also worried over >whether my existing 300W PS would suffice. No Problem! And I have 2 hard >drives, a Voodoo5, 1 DVD drive, 1 CD-RW drive, a SBLive card, and a load of >fans. > >I say try things with your existing power supply first. I'll bet you'll be >OK. If not, go ahead and up the wattage. (I'm no expert, but I would >recommend, in that case, to just get a 350W or 400W PS and swap them out. >That's what I was planning to do, if need be....)

I recommend that one who looks at PSUs stop staring at the wattage number and instead look at AMDs recommended PSU list for the prospected CPU in question. <http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/TechnicalResources/0,,30_182_869_4348^4358,00.html> The total Wattage number doesn't mean all that much in this context. It's about how much current the PSU can put out on each rail and how much _combined_ power it can muster... There are 250W PSUs that can take an XP1800 and there are 300W PSU that can't.

"na_biker" ... There are 250W PSUs that can > take an XP1800 and there are 300W PSU that can't. > well the compusa box says AMD approved but doesn't say for how high a cpu speed. Went for this to replace my son's box first...he'll be the guinea pig. thanks dave henrie