Ask A Geek

Q: I’m doing some upgrades on my PC and I’m wondering if this PSU has the correct cables for the motherboard. I couldn’t find a site in English that supplied more info on the PSU but I wrote down what I could get a hold of.

PSU: XION AXP PowerSupply 630W V. 2.20 SLI Ready

630 Watt Version 2.20 with 120mm Cooling Fan x 1 / 20 +4 Pins (Prescott ready) / SATA x 2 / PCI-Express x2 (SLI ready) / Titanium Nickle Coating Surface, PFC

Specifications:
4-pin FDD connectors – 2
4-pin HDD connectors – 6
4-pin P4 connectors – 1
5-pin S-ATA connectors – 2
6-pin PCIe connectors – 2
Active PFC – No
Dimensions – 145 x 150 x 85 (LxWxH) mm
Modular – No
Power – 630 W

Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131397&cm_re=M4A77TD_PRO-_-13-131-397-_-Product

Thanks, appreciate the help!

Q: I am buying the following components and I am wondering if everything is going to fit and work on my new computer. I am also wondering if the corsair 650W power supply enough?

Antec Three Hundred case

ASUS P5QL PRO, P43, Socket-755

Corsair powersupply 650W black ATX/EPS

Corsair Dominator TWIN2X PC8500 4 GB DDR2 with Fan (Is fan needed)-the one without is cheaper.

Samsung Spinpoint T166 250GB SATA2

HIS Radeon HD 4890 1 GB GDDR5

Intel Core 2 Quad 8400 2,66ghz.

Did i forget anything?

Q: My computer fried itself today. It smells all burnt and everything so I’m buying a new one with these specs.

• Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium pre-installed w/COA
• AMD Phenom X4 9500 2.2 GHz Quad-Core Processor
• 3 GB DDR2 RAM
• 720 GB (2 x 360GB) SATA hard drive
• 16x SuperMulti DVD±RW DL drive with LightScribe Technology
• NVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT PCI Express video card
• High Definition audio, 8 speaker configurable
• 22″ HP Widescreen Rotating LCD Monitor w/HDMI & USB Hub

It only has a 300 watt power supply. My question is, is that enough? If it’s not and I have to buy a bigger one, does it have to be the same brand as the computer? It’s an HP.

A: Yes it’s enough.

I’d also find it hard to believe that HP would sell you a computer that didn’t have a power supply in it that would support the internal components.

As a side note, if you’re planning on doing any high end gaming with this new system, you might want to consider a different video card. The 8500GT is a great general purpose card for watching video and surfing the web, but it isn’t something you’d want to be buying to play Crysis, Half-Life 2, etc.

Q: My computer fried itself today (literally, it smells all burny and everything) so I’m buying a new one with these specs.

• Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium pre-installed w/COA
• AMD Phenom X4 9500 2.2 GHz Quad-Core Processor
• 3 GB DDR2 RAM
• 720 GB (2 x 360GB) SATA hard drive
• 16x SuperMulti DVD±RW DL drive with LightScribe Technology
• NVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT PCI Express video card
• High Definition audio, 8 speaker configurable
• 22″ HP Widescreen Rotating LCD Monitor w/HDMI & USB Hub

It only has a 300 watt power supply. My question is, is that enough? If it’s not and I have to buy a bigger one, does it have to be the same brand as the computer? It’s an HP.

Q: Today we had a power surge or something (without any lightning) and suddenly the lights flickered on and off and my PC suddenly turned off and stayed off and now still wont turn on. My power supply is a Corsair 400w and I need help figuring out how I can check whether or not it’s broken.