ANTEC ISK300-65's hidden PSU Spec

(2012-05-08 22:57)bluedevil229 Wrote:  

(2011-11-15 07:51)eskro Wrote:  ISK 300-150 doesn't have a FanLess 0dBA PSU

Does all this mean if you have the ISK 150 (me), that I can add a 90w brick to get more power?

You cannot connect a power brick to the standard PSU. You can remove the standard PSU, and replace it with this "PICOPSU-160-XT"......you'll have a fanless solution.....

(2012-05-08 22:57)bluedevil229 Wrote:  Does all this mean if you have the ISK 150 (me), that I can add a 90w brick to get more power?

nope, it doesnt mean that

I finally got my new 120w brick. Took awhile to get through customs!! .

So it seems my random crash/reboot was not related to the original 65w brick. I have a feeling that even with the 65w brick, this system might be able to support a discrete video card.

Unfortunately, for an as yet undetermined reason, my system parts (asus p8h61-i mobo, Intel G530 processor, Asus gt 430 video card, 4gb of tested and mobo-approved ram, XBMCbuntu) do not play well together . Eden runs perfectly with integrated Intel graphics from the G530, but as soon as I try using the Asus GT 430, XBMC starts randomly crashing and rebooting... I assumed it was a bad video card, but the card works perfectly well in a Windows XP system... . Sigh. I hate this kind of problem!

I'm hoping perhaps it's a driver issue with Nvidia and XBMCbuntu (Anyone with some experience/info/ideas on this issue, feel free to let me know!!). I'll try upgrading to the current version...

Anywho, sorry to go off topic. The purpose of this post was primarily to say:

1. The 120w brick I ordered seems to work fine. Doesn't get overly warm when in use. Volt meter shows it is outputting at spec.

2. The 65w brick the Antec isk300-65 comes with was not the cause of my crashes/reboots, and should be able to support a low-powered discrete video card. That said, it is operating at close to full capacity, so upgrading to a slightly higher-powered unit still might be wise (especially since they are quite inexpensive).

[EDIT] Looks like even the 120w brick is not enough to support the discrete video card as well (See below)


[EDIT 2] Replaced GT 430 with a less power hungry GT 520 (29watts TDP vs 49watts TDP). So far, system is Stable! (See below)

(2012-05-10 16:37)DoeBoye Wrote:  Unfortunately, for an as yet undetermined reason, my system parts (asus p8h61-i mobo, Intel G530 processor, Asus gt 430 video card, 4gb of tested and mobo-approved ram, XBMCbuntu) do not play well together . Eden runs perfectly with integrated Intel graphics from the G530, but as soon as I try using the Asus GT 430, XBMC starts randomly crashing and rebooting... I assumed it was a bad video card, but the card works perfectly well in a Windows XP system... . Sigh. I hate this kind of problem!

1. The 120w brick I ordered seems to work fine. Doesn't get overly warm when in use. Volt meter shows it is outputting at spec.

2. The 65w brick the Antec isk300-65 comes with was not the cause of my crashes/reboots, and should be able to support a low-powered discrete video card. That said, it is operating at close to full capacity, so upgrading to a slightly higher-powered unit still might be wise (especially since they are quite inexpensive).

I doubt that the GT430 is the cause of the crash, and it is probably not the brick either. The PSU in Antec 300-65 is probably too weak to handle both the G530 and GT430 at the same time. If you do the math, 120w is below spec for G530 and GT430 (it's 125w TDP). The perfect PSU should be operated at 50% to 70% of the PSU spec.....another word, G530+GT430 should have roughly 190w PSU.......just a thought!

(2012-05-10 16:53)bluray Wrote:  I doubt that the GT430 is the cause of the crash, and it is probably not the brick either. The PSU in Antec 300-65 is probably too weak to handle both the G530 and GT430 at the same time. If you do the math, 120w is below spec for G530 and GT430 (it's 125w TDP). The perfect PSU should be operated at 50% to 70% of the PSU spec.....another word, G530+GT430 should have roughly 190w PSU.......just a thought!

I considered that as well, but my kill-a-watt is showing a maximum draw of under 60w, and usually even less then that... I assumed it would be enough... .

I'll try the board and card together and plug in a desktop PSU (I think the extra one I have floating around is a 430w unit), and see if that solves it... If that is the case, any recommendations for a reasonably priced pico-psu?

(2012-05-10 17:27)DoeBoye Wrote:  

(2012-05-10 16:53)bluray Wrote:  I doubt that the GT430 is the cause of the crash, and it is probably not the brick either. The PSU in Antec 300-65 is probably too weak to handle both the G530 and GT430 at the same time. If you do the math, 120w is below spec for G530 and GT430 (it's 125w TDP). The perfect PSU should be operated at 50% to 70% of the PSU spec.....another word, G530+GT430 should have roughly 190w PSU.......just a thought!

I considered that as well, but my kill-a-watt is showing a maximum draw of under 60w, and usually even less then that... I assumed it would be enough... .

I'll try the board and card together and plug in a desktop PSU (I think the extra one I have floating around is a 430w unit), and see if that solves it... If that is the case, any recommendations for a reasonably priced pico-psu?

Same boat here..... after work today I will try a 350 W supply..... I even bought new RAM witch I thought it was the problem because the other RAM if I took one stick out it ran perfect.....

So it is something weird.... going on.

(2012-05-10 17:27)DoeBoye Wrote:  

(2012-05-10 16:53)bluray Wrote:  I doubt that the GT430 is the cause of the crash, and it is probably not the brick either. The PSU in Antec 300-65 is probably too weak to handle both the G530 and GT430 at the same time. If you do the math, 120w is below spec for G530 and GT430 (it's 125w TDP). The perfect PSU should be operated at 50% to 70% of the PSU spec.....another word, G530+GT430 should have roughly 190w PSU.......just a thought!

I considered that as well, but my kill-a-watt is showing a maximum draw of under 60w, and usually even less then that... I assumed it would be enough... .

I'll try the board and card together and plug in a desktop PSU (I think the extra one I have floating around is a 430w unit), and see if that solves it... If that is the case, any recommendations for a reasonably priced pico-psu?

Unfortunately- when you do any stress at all to the G530+GT430, it will easily spike over 60w.....as you can see, Nvidia recommended a lot higher PSU than the actual 60W TDP.....

The best choice for your Antec 300-65 case might be this one "PicoPSU-160-XT 160W 12Volt DC-DC ATX Mini Power Supply"........it should be within 50% to 70% ranges.....

Success!! I hooked up a 430w atx PSU, and the system worked flawlessly!!

I guess I'm just having a hard time understanding why even though my kill-a-watt is showing no more then 60w, a 120w brick is still not enough? Logically, a watt is a watt. system draws 60w, brick rated to 120w... Unless the Antec MD-135 is the limiting factor...

Beer: I'm curious to see if you have the same experience! Please post back with your findings!!

Bluray: Thanks for the recommendation on PSUs! . I'm assuming since the isk300-65 is the same case as the isk300-150, I'll just need to cut out the access port for the PSU power cord, right? Or is there something else I need to do?

[EDIT] Just checked out your link. Does that unit mean I need an external power brick as well? I figured it would be an enclosed PSU (just smaller) like you would find in a regular ATX case (Can you tell this is the first time I've worked with a mini-ITX system??

(2012-05-10 19:25)DoeBoye Wrote:  Success!! I hooked up a 430w atx PSU, and the system worked flawlessly!!

I guess I'm just having a hard time understanding why even though my kill-a-watt is showing no more then 60w, a 120w brick is still not enough? Logically, a watt is a watt. system draws 60w, brick rated to 120w... Unless the Antec MD-135 is the limiting factor...

Beer: I'm curious to see if you have the same experience! Please post back with your findings!!

Bluray: Thanks for the recommendation on PSUs! . I'm assuming since the isk300-65 is the same case as the isk300-150, I'll just need to cut out the access port for the PSU power cord, right? Or is there something else I need to do?

[EDIT] Just checked out your link. Does that unit mean I need an external power brick as well? I figured it would be an enclosed PSU (just smaller) like you would find in a regular ATX case (Can you tell this is the first time I've worked with a mini-ITX system??

Yes, you need the power brick with it. You can contact the same seller for more info. They might be able to include the correct power brick for extra cost.....

If you want more info this subject, you can check out this thread "Antec 300-65". I explained everything about the Antec 300-65 and Pico in posts #512 to 520.......

I think I have some good news!!!

In a last ditch effort to avoid having to upgrade the PSU, I thought I'd try one more thing: I went to the local Futureshop (Only because they have a good return policy if it didn't work . Their prices are a little high, however), and I picked up a Zotac GT 520.

I know it's not quite as good as the GT 430, but it supports True HD and Master Audio, and will definitely be an upgrade from my existing ion 330 setup. (I know that XBMCbuntu currently does not support TrueHD and MA, but I have a feeling it's *very* close!).

Anyhow, plugged it in, and SUCCESS! No reboots as of yet. I've tested it on all the content that gave me and instant crash (High bit rate mkvs, and my goto guaranteed stresser - the killasample.mkv video snippet that is floating around the net).

From the literature, the GT 430 has a TDP of 49w, while the 520 has a TDP of 29w. Quite a difference! A bonus is that the heatsink is smaller, so there is more clearance between the side of the case and the fan which hopefully will lead (combined with the reduced TDP) to even cooler temps (currently at 35 Celcius at idle).

Anywho, this is only preliminary. I'll start using this box exclusively, and report back in a few days .

Note: I looked at the kill-a-watt a couple of times, and in my unscientific sampling , the idle wattage use is 30watts, while under load it hovers between 39 and 41 watts... (15 to 20 watts less then the GT 430).