required minimum power supply for running one or two hard drives and a DVD drive on an AMD FX 8320 processor
required minimum power supply for running one or two hard drives and a DVD drive on an AMD FX 8320 processor
i think the ga-970a-ds3p is no longer working properly, the power supply connected is a 750w model which should still function well. i want to try running the cpu on another board—specifically an asrock 980de3/u3s3. however, that board only supports a 550w power supply and currently runs an amd fx 4130. the issue with the asrock motherboard is that it doesn’t allow usb booting, unlike the gigabyte model. so at most i can install a live cd/dvd linux to test the cpu, as long as the 550w power supply provides enough capacity. here are the key specs:
- asrock 980de3/u3s3 board (supposedly compatible cpu)
- 1600mhz ram (two 8gb gsr5 sticks from corsair)
- 550w power supply
- dvd drive
- 8 pin 12v connector
- 24 pin atx connector
- GTX 740 nvidia 2gig total specs
for gigabyte:
- ga-970a-ds3p
- 1600mhz ram (two 8gb gsr5)
- 750w power supply
- rx550 4gb or rx570 8gb (more details if needed)
i wasn’t sure how to phrase it, but in simple terms i’m wondering if i can move the 8320 from the gigabyte board onto the asrock board while also relocating the power supply for testing.
Jesus, it should function. A 360w power source will suffice, especially with a quality one. The FX8320 processor uses less than 100 watts under normal conditions. RAM sticks draw less than 2-3 watts. The DVD drive operates without power when idle, around 5w during playback and 8-10w when writing. A hard drive consumes roughly 6-10 watts while running, the motherboard (chipset, audio, network) about 10-15 watts. The GeForce 740 has unknown power draw, but if it lacks dedicated PCIe E/PCI-E 6 or 8 pins, it stays under 60w. The RX 550 should be under 50w, and the RX 570 under 175w for 8GB RAM. The Asrock board can boot via USB, though USB 2.0 ports might work better; USB 3 ports could be handled by a separate controller not recognized in the BIOS.
Board supports USB boot, but only with USB 2.0 on the back and a USB 2.0 stick. It functions without specifying exact PSU models, making it difficult to confirm their quality or reliability.
the psu isn't the main concern regarding fire risk... these units have been part of their systems since installation. however, for your reference - the gigabyte board uses a cougar rs 750 watt power supply, while the asrock model features an asrock aero 550 watt unit. in terms of usb booting, i can confirm the asrock board doesn't start from any usb port (i tested multiple usb 2 drives in both mbr and uefi modes, and they still won't boot). on the bios, the only available options are internal hard drive or dvd-rom; usb simply doesn't appear under the override settings. regarding the geforce 740, it lacks an extra power plug like the rx550, drawing power solely from the pcie slot—so based on the wattage, i think swapping the cpu would be reasonable, even though i was expecting the 8320 to be a fixed 125 watts regardless of use.
Instead of quitting, try this approach to try to restore the performance. Remove all heatsinks from the motherboard and detach the board completely—leave only the motherboard behind. Also, remove the CPU retention cap, which might be a protective cover. If that doesn’t help, take off the cover and attempt again.
Drain the motherboard by shorting the CMOS and power button for about two minutes each. Rinse it under running water, then soak in a bucket of water for an hour or two. Alternatively, use a dishwasher without soap (I prefer the first method since I don’t have one). Allow drying for 2 to 4 days based on your climate—colder places need four days, tropical heat requires just two, and even a single day works.
If it works after soaking, you should see improvement. This method has already helped me before; the issue wasn’t resolved by water immersion, but leaving it folded for a day helped an audio chip stop overheating (thanks to the Intel fan pointing at it). Five boards are still working, while others were either permanently dead or caused by mistakes like flashing a P5K Pro BIOS or using an ASRock G31M vs2.
If you removed the heat sinks, what did you swap the thermal pad for on the bottom heat sink? (the square one next to the red SATA cable) That’s the spot where the heat is most intense for me on this board. The CPU reports temperatures between 32-38°C (or 89.6°F to 100.4°F for Americans), which feels quite low. I really like the Bush mechanics build with that Intel fan—I’ll give your suggestion a try, since I don’t have much to lose right now. Plus, I’m surprised by the water-based coolant instead of something like methylated spirits.
If it feels warm to the touch, it's okay as long as the PCB nearby isn't scorching too much. You can usually sense this by touching. Since BGA chipsets transfer heat well, a thermal pad works just fine instead of using paste. I prefer a generous amount of thermal paste on Northbridge and chipsets because you don’t want them damaged while installing the heatsink. Thermal pads are the best option but I’m budget-conscious—my 30g tub of GDM900 costs only $2, so I won’t waste it just to avoid risking the board. That chipset is replaceable, but doing a rework can be pricey unless you do a lot of builds yourself. I’ve never used methylated spirits; you probably mean pure isopropyl alcohol. Water is okay if you fully drain the container and avoid soap, since it might harm components.
methylated spirits is an ethenol solution, typically around 95%, commonly employed for window cleaning, burner fuel, and general degreasing. It works well, dries fast—just a minor issue when removing heat sinks, though I managed to do it.
It looks like resetting the BIOS to its default settings resolved the USB booting problem. Thanks! @Somerandomtechyboi is currently testing MemTest on the Gigabyte board, with results showing progress beyond the 58% and 3-second mark.