HPE-590t power supply upgrade issues

[dakotafrost]

A few weeks ago, I received my HPE-590t (i7 six core extreme edition).  I added memory, a USB card, and wanted to upgrade the psu.  The 460W factory installed psu is a little weak for my tastes, especially if I want to upgrade to a better video card in the future.  Right now I have the NVIDIA GT440 that I bought with the PC.  The PC has the Pegatron IPMTB-TK (Truckee) motherboard.


http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01901210&tmp_task=prodinfoCategory&lc=en&dlc=en...


I purchased a Corsair AX850 (850W) and connected it up.  The PC would not boot.  Internal fans spun, the lights came on, but the monitor never registered an incoming signal.  Then the PC shut down.  I tried a second Corsair AX850 - same issue.  I tried a Thermaltake 850W Black Widow, same issue.  In all three cases, the set date and time on the PC was reset from current to 01-01-2002.  In each case, when I reconnected the factory supplied 460W psu, the PC worked perfectly.


Corsair tech support told me that he supplies likely didn't work because the board was not compliant with the psu.  The board had to be ATX v2.1 or v2.3, so they told me.  Corsair said some HP PC's have "quirky" proprietary boards and supplies, and don't work with all of their psus.


Before I knew about this forum, I contacted HP tech support.  The first contact was via web chat.  The second session was a phone call.


First Session (web chat): Was told PC would work with any 24-pin ATX.  Told Corsair story.  Was then told that the maximum I could install was a 550W psu.  I have the quote - motherboard will not support a psu over 550W.  Was then told that I could go above 550W if I installed a graphics card that used over 550W of power.   Didn't think tech knew what he was talking about.  Decide to call a second tech.  (I have the chat printout from this session).


Second Session (phone call): Was told that the spec was 460W (which I knew).  Explained issue, and Corsair failures.  Asked to what ATX revision the motherboard was built. Put on hold.  Tech came back, said the maximum the motherboard would accept is 750W.  I thought this was ridiculous.  I've never heard of maximum levels for power based on motherboard acceptance.  All docs I've read say you can plug in any psu as long as the board is ATX compliant, but the PC will only draw what it needs.


I am thinking of installing a Corsair TX850 or TX750 because the new V2 versions are supposed to be i7 compliant.


http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Enthusiast-Certified-compatible-platforms/dp/B004MYFODS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=...


Also, the HX650 would work

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-CMPSU-650HX-Bronze-Certified-Supply/dp/B002LVUPZQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&q...


So what's the story?  What about the statements by tech support?  Clearly they are wrong.  Is there an upper power limit supported by the motherboard?  If so (doubtful), what is it?  One of the mods mentioned putting in a 650W psu in an HPE-580, so I doubt the 550W limit comment.  Do you think the Corsair TX850, TX750 or HX650 will work?  Why didn't the AX850 work?  And if the mentioned Corsair supplies won't work, how do I find a psu that does work, what specs do I look for in a psu to ensure they work?

Thank you.

[DeletedUser]

Did your 590t come with the pocket media drive bay?

[dakotafrost]

Yes, it has the bay.

[Big_Dave]

Hi dakotafrost,

Your situation is not unique.  I have seen other posts where others have tried 750-850 watt PSU and they didn't work.  This might be a case where the mobo is looking for a "sensing" voltage on one of the ATX 24 pins and is not seeing it.

I have the same motherboard in my e9280t as in your HPE-590t.   I installed a Corsair HX650.  It was an easy installation with no problems. The PSU fan was mounted up just like the original 460 watt PSU to take advantage of the top side air vents.

[dakotafrost]

Dave,

I saw your comment on the HX650 in another post.  That is my psu of last resort.  I'm hoping that someone can tell me if the TX750 or TX850 from Corsair will work without me having to buy and return if they fail.

Why does HP support tell people that 550W is the maximum for the mobo?  I saw another post where it was mentioned that HP tech support had told that person the same thing.

Is there any feature to look for in the specs of psus that will tell me whether they are compatible with this PC?

[Big_Dave]

Hi,

I noticed that the specs on the Corsair HX series are EPS 2.91 and the specs on the Corsair AX series are EPS 2.92.

You might ask Corsair what are the specific differences between EPS 2.91 and 2.92.

The 550 watt limit might be related to current path ratings for some motherboards. Once some people hear that number they tend to think that it applies to all motherboards.

[dakotafrost]

I appreciate the responses, but I hoped someone would have a definitve answer, like  "The Pegatron mobo can take any wattage psu (or say up to XXX wattage psu).  The power supply must be X.X ATX and EPS v X.XX.  As long as those specs are met, the psu will work."   I will try again with HP Tech Support.

[Big_Dave]

Hi,

You may not ever get straight answers via email or the phone as the engineers are shielded from these sorts of issues.  Some of the specifications that you might seek are not posted by HP.

I can only tell you for certain the HX650 works with my Pegatron Truckee motherboard.

What video card are you considering?  The HX650 has enough power for the NVIDIA 580.

Review the NVIDIA performance specifications. Look at the memory bandwidth specifications and the DirectX level support.

You might run into heat issues with the HP smallish mini-tower if you should decide to install a high wattage video card.  I am using the EVGA NVIDIA 460 1GB and don't have any issues.

[raptor106]

hi

ok i have same issue i have hp e9290f and i upgrade my psu from hx 650 to ax750. how i have second pc and i install ax750 on that pc and use 8 pin atx connectors and it ran fine, then put it back on e9290f pc and nothing. i wondering it might be the pin atx like since truckee bord has 4 and the other pc has 8 pin. maybe there 4 pin to 8 pin adator that might work. also i just got the new evga geforce 590 card that why i upgraded the psu. and yes i also install the geforce 590 on other pc and it ran well but it has 1156 socket motherbord, and truckee is 1366 socket i7 cpu on e9290f.

[Aphotic]

Anyone lurking around out there with a Pegatron Truckee motherboard (IPMTB-TK) and has only found bad news and wants to upgrade their graphics card:

I have a e9180t and never knew about these issues being so rampant and missed out on the motherboard replacement.

I recently upgraded my video card from a GTS 250 to a GTX 680.  Yes, it fits in the case, quiet well actually.

Yes, you need a power supply.  This mobo does NOT like PSUs above 650W.  It's true.  Most nerds and tech people will tell you it's not possible for a mobo to be picky about PSUs.  They haven't messed with this mobo.  I tried a Corsair HX-850 and it wouldn't even post/boot.  A Cooler-Master RS-650 fits perfectly, and is (I believe) the exact same size as the stock PSU that comes in this comp.  It works fine and all is well for me.  No BSODs in the last week I've been playing Battlefield 3, Skyrim and when did my initial benchmark with Furmark and watched the temps.

This brings me to the final point; temps.  I HAVE been playing with my case panel open because it does get toasty and the HP case doesn't have much room (read:I don't know how I could put an extra fan inside.)

Good luck!