Have you measured the +5V and +12V rails from the Molex connector using a multimeter?
I wouldn't trust those Magna or Mercury supplies, they look like electronic firecrackers given the complete absence of identifiable safety markings. (CE, PFC and P4 don't count as electrical safety markings in my book.)

Assuming that Magna unit is actually from the Magna series by SPI (Sparkle), it might be decent .

Sparkle have a generally good reputation, but I am not familiar with the Magna series .

If it is some other "Magna" brand , who knows .

I personally would never trust a retro PC with expensive and hard to replace parts to a PSU that is not from a reputable brand and, if it is used/old, that has not been tested/refurbished by somebody knowlegeable .

darry wrote on 2021-03-10, 20:19:

Assuming that Magna unit is actually from the Magna series by SPI (Sparkle), it might be decent . […]
Show full quote

Assuming that Magna unit is actually from the Magna series by SPI (Sparkle), it might be decent .

Sparkle have a generally good reputation, but I am not familiar with the Magna series .

If it is some other "Magna" brand , who knows .

I personally would never trust a retro PC with expensive and hard to replace parts to a PSU that is not from a reputable brand and, if it is used/old, that has not been tested/refurbished by somebody knowlegeable .

But what option is there for a psu in a Retro Build? eBay is mostly flooded with modern psu’s that do not provide enough amps. And there is one modern 80 plus psu that does but it’s very expensive.

darry wrote on 2021-03-10, 20:19:

Assuming that Magna unit is actually from the Magna series by SPI (Sparkle), it might be decent . […]
Show full quote

Assuming that Magna unit is actually from the Magna series by SPI (Sparkle), it might be decent .

Sparkle have a generally good reputation, but I am not familiar with the Magna series .

If it is some other "Magna" brand , who knows .

I personally would never trust a retro PC with expensive and hard to replace parts to a PSU that is not from a reputable brand and, if it is used/old, that has not been tested/refurbished by somebody knowlegeable .

Guess it’s good for a temporary solution. I want to eventually get the Corsair TX850M 80 Plus Gold PSU which also provides enough amps.

Yeah stick with name brands only to be safe. I use a 400w antec model which I bought nos, it's been going strong for (4) years.

buckeye wrote on 2021-03-10, 21:21:

Yeah stick with name brands only to be safe. I use a 400w antec model which I bought nos, it's been going strong for (4) years.

I already have an EVGA 80 Bronze PSU but doesn’t provide enough amps on the 5v rail which is why i’m going for a period correct PSU. Can’t find Antec PSU’s with enough watts. Guess it’s good to use this old psu until i have enough to buy the Corsair TX850M 80 Plus Gold PSU.

iVirtualZero wrote on 2021-03-10, 22:02:

buckeye wrote on 2021-03-10, 21:21:

Yeah stick with name brands only to be safe. I use a 400w antec model which I bought nos, it's been going strong for (4) years.

I already have an EVGA 80 Bronze PSU but doesn’t provide enough amps on the 5v rail which is why i’m going for a period correct PSU. Can’t find Antec PSU’s with enough watts. Guess it’s good to use this old psu until i have enough to buy the Corsair TX850M 80 Plus Gold PSU.

The RM850x has 150W combined on 3.3V and 5V rails . The TX850M only has 130W . The official price difference is 20 US$, so I would recommend the RM850X .

EDIT: These models now come with a 24-pin ATX connector that does not allow detaching the extra 4-pin block for use with a motherboard equipped with a 20-pin ATX connector . An adapter will be required will be required for use with most older motherboards. I use an RM850x and Startech adapter cable on my main retro build .

Oh wow thanks a lot for the info. Will definitely give them a watch.

darry wrote on 2021-03-10, 23:03:

iVirtualZero wrote on 2021-03-10, 22:02:

buckeye wrote on 2021-03-10, 21:21:

Yeah stick with name brands only to be safe. I use a 400w antec model which I bought nos, it's been going strong for (4) years.

I already have an EVGA 80 Bronze PSU but doesn’t provide enough amps on the 5v rail which is why i’m going for a period correct PSU. Can’t find Antec PSU’s with enough watts. Guess it’s good to use this old psu until i have enough to buy the Corsair TX850M 80 Plus Gold PSU.

The RM850x has 150W combined on 3.3V and 5V rails . The TX850M only has 130W . The official price difference is 20 US$, so I would recommend the RM850X .

EDIT: These models now come with a 24-pin ATX connector that does not allow detaching the extra 4-pin block for use with a motherboard equipped with a 20-pin ATX connector . An adapter will be required will be required for use with most older motherboards. I use an RM850x and Startech adapter cable on my main retro build .

Looked into it and the TX850M looks like the clear winner. Giving 50Amps on the 5volt rail where as the other Corsair PSU you mentioned only gives 25Amps on the 5 Volt Rail. The Magna that i baught sucks. Isn’t providing enough power to the GPU.

iVirtualZero wrote on 2021-03-16, 14:47:

darry wrote on 2021-03-10, 23:03:

iVirtualZero wrote on 2021-03-10, 22:02:

I already have an EVGA 80 Bronze PSU but doesn’t provide enough amps on the 5v rail which is why i’m going for a period correct PSU. Can’t find Antec PSU’s with enough watts. Guess it’s good to use this old psu until i have enough to buy the Corsair TX850M 80 Plus Gold PSU.

The RM850x has 150W combined on 3.3V and 5V rails . The TX850M only has 130W . The official price difference is 20 US$, so I would recommend the RM850X .

EDIT: These models now come with a 24-pin ATX connector that does not allow detaching the extra 4-pin block for use with a motherboard equipped with a 20-pin ATX connector . An adapter will be required will be required for use with most older motherboards. I use an RM850x and Startech adapter cable on my main retro build .

Looked into it and the TX850M looks like the clear winner. Giving 50Amps on the 5volt rail where as the other Corsair PSU you mentioned only gives 25Amps on the 5 Volt Rail. The Magna that i baught sucks. Isn’t providing enough power to the GPU.

How can you have 50A on the 5v rail, which would mean 250 watts, if the max combined load on 3.3v and 5v rails is 130 watts? There has to be a typo somewhere, or there is something I am missing.

EDIT: The manual from the Corsair web site says 25A for the 5v, which makes much more sense .

Source : https://www.corsair.com/corsairmedia/sys_mast … /TXM_Manual.pdf

EDIT : Found the source for that "50A" reference : https://www.eteknix.com/corsair-tx850m-power-supply-review/ . They also have a box photo where you can make out 25A for the 5v rail . They reviewer either made a typo or was provided documentation with a typo and since, nowadays, people mostly care about the 12 rail, no one noticed .

There was also what is likely an older version of the TX850M (PSU "manufacturers" love revising their designs and specs without adding version numbers) with 30A max on the 5V rail and 150watts combined for 3.3v and 5v. It had a bronze efficiency rating, though. https://www.newegg.com/corsair-enthusiast-ser … N82E16817139029

darry wrote on 2021-03-16, 15:24:

How can you have 50A on the 5v rail, which would mean 250 watts, if the max combined load on 3.3v and 5v rails is 130 watts? The […]
Show full quote

iVirtualZero wrote on 2021-03-16, 14:47:

darry wrote on 2021-03-10, 23:03:

The RM850x has 150W combined on 3.3V and 5V rails . The TX850M only has 130W . The official price difference is 20 US$, so I would recommend the RM850X .

EDIT: These models now come with a 24-pin ATX connector that does not allow detaching the extra 4-pin block for use with a motherboard equipped with a 20-pin ATX connector . An adapter will be required will be required for use with most older motherboards. I use an RM850x and Startech adapter cable on my main retro build .

Looked into it and the TX850M looks like the clear winner. Giving 50Amps on the 5volt rail where as the other Corsair PSU you mentioned only gives 25Amps on the 5 Volt Rail. The Magna that i baught sucks. Isn’t providing enough power to the GPU.

How can you have 50A on the 5v rail, which would mean 250 watts, if the max combined load on 3.3v and 5v rails is 130 watts? There has to be a typo somewhere, or there is something I am missing.

EDIT: The manual from the Corsair web site says 25A for the 5v, which makes much more sense .
tx850m.png
Source : https://www.corsair.com/corsairmedia/sys_mast … /TXM_Manual.pdf

EDIT : Found the source for that "50A" reference : https://www.eteknix.com/corsair-tx850m-power-supply-review/ . They also have a box photo where you can make out 25A for the 5v rail . They reviewer either made a typo or was provided documentation with a typo and since, nowadays, people mostly care about the 12 rail, no one noticed .

There was also what is likely an older version of the TX850M (PSU "manufacturers" love revising their designs and specs without adding version numbers) with 30A max on the 5V rail and 150watts combined for 3.3v and 5v. It had a bronze efficiency rating, though. https://www.newegg.com/corsair-enthusiast-ser … N82E16817139029

Oh that’s a bummer. Guess they’re both the same then. Which ever is cheaper i will go for it? The RM psu costs a lot more for some reason. And is 25Amps enough for 2 Tualatins?

iVirtualZero wrote on 2021-03-16, 18:12:

darry wrote on 2021-03-16, 15:24:

How can you have 50A on the 5v rail, which would mean 250 watts, if the max combined load on 3.3v and 5v rails is 130 watts? The […]
Show full quote

iVirtualZero wrote on 2021-03-16, 14:47:

Looked into it and the TX850M looks like the clear winner. Giving 50Amps on the 5volt rail where as the other Corsair PSU you mentioned only gives 25Amps on the 5 Volt Rail. The Magna that i baught sucks. Isn’t providing enough power to the GPU.

How can you have 50A on the 5v rail, which would mean 250 watts, if the max combined load on 3.3v and 5v rails is 130 watts? There has to be a typo somewhere, or there is something I am missing.

EDIT: The manual from the Corsair web site says 25A for the 5v, which makes much more sense .
tx850m.png
Source : https://www.corsair.com/corsairmedia/sys_mast … /TXM_Manual.pdf

EDIT : Found the source for that "50A" reference : https://www.eteknix.com/corsair-tx850m-power-supply-review/ . They also have a box photo where you can make out 25A for the 5v rail . They reviewer either made a typo or was provided documentation with a typo and since, nowadays, people mostly care about the 12 rail, no one noticed .

There was also what is likely an older version of the TX850M (PSU "manufacturers" love revising their designs and specs without adding version numbers) with 30A max on the 5V rail and 150watts combined for 3.3v and 5v. It had a bronze efficiency rating, though. https://www.newegg.com/corsair-enthusiast-ser … N82E16817139029

Oh that’s a bummer. Guess they’re both the same then. Which ever is cheaper i will go for it? The RM psu costs a lot more for some reason. And is 25Amps enough for 2 Tualatins?

Where are you located and what prices are you seeing for the RM850x vs TX850M ?

darry wrote on 2021-03-16, 18:25:

iVirtualZero wrote on 2021-03-16, 18:12:

darry wrote on 2021-03-16, 15:24:

How can you have 50A on the 5v rail, which would mean 250 watts, if the max combined load on 3.3v and 5v rails is 130 watts? The […]
Show full quote

How can you have 50A on the 5v rail, which would mean 250 watts, if the max combined load on 3.3v and 5v rails is 130 watts? There has to be a typo somewhere, or there is something I am missing.

EDIT: The manual from the Corsair web site says 25A for the 5v, which makes much more sense .
tx850m.png
Source : https://www.corsair.com/corsairmedia/sys_mast … /TXM_Manual.pdf

EDIT : Found the source for that "50A" reference : https://www.eteknix.com/corsair-tx850m-power-supply-review/ . They also have a box photo where you can make out 25A for the 5v rail . They reviewer either made a typo or was provided documentation with a typo and since, nowadays, people mostly care about the 12 rail, no one noticed .

There was also what is likely an older version of the TX850M (PSU "manufacturers" love revising their designs and specs without adding version numbers) with 30A max on the 5V rail and 150watts combined for 3.3v and 5v. It had a bronze efficiency rating, though. https://www.newegg.com/corsair-enthusiast-ser … N82E16817139029

Oh that’s a bummer. Guess they’re both the same then. Which ever is cheaper i will go for it? The RM psu costs a lot more for some reason. And is 25Amps enough for 2 Tualatins?

Where are you located and what prices are you seeing for the RM850x vs TX850M ?

£140 for the RM PSU and £90 for the TX850.

iVirtualZero wrote on 2021-03-16, 21:28:

darry wrote on 2021-03-16, 18:25:

iVirtualZero wrote on 2021-03-16, 18:12:

Oh that’s a bummer. Guess they’re both the same then. Which ever is cheaper i will go for it? The RM psu costs a lot more for some reason. And is 25Amps enough for 2 Tualatins?

Where are you located and what prices are you seeing for the RM850x vs TX850M ?

£140 for the RM PSU and £90 for the TX850.

The RM850x seems to actually be comparably priced (within 10£) to what I can find locally . I just checked around where I am and an RM850x is about 224CAN$ with taxes and shipping included which is actually cheaper than when I bought mine for ( 294 CAN$) last year .

I can only guess/hope that the TX850M would be enough for your use case .

If your intent is also to do DOS gaming on this build, keep in mind that neither the AWE64 nor the Audigy 2 have an actual OPL3 FM synthesizer chip on board. The AWE64 has a Creative-produced clone chip that doesn't exactly sound the same. For newer DOS games that support General MIDI, this might not matter, but it might matter when you're playing older DOS games.

darry wrote on 2021-03-16, 15:24:

How can you have 50A on the 5v rail, which would mean 250 watts, if the max combined load on 3.3v and 5v rails is 130 watts? There has to be a typo somewhere, or there is something I am missing.

EDIT: The manual from the Corsair web site says 25A for the 5v, which makes much more sense .

🤣 yeah one has to be careful with the "combined" wattage even if the specs seem to say one of those rails can supply more. Good eye !

digger wrote on 2021-03-16, 23:41:

If your intent is also to do DOS gaming on this build, keep in mind that neither the AWE64 nor the Audigy 2 have an actual OPL3 FM synthesizer chip on board. The AWE64 has a Creative-produced clone chip that doesn't exactly sound the same. For newer DOS games that support General MIDI, this might not matter, but it might matter when you're playing older DOS games.

My AWE64 does not work. I do plan on changing it out for an Orpheus with a Dreamblaster addon. But is the Tualatin 1.4ghz really capable of playing the older DOS games. Don’t you need like a 100 to 500mhz cpu to play some of those old DOS games?

iVirtualZero wrote on 2021-03-17, 01:08:

digger wrote on 2021-03-16, 23:41:

If your intent is also to do DOS gaming on this build, keep in mind that neither the AWE64 nor the Audigy 2 have an actual OPL3 FM synthesizer chip on board. The AWE64 has a Creative-produced clone chip that doesn't exactly sound the same. For newer DOS games that support General MIDI, this might not matter, but it might matter when you're playing older DOS games.

My AWE64 does not work. I do plan on changing it out for an Orpheus with a Dreamblaster addon. But is the Tualatin 1.4ghz really capable of playing the older DOS games. Don’t you need like a 100 to 500mhz cpu to play some of those old DOS games?

I have a 1.4GHz Tualatin machine with several sound cards . So far, I have been able to run speed sensitive games like Canon Fodder and Gateway with an MT-32 simply by disabling L1 and L2 caches with SETMUL . I have even been able to play games as old as Space Quest 3 with no issues . I would hazard to guess that most of the DOS game from the nineties onward could be made to run on that fast a machine just by disabling caches (either that or I have been very lucky).

If you need to go even slower, you might be able to halve your speed by forcing FSB to 66MHz instead of 133MHz, if your motherboard BIOS allows that or use something like Throttle ( http://www.oldskool.org/pc/throttle/DOS ) if your southbridge is supported by it or one of many other slowdown utilities .

darry wrote on 2021-03-17, 03:20:

iVirtualZero wrote on 2021-03-17, 01:08:

digger wrote on 2021-03-16, 23:41:

If your intent is also to do DOS gaming on this build, keep in mind that neither the AWE64 nor the Audigy 2 have an actual OPL3 FM synthesizer chip on board. The AWE64 has a Creative-produced clone chip that doesn't exactly sound the same. For newer DOS games that support General MIDI, this might not matter, but it might matter when you're playing older DOS games.

My AWE64 does not work. I do plan on changing it out for an Orpheus with a Dreamblaster addon. But is the Tualatin 1.4ghz really capable of playing the older DOS games. Don’t you need like a 100 to 500mhz cpu to play some of those old DOS games?

I have a 1.4GHz Tualatin machine with several sound cards . So far, I have been able to run speed sensitive games like Canon Fodder and Gateway with an MT-32 simply by disabling L1 and L2 caches with SETMUL . I have even been able to play games as old as Space Quest 3 with no issues . I would hazard to guess that most of the DOS game from the nineties onward could be made to run on that fast a machine just by disabling caches (either that or I have been very lucky).

If you need to go even slower, you might be able to halve your speed by forcing FSB to 66MHz instead of 133MHz, if your motherboard BIOS allows that or use something like Throttle ( http://www.oldskool.org/pc/throttle/DOS ) if your southbridge is supported by it or one of many other slowdown utilities .

Thanks i’m a bit noob when it comes to Retro PC gaming. But it’s great to hear that there are ways to getting those speed sensitive games to work. I will definitely get around to trying this if i come across a game that is speed sensitive. Most of my games in my collection are from the mid to late 90’s and have no such issues besides my copy of Sonic and Knuckles which runs way too fast.