Power supply too weak?

[SYP}{ER]

I just got a new motherboard. EP-8K3AE (http://www.epox.com/html/motherboard.asp?product=EP-8K3AE&lang=1) by EPoX. Anyway, I'm almost certain that my power supply is lower than 300, but am wondering if it could be the cause of my problem:

Sometimes my mouse and/or keyboard will turn off for about 3-10 seconds at a time. Sometimes they come back on their own, others I have to unplug and replug them back in. And sometimes even THAT does work. Bother appliances are connected via USB.

So, anyone know if the weak powersupply could be struggling to power all devices at once? Dunno if I should go blow the money on a new PS when it may be something else causing the problem.

Thanks :)

Hmm, maybe my system specs would be of use...

Athlon 900Mhz
Win2k Pro SP3
GeForce 4 Ti4200 128mb AGP 4x
Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer
Microsoft Internet Keyboard Pro

[mouse]

What other USB devices do you use?

I find that if my mouse is connected through USB and I connect my digital camera (ie a removeable disk) the mouse ceases to function, presumably because the camera is dominating the channel. The use of a hub or connecting keyboard/mouse through ps/2 ports should solve the problem.

I doubt it's the power supply tbh; psu problems are generally noticed through random cut outs and reboots. If you're worried about the psu, get software like Winbond Hardware Doctor or Motherboard monitor (something like this should have been supplied with your mobo but MBM can be downloaded) and check the 12v+ line, if it drops too far (ie ~11v) then it could be a problem.

[oracleguy]

You also should check in your motherboard manual to see if they recommend a minimum power supply size.

Usually you need a 300-watt or larger if you have over 1GHz too. If possible, look on the side sticker on your power supply. It should say what size in watts it is. If it is below 250 you might want to consider getting a new one. If you have a manufactered system, it may say the power supply size on your invoice.

Also, you can look in device manager under USB devices and go to the properties of your various USB root hubs and see the power consuption per port and how much power is available per port. Perhaps you are drawing too much power through a single USB port?

[SYP}{ER]

Thanks. Will get a new power supply and see how that goes..