Asus C90S 120W Power Supply Replacement = EASY!

This is what I did to get a 120W replacement for my 90W on the C90S.

First I emailed Asus technical support from: http://vip.asus.com/eservice/techserv.aspx

Problem description:
I have upgraded from the 8600M GDDR2 512MB gpu to the 8600M GDDR3 256MB and have the
issue where the 90W power supply is insufficient to power the unit newer gpu. Request 120W power
supply as replacement for 90W. This is a common issue with the C90S and believe I am entitled to
the 120W power supply.

In about 45 minutes I recieved a reply back!
"Please call us to get your power adaptor exchanged.

Our phone # is 1-888-678-3688 Option #3"

I called back and told the representative I was told to call to get a power supply replacement. He asked for the serial number. Then confirmed I was calling for a replacement power supply adapter. Next he asked for my name, email address, phone number, and address. Then gave me a reference number. Last, he said "Ok, well get that mailed out to ya". The end.

I suggest you guys do the same. It will help to have the 120W adapter if you want to get the 8600M GDDR3 256MB version, want to overclock with what you have, or want o have a powerful enough supply for future upgrades to the c90s (gpu).

The issues I was having go beyond the gddr3 version. My gddr2 version allows me to overclock up to over 590 core and over 550 memory. It runs ATiTool perfectly fine UNTIL i run ANYTHING that uses the cpu at the same time. As soon as I do anything to activate the cpu while atitool is running the system reboots instantly. No warning no nothing. I used my small house fan on full blast under the notebook with the ACE door off to confirm it was not temps. Without the cpu being in use ATiTool runs from 20-23 minutes EXACTLY every single time no matter if the laptop is cool or hot. I can run the test as soon as I get to the desktop after reboot for exactly 20-23 mintues. In this way I can confirm that the problem is lack of power and not heat.

E6700
3GB
160GB
Vista or XP (32/64)
Wireless off/on
Power saving settings off/on
8600M GT GDDR3/8600M GT GDDR2
Mobo version F03

Get out there and get those 120W before Asus changes its mind.

I have a controlled test setup for when I get the 120W replacement and will post results.

 

I contacted Ken from Gentech and had one shipped to my house with no deposit or anything needed. I was told originally I would have to send my 90w back but I guess I get to keep it as an emergency spare

 

Ken has been nothing but helpful and he said he would send me a new adapter but never did...

 

Maybe he just needs a quick reminder. Hes a busy man. Do you think the 120 W adapter will help with overclocking? My c90 does crash sometimes when I overclock and its not heat related.

 

I did request the replacement for you, It's in the queue and you should receive it very soon.

 

Sounds like a dumb question, but how do you find out which adapter you have?

 

Look on your adapter it should say something like Output: 19v 4.74A, to see if you have a 90W or 120W adapter simply times these two numbers together so for me it would be 19x4.74 = 90.06 thus 90W adapter.

 

WOW, now that you mention it it probably does. When I started the series of test for the power supply one thing I did different was I only loaded the video drivers and the audio drivers and rivatuner....all my overclocking test previous were with other drivers installed....meaning they probably drew more power from the laptop and caused lower overclocking of the gpu without the laptop restarting. With my power suppply test I was able to go higher on the overclock...im suprised im just now noticing that. I cant wait to use the 120W!

 

If you power block is not giving enough power it should pull the rest it needs from the battery so I dont think it will help with an overclock any. It will however keep it from draining your battery if you were managing to draw more power than the 90w adapter could give you.

Also if for some reason you run with no battery, it would keep the unit from crashing and shutting down.

 

Well my thing is im tired of all the temporary fixes there are for this notebook. You have to do this or unplug or plug in this for the wireless to work 100%, you have to make sure you get the right memory stick with the right chips and make sure its from Jesus Himself, you have to make sure that you have motherboard Fx if you want to upgrade to the 8600M without needing a 120W psu, WHATEVER. Ive never settled for any of these fixes and thats why my c90s is fully functional now with the exception of needing the 120W. I have used my battery once when I first got the laptop to calibrate it and dont plan on using the battery unless its for emergency. If the laptop needs the battery AND psu to use all of its functions then its a failure and a temporary fix. Give me 120W! Thats a good point though I didnt consider. I had forgotten about the battery until you said that. I MAY even try it with the battery today thanks

 

I can get you guys the 120watt power supply if it's needed, however, I was just told by Asus few days ago that some early revision mainboard (F03) might need to send to them for rework, because the 120watt AC adapter tip is too short so when using the 120 watt power supply it won't fit properly so it might act as power supply is disconnected, so just let me know if you have the problem with 120 watt AC adapter.

 

How do I tell what revision I have?

 

it is located on the sticker on the top memory slot. it will be 3 characters starting with "F"

 

I have the F03 too. Interesting. Can we request a mobo upgrade if we're still under warranty? I can still say that my E4500 crashes in OC mode. But I might just wait, in case there is an infimately small chance that we can get a c90p mobo

 

Have not been using my laptop much latley, life has been super chaotic (as im sure many noticed I have not been on the forums as much latley) but I dont mind the adapter upgrade Ken if I could get any sort of benifit from it.

I always thought the 90w was being overworked because sometimes it gets so hot that I feel like its about to get damaged or even melt itself I still to this day dont have a working 3gb configuration, the C90P will be so much better I hope and wich they would let us upgrade somehow to say "thank you" for being the test subjects for the C90S.

 

GOT IT!


A whole one business day after I put in the request for the 120W adapter i have it! Amazing Asus. First, it is a lot larger than the 90W supply but I guess thats to be expected. Its the size of a standard power supply you get with most 17" laptops. Second, the power tip does fit but it is a little short. It definately doesnt go in very far and I can see how it would be easy for it to come out. No tripping over the cord people. However, you can just cut out around the hole on the ACE door to make it go in further.

I still have my 90W adapter and am in the process of running the test I could not complete with the 90W. Ill post what happens later.

 

I have the device that can measure power draw from a power outlet, Next time I get abit of free time I will run the C90 on it and tell you how much power its drawing. If its close to 90w I will upgrade and it would give reason for others to do so aswell. I will try overclocking the cpu and gpu for max power draw of course ♦

 

WORKS!

Not only does the 120W power supply stop the c90s from rebooting when I run the test, it actually allows me to run the test with a higher overclock! Whereas before I would clock the gpu to 575 core 1150 shader 525 memory and it would restart after 23-24 minutes (turbogear or not) now I can run 600 core 1200 shader 525 memory PERFECTLY FINE (turbo gear or not!) Im currently clocked to the latter gpu clock and still running atitool with prime95 (both cores)...im just gonna let it keep on runnin!

FYI my gpu hovers at 87C-88C at these clocks(GDDR2 version)...I consider it to be safe temps considering ATiTool gets the gpu the hottest it can get. I did run the crysis "ice" stage at 1680x1050 16x AF 4x AA on ALL settings very high. Even though it was below 1fps the entire time, the gpu never went over 80C using temp logging. Id say thats pretty good. I will run 3dmark06 tommorrow with the max I can get: 600 core 1200 shader 5xx memory, turbogear 2.93ghz, and the best forceware driver I can find.

In summary, the 120W power supply is a must have if you want to upgrade to the 8600M GT GDDR3 or if you want to overclock the GDDR2 version. Its also easy to get and fast to get it! Note my setup specs below:

C90S
Bios 902
Windows Vista x64
E6700
3GB
160GB
8600M GT GDDR2 512MB
Motherboard version F03
120W Power supply adapter

 

Thats encouraging news, I will definitly upgrade mine for the sake of covering all bases and hope that I get some sort of benifit from it too.

Possibly this could be why I was able to overclock my gpu high in game mode vs overclock mode. I figured it had to be heat or something, but energy draw does make sense to cause that kind of event happen.

Going against that tho is when I used the GDDR3 card, it was able to have a very high OC on it with no problems, so its probably just that I have a "poor" DDR2 card that cant clock that high.

 

Thanks Ken for the PS replacement...it arrived VERY fast...like overnight !

 

You are welcome and if Asus don't ask us to send back the 90W adapter then I guess you can keep it for backup.

 

Okay thought I'd post my results, and here they are. HOLY CRAPTACULAR FASTNESS!!! Sorry did I say that too loud?

So I called ASUS on the 12th (Feb) to inquire about my 90w power brick, since after doing some gaming for about 1.5 hours, (which sadly was longer than any previous sessions on my c90) I notice that my batter was depleted a good deal and the PS was almost able to be cooked upon. Not really a good sign in my opinion. I also wanted to inquire about my GDDR3 card and it's "thermal issues".

With no problems they issued me a RMA and said they would send me out a 120w adapter right away and would look into the GPU issue. And what arrived today? My new 120w adapter in mere 2 days, nice!

I'm waiting to hear back about the GPU, but so far I am pleased with the service provided. The customer rep actually called me back after being disconnected, that usually only occurs when someone's trying to get money from you.

Hopefully a positive result will arrive regarding the GPU, but for now the 120w will at least satisfy the power drain issue.

Mind you this was the phone support not the email support which was basically not supportive at all and as one reseller told me "never try to email them".

 

I got mine from Ken also pretty fast, I have not really done any testing to see if I gained anything (besides a few pounds in my backpack) from it, but it works fine with the shorter power connection.

This thing really is big and heavy, I may stick with the 90w unless I can specifically find a gain from the larger one. Im just gonna do a easy test, put the cpu in the highest overclock mode, do a decent OC on the video card and run 3dmark06 and read the power draw from the wall outlet if it can reach 90w or higher then we know what to expect. If not then its a pointless upgrade.

 

I've e-mailed ASUS Tech-Support.

This is what I wrote:
"I have upgraded my C90S notebook from the 8600M GDDR2 512MB GPU to the 8600M GDDR3
256MB and have the issue where the 90W power supply is insufficient to power the newer GPU.
I request the 120W power supply as replacement for 90W.
This is a common issue with the C90S and I believe I am entitled to the 120W power supply."

This is their reply:

"Dear Customer

Asus technical Service don´t ofer support for a modification your Hardware internal in the NB.
The asus technical support don´t recomended use other adaptors.
IS apossible adquire others adaptor in: www.mrbattery.es

Kind Regards"

I think I have to call U.S. Tech Support since my mails get sent to the Spanish Tech Support and they don't even seem to know what the C90S is!

 

Hate to have quote myself but, ASUS email support is terrible. <-- Thats' a period.

Call the 24 hour number and you'll have a new power supply in a couple days. Don't need to tell them about your video card, just say that is hot and during gaming you loosing a lot of battery life.

 

I called in with my problem of having a tempermental connection with the ac adapter. Asus didn't f around, they got right to the point and said they would send me a new adapter. I asked if it were the 90w or the 120w they were going to send me and the guy said they would get me the 120w. Good deal Asus.

 

@Hollywood & willizm: I guess I should have paid more attantion to previous posts then.
I will call them up and hopefully I'll get my 120W soon.

Thanks alot guys!!!
+Rep to you both!

 

Good, let us know if it fixes your problem.

 

I have to agree. I sent them an e-mail regarding my power supply more than 2 weeks ago and never got a reply.

 

Just call, forget email.

 

I second that, emporium, just give them a call at the number posted at the beginning of this thread. I was only on the phone for 5-10 minutes without having to wait long at all.

 

Ugg. My 90 watt adapter fried itself alone time ago. (For some reason, the wire always ended up infront of the fans, and the plastic finally snapped.) The Universal power supply I bought to use in the mean time is really finicky, and wont charge the computer in overclock or game mode. The problem is I cant call asus since im in school until their call center is closed, and the last time I called them during lunch, I was on hold the whole time.

 

hmm it is probably a dumb question but does the 120W adapter make the cooler run faster cause they get more power ? ^^

 

Uh... no. I don't think the fan was the power bottleneck.

 

well thats not what I mean, I mean the cooler are designed to run @ 8000 rpm or so but they run @4000, I think they run only with that speed cause they dont get more power. Actually I think the bottleneck is when the gpu dont get enough power (I have the ddr2 one) cause mine sometimes freeze even with stock clocks and also sometimes my battery goes down by a bit (but both very very seldom) thats why I probably will get a 120w one.

 

Well yeah. So if fans are not the bottleneck then the reason for which they run at 400 is not because they don't get enough power. They run at 4000 for other reasons. BIOS settings to be precise.

 

it would be nice if atleast the gpu one would run @full speed sometimes someone maybe know how to "fix" it?

 

Yes, use search and find this. http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=206767

Not easy on the squeamish or lazy. Zero software control at this time.

 

Yay. I have friday off. I'll call asus then

 

I called a couple weeks ago and they were going to send me one out. I haven't received it yet. I called and it looks like they are out of stock until the 20th of March. Anyone else not receive your PS yet?

 

I got mine yesterday.

 

I'm ordering mine as I type this, lol.

EDIT: Well..that was some fast ordering.

 

When did you call asus and when did you recieve it. Time gap is what I'm looking for.

 

Well, I just got mine in, so it took them 4 business days to get it to me. Not too shabby.

 

i took a weekend to get mine

 

After a few weeks of talking to ASUS Spain I still didn't get the 120W adapter.
They tell me that they can't send me the replacement because it is not a part that is officially supported by the C90S.
Since my laptop originally came with the 90W I can only get the 90W adapter, they said.
When I told them that people in these forums were getting a replacement from ASUS USA they said that all of you guys were voiding your warranties.
I will talk to ASUS USA again because they were willing to send me the 120W but only inside the US.
I might have to get it sent to excaliberPC (That's where I bought my laptop from) and they send it to my Spanish address.

God I hate Spain!!!

 

Hey everyone, sorry to drag this topic up from the depths but I was wondering if I could get some help. Some of you may know me as K-TRON's friend Kate with the C90s, others as the girl in this thread... http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=234291&page=2

But anyway! I am in a little bit of a pickle, as the serial number sticker on the bottom of my poor hot laptop has long since faded...in short, I can't access ASUS's official tech support request since I have no serial number. I was wondering if Ken from GenTech could put in for a 120W power supply for me, as I too have experienced the random black screen while gaming, although I thought it was from overheating before. I'll do the best I can in the meantime to find a copy of the number somewhere, especially if Ken needs it (I would imagine that's the case).

I have been here multiple times for support for this lava-cooled lappy, and have to thank all of you for your knowledge this past year! ^_^

semper fi
Kate


EDIT: It took some bright light and weird angles but I think I got the serial number figured out. I'll try with Asus now first, and hopefully they'll get back to me with the same speed you guys got!

 

Yeah Asus Europe support is horrible. I should order mine

Hmm I'm glad I registered my laptop on their website because my serial number sticker is all erased lol.

 

Well I have talked with the sexiest portal girl ever, and we managed to get all of the 12 numbers of the serial code. Hopefully she can get the new power adaptor.

K-TRON

 

The serial number should also be:
a) on the box of the notebook
b) in the warranty leaflet that came with the notebook

This is for ensembles, not sure if it's the same for the C90...