If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Stability of PSU
I have a sneaking suspicion that my PSU may be unstable in that it
delivers the wrong voltage on it's various lines. I know I can just look in the Health Monitor part of my BIOS, but I don't entirely trust those numbers, and also, I don't know what these numbers should be and how much they are allowed to fluctuate. Is there a program that can measure the stability and correctness of my PSU? I first thought SiSoft Sandra, but it doesn't seem to have a test for this. /David |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
David Rasmussen wrote:
I have a sneaking suspicion that my PSU may be unstable in that it delivers the wrong voltage on it's various lines. I know I can just look in the Health Monitor part of my BIOS, but I don't entirely trust those numbers, and also, I don't know what these numbers should be and how much they are allowed to fluctuate. Is there a program that can measure the stability and correctness of my PSU? I first thought SiSoft Sandra, but it doesn't seem to have a test for this. /David A slight fluctuation in the measured voltages as seen in your Bios can be down to sampling errors within the subsystem that monitors such things. Any software solution is going to operate via the same mechanism so would yeld the same results. However you could try the manufacturer of your system board as they sometimes provide such tools. Part of your problem is that troublesome spikes in the supply may be of too smaller duration to notice with any meter type device. What you really need to do is attach an oscilloscope to each output in turn and monitor the supply that way. You could try attaching a half decent Multimeter as well, monitoring how the lines behave during periods of high PSU load (CD Rom operation, heavy disk or processor activity that sort of thing). But to be honest the best test is substituion, given the price of a reasonable PSU I would simply replace it if in any doubt as to it's performance. |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
There are retail psu tester's available. They will put a load on the power
supply without it being connected to the motherboard. This one claims to have 5, 3.3, and 12v output checks. http://www.antec-inc.com/us/productD...p?ProdID=77003 I haven't used one, just "googled" it. Fitz |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Fitz wrote:
There are retail psu tester's available. They will put a load on the power supply without it being connected to the motherboard. This one claims to have 5, 3.3, and 12v output checks. http://www.antec-inc.com/us/productD...p?ProdID=77003 I haven't used one, just "googled" it. Fitz This is only useful for bench testing PSU's You need a small load to make Switchmode Power supplies work properly. this provides that, plus passthough for 3 of the lines so that you can measure them. However for real tests this presents nothing like real world loads (25w is nothing to a PC power supply). Far better to measure a Power supply when connected to real system components (or at least a load that accurately represents them) This device has it's uses for a quick yes/no works/is broken but it won't tell you if your PSU is working out of spec |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Wayne Stallwood wrote:
But to be honest the best test is substituion, given the price of a reasonable PSU I would simply replace it if in any doubt as to it's performance. It is an expensive (and supposedly excellent) Antex 400W ATX PSU. Either it is faulty, in which case I would like to know, or else I would expect it to work perfectly. It's not a bad PSU. /David |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
On Fri, 05 Nov 2004 20:52:33 +0000, Wayne Stallwood
wrote: You need a small load to make Switchmode Power supplies work properly. this provides that, plus passthough for 3 of the lines so that you can measure them. However for real tests this presents nothing like real world loads (25w is nothing to a PC power supply). Far better to measure a Power supply when connected to real system components (or at least a load that accurately represents them) This device has it's uses for a quick yes/no works/is broken but it won't tell you if your PSU is working out of spec It doesn't even load enough to meet most PSU's spec'd minimum load requirements, let alone a normal working load. More than anything those types of testers simply tell you if the PSU will stay turned on and if the voltage is anywhere near correct, and yet a failed PSU may still run connected to one. Sadly it wouldn't be as cheap for them to make one with a more reasonable load, even though the selling price would allow for that, resistors are cheap. |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
"David Rasmussen" wrote in message
. .. I have a sneaking suspicion that my PSU may be unstable in that it delivers the wrong voltage on it's various lines. I know I can just look in the Health Monitor part of my BIOS, but I don't entirely trust those numbers, and also, I don't know what these numbers should be and how much they are allowed to fluctuate. Is there a program that can measure the stability and correctness of my PSU? I first thought SiSoft Sandra, but it doesn't seem to have a test for this. What is the basis for your 'sneaking suspicion' ? |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Do ram sinks make a diff? | Bronney Hui | General | 6 | October 26th 04 03:49 AM |
using "under-clocked" RAM for stability? | Simon | General | 8 | September 1st 04 10:51 AM |
Problem with new P4 3.06 & win98se installation | 127.0.0.1 | General | 49 | April 24th 04 08:35 PM |
(CROSSPOST): Stability problems | Frodo | General | 2 | December 20th 03 11:59 PM |
Stability problem with Chaintech 7NIF2 MB and Athlon XP 2000/266. Need advice!! | Wuahn | General | 2 | July 22nd 03 01:47 PM |