Quality Power Supply?

[Mekadave 0]

Here's a question for everyone: How can you tell if your power supply is working ok, short of weird problems and errors? Asus PC Probe shows the different voltages (+12, +5, +3.3, Vcore). Is there a range that those should stay within for safety/quality?

[packman 0]

If your BIOS software is well-written, THAT's the most practical and reliable monitor to use for your PSU's supply voltages and the CPU core voltage. Third-party utilities can instead be unreliable.

 

The manufacturer's data sheets for the motherboard components in question generally state that the respective voltage must not deviate up or down by more than 10% and it's my understanding that the ATX specification for the PSU uses that as the design guideline. In other words, all ATX PSU manufacturers should, in theory, adhere to that rule. Because motherboard components are continually evolving and consuming heavier currents, however, the regulation of those voltages on some PSUs might sometimes not be up to scratch. That's why there are now different total power ratings for ATX PSUs and you need to choose a particular power rating to suit your particular circumstances.

 

As for the CPU core voltage, the ideal is, of course, to have it exactly right and, indeed, some BIOSs will allow it to be adjusted. However, for most Pentium 3s and 4s, it's not recommended to have the core voltage deviate by more than 0.1v (and preferably much less), as the processor might otherwise become unstable or begin to overheat. No doubt, some readers of this forum will cite instances of where a CPU has withstood harsher treatment but nonetheless the CPU manufacturer's recommended voltage should be adhered to, for guaranteed performance.

[Mekadave 0]

Quote:

If your BIOS software is well-written, THAT's the most practical and reliable monitor to use for your PSU's supply voltages and the CPU core voltage. Third-party utilities can instead be unreliable.

Sorry, I should have been more specific about my hardware. It's an Asus A7V board & Duron 1.1Ghz with the most recent non-beta BIOS (1011), monitored with Asus PC Probe, the software Asus supplies for that purpose. I was putting together this machine on the cheap, and got a decent midtower case, though it had a Rhycom 450w PS. (Nowhere on the list of AMD recommended or approved PSes.) I got the case on clearance. It would be cheaper in total to buy an Antec Truepower PS than it would be to send it all back and buy a new case. I just don't know if it's necessary.

So 10% is the 'allowed' variance? Within that, it should be ok?

[Jerry Atrik 0]

yes, to get a ul rating, it must work properly +or - 10% of the voltage