11.6V too low?

[pitz]

Asus A7N8X-VM (Nforce2 IGP), 1gb RAM, AthlonXP 2500+,a DVD-R drive, and a 200gb Seagate ATA hard drive (and literally nothing else!). 12V line reads 11.6V. With a very spontaneous reboot problem, maybe once a day.

Enermax EG365P power supply, bought in 2001, and used pretty much continuously ever since.

Time to ditch it?? What should I buy to replace it? Definitely want to go modular. 9 years a decent performance out of a PSU like that?

 

[theAnimal]

11.6V is within spec, but if that is the actual voltage measured (and not a software reading) then you should definitely replace the PSU.

9 years is more than decent. Since you're looking for modular, I'd recommend the Liberty Eco 400W as a replacement.

 

[Aluvus]

If this is measured with software, ignore that measurement and get a voltmeter/multimeter so you can take a proper measurement.

Regardless, the ATX spec requires 5% regulation on the +12 V rail (and 5% below 12 V would be 11.4 V), so that measurement is still in spec.

 

[pitz]

If this is measured with software, ignore that measurement and get a voltmeter/multimeter so you can take a proper measurement.

Yeah... When I had the same mobo on a newer (circa 2006) Enlight Liberty 400W, the mobo read 12.5V or so, and it was rock solid... But I'll throw my DMM on, see where it comes out..

Regardless, the ATX spec requires 5% regulation on the +12 V rail (and 5% below 12 V would be 11.4 V), so that measurement is still in spec.

Well, the weird thing about the a7n8x-vm is that it doesn't have the P4 power connectors, nor the extra power leads of modern boards. Just a standard 20-pin ATX connector.

So perhaps its more sensitive to a low 12V supply than other boards?

 

[pitz]

Okay, 12.25V on a DMM placed on the 12V line when the onboard says 11.6V.

What does this mean? Failing onboard caps?

edit: Also...I was just thinking, the AthlonXP 2500+ ("Barton") has a 70W TDP, yet the A7N8X-VM only has a 20-pin ATX connector. How plausible is it that there truly is a huge voltage drop involved in getting power onto the board to run that CPU? Any other A7N8X users remember any power issues with those boards and what might be a marginally adequate design?

 

[HOOfan 1]

No it means that measuring the voltage from the motherboard with software is inaccurate.

 

[God Mode]

Test the voltages when the pc is idle and when its loaded with something like a game or benchmark app.

 

[jvroig]

No it means that measuring the voltage from the motherboard with software is inaccurate.

Is this also true for BIOS voltage readings?

 

[HOOfan 1]

Is this also true for BIOS voltage readings?

Yes, they all measure from the same spot.

 

[PM650]

The A7N8X almost always came with Nichicon HM caps on the CPU vrm - nichicon had a problem with overfilling the electrolyte in caps with a date code from 2002-2004. I replaced the caps on my A7N8X two years ago - they were vented but not leaking after many years of light use (no OC) with a barton 2800, still running 100% flawlessly today. This particular board is one of the last to generate the cpu vcore from the 5V rail, so 12V isn't high use here (power-wise).

 

[pitz]

Okay, Rubycon caps.

Put a Matrox G450 video card on the motherboard's AGP slot -- seems to be stable for now...

Was the Nforce2 IGP a stable chipset or not?