2.36 voltage on 12v rail?

[severus]

I made a post in the "Computer Help" section but I believe I've narrowed down the source of my problem. I have a A7V8X, TI4200, Athlon XP 2200 and 1gig of ram running on an Apieva 350w power supply. This setup has done me well for quite awhile and it's just a backup system now that won't boot or hangs as soon as anything demanding is done, like playing a video game or watching a movie. I've tried everything until I finally checked the bios and noticed a red flag in the voltage section on the 12v rail. The voltage is up to 2.36 which seems high but how can I lower it? Do I have to replace the power supply completely ?

 

[Gillbot]

Check the power supply voltage with a multimeter, don't rely on software readings.

 

[Quiksilver]

What he said.
If it hanging on anything demanding though; that could just be a temp. problem.
Either way though, Apevia isn't exactly known for good PSU's. The tend to be over-rated by 50W to 100W.

 

[Zepper]

Yup, use a meter. Unless your health monitor software is configured for your specific mobo, you may be reading another port address entirely - maybe your 3.3 rail or such.

.bh.

 

[NoShangriLa]

Look like a re badge PSU.

What is the rated input of the PSU, output in VA (Watt), actual manufacture make/model?

Try clearing some dust out by blowing some air (not can air) through the PSU.

 

[dangman4ever]

The OP said the PSU was an Apevia. More than likely it's some over-rate POS PSU:
http://hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTMzOSwyLCwxNzA - Apevia ATX-AS500W-BL
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modul...views&op=Story&reid=92 - Apevia Warlock Power 900W
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modul...views&op=Story&reid=79 - XQPack's Included 420W PSU
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modul...views&op=Story&reid=78 - Aspire Beast 680W Power Supply

So it wouldn't surprise me that PSU is not capable of handling the OP's system.

Anyway, OP, I recommend replacing that PSU ASAP. Don't risk further damage to your system with that Apevia. Since your system is +5V heavy, I recommend getting the Silverstone ST400 400W PSU as a replacement

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: dangman4ever
Since your system is +5V heavy, I recommend getting the Silverstone ST400 400W PSU as a replacement

Alternately maybe one of those Thermaltake TR430 units. I absolutely HATE those things because way too many people try using them for more modern systems that are +12v heavy and these are an antique ATX 1.3 design. However that old system is a perfect candidate for ATX 1.3 spec and not only are these Thermaltake units cheap, they're often on sale at one place or another for $20-30 and are widely available.

 

[severus]

I ended up switching the PSU to an Antec 430W true power I had but the problem seems to persist. I'm starting to believe It's something else, maybe the motherboard. I'm trying to pick up an Abit NF7 to replace this POS A7V8X....

 

[dangman4ever]

It could be that PSU damaged your mobo during the time you used it.

 

[Zepper]

OP,

If you really meant 12.36 and not the 2.36 you said in your top post (which would be grossly low and not high), then it's well withn spec which would be 12.6 on the high end. It's better to be a bit high than low. As was said, measure with a meter if you really want to know. Generally, if not a PSU problem, hanging is most often a RAM problem. Try reseating your RAM and then test it with Memtest86, Memtest86+ and the M$ free memory test software. Also make sure your drive connections are solid (both power and data).

.bh.

 

[mindless1]

I'd wonder about the video card, a few TI42100 didn't have very good capacitors, or there's always the more obvious things like a failed fan.

When it won't boot, exactly where in the boot process does it fail? One of the symptoms of certain TI4200 failing was ironically enough that they didn't work when they were cold but once warmed up some they worked better (to a point, once degraded badly enough it wouldn't matter).