Is there a way to test a power supply's actual wattage?
- Thread starter Biggs
- Start date
Biggs, a power supply does not "give off" 300w. It is designed so it can supply 300w to a load. Basically all you have to worry about is
Is the power supply overheating.
Are the voltages stable and in-spec at the load you are drawing.
If those are ok, then your power-supply is fine.
Is the power supply overheating.
Are the voltages stable and in-spec at the load you are drawing.
If those are ok, then your power-supply is fine.
So what you're saying is basically a 250W PSU can supply 250W to a load, 300W PSU supplies 300W, etc. Still, how d'you know it doing it's job for it's rated wattage?
"Are the voltages stable and in-spec at the load you are drawing."
How d'you test this?
"Are the voltages stable and in-spec at the load you are drawing."
How d'you test this?
Look in your bios or use Motherboard monitor to see the voltages.
MBM
The wattage power rating of a power supply is not an absolute. The power supply is designed with the components and cooling under normal conditions so that it can supply 300w of power reliably. If you are in a very cool enviornment with above average airflow through your computer it could supply more power, converesly in a warm room with poor case airflow the power supply could overheat.
Normally you shouldn't have to worry about it. If the voltages are stable then the power supply should be fine.
I assume you don't have a o-scope to check for any ripple.
MBM
The wattage power rating of a power supply is not an absolute. The power supply is designed with the components and cooling under normal conditions so that it can supply 300w of power reliably. If you are in a very cool enviornment with above average airflow through your computer it could supply more power, converesly in a warm room with poor case airflow the power supply could overheat.
Normally you shouldn't have to worry about it. If the voltages are stable then the power supply should be fine.
I assume you don't have a o-scope to check for any ripple.
I hear you man.
The thing is, I'm not asking for an absolute value of a PSU. I just want to know if there is a way to get at least an approximate reading. For example, if you were to test the voltage of a standard electrical socket, use 2 prodes from your multimeter/tester and you'll get a reading of ~120-130 not the ideal value of 110. Which again brings me to my question. If the method would involve very expensive equipment(for example oscilloscopes) then I just have to take the manufacturers word for it.
The thing is, I'm not asking for an absolute value of a PSU. I just want to know if there is a way to get at least an approximate reading. For example, if you were to test the voltage of a standard electrical socket, use 2 prodes from your multimeter/tester and you'll get a reading of ~120-130 not the ideal value of 110. Which again brings me to my question. If the method would involve very expensive equipment(for example oscilloscopes) then I just have to take the manufacturers word for it.
I'm sure that it could be done using switchable resistor banks attached to the appropriate leads. To increase the load, switch more resistors online in parallel. Just have to be sure to apply Ohm's Law correctly, to use resistors that can handle the current, and not to overload the unit or any connectors. Basically, the output will be dissipated as heat, a lot of it.
A good multimeter will tell if the psu maintains voltage at rated output, but not anything about how much ripple or how well the unit responds to changing loads. Many psu's won't maintain their max rated output for very long. Wear gloves & goggles, keep a fire extinguisher handy, might need it.
A good multimeter will tell if the psu maintains voltage at rated output, but not anything about how much ripple or how well the unit responds to changing loads. Many psu's won't maintain their max rated output for very long. Wear gloves & goggles, keep a fire extinguisher handy, might need it.
easy turn every thing OFF in your house/flat and i mean every thing go look at the electric meter is the wheel going round if not ok if it is somthing is still turned on
ok the wheel is not rotating right read the meter write down the numbers then turn on the computer only not the screen leave running for exactly 1 hour then read the meter again the differance in the reading is the power consumed by your pc note the reading is in kwh as you have run for 1 hour it is then in kw therefor divide the reading by 1000 to get watts this is the input watts to the pc /psu assume about 90% eff. 10%loss to heat in the psu so multiply your power reading by 0.9 this is the watts that you psu is giving out in electrical energy.
but why bother if it run ok leave it alone
note you can hve one rail of the psu overloaded and still be under the rated output of the psu
the only true wat is to take the voltage readings on each connector then with inline amp meter take the current at that point multiply the two reading for each cable/core and add up all the results ?
be very careful not to short things or you will blow up your pc
if it aint broke don't fix it
or apply KISS ( keep it simple stupid) not you
ok the wheel is not rotating right read the meter write down the numbers then turn on the computer only not the screen leave running for exactly 1 hour then read the meter again the differance in the reading is the power consumed by your pc note the reading is in kwh as you have run for 1 hour it is then in kw therefor divide the reading by 1000 to get watts this is the input watts to the pc /psu assume about 90% eff. 10%loss to heat in the psu so multiply your power reading by 0.9 this is the watts that you psu is giving out in electrical energy.
but why bother if it run ok leave it alone
note you can hve one rail of the psu overloaded and still be under the rated output of the psu
the only true wat is to take the voltage readings on each connector then with inline amp meter take the current at that point multiply the two reading for each cable/core and add up all the results ?
be very careful not to short things or you will blow up your pc
if it aint broke don't fix it
or apply KISS ( keep it simple stupid) not you
LordEdmond Your Idea is Flawed,
Not ment to flame but.....
Volt and Ohms (resistance) are absolute, they are easyly measureible like amps (current)
Wattage is a little trickier, Basically Wattage is power (like newton on the mechanical side)
There is no easy way to measure watts because it is a measure of power used, Volts are potential, current is draw or movement of said potential, Resistance is that that comsumes the amperage. Wattage takes in to account all of these things. Now the fun part. By checking the meter outside your house you will see the useage.
This is kinda difficult to explain, but I will try, Usage is different than rating, Lets say you have a 300W P/S, Your current config is using 250W. That is what you would read, 250W the power supply only produces what it needs. Now Your 300W rating is Under "Typical" conditions, It is a AC/DC Converter It should Give out 300W under normal conditions. many things can effect this (temp, humidity, power level input and Quality) also noisey power can make a DC converter run "WIERD" As for power Quality and level Your wall provides 110 VAC @ 60 HZ this can vary by +/- 5 volt and +/- 7 HZ. this would add more strain. So how do you test your power supply, check you voltages ( ASUS MB's Have a nice little prog for this) If they stay pretty stable you should be ok if they spike (up or DOWN) it is a good indication that your PS cannot hadle the load. The only time you should worry about the WATTAGE is when you buy the PS always get a good 300W+ if you plan on OCing or even hust gaming I would suggest using a 325W if you want to be safe. look at the fan keep you case cool. I know alot of people here talk up the PS but it should really no be an issue once you get it.
And for all you engineers ready to slame me I was drunk through ELECTRONICS SCHOOL and haven't used my theory in QUITE some time.
Not ment to flame but.....
Volt and Ohms (resistance) are absolute, they are easyly measureible like amps (current)
Wattage is a little trickier, Basically Wattage is power (like newton on the mechanical side)
There is no easy way to measure watts because it is a measure of power used, Volts are potential, current is draw or movement of said potential, Resistance is that that comsumes the amperage. Wattage takes in to account all of these things. Now the fun part. By checking the meter outside your house you will see the useage.
This is kinda difficult to explain, but I will try, Usage is different than rating, Lets say you have a 300W P/S, Your current config is using 250W. That is what you would read, 250W the power supply only produces what it needs. Now Your 300W rating is Under "Typical" conditions, It is a AC/DC Converter It should Give out 300W under normal conditions. many things can effect this (temp, humidity, power level input and Quality) also noisey power can make a DC converter run "WIERD" As for power Quality and level Your wall provides 110 VAC @ 60 HZ this can vary by +/- 5 volt and +/- 7 HZ. this would add more strain. So how do you test your power supply, check you voltages ( ASUS MB's Have a nice little prog for this) If they stay pretty stable you should be ok if they spike (up or DOWN) it is a good indication that your PS cannot hadle the load. The only time you should worry about the WATTAGE is when you buy the PS always get a good 300W+ if you plan on OCing or even hust gaming I would suggest using a 325W if you want to be safe. look at the fan keep you case cool. I know alot of people here talk up the PS but it should really no be an issue once you get it.
And for all you engineers ready to slame me I was drunk through ELECTRONICS SCHOOL and haven't used my theory in QUITE some time.
Ok
humidty will not alter the watts consumed
the meter trick was to give an idea of the watts input ( watts in * effcy = watts out)
resistance of a circuit is not absolute temp, and the coifient of resitance affect it
watts in a dc circuit is volt * amps or I squared R with I = amps and R the ohms
watts in single phase circiut = V*I*pf or do we need to go into root 3 and all that
I twould be very difficult to measure the total power output for a switch mode psu do to the large number of paths and voltage rails
35 years since finnishing apprentiship HND ( Higher National Diplomer )in electrical eng. 27 years working with aircon and IBM main frames
first pc home buit from scratch Z80 chipset about 25 years ago
humidty will not alter the watts consumed
the meter trick was to give an idea of the watts input ( watts in * effcy = watts out)
resistance of a circuit is not absolute temp, and the coifient of resitance affect it
watts in a dc circuit is volt * amps or I squared R with I = amps and R the ohms
watts in single phase circiut = V*I*pf or do we need to go into root 3 and all that
I twould be very difficult to measure the total power output for a switch mode psu do to the large number of paths and voltage rails
35 years since finnishing apprentiship HND ( Higher National Diplomer )in electrical eng. 27 years working with aircon and IBM main frames
first pc home buit from scratch Z80 chipset about 25 years ago
Lord-
Ok I am A functional electrian, I Know what the book say is not always right. Where I was sayin you were wrong was The House meter thing. It would give you the wattage used by the Compuer (Including PS) you expect to lose some power during your AC/DC coversion. And humidity and temp can effect circuitry. It effects draw (current) in turn effecting wattage. I worked on Instruments (Aircraft) they had to be hermedically sealed and filled with nitrogen to maintain a stable enviorment. the main thing we were trying to prevent was humidity because it altered the output. You are right that resistance is not absolute. I was wrong. what I was trying to show it is impossible to measure wattage. Now I guess you could create a set of adapters that would allow you to test amperage that would allow you to see the wattage used but not the potential for wattage. The rating is under normal conditions. It is impossible to test where a PS will fail without failing it.
Ok I am A functional electrian, I Know what the book say is not always right. Where I was sayin you were wrong was The House meter thing. It would give you the wattage used by the Compuer (Including PS) you expect to lose some power during your AC/DC coversion. And humidity and temp can effect circuitry. It effects draw (current) in turn effecting wattage. I worked on Instruments (Aircraft) they had to be hermedically sealed and filled with nitrogen to maintain a stable enviorment. the main thing we were trying to prevent was humidity because it altered the output. You are right that resistance is not absolute. I was wrong. what I was trying to show it is impossible to measure wattage. Now I guess you could create a set of adapters that would allow you to test amperage that would allow you to see the wattage used but not the potential for wattage. The rating is under normal conditions. It is impossible to test where a PS will fail without failing it.
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