Low voltage values on Enermax PSU - problem or not?

[xpeter]

I have the Enermax EG365AX-VE(G) FM power suply in my PC and according to measured values
of the voltages by SpeedFan there are very low voltage values like now at the moment when I am
typing this message:

-12V from - 4.50V to - 7.50V
-5V from - 0.60V to - 1.50V
+5V from 1.80V to 4.00V

other valtage values seems to be fine

vcore1 about 1.47-1.49V
vcore2 about 1.47-.1.49V
+3.3V from 3.00V to 3.50V
+5V from 4.00V to 5.50V
+12V from 11.00V to 12.50V

I don't know if the first 3 values are OK I think they are too low, can anyone tell me if I should
be affraid that there's something wrong, or is that normal?

I am running

GigaByte 8PE667 ULTRA
Intel Celeron 2.0 GHz
IBM Deskstar 120GXP 80.4 GB
CDRW
DVD
ATI Radeon 64DDR
768 MB DDR-SDRAM PC-333

 

[THUGSROOK]

try using another program (or 2) to verify readings.

dont worry about the negative voltages too much ~ but still, youve got problems

 

[xpeter]

OK I'll try the BIOS values and post it here in a minute. But can you explain me what
are the negative values good for and what is the difference between them? All
possitive voltages are OK and the PSU has also PFC so I don't understand the bad
negative value. Thanks for help.

 

[xpeter]

OK so I checked the valtages in BIOS and there aren't the negative ones there are only

vcore1
vcore2
+1.5V
+3.3V
+12V
VBat

and that's all. So what to do next?

 

[xpeter]

Forgot to write that all the above voltage values reported by BIOS are correct in range.

 

[THUGSROOK]

sounds like the software doesnt work too well then.

what does Sandra (mainboard info) report for those voltages?

 

[xpeter]

Sandra displays the same values as SpeedFan

+ votlages are OK
- voltages are strangly low

So what are the negative voltages good for? Why there are no such infos in BIOS?

 

[jiffylube1024]

The (-) values aren't too useful for anything. The + ones are what you need to watch and which determine stability. Your 4.00-5.50 +5V rail sounds pretty crazy; it shouldn't jump around like that. If you have no instability or anything, you shouldn't worry too much about it, but still, 4.00V sounds pretty low for the 5V rail...

 

[xpeter]

Originally posted by: jiffylube1024
The (-) values aren't too useful for anything. The + ones are what you need to watch and which determine stability. Your 4.00-5.50 +5V rail sounds pretty crazy; it shouldn't jump around like that. If you have no instability or anything, you shouldn't worry too much about it, but still, 4.00V sounds pretty low for the 5V rail...

Thanks for reply.

Actually the + voltages aren't in such a big range, normal values are about:

+ 3.3 V = 3.35-3.38V
+ 5 V = 4.11 - 4.50V
+12 V = 11.70 - 11.90 V

but I already saw the values described above in the wider range. These values I typed now
are the most common in daily use.

 

[Wind]

The 5v rail is very low. I'm suprised it's an Enermax. System stability normally achieved if the 5v rail is at least 4.6v. Your rail is @ 4.11-4.5v & your system is stable ?

Haven't seen it b4. But if your system is stable under full load. Heck,...no worries.

 

[xpeter]

Originally posted by: Wind
The 5v rail is very low. I'm suprised it's an Enermax. System stability normally achieved if the 5v rail is at least 4.6v. Your rail is @ 4.11-4.5v & your system is stable ?

Haven't seen it b4. But if your system is stable under full load. Heck,...no worries.

Yeah I don't know what is the probelm with my ENERMAX. Check this screenshot from SpeedFan I already made, and check the values there. My system is stable
but I have problems with HIBERNATION and STAND-BY lately. If I choose to hibernate my PC the system
gives me an error message "NOT ENOUGH RESORCES" and if I stand-by my PC it can't awake any more.
It turns on but the graphics won't turn on. I reinstalled my PC already 2 times but always the same problem.
I don't know if it is a SW failure or it can cause the ENERMAX PSU?

 

[Wind]

Yeah I don't know what is the probelm with my ENERMAX. Check this screenshot from SpeedFan I already made, and check the values there. My system is stable
but I have problems with HIBERNATION and STAND-BY lately. If I choose to hibernate my PC the system
gives me an error message "NOT ENOUGH RESORCES" and if I stand-by my PC it can't awake any more.
It turns on but the graphics won't turn on. I reinstalled my PC already 2 times but always the same problem.
I don't know if it is a SW failure or it can cause the ENERMAX PSU?

The PSU is the culprit here. The Hibernation & Stand-by mode required 5v rail to power-up the keyboard + mouse + supply power to mobo. I suspect your low 5v rail to be the reason. You hv install 2 times (more than enough to kill of any SW related probs).

I suggest u RMA tht PSU.

 

[xpeter]

Originally posted by: Wind

Yeah I don't know what is the probelm with my ENERMAX. Check this screenshot from SpeedFan I already made, and check the values there. My system is stable
but I have problems with HIBERNATION and STAND-BY lately. If I choose to hibernate my PC the system
gives me an error message "NOT ENOUGH RESORCES" and if I stand-by my PC it can't awake any more.
It turns on but the graphics won't turn on. I reinstalled my PC already 2 times but always the same problem.
I don't know if it is a SW failure or it can cause the ENERMAX PSU?

The PSU is the culprit here. The Hibernation & Stand-by mode required 5v rail to power-up the keyboard + mouse + supply power to mobo. I suspect your low 5v rail to be the reason. You hv install 2 times (more than enough to kill of any SW related probs).

I suggest u RMA tht PSU.

Damn ENERMAX and I thought they are the best PSU's you can get out there. But tell me one thing. What
is the PFC control good for when the voltages are absolutely incorrect?

 

[Wind]

Damn ENERMAX and I thought they are the best PSU's you can get out there. But tell me one thing. What is the PFC control good for when the voltages are absolutely incorrect?

Even the best PSU in the world is subject to manufacturing defects. There (Enermax) is made by human after all.

 

[ShoNuff]

I don't think your problem is your power supply. I have the same board and the 431W version Enermax PSU and I get the same reading you do. I searched and read in the MBM forums and basically it comes down to this. MBM doesn't do a good job with some Gigabyte boards according to the author of the program.

I will see if I can find the thread again and I will link it when it do.

 

[ShoNuff]

I found the link here.

Here is a quote from the thread:

MBM tries to stick to the datasheets of the sensor chips, however board makers do not do this, this will lead to the situation that mbm will read a voltage line thinking it's the 3.3 line while it might be the +5 line and you get very confusing values.

For that reason you can select a sub voltage on the voltage tab of MBM, try to see of any of those give you a better match.

-Alex

In the above quote Alex is talking about the 8PE667 specifically. Again, while MBM worked perfectely for me with my old Asus board, I just don't believe it works that well with this series of Gigabyte boards. Review the thread and you will be able to draw your own conclusions.

 

[Wind]

Originally posted by: ShoNuff
I don't think your problem is your power supply. I have the same board and the 431W version Enermax PSU and I get the same reading you do. I searched and read in the MBM forums and basically it comes down to this. MBM doesn't do a good job with some Gigabyte boards according to the author of the program.

I will see if I can find the thread again and I will link it when it do.

Shonuff,
He got those readings from the bios !.

 

[xpeter]

Originally posted by: ShoNuff
I found the link here.

Here is a quote from the thread:

MBM tries to stick to the datasheets of the sensor chips, however board makers do not do this, this will lead to the situation that mbm will read a voltage line thinking it's the 3.3 line while it might be the +5 line and you get very confusing values.

For that reason you can select a sub voltage on the voltage tab of MBM, try to see of any of those give you a better match.

-Alex

In the above quote Alex is talking about the 8PE667 specifically. Again, while MBM worked perfectely for me with my old Asus board, I just don't believe it works that well with this series of Gigabyte boards. Review the thread and you will be able to draw your own conclusions.

That's fine that you have the same board as me and the same PSU but I think my problem is still in the PSU and not
in the monitoring software. As Wind wrote in the message above I get the low +5V voltages even from BIOS
and the voltage never exceeds the value of 4.50V and normaly is about only 4.11V-4.17V. The +3.3V
and +12V seems to be stable but again much bigger problem is with the -12V and -5V and the
second type of +5V. The voltages are getting crazy and they are totaly unstable changing every second. Check
the 3 screenshots I made from SpeedFan and you will see what my values
are. Especially take care of the -12V and -5V.

So there is not even possible to thing about the scenario that e.g. -12V values belong to -5V values etc as described in
the thread you found because the voltages are in such a big range that there must be something wrong. Even the
software can't blindly give such stupid values the software has to read it from sensors either.

I have already sent an e-mail with my problem to ENERMAX support so I will see if I can get any answer from them,
even if not I will RMA this PSU as I wrote above I have problems with HIBERNATION and STAND-BY

 

[ShoNuff]

I stand corrected! I get very "Weird" reading from the -12, -5 and +3 volt rails with my Enermax PSU only when using MBM. When I read these values from the bios they are within specs.

If you RMA this PSU through Enermax be sure to let us know how it goes.

 

[xpeter]

Originally posted by: ShoNuff
I stand corrected! I get very "Weird" reading from the -12, -5 and +3 volt rails with my Enermax PSU only when using MBM. When I read these values from the bios they are within specs.

If you RMA this PSU through Enermax be sure to let us know how it goes.

YES sure I will post some info here about RMA. Could you do some screenshots of your voltages from SPEEDFAN and post it
somewhere on the web? I want to be sure how it should be when it's correct. Anyway I have read here today some more
negative messages about ENERMAX voltages I wonder if it is a good buy this PSU's. Are there any better on the market?
I want a stable quit PSU. Anyway ENERMAX is even not as quite as many people think I have in another computer a
PC WINNER 250W and that's what I call noiseless PC. Any recommended PSU's better then ENERMAX?

 

[Wind]

Originally posted by: ShoNuff
I stand corrected! I get very "Weird" reading from the -12, -5 and +3 volt rails with my Enermax PSU only when using MBM. When I read these values from the bios they are within specs.

If you RMA this PSU through Enermax be sure to let us know how it goes.

Shonuff,

He got those reading from the bios...not MBM ! He is getting the closest thing to the real voltage reading. MBM do provide incorrect readings if u didn't set it properly. But bios never lied.

Xpeter,

Don't worry bout those -ve (negative) value. Ur primarily concern is the 5+v rail...which affect system stability...such as hiber/stand-by.

Do post back results w/ ur new PSU.

 

[ShoNuff]

Xpeter, I sent you a screen shot of SpeedFan from my mobo. To be honest, I have never used SpeedFan before. My readings are just as weird here as they are with MBM. I find peace in knowing that with my old mobo (Asus P4T-E) my readings were all within spec when taken from the bios and/or MBM.

So far the only problem I have with my current setup is the cold boot problem when I overclock. (Note, it was this problem was non-existant with my P4T-E.) If I run everything at stock speeds I have no problems.

Anyway, I hope you find the information useful.

Below you will find my reading taken directly from SpeedFan:

1.65 Vcore (set at 1.7 in bios)
+3.23/+3.3
+4.27/+5
+11.90/+12
-6.93/-12
0.27/-5 (fluctuates greatly)
+3.60/+5 (I don't know why SpeedFan lists this information twice?)
3.15 Vbat

 

[xpeter]

Originally posted by: Wind

Originally posted by: ShoNuff
I stand corrected! I get very "Weird" reading from the -12, -5 and +3 volt rails with my Enermax PSU only when using MBM. When I read these values from the bios they are within specs.

If you RMA this PSU through Enermax be sure to let us know how it goes.

Shonuff,

He got those reading from the bios...not MBM ! He is getting the closest thing to the real voltage reading. MBM do provide incorrect readings if u didn't set it properly. But bios never lied.

Xpeter,

Don't worry bout those -ve (negative) value. Ur primarily concern is the 5+v rail...which affect system stability...such as hiber/stand-by.

Do post back results w/ ur new PSU.

You are right about not woriing about the negative values. Today arrived and e-mail reply from Enermax -->>

Dear Peter,

Thank you for your mail concerning Enermax products.

Referring to your questions, the +5V and +5Vsb is not among
tolerance range. Please return it to the original store for RMA.

Shall you have any further questions, please feel free to let us
know. Thank you and have a nice day.
--
Sincerely yours,


so they only claim in the reply the faulty +5V and +5VSB voltages, the strange -12V and -5V seem to be within
normal specification. Anyway strange thing with that -12V and -5V because on my other PC where I have
an PC WINNER PSU 250W I get correct and stable readings with SpeedFan also for the negative voltages -12V
and -5V and there I am running Celeron 800 MHz on GigaByte 6OXET-C, i815 chipset.

I just think that also the -12V and -5V readings must be faulty but if ShoNuff has the same crazy readings of these
values than it's maybe normal but I don't understand that my other PC with much cheaper PSU does the readings
absolutely correctly and it's always GigaByte.

 

[xpeter]

Originally posted by: ShoNuff
Xpeter, I sent you a screen shot of SpeedFan from my mobo. To be honest, I have never used SpeedFan before. My readings are just as weird here as they are with MBM. I find peace in knowing that with my old mobo (Asus P4T-E) my readings were all within spec when taken from the bios and/or MBM.

So far the only problem I have with my current setup is the cold boot problem when I overclock. (Note, it was this problem was non-existant with my P4T-E.) If I run everything at stock speeds I have no problems.

Anyway, I hope you find the information useful.

Below you will find my reading taken directly from SpeedFan:

1.65 Vcore (set at 1.7 in bios)
+3.23/+3.3
+4.27/+5
+11.90/+12
-6.93/-12
0.27/-5 (fluctuates greatly)
+3.60/+5 (I don't know why SpeedFan lists this information twice?)
3.15 Vbat

So your readings seem to be just the same as mine with the same problems. My only problem is the +5V where I get
readings under 4.20V directly from BIOS and that's just bad :disgust:

There's not twice the same +5V voltage listed under SpeedFan but once in the right column it's a regular +5V and
in the left column it's +5VSB but I don't know what does the +5VSB voltage is good for - any ideas?

 

[xpeter]

One more thing to discuss - are the voltage readings from BIOS just enough and correct and should be the same
as the values measured under running Windows? I mean if I go to BIOS than the computer is not working under
full load so I think the readings can't be the same as the readings under Windows, or am I wrong and it should
always stay consistent?