My +12 line reads +11.48. Is this normal?

[NeoDaywalker]

My system specs:

Athlon64 3000+ 754 socket
512MB DDR RAM
MSI K8N Neo3
Enermax Noisetaker 485W 24pin
120GB WD HDD

I set up this system last Friday and i saw that the +12 line has a 11.48 reading. Should i be worried?

 

[rise]

test it with a multi meter?

 

[NeoDaywalker]

I dont have one to test it.

Even if i had one, how do i test it?

 

[IntegraGSR]

like this ---> http://forums.extremeoverclocking.com/showthread.php?t=137886 :thumbsup:

do not trust software monitoring! when reading psu voltages, the margin of error is too far off to be trusted.. only way to know for sure is to use a dmm/dvm.

 

[imported_rod]

These guys are right, a multimeter is really the only way to accurately test it. You probably know someone who has one. To test it, you just touch the positive (red) wire from the multimeter to the yellow(+12V) wire coming out of the PSU, and the ground/negative (black) wire to the black wire next to the yellow wire coming out of the PSU. Also, remember that even a multimeter my be out by 5% or so, unless you have calibrated it. But it'll still give you a good idea of the voltage.

But even if your voltage is 11.48V, that's still within 5%, and anything within 10% is usually considered acceptable, except possibly when overclocking.

 

[imported_Kensai]

Actually, 5% is the maximum for acceptable limits. I generally don't like anything above 2-3%.

 

[imported_Tick]

Originally posted by: Kensai
Actually, 5% is the maximum for acceptable limits. I generally don't like anything above 2-3%.

True. But with that system, he's not pushing his PSU real hard. 11.48 SHOULDN'T hurt anything. However, without multi-meter tests, that number is meaningless.

 

[NeoDaywalker]

Thanks for the replies guys.

There are some things that i want to clarify. My old mobo was a Chaintech VNF3-250 and the PSU was reading a solid 12.10 back then. Note though that the old mobo was using a 20pin connector and the new one is using a 24pin connector. The Enermax PSU that i have has an "adaptor" cable that makes the powercable transform from 20pin to 24pin in no time. Thats what i used and did.

Still, the system runs solid without any crashes or hangups for 3 days now.

EDIT: I just found out that there isnt any +12V reading in the BIOS. Only all the other voltages. Weird.

 

[Promethply]

According to SiSoft Sandra, my 12V rail's only 11.49V, but I'm not worried since my system's stable

 

[imported_rod]

Originally posted by: Kensai
Actually, 5% is the maximum for acceptable limits. I generally don't like anything above 2-3%.

Well ASUS PCProbe, a program that came with my MoBo, has the alam set to trip if the voltage is off by 10% or more.


Stability shouldn't really be affected by the +12V line, because all the sensitive components that draw power +12V power have their own regulators, mosfets etc...

Also, people keep forgetting that even a multimeter's values are meaningless unless it is calibrated properly. I've had a multimeter for ages but when I started doing more precise electronic projects, I decided to calibrate it properly. When I did, I found it was out by half a volt (@9v). That's over 5%! Also, a multimeter needs to be periodically re-calibrated, because as it's battery flattens, it's readings will change. At least they're easy to calibrate .

RoD

 

[IntegraGSR]

software voltage monitoring is not accurate enough to even look at!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Originally posted by: rod

Stability shouldn't really be affected by the +12V line, because all the sensitive components that draw power +12V power have their own regulators, mosfets etc...

RoD

i agree.. this is not really an issue unless your psu is way out of spec or you're overclocking.

 

[IntegraGSR]

oops double post

 

[cirthix]

if my 12v line goes below 11.6, i get hard crashes, but thats cause i'm straining the hell out of it putting well over 100w through a poor little barton hehehehe