Power Supply Voltage Ranges?

[JamesInLV]

Hi,

My system works fine, but before I put in these two brand new hard drives I just picked up, I thought I would concern myself with my PSU. I have an Antec 300w supply, about 3 years old now. A couple months ago my Asus mobo monitor popped up warning me that my +12V had jumped past 13v. It reports 13.248v right now. My +5, +3.3 and Vcore all seem to be inline. I pulled up SiSoftware Sandra and here is the information from there:

CPU Core: 1.66v
Aux Voltage: 2.50v
+3.3V: 3.39v
+5V: 4.97v
+12V: 12.71v
-12V: -11.69v
-5V: -5.21v

Asus PC Probe readings:
+12V: 13.376v (don't know why the major difference in readings)
+5V: 5.053v
+3.3V: 3.392v
Vcore: 1.664v

I don't know why the readings are so far apart on the +12V. Are at least the Sandra readings within tolerances, or is that +12V just too high? My computer is VERY stable, never having any strange problems with hardware or software, though it has been running a little hotter lately than before this problem came up (typically was in the 90's F mobo and CPU where now it runs low 100's F mobo/CPU unless I'm playing games.

Thanks!

 

[pelikan]

Software temp monitoring is not very accurate. If you really want to know what's going on measure a molex with a multimeter while your system is under load.

 

[JamesInLV]

Originally posted by: pelikan
Software temp monitoring is not very accurate. If you really want to know what's going on measure a molex with a multimeter while your system is under load.

Thanks for the tip! Couldn't find any spot to pick up a +12V reading, but got these off a molex...

5.06V
-12.40V

Also found a -7.4V reading but I guess that's a completely useless measurement.

Everything okay here? I guess the -12.40V is helping me not worry as much anymore.

 

[pelikan]

Those voltages look fine. Can't you get the +12V off the yellow wire in the molex? You would put the red lead from the DMM in the yellow wire and the black in the black.

 

[JamesInLV]

Yeah...I was just working the wrong way across the molex. red->yellow, black->black I get +12.40v, so that 12.4v reading I gave before was just with the red/black connections on my meter the wrong way. Glad to hear that part is okay.

So one stupidity item on my part...here I am thinking I had an Antec supply in there, though it is an Antec case... turns out to be a Deer Computer Co. supply. I'm running a P-III, 733mhz, a couple hard drives, TI4200 video, two sound cards, cd-rw, NIC, SCSI adapter (one of my current drives is a SCSI). When I upgrade the mobo/CPU I'll get a new case/supply anyway. Sounds like I'm safe with these voltage readings, and the supply has never presented a problem in any other way.