Extremely low -5V readings

[Oracle]

Hi fellas,

Just wondering if any of you might know if a problem is hiding behind the fact that MBM5 detects the -5V rail of my PSU at 0.49v. All other rails are fine and within range. Nothing is overclocked. My PSU is an Antec TruePower 480W.

Is this low reading normal for the -5V rail?

Other computer specs include:
Athlon XP 3200+ (Barton)
DFI NF2 Ultra Infinity
1GB RAM (2x256 + 1x512)
Radeon X800XL
3xSATA 80GB HDDs
TV Wonder Elite
DVD-ROM
DVD-RW

Thanks.

 

[pengwin]

Usually software readings arent correct. If you have a multimeter u can check it again

 

[Oracle]

I understand that software measurements could be up to 5% off (and I can live with that), but 90%???
I'm also under the impression that Motherboard Monitor is a widely recognized, accepted and somewhat reliable tool for measurements in this community.
I'll use my multimeter then.

 

[Pain]

It's not the software reading. I actually don't even know what software reading is suppose to mean. The software is going to report exactly what it finds from the hardware monitors. If there is an error, it's a hardware problem.

Let's ignore that for a moment and ask the question, is the machine working? If it is, forget about it. From what I understand, some power supplies don't even supply --5v any more and some boards don't need it. It sounds like a non-starter to me. Ignore it.

 

[Oracle]

Yes, the machine is working fine (except that my CPU seems to be overheating rapidly, but that is a matter for another thread). I just wondered if that -5V reading was normal or not. I've got (what I think is) a reliable and robust PSU, so I couldn't imagine it being the problem.

 

[Pain]

I wouldn't worry about it. I can't recall exactly what the -5v line is used for, I think it might be for the serial or maybe the parallel port, but it doesn't matter. You could test it with a meter if you really really wanted to, but I think it's a waste of time personally, and what are you going to do if it is bad, replace the power supply in a machine that is working perfectly? Seems a bit silly.

 

[Oracle]

OK, thanks! 8)