My "wierd" 12v readings

[gwiz1987]

hi guys!
i've just noticed i have been getting a really retarded 12v reading. its currently showing 11.6v and fluctuates. i used everest and did a stability test and had a look at the stats. my max was around 11.7v and min 11.4v while averaging around 11.5 - 11.6v.

will it cause problems later on? cos my system is quite stable atm

 

[GhislainG]

It's just a bit low, but well within the ATX specs of ±10% (11.8V - 13.2V). Don't worry about it if the system is stable.

 

[yetyhunter]

Mine drops to 11.14.

 

[jsc]

That's a bit low, but the voltage should be a little more stable.

 

[shabaa]

That could be attributed to one of two things or both......

1. The power coming in to the Power supply is not the pristine 120V / 60 cycles that it is designed to work well at.. (A tolerance of +- !) % is usually allowed by government

2. The power supply is not working as it should (or it is junk)

or

Both.... you can check everything with a DVOM... I always do ... I do not always trust software to check hardware. Especially in this case....

 

[gwiz1987]

thanx for replies. i was gonna change my psu to resolve problem but instead i changed my Gigabyte GA-8I945P Pro and P4 515(J), to a new xfx 680i lt and an e8400. my whole system is still the same.

i ran the everest stability test again and my readings for the 12v are now - min 11.99, max 12.01, avg 12.

now i didnt expect this to occur... maybe the mobo quality or the cpu is using less watts.

 

[theAnimal]

It's just a bit low, but well within the ATX specs of ±10% (11.8V - 13.2V). Don't worry about it if the system is stable.

ATX spec is +/- 5%: 11.4V to 12.6V

 

[theAnimal]

.... you can check everything with a DVOM... I always do ... I do not always trust software to check hardware. Especially in this case....

Exactly, software readings for voltages should never be trusted, always use a digital multimeter.

 

[GhislainG]

ATX spec is +/- 5%: 11.4V to 12.6V

You are correct and ± 5% is best, but the ATX 2.01 specs include this note: "At +12 VDC peak loading, regulation at the +12 VDC output can go to ± 10%." That info can be found in this document: http://www.formfactors.org/developer/specs/ATX12V%20PSDG2.01.pdf

 

[theAnimal]

With the current ATX 2.2 there is a 10% tolerance, but only for -5V and -12V.