Should i change my psu if a message flagged out saying that a voltage has gone outside of it recommended range and return to normal? It happen on the 3.3 v and the cpu i/o 1.5v. All on diff day. My comp setup is P4 1.6A, 256ram, dvd, cdrw, gf2, sound blaster live,40g hd. My psu is a 350w std p4 type.
if your computer runs fine with the one that you have then it is fine, but you need to check to see if he power supply is getting to hot. that may cause errors also. If it gets close the warmth of your breath then you should check on getting a new one. I work for a computer stare and hat is what we check for fist in solving compuer hardware problems. The over heating is usually the right saign.
First check how far the 3.3 and 5V lines differ from the standard and how often this happens.
But if you don't have instability problems you don't really need a new PSU.
My CPU runs so hot the arctic silver undergoes nuclear fusion .
What is it with all these idiots saying everyone needs a new PSU. As one other poster said as long as it is working stable a new PSU is JUST A WASTE OF MONEY. 300W is more than enough for most people anyway. And I get sick of reading all these posts in here from people saying that they need a new PSU. It seems to be a fad or something. New PSU`s DO NO FIX HARWARE FAULTS!!!! Even though some misguided people think they do. An example I am running a T-Bird 1.4gig with 2 7200rev drives a scsi burner and IDE cd drive and it is 100% stable and has been for the past 12 months on a 230W PSU. So even a half deascent 230Watt PSU is enough for most people so 300-350W is just fine. Above 350W except for a few really rare cases here and there it is just a waste. So dont waste money on a new PSU. Oh and BTW I wouldnt worry about the voltages going out of the limits. All PSU`s do it all the time. It is just some programs have their limits set finer. As long as its stable its fine. Dont fix what aint broke.
AREA_51
The propose of warning is to give you a chance to fix the problem before it gets worst. Some people take warning seriously and some do not. My uncle was diagnosed with lung cancer 2 weeks ago. He actually does not felt anything wrong with his body but he still decides to have a surgery. According to your theory he should not have a surgery since he does not felt anything wrong with his body. The surgery is simply wasting time and wasting money. He should only have the surgery when he starting felling sick.
Thats not even close to what I said. What I said is it is stupid replacing a perfectly good power supply all the time. And even more stupid when you have all these people saying that a new power supply will fix nearly all hardware problems. Thats what my rant is about.
AREA_51
BTW Good luck with you uncle. Hope it works out fine.
What is the motherboard brand?
Which software are you using to monitor temperature and power?
The wording in your post indicates to me that you are using an Intel manufactured motherboard and Intel Active Monitor to monitor temperature and power.
If this is true and you are not using the latest version of Intel Active Monitor I would update the software. Older versions of Intel Active Monitor gave out of range warnings on the 3.3V and processor power rails once in a while. Updated versions do not give the false warnings.
Download latest version from:
<A HREF="http://www.intel.com/design/motherbd/active.htm" target="_new">http://www.intel.com/design/motherbd/active.htm</A>
I recommend reading the instructions before installing this software.
Thats another thing I had said. You must NOT rely on the motherboard monitor readings for accurate readings. As I said the programs are also set too fine a lot of the time and dont ake into account the variances in the healts chips themselves. Anyway I am not going to waste my time on this anymore. We will have to agree to disagree.
AREA_51
EDIT: (Fixed a spelling mistake up top)<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by vk2amv on 12/08/02 04:14 AM.</EM></FONT></P>
As far as people using AMD based systems go, Here's a quote from the "Power Supplies and Computer Cases" Section of the document "FAQ - Recommendations for an AMD Athlon Processor Based Computer" Found on AMD's Website <A HREF="http://www.amd.com/us-en/assets/content_type/white_papers_and_tech_docs/quick_ref_faq.pdf" target="_new">here</A>
<i>"For a minimally configured low power-consumption system, you can use any of the approved power supplies listed on our website. A 250-watt power supply is the minimum but you need to estimate the system configuration requirements to ensure system stability. Minimally configured means: 128-Mbyte RAM, 16-Mbyte
AGP graphics, internal V.90 modem, 10/100 NIC, floppy drive, CD-ROM or DVD, and 5400-RPM hard disk. If you are not certain of the final user-configuration, it is safer to install one of the approved 300-watt (or larger) power supplies listed on the recommended power supply listing. If the Athlon processor-based system will have more powerconsuming accessories than the basic minimum, we recommend you build your system using 300-watt (or larger) power supplies. By using a larger power supply, the system is also robust enough to handle future enhancements."</i>
The user guide for an ASUS P4T533-C Motherboard has this to say on it's recommended power supply:
<i>"The recommended wattage is 230W, or 300W for a fully configured system. The system may become unstable and may experience difficulty powering up if the power supply is inadequate"</i>
OK granted, you've never had any problems running your system with a 230Watt power supply? Good for you. And granted, the specific problem we're seeing here may not require a better PSU, and you're right, if it's working fine, why fix it? But bad power supplies CAN cause stability issues. If someone's having problems with stability running an AMD Athlon system and they're using a 230Watt PSU the first thing I'd tell them to do is to upgrade their PSU. IMO it's better to get a <b>quality</b> larger PSU for your system than is required simply to improve your chances of stability.
Exactly 300W. The first guy had 350W and people were suggesting he replace his power supply. That is the sort of thing I am on about. All you have done is support my point. It is stupid to recommend he replace his power supply in this case when he already has a 350W.
AREA_51
BTW Yes I know I had said I had retired from this thread but I changed my mine for the moment.
RE: Svol So they don't... you're sure?
If your systems DOES run unstable and all hardware seems to be OK what do you suspect then? Right, the PSU.
They DO fix faults!
That is still not a hardware fault. I said they cant fix HARDWARE faults. And yes you are correct that if you can prove beyond all reasonable doubt that it is not a hardware fault then replacing the PSU should be an improvement. I never said otherwise. What I am on about is you sometimes have people on this forum asking about problems and they have a 300W or 350W PSU and you have all these people suggesting he replace his ower supply first thing. Granted it only happens sometimes but it still happens too often. That is what my gripe is about.
AREA_51
That was my point. Your PSU <i>IS</i> hardware - It can sometimes go wrong, and the reason I beleive it's such a "fad" to recommend a new PSU is because so many people don't see it as being an important part of your system and DO get a shoddy power supply. My response was more for the above generalised statement - not for richman's issue (sorry richman). In relation to that I agree that a 350 watt PSU should be fine and provided there are no problems with stability etc. there shouldn't be any reason to replace it - unless it was one of those el-cheapo no-name brand ones.
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