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Voltage Question

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TKH   03-13-2003 at 08:12:12 AM

I have an Antec SL400 400W PSU and I notice some unusual voltage activity. I use the Asus Probe 2 to monitor my voltage and I discover that my +12V would become very unstable during game play, sometimes it can drop to around +2.68 (normally is +12.48). Is it my motherboard or power supply can't provide enough voltage for my graphic card (Mine is Hercules 3D Prophet 9700 Pro)? And does that matter if I set the Vcore at 1.5V in BIOS while the Asus Probe detects at 1.7V?
Here's my system rig:
http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?id=22996

My PC has gone to hell... because it's a killing machine...

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Teq   03-13-2003 at 09:10:36 AM
- 0 +

You should get a voltmeter on that 12 volt rail and see what it's really reading... If you aren't familiar with electronic measurement, you probably should take it to someone who is.

Sounds like your power supply is getting ready to die on you.



--->It ain't better if it don't work<---

Reply to Teq
TKH   03-13-2003 at 09:53:06 AM
- 0 +

Does this has something to do with the current input. I only purchased this Antec for 2 days. My last one is a 400W generic brand called "Azido" and I only use that one for about 2 weeks and it short circuit because there was a plastic thing (I really don't know what the hell is that) melt in the psu and caused a short circuit so I went to purchase this Antec for better cooling and quality. Do I really in such a bad luck getting two bad psu?
And one more thing if you can answer. Should I set the Vcore to 1.7V in BIOS because I am really unsure that my 9700 Pro is running on which value.

My PC has gone to hell... because it's a killing machine...

Reply to TKH
Teq   03-13-2003 at 10:58:56 AM
- 0 +

VCore is for your CPU...

If you are unsure of the correct voltages, set them on AUto and let the system sort it out for you.



--->It ain't better if it don't work<---

Reply to Teq
TKH   03-13-2003 at 11:41:53 AM
- 0 +

See, I really don't know about this (I thought Vcore stands for Video Core ^_^')... Anyway, the BIOS doesn't have the Auto option but only 1.5, 1.6 and 1.7 while I got an AMD Athlon XP 2600+, which should I choose?

My PC has gone to hell... because it's a killing machine...

Reply to TKH
unoc   03-13-2003 at 12:13:28 PM
- 0 +

Do not take care of the voltage measured by Asus probe when you fill the RAM during games. When I work on big graphics files (e.g. 900 or more MB, usually photos to be scanned and adjusted) I receive continuously warning from the ASUS probe (the most curious one is the temperature of the board rising from 33 °C to 80 °C and then suddenly back to 33°C. It is thermodynamically impossible, or the rpm of the CPU fan going to run like an airplane propeller).
I believe that your problem is not a real problem, but you may test the PSU, just connecting a multimeter to a free +12V cable. You have to measure the voltage between the yellow cable and the adiacent black one. If you don't have a digital multimeter, the difficult in the measure can be to recognize a short peak in the voltage value. The solution may be to connect a led through a resistor to the +12V to allow the led to absorb its rated current.
The light emitted by the led will be influenced even by a very short spike that you will be able to note.

Principle of the highest harassment for engineers says: having two events, one bad and one favorable, with the same probability to occur, it is most probable that the bad event will occur

Reply to unoc
svol   03-13-2003 at 04:11:49 PM
- 0 +

Download MBM 5 and use that instead of PC-Probe: <A HREF="http://mbm.livewiredev.com" target="_new">http://mbm.livewiredev.com</A>

Your VCore should be 1.6V... but Asus is known to slightly overvolt the CPUs.

My dual-PSU PC is so powerfull that the neighbourhood dims when I turn it on :eek:

Reply to svol
Teq   03-13-2003 at 08:52:24 PM
- 0 +

In electronic parlance, "V" is a universal symbol for voltage.

As for setting the voltage for your CPU, all three of the settings you list will be safe. Use the lowest voltage that will give stable operation.

You still need to get that power supply checked to ensure there is nothing wrong with it.



--->It ain't better if it don't work<---

Reply to Teq
svol   03-14-2003 at 07:04:13 PM
- 0 +

Hmmm... yes depending on his CPU it should be 1.5V or 1.6V. If it is an XP2100+ or higher then it is 1.6V.

The lower the voltage the less heat produced.

My dual-PSU PC is so powerfull that the neighbourhood dims when I turn it on :eek:

Reply to svol
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