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how much 12v rail fluctuation is acceptable?

H

haadij404

2[H]4U
Joined
Apr 3, 2006
Messages
2,280
im pretty sure my antec sp-500 is nearing overload.

using hw monitor my 12v rail dips down to 11.52v during gaming which quite a lot. no crashes or anything and its been rocksolid the 2.5 years ive had it. its at 12.03v idle.

is it time to put the old boy down or should i keep trudging on?
 
DO NOT TRUST ANY SOFTWARE TO READ VOLTAGES, EVER!!!

You must use an O'scope or a DVM/DMM!

The caps in your Antec are probably failing, try looking through the holes with a flashlight.

I would bet you good money, that your caps are failing & yes, either re-cap or replace the PSU before it truly fails.
 
Ignore any and all of software voltage readings. You need to use a digital multimeter to monitor voltages:
http://www.bfgpower.com/troubleshooting.html#DMM

But what are the specs of your PC?

The Truepower I and II series as well as the Smartpower series were well known for their above average death rates due to a poor choice in caps and cooling design. In more specific term, Antec/CWT specified/used caps that did not respond well to heat. Unfortunately, Antec made the decision to have the PSU fan only ramp at really high temps in an effort to keep the PSU quiet. However, just medium to high temps were enough to screw up the caps so really high temps were murderous. Over time, this degraded the quality and performance of those PSU series. So yeah it might be time to upgrade the PSU.
 
thanks for the info.

damn i dont have the cash to go out and buy a DMM :( those things can cost a pretty penny. if it comes to it though i might get one (could be useful down the road).

edit: lol they are actually pretty cheap... i guess i could go get one from radioshack tomorrow and check it out.

yeah ive read terrible things about the smart power series and them dying after 6months. mines been ticking for a good 2.5 years... my a05b case uses the psu to exhaust air so it may be getting very hot.

my specs:
P5N-E SLI | E7200 @ 3.80ghz @ 1.34v | ATI HD 4870
4GB DDR2 @ 800mhz | 2 x WD 6400AAKS in RAID 0
Samsung 2693HM | OCZ Vendetta 2 | Audigy 2 Value
Sexy DVD Burner | Lian Li A05B | Vista Ultimate x64
Logitech Z-5300 | Antec SP 500w | WinTV HVR 1600

i have a 3 months left on the warranty... should i make use of it? maybe they upgrade me to a better unit?
 
haadij404 said:
i have a 3 months left on the warranty... should i make use of it? maybe they upgrade me to a better unit?
Click to expand...

Is there a squeal or whine of sorts coming from the PSU? Even if the system was turned off?
 
Danny Bui said:
Is there a squeal or whine of sorts coming from the PSU? Even if the system was turned off?
Click to expand...

i heard a slight squeel for like a week coming from it but then it went away... haven't heard it in a good six months.

id feel bad rma'ing something that works to spec though.
 
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