Should I be worried about my 3.3v rail?

Myystical1 · 30-November-05, 12:41 AM

The 3.3v rail on my Antec 400w PSU runs a little low; under no graphical strain it fluctuates between 3.104 and 3.152, but while playing certain games it has dropped to 3.056. I think it may be related to my GF4 Ti4200, from what I can remember I never had any rail problems before installing it. BTW, the program giving me these rails is Asus's ASUS-Probe that came with my mobo...but anyway, should I be worried about my 3.3 dropping to 3.056? That's almost an 8% drop; this weekend I think I'll put in a PCI Radeon 7500 I've got to see if that helps at all. I don't think I have any other AGP cards lying around, though, or else I could determine wether it's maybe a problem with my mobo's AGP slot. Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Jesse

Myystical1 · 12-December-05, 08:26 PM

70 views and no replies? No one has any suggestions at all on this?

GrandpaNoob72 · 12-December-05, 08:29 PM

If it's causing stability problems, then testing with a different card and/or PSU would be on my "to-do" list as far as troubleshooting.

If the computer isn't crashing when the rail drops, I wouldn't be too worried about it... But I would start making up a shopping list for upgrades in the "as soon as affordable" future...

vf1000ride · 12-December-05, 09:19 PM

I would check it with a voltmeter if possible. Not to say anything bad about your setup but as an experiance from mine. I have an antec truepower 550 that shows -60volts on my -12volt rail of an Abit nf7-s rev2. That is both in bios and from the abit eq program. I checked it with a multimeter and the thing is rock steady at -12volts just like is suppost to be. You may be showing a slight voltage problem but it could just be a probe problem.

Jonny English · 13-December-05, 01:01 PM

Ditto what vf' said - multimeters start at Ã‚Â£/$ 5. Find an unused PSU connector with an orange wire, use that & a black one to get a reading - chances are it'll be well within spec

$SOLID$ Necro · 13-December-05, 01:21 PM

I would look at what thebios reads and see if it matches the software

Ator · 13-December-05, 01:29 PM

Windows-based software can be pretty inaccurate. My SpeedFan readings on my Antec NeoHE 550W show 11.77v on the 12v rail, when the BIOS readings show 11.96v. I would check the BIOS, then also with a multimeter to be sure.

GrandpaNoob72 · 13-December-05, 01:33 PM

Looking around some other sites I browse for OC tips and tricks, I came across this:

TESTING YOUR PSU

I think you might find it useful...

30-November-05, 12:41 AM		#1 (permalink)
Myystical1 Apex Advanced Techie	Should I be worried about my 3.3v rail? (Drops to 3.056) The 3.3v rail on my Antec 400w PSU runs a little low; under no graphical strain it fluctuates between 3.104 and 3.152, but while playing certain games it has dropped to 3.056. I think it may be related to my GF4 Ti4200, from what I can remember I never had any rail problems before installing it. BTW, the program giving me these rails is Asus's ASUS-Probe that came with my mobo...but anyway, should I be worried about my 3.3 dropping to 3.056? That's almost an 8% drop; this weekend I think I'll put in a PCI Radeon 7500 I've got to see if that helps at all. I don't think I have any other AGP cards lying around, though, or else I could determine wether it's maybe a problem with my mobo's AGP slot. Any thoughts? Thanks, Jesse Last edited by Myystical1; 30-November-05 at 06:45 PM..

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12-December-05, 08:26 PM		#2 (permalink)
Myystical1 Apex Advanced Techie	70 views and no replies? No one has any suggestions at all on this?

12-December-05, 08:29 PM		#3 (permalink)
GrandpaNoob72 Eleven-Bravo Sitrep Writer	If it's causing stability problems, then testing with a different card and/or PSU would be on my "to-do" list as far as troubleshooting. If the computer isn't crashing when the rail drops, I wouldn't be too worried about it... But I would start making up a shopping list for upgrades in the "as soon as affordable" future...

12-December-05, 09:19 PM		#4 (permalink)
vf1000ride Apex Elite Expert Tech	I would check it with a voltmeter if possible. Not to say anything bad about your setup but as an experiance from mine. I have an antec truepower 550 that shows -60volts on my -12volt rail of an Abit nf7-s rev2. That is both in bios and from the abit eq program. I checked it with a multimeter and the thing is rock steady at -12volts just like is suppost to be. You may be showing a slight voltage problem but it could just be a probe problem.

13-December-05, 01:01 PM		#5 (permalink)
Jonny English Etiquette & English Gentleman	Ditto what vf' said - multimeters start at Ã‚Â£/$ 5. Find an unused PSU connector with an orange wire, use that & a black one to get a reading - chances are it'll be well within spec

13-December-05, 01:21 PM		#6 (permalink)
$SOLID$ Necro Mastah Overclocker	I would look at what thebios reads and see if it matches the software

13-December-05, 01:29 PM		#7 (permalink)
Ator At-Whore	Windows-based software can be pretty inaccurate. My SpeedFan readings on my Antec NeoHE 550W show 11.77v on the 12v rail, when the BIOS readings show 11.96v. I would check the BIOS, then also with a multimeter to be sure.

13-December-05, 01:33 PM		#8 (permalink)
GrandpaNoob72 Eleven-Bravo Sitrep Writer	Looking around some other sites I browse for OC tips and tricks, I came across this: TESTING YOUR PSU I think you might find it useful...