Identifying VRM?

[Barleyman]

Is it possible to identify the VRM chip with GPU-Z?

[qu4k3r]

I guess not.
Someone correct me if i'm wrong...

I think the most of vrm are compound by analog components (capacitor, inductor, transistor/mosfet, etc..) and they can't be identified by software, because those analog parts don't have any kind of internal registry for keeping info.

If vrm were made of totally digital components highly integrated, like PIC micro controllers or something like that, then yes.

[streetfighter 2]

Actually the VRM usually contains a control chip which controls the output to the chokes/inductors/MOSFETs/capacitors that ultimately make up the power circuit (often just called PWM).

Here's a PWM circuit with CPL-5-50 power-inductors, 5 unidentifiable (probably VT1157SF) Volterra digital PWMs, and the nearby Volterra VT1165MF voltage regulator:


If the chip is programmable via software, like the VT1165 pictured above, then there must be a way to retrieve some information about the chip in software.

That being said, I do not believe GPU-Z provides VRM info, probably because these chips were not controlled in software until fairly recently.

[Barleyman]

Well, MSI afterburner can do I2C dump which does return strings which should be usable to identify the chips. However without some reference as to which string stands for which string combines with a particular chip.. And yeah, I did appeal Unwinder for help

[Barleyman]

Actually the review DOES have close-up photo of the VRM controller. Unfortunately ASUS has re-labelled it so you cannot identify the chip visually. TPU speculates it's uP6225 but I didn't get it working with afterburner using that assumption.