Can low power output in a house damage a computer?

[BradHawk]

Hi, I'm considering buying a gaming desktop. But I'm reading that some low-power output frys certain parts on the computer. I know nothing of computers and tech like that but I did move recently and the laptop that I have now charges a lot slower than at my old house. I know this house has been expanded upon and whatnot so the power supply is probably not as strong as my previous house. Would this be a problem running a gaming laptop? Ill also have a monitor plugged in and possibly some other stuff on one outlet. I currently run a tv + ps4 + Xbox one off another outlet in the same room while running my laptop and clock off of a different outlet as well as other people doing things in the house. Anyways that's my situation obviously if I'm using so much power it's going to cause an outage or damage an expensive PC I'm not going to buy one.

Thanks for all your help in advance!

Sorry if this is in the wrong section!

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Add a backup battery preferable pure sinewave
If it kicks on a lot from low voltage inlet go from there.
They do compensate for fluctuations.

 

[Shrek]

A voltage regulator will save having to replace batteries, but a PC power supply is quite tolerant to voltage variations.

 

[Bill_Bright]

But I'm reading that some low-power output frys certain parts on the computer.

You are going to have to be more specific. What do you mean by "low power"? And where do you live? Is the "grid" stable in your area?

You can plug 1 device into a 115VAC wall outlet and the "voltage" out of the wall will be 115VAC. Plug 10 devices into that same 115VAC wall outlet and the voltage will still be 115VAC - as long as the "power" (current/wattage) demand does not "overload" or exceed the capability of the circuit, and pops the breaker (or blows the fuse) in your service panel/breaker box, killing all voltage to that outlet.

Note the ATX Form Factor standard requires all ATX compliant PC power supply units (PSUs) to maintain proper +12VDC, +5VDC, and +3.3VDC output even if the input voltage drops as low as 90VAC or rises up to 135VAC for 115VAC mains, and for 230VAC mains, the range is 180 to 265VAC.

Most other power supplies are quite tolerant of such fluctuations too. It is the extreme surges and spikes, and extreme dips (opposite of spikes) and sags (opposite of surges) and brownouts (long duration sags) that can cause stress and even damage to our electronics.

I will say this, however. If for some very odd reason your line (input) voltage sits for long periods of time near that 90/180VAC point (not likely in most advanced countries) the power supply may run hotter as it will need to compensate. Depending on its capability, this extra work may shorten its life expectancy, but that, in itself, will not damage the PSU or the computer.

I agree with both posters above. I always recommend all computers be on a good UPS with AVR. And Shrek is right in that PC power supplies are quite tolerant of voltage variations.

So again, you need to be more specific about what you mean by "low power". Otherwise, all we can do is speculate.

 

[Shrek]

I have noticed a slight voltage variation at work due to load; I have a small desk fan and hear it 'sag' when I turn the 1750W kettle on

122V -> 116V

a 6V drop; of no concern for the computer.

Interestingly 3% seems the acceptable limit (for performance, not safety)
Voltage Drop Calculation (ny-engineers.com)

 

[qubit]

The charging rate should be about the same wherever you go as the mains supply to all houses should be about the same since it's quite a tight standard in developed countries.

If you think there's a problem with yours, then call an electrician to check it out and the sooner the better as there could be a fire risk.

 

[bonehead123]

You can plug 1 device into a 115VAC wall outlet and the "voltage" out of the wall will be 115VAC. Plug 10 devices into that same 115VAC wall outlet and the voltage will still be 115VAC - as long as the "power" (current/wattage) demand does not "overload" or exceed the capability of the circuit, and pops the breaker (or blows the fuse) in your service panel/breaker box, killing all voltage to that outlet.

The voltage should remain the same either way, but the amps being pulled through a duplex receptacle with 10 devices plugged into it will almost certainly exceed it's capability. This problem cannot be NOT solved by using 2 or more outlets in the same room, as they are normally just branched off of each other. But a small variance in the voltage won't have very much of an effect on a computer, its power supply, or its charging rate

At least here in the USA, virtually all normal household receptacles (not counting the stove & dryer) are rated/designed for either 15 amps, or possibly 20 at most, and are correspondingly wired to circuit breakers with the same ratings.

And this is assuming that everything was wired correctly, which may or may not have been the case with a house that has been "expanded on" as the OP states...

I would seriously recommend hiring an licensed electrician to evaluate the power situation and verify what is wired to what and how, since the OP admits to having limited knowledge of these sort of things...

 

[Bill_Bright]

The voltage should remain the same either way,

Which is what was said above. And as Shrek pointed out, there could be a momentary, small drop in voltage, but that will quickly level out again - assuming a stable grid.

but the amps being pulled through a duplex receptacle with 10 devices plugged into it will almost certainly exceed it's capability.

Not necessarily.

As I also said above, it depends on the load. The LED lightbulb in my end-table lamp, for example, is a 50W equivalent bulb that draws only 6W. I could easily connect 20 of those bulbs and still only demand 120W through the wall outlet. That's just 10A with 120VAC mains.

I will quickly add, always check the wattage demands before connecting multiple devices to an outlet. This is especially important when using a multihead extension cord or power strip and is most pertinent now that the Christmas season and tree lighting is nearly upon us.

I would seriously recommend hiring an licensed electrician to evaluate the power situation and verify what is wired to what and how

This is a good idea. Or at least, test the outlets. Every home and every computer user should have access to a AC Outlet Tester to ensure the wall outlet is properly wired and grounded to Earth ground. I recommend one with a GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupt) indicator as it can be used to test bathroom and kitchen outlets (outlets near water) too. These testers can be found for your type and voltage outlet, foreign or domestic, (like this one for the UK, or this one for German outlets) at most home improvement stores, or even the electrical department at Wal-Mart. Use it to test all the outlets in the home and if a fault is shown, have it fixed by a qualified electrician.

 

[Wirko]

Have you noticed anything else related to electricity that's unusual or seems wrong? Do lights flicker when you turn large consumers of electricity on and off - water heater, space heater, cooker etc.? Do they flicker without you doing anything?

 

[bonehead123]

Have you noticed anything else related to electricity that's unusual or seems wrong? Do lights flicker when you turn large consumers of electricity on and off - water heater, space heater, cooker etc.? Do they flicker without you doing anything?

Yes, this could also be a good indicator that you either:

A) Are at or near the amperage limit of at least some of your wiring/outlets somewhere in da house, OR
B) Have some grounding points that are not working correctly, either because of incomplete/incorrect connections, frayed/broken wires, or even moisture/corrosion build up at the connection point(s)

@Bill_Bright

I don't think the LED Lamp is a good example, simply because when it is on, it draws a steady load/amount of current. Whereas a pc, with its varying load requirements, could present moar of an issue if several other devices are connected to the same circuit & powered on all at the same time...

I am merely speaking from my experiences and knowledge I have acquired over the years, but I'm not an electrical engineer nor an electrician, so I will defer to those that are moar qualified to provide better guidance. If that's you, then I certainly respect & appreciate your input...

 

[Bill_Bright]

I don't think the LED Lamp is a good example, simply because when it is on, it draws a steady load/amount of current. Whereas a pc, with its varying load requirements, could present moar of an issue if several other devices are connected to the same circuit & powered on all at the same time...

It is a perfect example to illustrate the point which was based on your initial claim. You first claimed 10 "devices" into one outlet would almost certainly exceed the circuit's capability. You cannot change the parameters of your premise, then claim I was wrong!

You never indicted, suggested or implied what kind of devices they were. And you certainly never suggested even one was a PC.

I clearly showed you could plug 10 and even more "devices" - depending on the load they impose - into a single outlet, with LOTS of room to spare.

Had you originally said 10 PCs or even several PCs, I certainly would have agreed.

I'm not an electrical engineer nor an electrician

Nor am I. But if you follow the link in my sig, you will see I am a formally educated, trained and certified "electronics technician". So I know a little about current and voltage and how they combine to determine wattage in both DC and AC circuits.

So, however, I will note this. Depending on the size of the PSUs used in those PCs, you certainly can connect multiple PCs into one outlet. A standard 15A circuit, for example, will support a demand up to 1800W. An 1800W microwave oven or toaster oven are good examples.

Note the basic formula for power is P = IE where P=power, I=current, and E=voltage. Therefore, with a little algebra applied, we see, P/E = I or 1800W / 120V = 15A.

That means, if you have 4 PCs, each with 400W PSUs, you could run all 4 PCs through that one outlet and 15A circuit and still have 200W wiggle room left for 4 of these 24" monitors, since they only pull 18W each, for 72W total. I would not do it because it assumes too much. But "in theory" you could.

 

[BradHawk]

Have you noticed anything else related to electricity that's unusual or seems wrong? Do lights flicker when you turn large consumers of electricity on and off - water heater, space heater, cooker etc.? Do they flicker without you doing anything?

No this almost never happens, lights flickered more at the old house. We rarely get power outages too, I was just concerned with my laptop charging slower that it might be a problem for a gaming pc. But the house remains at "full" power all day every day no lights flickering or anything like that. Lights don't dim either, sometimes at the old house lights would dim if I turned on the vacuum, for example, which doesn't happen here.

You are going to have to be more specific. What do you mean by "low power"? And where do you live? Is the "grid" stable in your area?

You can plug 1 device into a 115VAC wall outlet and the "voltage" out of the wall will be 115VAC. Plug 10 devices into that same 115VAC wall outlet and the voltage will still be 115VAC - as long as the "power" (current/wattage) demand does not "overload" or exceed the capability of the circuit, and pops the breaker (or blows the fuse) in your service panel/breaker box, killing all voltage to that outlet.

Note the ATX Form Factor standard requires all ATX compliant PC power supply units (PSUs) to maintain proper +12VDC, +5VDC, and +3.3VDC output even if the input voltage drops as low as 90VAC or rises up to 135VAC for 115VAC mains, and for 230VAC mains, the range is 180 to 265VAC.

Most other power supplies are quite tolerant of such fluctuations too. It is the extreme surges and spikes, and extreme dips (opposite of spikes) and sags (opposite of surges) and brownouts (long duration sags) that can cause stress and even damage to our electronics.

I will say this, however. If for some very odd reason your line (input) voltage sits for long periods of time near that 90/180VAC point (not likely in most advanced countries) the power supply may run hotter as it will need to compensate. Depending on its capability, this extra work may shorten its life expectancy, but that, in itself, will not damage the PSU or the computer.

I agree with both posters above. I always recommend all computers be on a good UPS with AVR. And Shrek is right in that PC power supplies are quite tolerant of voltage variations.

So again, you need to be more specific about what you mean by "low power". Otherwise, all we can do is speculate.

As far as I know, the grid is stable enough in my area, we've had one power outage and I think they were doing work on the lines in the time we've been here. The old house had power flashes and lights flicker and whatnot. That has not happened here yet, but it's only been a few months.

 

[Shrek]

As far as I know, the grid is stable enough in my area, we've had one power outage and I think they were doing work on the lines in the time we've been here. The old house had power flashes and lights flicker and whatnot.

Then all is fine; get your gaming desktop and enjoy.

 

[BradHawk]

Then all is fine; get your gaming desktop and enjoy.

Hey, thanks for the fast replies and help!

 

[Bill_Bright]

I was just concerned with my laptop charging slower that it might be a problem for a gaming pc.

A laptop charging slower would not be caused by your mains voltage. Is it the original charger that came with the laptop? If so, then the voltage should be correct. If not, you need to make sure the replacement charger is rated at the same voltage. And the current or wattage value for the replacement charger must be at least the same as the old charger. It can be higher, but should not be lower. Laptop chargers need to big enough to charge the battery at the same time it runs the notebook.

If your laptop is taking longer to charge than it used to, that typically point to the battery.

 

[Calenhad]

A desktop pc power supply will accept a wide voltage range as well. Typically a quality psu is guaranteed to work with an input voltage of 100-240 volts

 

[Bill_Bright]

If marketed for global distribution, that is true. Typically they are the same supply just packaged with a power cord with a wall connector for that country. But there are some that are marketed for specific markets so it is always best to verify before plugging in. It is not an ATX standard for ATX supplies to be "universal".

 

[KLiKzg]

Hi, I'm considering buying a gaming desktop. But I'm reading that some low-power output frys certain parts on the computer. I know nothing of computers and tech like that but I did move recently and the laptop that I have now charges a lot slower than at my old house. I know this house has been expanded upon and whatnot so the power supply is probably not as strong as my previous house. Would this be a problem running a gaming laptop? Ill also have a monitor plugged in and possibly some other stuff on one outlet. I currently run a tv + ps4 + Xbox one off another outlet in the same room while running my laptop and clock off of a different outlet as well as other people doing things in the house. Anyways that's my situation obviously if I'm using so much power it's going to cause an outage or damage an expensive PC I'm not going to buy one.

Thanks for all your help in advance!

Sorry if this is in the wrong section!

Then, lets see 1st, what you have:
1. outlet does not need to have single limiter, so check the scheme how is the electric connected in your room / home
2. check the limiter, how many Ampers (A) does it have? 10A, 16A?
3. check all the outlets on the same limiter, how much Watts (W) do they use?

Then, do the math & see how many A you can run on that outlet? If you will run PC 24x7, then the current does not pass 60% of that limiter...so for 10A, do not go over 6A continuusly.

When you have the A that you can spare for your computer on that limiter (not outlet, as several outlets usually have one limiter), then get that in Wattage with factor 60% (that I have mentioned). Then from that you can get PSU & based on Wattage meters (just Google it), get some configuration which would work just fine.

Hope you do not burn the house & stay well.

 

[BradHawk]

A laptop charging slower would not be caused by your mains voltage. Is it the original charger that came with the laptop? If so, then the voltage should be correct. If not, you need to make sure the replacement charger is rated at the same voltage. And the current or wattage value for the replacement charger must be at least the same as the old charger. It can be higher, but should not be lower. Laptop chargers need to big enough to charge the battery at the same time it runs the notebook.

If your laptop is taking longer to charge than it used to, that typically point to the battery.

Ah good to know thank you. It is not the original charger that came with my laptop.

 

[Bill_Bright]

It is not the original charger that came with my laptop.

Okay. Again, the voltage should be the same as the original. Less than the original and the battery will never fully charge, if the charging circuit allows charging at all. And if the new charger's output voltage is higher than the original, damage to the laptop and battery could occur - potentially, in extreme cases, a dangerous scenario with fire!

Chargers with lower amperage/wattage values can be used (if not much lower) but only in charge mode. That is, the laptop should be off while charging to prevent placing too big a demand on the charger. In this scenario it would be normal to take longer to charge. This would be like putting a trickle charger on a car battery. It might take overnight or longer to charge the battery while a standard car battery charger might take just an hour or two.

The only other, but important consideration with replacement chargers is the polarity of the connector. It must be the same. That is, the positive terminals must be the same and not reversed with the negative terminals. Since, in this case, you've been using this replacement charger, I would say yours is okay.

 

[electrowind]

Okay. Again, the voltage should be the same as the original. Less than the original and the battery will never fully charge, if the charging circuit allows charging at all. And if the new charger's output voltage is higher than the original, damage to the laptop and battery could occur - potentially, in extreme cases, a dangerous scenario with fire!

Chargers with lower amperage/wattage values can be used (if not much lower) but only in charge mode. That is, the laptop should be off while charging to prevent placing too big a demand on the charger. In this scenario it would be normal to take longer to charge. This would be like putting a trickle charger on a car battery. It might take overnight or longer to charge the battery while a standard car battery charger might take just an hour or two.

The only other, but important consideration with replacement chargers is the polarity of the connector. It must be the same. That is, the positive terminals must be the same and not reversed with the negative terminals. Since, in this case, you've been using this replacement charger, I would say yours is okay.

You are correct that the voltage of the replacement battery should be the same as the original battery, and using a battery with a lower voltage could result in the battery not fully charging or not being able to charge at all. Additionally, using a charger with a higher output voltage than the device is designed for could potentially damage the device or battery.

Regarding chargers with lower amperage/wattage values, it is generally safe to use a charger with a slightly lower amperage rating than the original charger, as long as the voltage is the same and the polarity of the connector is correct. However, it's important to note that using a lower amperage charger may result in a slower charging time, as you mentioned.

Regarding the polarity of the connector, it is also important to ensure that the replacement charger has the same polarity as the original charger, as using a charger with reversed polarity could potentially damage the device or battery.

Overall, when replacing a device battery or charger, it's important to ensure that the replacement component is compatible with the device's specifications to avoid any potential damage or performance issues.

 

[RJARRRPCGP]

I have noticed a slight voltage variation at work due to load; I have a small desk fan and hear it 'sag' when I turn the 1750W kettle on

122V -> 116V

a 6V drop; of no concern for the computer.

Despite no PSU armageddon, even good PSUs will suffer. IIRC, the PF will drop like a cliff! Also, don't be surprised if PSUs do run with higher temps.

More likely than damage, however, the voltage drop is likely a sign that a circuit breaker trip is around the corner! You don't want it to trip! A common problem in North America.
Much more likely, if it drops to 113V. IIRC, 113V (and around there) is the meme of PSU stress testing!

Seriously, efficiency, is why I considered 240V for PSUs before in North America!