How to Check for a Bad PSU?

[pepsi71ocean]

How do you guys check for a bad power supply, should i run furmark and occt, with something like cpu-z and hardware monitor, and watch the voltages?

or is there a better/more accurate way of doing this?



i need some help with this guys.

 

[sneekypeet]

Digital Multi Meter (DMM) get one and probe the connections at the 24-pin or 8-pin in through the back of where they clip into the motherboard.

 

[Mussels]

you need to test every rail your PSU has.

So test the back of the 24 pin ATX lead (yellow, red and orange)

test the back of the 4/8 pin aux CPU power (yellow wire, any one)

Test the back of the 6 pin PCI-E power (if used) (yellow wire)


IMO you should compare idle and load, write them down. not just changes in voltages, but how often it moves too - EG a PSU that drops from 12.00 to 11.90 and sits there is preferred over a PSU that changes from 12.90 to 11.95 to 11.98 to 11.93 etc

 

[pepsi71ocean]

its a single rail 60amp OP 800watt Silverstone PSU, ive never heard of one of these going south before, but im considering it as an option, however i do believe its possible that dead ram from a previous mobo could be the corruption OS issue.

i know that hardware monitor did report he 12v voltage as 11.93-11.97 and it would bounce a little between the two.

Now that i think of it nothing has been new on the system, always had a dieing component.

im not sure if this will fix it, but a new mobo and ram, is on the way, im trying to rule out a PSu this is why.

 

[Mussels]

if its a single rail, any one 12V plug will do when testing

 

[XxAtlasxX]

also check for fome reviews of your PSU... there, you can usually verify the quality of the parts which it's made of

 

[Munki]

I use a PSU tester

 

[Mussels]

I use a PSU tester

i had one of those. it was a pathetic little thing that had green, yellow or red lights depending on voltage. it was utterly useless - it only made about 10W load at best, so bad PSU's rails never dropped when using it

 

[DirectorC]

i had one of those. it was a pathetic little thing that had green, yellow or red lights depending on voltage. it was utterly useless - it only made about 10W load at best, so bad PSU's rails never dropped when using it

They've got way better ones now though. I may invest in having one plugged in all the time in a future system, as they look pretty decent now too.

 

[Munki]

i had one of those. it was a pathetic little thing that had green, yellow or red lights depending on voltage. it was utterly useless - it only made about 10W load at best, so bad PSU's rails never dropped when using it

Mine works fine now. Ive checked behind it with a trusted DMM. Its digital so I get exact numbers. It worth having IMO.

 

[pepsi71ocean]

im not sure i still suspect that since i ate through 2 sets of crucial ram that the ram was bad.

and the P35 blew out a SouthBridge, and a set of ram, the replamcement ram lasted half of the P35 and half of the P45.

I suspect the Graphics card fried the Southbridge on the P35, and i also suspect the P45 was also heading south, but i also overclocked the PCI port to 108-110, and bumped the voltage.

Im not sure i know that Silverstone makes good PSU's, and that psu has never been close to the 90% mark, let alone i think the 80% mark.

 

[DirectorC]

but i also overclocked the PCI port to 108-110, and bumped the voltage.

you sadist bastard!

 

[BraveSoul]

put another video card stress test c wat hapens

 

[pepsi71ocean]

ive run out of options till the new mobo and ram gets here, then i'll try some more so far the voltage meter i borrowed fro my brother shows all is fine, but we will see once i get everything back together.