monitor

All the information is very helpful and I appreciate your taking the time - all of you, to help. Computers, like people, are very sophisticated,complicated entities with variable that may fluctuate from day to day. I am not a tech, obviously, but certainly admire your skill, all of you. That is why I am here.
I am sure others reading this thread will benefit from it also.
 
I wanted you to know I ran the dx which is F12 with a reboot with Dell and it found all ok except the dvd bay. I found a loose connection and knock on wood, it seems to have stabilized the machine.
I may be back with an amendment but for now....
 
I was advised to replace my PSU based upon readings from Speccy, so I did.
I used Speecy again with the new PSU (500 watts-my PC came with 450 watts)to get these readings and they appear to be the same.
I uploaded both Speecy and HWMonitor.
I am seeing what I believe to be low readings with the new PSU with Speecy and minimal readings with HWMonitor. Can you comment please?

P.S. Since the loose DVD cable was properly inserted, the PC is stable.
 

Attachments

  • voltage.png
    voltage.png
    203.1 KB · Views: 4
  • volts.png
    volts.png
    214.9 KB · Views: 3
Last edited:
I am seeing what I believe to be low readings with the new PSU. Can you comment?
Click to expand...
It is highly unlikely your new PSU has voltages that far out too. I recommend you try HWiNFO64 via the link I provided above and verify. You could also boot into your BIOS Setup Menu and look under PC Health (or something similar). Not all BIOS Setup Menus show this information but many do. Or you can get one of those testers I mentioned earlier.

Note the only conclusive way to test a PSU is to have it done professionally using sophisticated test equipment like an oscilloscope or dedicated power supply analyzer as those are the only methods you can test the supply under a variety of loads, and also test for excessive ripple and other anomalies that affect computer stability. Those plug in testers I linked to above are good (I keep one in my travel bag for house calls) but not conclusive either because they don't test for ripple and present only a tiny load.

So the best way for "normal" users to verify a PSU is good is to swap in a known good one. So you doing so accomplished that.

I believe this is just a case where Speccy is not interpreting the sensors it is monitoring correctly - otherwise, I don't believe your computer would be working at all. To be sure, Speccy is one of my favorite programs too, but none of these software based programs are perfect all the time. I have found when they appear to be correct, they usually are. It is when the readings appear to be way off that they are often false. So it is best to verify (get a second opinion) with a 2nd HW monitor program.

peterr said:
P.S. Since the loose DVD cable was properly inserted, the PC is stable.
Click to expand...
Perhaps it was that all along.
 
Per Dell>"The updated motherboards are being misread by all of those 3rd party software. We will release a new bios to take care of this. No ETA.

[Broken External Image]:http://en.community.dell.com/cfs-fi...08-59-39-Attached+Files/7563.Chris_2D00_M.jpg

Liaison for Desktops, Alienware, Monitors
Social Media Support
[HASHTAG]#IWork4Dell[/HASHTAG]
Dell does not currently provide health in the BIOS."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you, Bill.
I likely never needed a PSU in the first place and the loose wire could have been the cause. With info from Dell, I will not use software programs to analyze the PSU.
I have a multi tester and I may see what the old one says. It was quieter, although this is hardly noticeable.
HWiNFO64 is the program I use for the 2nd reading.
 
Last edited:
Well, when using a multimeter, for accurate readings, the PSU must be under a realistic load. So what I do is measure through one or more of the unused cables coming from the PSU while running the computer. This way, the PSU is still under load, and you don't have to mess with jumping pins with a paper clip to get the PSU to fire up.
 
I have tied 2 cables to the side probably for a floppy I don't have and an unknown.
Would I use the multi tester in those?
What readings would I expect to get - 12v + ....?
Would I touch the black probe of the tester to ground, like the case, and the red to any of the holes in the unused cable?
 
Could be a floppy but they are not used that often anymore and many new power supplies don't support floppy disks without an adapter.

An ATX PSU is required to output +12VDC, +5VDC, and +3.3VDC with a tolerance of ±5 percent.

Here is a good guide with pin-outs. Note the SATA power connector has all 3 voltages in one connector and most supplies support several SATA drives. And the 4th, 5th, and 6th pin in from either end is ground. So if you stick your black (-) probe on one of those grounds, you cannot short anything out no matter where you put the red (+) probe.
 
Is the SATA power cable you refer to the 24 pin connector that is so hard to remove with the clip?
I saw it on the diagram but just want to be sure.
Once I locate the right cable your directions and diagram seem good.
I am a bit confused as you mention a loose or free cable yet the main power cable is the one I would think allows the pc to run.
I am not sure if I am disconnecting a cable or using a loose one.
Thank you
 
The tied off cables may not have that many pins - 4th, 5th, 6th.. I have to check. I think then I should use those I tied ff as the ones I test regardless off the number of pins. Count in to find grond and then test the others. I also think the black is ground.
Soon asap. Thank you Cindy.
 
peterr said:
Is the SATA power cable you refer to the 24 pin connector that is so hard to remove with the clip?
Click to expand...
The SATA "power" cable is the one Cindy noted with her 2nd reply. The 24 pin connector you referred is the main motherboard power connector. If you remove the 24-pin connector, you could not start the power supply without shorting two pins together using the paperclip trick, or a special adapter found with some power supplies, or one of those testers I linked to above. But none of those methods put a realistic load on the supply so it is best to keep that connected to the motherboard and measure a through a spare SATA power connector.

Now an FYI to throw another wrench in the mix, that only measures the rails that one SATA connector is tied too. It will tell you how tight to acceptable tolerance the PSU is keeping the voltages, but it does not test that all voltages are present on all the rails (IF a multi-rail PSU). But, if any were missing, it is not likely your computer would boot so not likely an issue. And most multi-meters don't test for ripple or other anomalies that can affect system stability either.

peterr said:
I am a bit confused as you mention a loose or free cable yet the main power cable is the one I would think allows the pc to run.
Click to expand...
Most motherboards today need 2 cables from the PSU. The first is the main 24-pin cable (older boards used 20-pins). The other is called the 12V ATX cable. That is typically an 8-pin (often 2 x 4 pin) and that is used to supply extra power for power hungry CPUs.

But the computer needs other power cables too. Each drive needs a power connection. All the fans need power. Though some fans are powered through motherboard fan connectors, extra fans may need a power lead from the PSU. And finally, many powerful graphics cards require an addition one or even two extra power leads directly from the PSU.
 
@ Cindy - thanks for the recent picture - i will remember the 2 black with red and yellow as SATA power

@Bill - I am beginning to understand the functionality of the cables. I appreciate your taking the time to explain all of this. It will go in my learning folder for a time when i wish to proceed.
 
peterr said:
@Bill - I am beginning to understand the functionality of the cables. I appreciate your taking the time to explain all of this. It will go in my learning folder for a time when i wish to proceed.
Click to expand...
Just when you get it down pat, a new standard will come out! ;)
 

Similar threads

J
I had reset my Gateway monitor Windows 8. I'm having trouble getting on the Internet or just setting up the monitor from new.
Replies
0
Views
20
Jacqueline RF
J
R
cant access store from my mobile
Replies
0
Views
22
Rasha Hammad
R
AWS
Windows App now available on all major platforms
Replies
0
Views
13
AWS
AWS
T
Public Preview: Log Analytics Workspace Replication
Replies
0
Views
35
Tiander Turpijn
T
2
Windows XP Pro won't install - Stop Code 0x0000007B
Replies
0
Views
30
25097fdc-3a20-4c18-9e95-87e3af77b78c
2
Back
Top