Adjusting pots and does it help?

I have an old Antec 400w that puts out 245 watts.
That is good.

The 12v output is not.
11.62@load and 11.85@idle.

This PSU is supposed to have adjustable pots.
How do you know which one is for 12v?
How do you turn the PSU on without it hooked up to the MB to check the voltage?
Does adjusting them help up the voltage?

Or should I just get a new PSU?

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Q1 - with the PSU fan facing away from you, the 12v/5v pot is located on the right side of the PSU close to the edge of the circuit board about two inches or so from the fan. The 3.3v pot is buried under wires close to the back panel. This link will demonstrate recommended adjustment method: http://www.ofgb.org/reference/Computers/Antec/PP412X Adjustment/pp412x pot adjustments.doc

If you try this, be aware the 12v pot also regulates the 5v rail - I strongly advise the use of a multimeter to avoid damage to any components while adjusting. If you try to adjust it with the power on, be very careful to avoid touching the heatsinks and use a well insulated non-conductive tool for the adjustment. I've been an electronics tech for 15 years - trust me, these can bite hard when provoked

Q2 - short the green wire on the ATX connector (4th from the top right with the clip side up) to a ground wire.

Q3 - it can help, but if the PSU is at its limits already an upgrade is more advisable. Check the 12v line with a meter and see if it's really as low as BIOS and MBM claim.

Q4 - check my expanded comments in your other thread:http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=262525

Thanks,
I may just buy a new PSU.

11.62V is just 3% below perfect, well within the +-5% allowed tolerance. And if this reading is from the mobo monitor, it may be useless because I once found a discrepancy of 6% between it and my meter, while another person found a 7% difference.

If you do adjust the pots, be very, very careful because one of the big heatsinks may have 170V on it, as it does in my 300W Antec (but it was made by Channel Well, and yours is by Heroichi) and three other brands I've checked. At the very least, have the PSU plugged into a wall outlet protected by a GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter), in case you touch high voltage by mistake, and use an all-plastic screwdriver made especially for high voltage. If you can't find one at Radio Shack or an electronics supply, carve one from a wooden dowel or chopstick. And measure your voltages with a meter -- under load -- because some PSUs require minimum loads of at least an amp or they won't regulate right.

larrymoencurly said:

(but it was made by Channel Well, and yours is by Heroichi)

Click to expand...

Actually the pp412x is also a Channel Well... at least all the ones I've ever run across. Were there some HEC pp412x units as well?

At any rate, my information about the pots is based on the CWT version, which I have - you can tell which is which by looking on the label. IIRC the CWT model should be listed as the CWT-420ATX somewhere on there.

I think I am getting a new PSU.

I tried the Vdimm mod and had the pot at max, 3.2v.
When I ran Memtest, it dropped down to 3.04.

Apparently it just doesn't work well under a load.
Thinking about the Fourton 530, or the Antec 550. Not taking price into consideration, which is best?

I'd give the edge to Fortron on that one... a little better build quality and underrated as well

The onl thing I like though about the Antec True 550 is, doesnt it come with external pot adjustments?

That's the Truecontrol 550 you're thinking of - the plain jane Truepower 550 doesn't have the external controls. Either the Antec or the Fortron will power the system fine, so it's up to which grabs your eye better

Oklahoma Wolf said:

I'd give the edge to Fortron on that one... a little better build quality and underrated as well

Click to expand...

I agree 100%.

These 300w Fortron fsp300-60atv are quite obviously underrated.
Their 15amp 12volt rail is more stable at heavy loads than
the cheap 500watt PSU with 45amp 12volt rails I've tried.

Quality over Quantity!

Well I just ordered a Antec 550 over the Forton 530 because I heard it ran more silent.