voltage rails

i don't know where to put this so i'll just put it here. i'm running prime 95 and i check my voltage rails and I see that my 12 rail is at 11.80 and my 3.3 is at 3.23.

i have some cheap raidmax psu, but i'm planning on getting an antec true550w.


2500+ barton @ 2.1GHz
nf7-s
buffalo tech pc3200


am i correct in thinking that my cheap power supply is the reason my system isn't stable when i overclock it more?

For future reference the post should go under Cases and Power Supplies.

It is possible that your PSU is limiting your O/C, the 12v rail is what worries me the most, your 3.3v is ok.

If you decide to get that new PSU, let me know how it works out.

Power inadequacies are difficult to diagnose because they manifest themselves in such a way as to appear symptomatic of something else, like inferior cooling, for instance. This is a two-sided quandry. On one hand, it means that a reluctance to overclock is more likely to be indicative of poor memory or something similar. On the other hand, it also means that you might be wasting money on better RAM when it is your power supply that needs extra cojones. In my opinion, you're better off starting your build with a high quality PSU so that it being the weakest link is never a question. The same way you wouldn't add a second floor to your house when your foundation is crumbling. The Antec True550 is an excellent power supply. The PC Power & Cooling Turbo Cool 510 Deluxe is my categorical favorite. However, if you're out for economy and quality, Fortron makes a 400W model with a 120mm fan in it that's really cheap but excellent quality. Check it out for yourself.

That said, 11.8 isn't that bad for the +12 line, really. Most of the power for the vital stuff (CPU and RAM) comes from the +5 line, which should be no lower than 4.92 or so. 3.3 is for expansion cards, while +12 is relegated to rough stuff like turning drives and fan motors. Some of it does go toward the CPU through the 4-pin P4 power connector, but it's not a whole lot. As long as your +3.3 and +5 are within 2-3% of optimum then you should be alright.

I'm going to move this to Cases & Power Supplies now. larva posts in here a lot and can offer a lot better help on this topic than I can.

If you are going to buy a true 500 I would highly recommend the True CONTROL 500 instead, just a few dollars more. I have 3 of them and having the ability of Controlling my rails from a panel on the fly has proven itself time and time again in my overclocking endeavors.
It still amazes me when I can dial 12.10V , 5.05, and 3.32and get it, period.


Good luck

bump

If you think his is bad, my fsp350's 12V rail is multimeter measured at 11.5V and reported by MBM to be 11.3-11.4V. Guess that'll be my next upgrade Everything's stable around 2.5-2.6ghz but above 2.7ghz (vcore of 2+ volts) I get blue screens. Not sure if it's the power supply but I'm willing to bet it is.

ok,
[/hijack]

jlin453 said:

If you think his is bad, my fsp350's 12V rail is multimeter measured at 11.5V and reported by MBM to be 11.3-11.4V. Guess that'll be my next upgrade Everything's stable around 2.5-2.6ghz but above 2.7ghz (vcore of 2+ volts) I get blue screens. Not sure if it's the power supply but I'm willing to bet it is.

ok,
[/hijack]

Click to expand...

Send it to me if you don't want it, or PM me and I'll tell you how to voltmod it.

Entimann said:

i don't know where to put this so i'll just put it here. i'm running prime 95 and i check my voltage rails and I see that my 12 rail is at 11.80 and my 3.3 is at 3.23.

i have some cheap raidmax psu, but i'm planning on getting an antec true550w.


2500+ barton @ 2.1GHz
nf7-s
buffalo tech pc3200


am i correct in thinking that my cheap power supply is the reason my system isn't stable when i overclock it more?

Click to expand...

My FSP350 12v rail is at 11.73v right now by MBM5, but it's 12.10 on a molex. You should get a multimeter and test you molex. What are your temps, and what form of instability are you experiencing? reboots or freezes?