w_tom

If a power supply creates damage to any computer part, then another
function was missing inside that power supply. To damage a video card
or hard drive, then voltage must be excessive. But even power
supplies 30 years ago contained separate circuits so that overvoltage
would not happen. It is required in all supplies today. However, with
so many A+ Certified computer techs having no electrical knowledge,
the market is chock full of power supplies missing essential functions
and selling only on watts and price. To dump supplies missing
essential functions, a supply manufacturer need only forget to provide
that long list of numeric specs. What did your supply manufacturer
do?

Take the 500 watt number. That could be a 350 watt supply measured
differently. They did not lie. They only (intentionally?) deceived.
Again, they can do what in a market where computer assemblers have
little electrical knowledge - don't even know how to read spec
numbers. Then a supply may not even do 350 watts. Put the computer
into maximum power consumption mode (multitask to all peripherals) and
take voltages on orange, red, yellow, and purple wires. If power
supply is sufficient, then voltages will remain above 3.23, 4.87, and
11.7 volts. Best way to confirm size of a supply - measure it under
full load.

No conductor has same electricity at both ends. CPUs can go from
consuming less than 1 amp to demanding tens of amps - in only
microseconds. Therefore PC traces through motherboard are too long.
We put 12 volts at the CPU with that 4 (black and yellow) wire next to
CPU's power supply. To provide sufficient power fast enough, a CPU
has a power supply adjacent and a dedicated 12 volt power source.
That four wire connector would connect somewhere next to CPU.

We test power supplies even better outside the computer. That is
hundreds of dollars in test equipment with dynamic loads, cooling for
those loads, and measurements even for response times. We also use an
oscilloscope. Either you do that, or you do something hundreds of
times less expensive. Using the meter is the only useful test you
have without major expenses. It must be 3.5 digits because an analog
meter is not sufficiently accurate. If your motherboard has a voltage
monitor, then the meter is necessary to calibrate that monitor.

On Aug 15, 1:46 pm, K8 notsogrand
<K8notsogr...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
> This could explane my problems i'm having. (Thanks)
>
> Could it be that the old PSU had damaged somthing (vidio card, hard drive,)?
> I better get my hands on a meter to see if the new PSU is even working right.
>
> I can't see it being undersized since the new one is 550w ATX. (the old one
> was 500w)Or did I even hook it up right?
> The new one has one 20 pin and two 4 pin connecters for the motherboard.
> but I only room for one of the 4 pins. One has two yellow and two black
> wires (this is the one I hooked up) and the second 4 pin has Red, black,
> ornage and yellow.
>
> Now the motherboard manual says that the 4pin should be two +12v and two
> ground.
>
> Is there a way to test the max load with out a meter?