HX850 - 11.7V on the 12V rail with tester - is this a potential problem?

[lalittle]

I just bought a couple HX850s for two systems I'm about to build. Before I build a system, I like to check the power supply with a power supply tester (a Coolmax ps-224 tester in this case) just to make sure that the PS is working normally before I connect everything.

 

I tested the HX850s and found that one of them rates 11.7 and 11.8 volts for the 12V rails, while the other rates 11.8 and 11.9. The 11.8/11.9 reading doesn't bother me, but 11.7V is the lowest I've seen. In searching the web, I found several posts talking about how 11.7V on the 12V rail "could" be enough to cause problems even though it's technically still within ATX spec. Is this true, or is an 11.7 volt reading still completely okay? I'm worried that with any sort of graphics card overclocking I could run into problems if the 12V rail is too low.

 

Note that other power supplies I've tested with this PS tester have read 12 or even 12.1 volts, so I don't think this is an issue with the tester being significantly off. This tester, by the way, is supposedly within +/- 0.1V.

 

Thanks for any feedback on this,

 

Larry

[RAM GUY]

As you stated the PSU is within spec (official spec is 11.4v - 12.6v), and I would not suspect that you would have any issues. If it makes you uncomfortable to see it at 11.7v you have a 7 year warranty and we can replace the unit for you at any time.

 

Request an RMA

[lalittle]

Thanks for the response.

 

I understand that it's still technically within spec, but would you say that these readings are still "normal" for this power supply. In other words, is what I'm seeing unusual for this PSU? I have no desire to replace it if these readings are not unusual, but at the same time I'd rather not have one that has unusually low output for this unit.

 

Thanks again,

 

Larry

[Synthohol]

have you checked your wall outlet? is it exactly 115/120v without fluctuating and neutral to ground must be less than half a volt for ideal PSU output.

just something to check as i repair electronic equipment and have seen real world examples how that effects power supplies and their output.

[Yellowbeard]

If it is a great concern, I suggest you verify the tester results with a meter.

[lalittle]

have you checked your wall outlet? is it exactly 115/120v without fluctuating and neutral to ground must be less than half a volt for ideal PSU output.

just something to check as i repair electronic equipment and have seen real world examples how that effects power supplies and their output.

 

I'll check that out later and report back.

 

Larry

[lalittle]

If it is a great concern, I suggest you verify the tester results with a meter.

 

That's just it -- I don't know if this is of great concern or not. In my searches, I found people "claiming" that this was an issue, but I have no idea if they're correct. There is a lot of incorrect or "semi-correct" information out there, so it's difficult to tell who is "right" when it comes to a question like this (which is why I asked here.)

 

The RAM GUY said that he would not "suspect" that I would have any issues, but this is not the same as saying "11.7V is a totally normal reading for this PSU, and as long as it's stable the PSU is working fine."

 

My question, therefore, is if in theory, slightly lower values on the 12V rail (like 11.7 volts) could potentially have some effect on today's high performance systems with power hungry graphics cards? Or, is everything fully designed to work with any voltage down to 11.4V? I just don't know if this is something I need to be concerned with or not, so even if the meter tells me the same thing, I still won't know what this means.

 

Thanks again for the feedback here,

 

Larry

[RAM GUY]

11.7v would not personally worry me at all, and I can not think of a way that it could damage anything. Of course if it worries you we can replace the unit for you at any time.

[trackrat]

Typical PSU specs are +/- 5% so 11.7V on a 12V rail is well within specs.

[Yellowbeard]

That's just it -- I don't know if this is of great concern or not. In my searches, I found people "claiming" that this was an issue, but I have no idea if they're correct. There is a lot of incorrect or "semi-correct" information out there, so it's difficult to tell who is "right" when it comes to a question like this (which is why I asked here.)

 

The RAM GUY said that he would not "suspect" that I would have any issues, but this is not the same as saying "11.7V is a totally normal reading for this PSU, and as long as it's stable the PSU is working fine."

 

My question, therefore, is if in theory, slightly lower values on the 12V rail (like 11.7 volts) could potentially have some effect on today's high performance systems with power hungry graphics cards? Or, is everything fully designed to work with any voltage down to 11.4V? I just don't know if this is something I need to be concerned with or not, so even if the meter tells me the same thing, I still won't know what this means.

 

Thanks again for the feedback here,

 

Larry

 

As a troubleshooting step, I'd verify the reading with a meter first. No reason to be worrying about 11.7v if 11.7v is not correct. If it's correct, then make your decision.