H
Husky
it in.
There are several reasons for a low 3.3V:
1) Power supply failure imminent.
2) Poor contact between ATX 20 pin connectors. If the connector is
not properly seated, it overheats (ohmic losses), the metal on the
pins oxidize, and the problem will repeat itself over and over again,
until both the motherboard connector and the PSU connector are
replaced.
3) The ATX power supply has a 3.3V pin that has two wires on it. The
thinner of the two wires is a feedback wire (remote sense). If the
thinner wire is broken, the output voltage will drop, as the
PSU monitors the 3.3V via an internal node inside the PSU, and the
PSU will no longer compensate for drop in the cable harness.
As for our rational in suggesting a preemptive PSU replacement, you
can wait for it to fail, or you can take the free warning it is giving
you. For example, the supply in my first computer, the fan developed
more variation in speed than it used to have. I checked the +12V
via the hardware monitor, and indeed the +12V wasn't regulating very
well. Rather than take a chance on the PSU damaging the computer, I
pulled it and replaced it. You could argue that I don't know for sure
that the supply was faulty, but I would argue that there is nothing
else different in the configuration to account for the new behavior.
If you had a $300 power supply, and only $200 worth of computer
components, replacing the supply would be silly. But if the components
cost you $1000 and the PSU cost $50, it would be silly not to replace it.
And cleaning up the mess afterwards can be costly, especially if you end
up with "domino failures" - one guy took the processor out of his
damaged computer, plugged it into a friend's motherboard, and killed
that motherboard - it is much better to replace the PSU before
something happens than after.
The power supply is the single most likely component to fail. And it
doesn't even matter which brand you buy - they all fail, even the
PCP&C ones have reported failures. But the Leadman/Powmax of the
world fail a lot more often than the good ones, so when someone posts
about how they got a good deal on a $13 power supply, and why doesn't
their computer work, it doesn't take rocket science to decide what is
wrong. All it takes is a few symptoms (burned smell, hot PSU case,
changes in PSU behavior, out of spec voltages, video artifacts, crash
when 3D game starts etc.)
It is too bad devices like this one aren't cheaper. I own one of these
and it is indispensible for determining what is going on. It is a
DC clamp-on ammeter, and the lower ranges are what I use. No need
to cut any wires to make current measurements.
An Amprobe might be worthwhile, but I've found the RS Digital multi range works
just as well for 99.9% of home needs. I'd never be able to use one often enough
to make the purchase sensible.
You can check for shorts with my RS just as easily as with an Amprobe. And this
thing gets extreme use by me.
I've also considered cascade failure. It hadn't happened by the time I took it
to the shop. It's more or less now just sit and wait to see if something goes.
This New DVD has already created 2 BSOD's. I'm thinking a dual layer DVD may be
ahead of it's time, or Memorex hasn't perfected it yet. M$ suggested a NEW
driver. It currently uses a M$ DVD driver. Then there's the conflict with
Nero's DVD player and the ATI capture. I'm thinking that may be related to this
DVD crashing also.
ie: With the ATI [has it's own DVD player] if the TV's on, when you choose DVD
also it asks to shutdown TV, run DVD with reduced capabilities, or cancel.
Fire up Nero's DVD with TV on, Nero bulls ahead with reduced capabilities
disabling capture driver for any other program and never restoring it.
If TV is off and Nero is already on DVD, TV fails to load every time. order of
loading..
This one here also screws up the NEXT loading of the TV. if there's no reboot,
or sometimes even if there is a reboot. It disables the capture driver, or
changes the +/- 0.2 clock stability. Minor inconveniences that a 2nd reboot
repairs.
Today's BSOD with Memorex DVD, TV was on. Usually get the win prompt to run the
DVD via a selection of about 15 different programs either no prompt, prompt
every time, or cancel. That screen doesn't appear with this particular BSOD.
And this BSOD isn't a constant.
Assuming this DVD lasts, I'm dying to see how Nero writes to a Dual layer 9 gig
DVD. 3 pack around $15.00 or more. Just haven't decided on what I have worth
sticking on a $5.00 CD platter.
As for the 3.3v I'm running same as before the shop with a replaced DVD [same
make/model] but haven't plugged the HP CD recorder in yet. And no alerts of any
kind, voltage, fan or heat.
3rd day...
And for the guy that doesn't understand how a motor works, ask yourself how
they can have a variable speed motor without there being more than one motor.
They change the speed by varying the current flowing thru the windings.
[unlimited power = excessive speed] A short can accomplish the same thing as a
DESIGNED change of current.
I'm still prone to suspecting the video card 1st. And these DVD's overloading
the system 2nd.
Without any CB's to pop as they should have previously, long before taking out
the 2 DVD's, and making the power plug too hot to touch, giving these things
MORE POWER before finding the source that started this trouble is just asking
for trouble.. It's been running over a year on this PS.
If the current setup can't handle this DVD, do I really want to increase to
500w, just to use this brand DVD recorder ? How will the P4P, and all the other
components work with all the power they can use after wearing themselves in at
a lower rate for over a year ?
Bigger power supply on Old parts isn't a good idea.
Old parts decay, higher power makes them decay faster.
see : Light bulb if you doubt this statement. <- this for the guy that thinks
motor speed is unrelated to voltage and current.
Then there's always the 1st completely overlooked solution that I've seen as a
source [you mentioned above] is check and see if it's all plugged in. That was
with my A: Floppy [twice this month, strain on power cord stretching it]
I've had to jiggle the ATI card more than once to get things working AGAIN and
AGAIN..
One of my 1st jobs, school milk cooler wasn't working. Because the plug was
sitting on the ground and not in the outlet.
What I find so totally confusing is why they don't have a system hardware
program to check all these voltages, currents, speeds, etc... I know the asus
probe. Nice little Early warning system. But way too limited.