New build - do these voltages/temps look OK?

Borealis · 20 May 2013 at 14:16

I've now got my new build up and running Windows 7. Thanks to the guys here who advised me on core temps and memory settings, it was very appreciated!

It seems to be running quite happily and the tempertaures are nice and low. I had some questions over reusing my old power supply, so do you think these voltages are OK or should I start looking for a new one?

Apologies for the size of the picture, I forgot to resize it!

DaleTheWhale · 20 May 2013 at 14:22

Idle temps are fine, its when you stress test is what you need to look out for.

Run Prime95 for a while and see what it levels out at.

Doomedspeed · 20 May 2013 at 14:38

What PSU are you using? Those voltages look okay but are deviating a little..

Best test to do is prime.

Borealis · 20 May 2013 at 17:46

Fair enough and thanks for the input. Sounds like I need to run Prime95 when I get a chance!

I've just finished building this machine for my parents (I'm 25) to give them something with a bit more power, that will happily run Windows 7 and cope with my dad's photoshop editing (he's an amateur photographer).

Specification of the PSU is here:
http://hipergroup.com/products.php?lv=4&cate=1&type=7&pid=16&action=Specification

The system build is as follows:
Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3
AMD FX-6300
16GB Kingston HyperX Black running at 1600MHz and 10-10-10-27 timings
HIS Radeon HD 7750 2GB GDDR3
Samsung 840 Series 250GB SSD
WD 1TB Caviar Green
LG 24x DVD-RW
3.5" Front USB 3.0 bay
2xCase fans

I did the maths with the wattages and worked out that the current PSU would/should be OK. The PSU in question is an 5 year old Hiper 530W type M. Personally I wanted to rip it out and put in a new PSU, preferably a recognized brand like OCZ that will be reliable and efficient. My dad however insisted on me using his old case and PSU so I had fun and games with a really cheap and nasty case - I have the cuts and scratches to prove it!

I must say that so far it's running Win7 like a dream and I've only had a couple of data migration issues due to my dad's peculiar filing system!

danny77 · 20 May 2013 at 18:08

I'm surprised the psu has lasted that long to be honest,not many of them did lol I know a few people who had them and they all went bang, There is lots of examples online ie
http://www.google.co.uk/#output=search&sclient=psy-ab&q=Hiper+530W+blew+up&oq=Hiper+530W+blew+up&gs_l=hp.3...1811.7047.0.7207.9.8.0.1.1.0.77.487.8.8.0...0.0...1c.1.14.psy-ab.k8UJa7MbCGE&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.46751780,d.d2k&fp=f8888a0245592ebe&biw=1920&bih=962

There is a bit of variation on the 12v rail,

ATX specification calls for no more than a 5% variation on the 12V rail with a minimum Voltage of 11.4 Volts and a maximum of 12.6 Volts

Borealis · 20 May 2013 at 18:52

My own rebuild is definitely having a new power supply anyway. I've also worked out that HWmonitor isn't quite accurate as it's saying my CPU has hit 112C at 40W load. If that had happened I don't think the machine would still be working!

medseven · 20 May 2013 at 19:28

Are those temp's for the CPU right? What are you using to cool it you mind me asking?

Borealis · 20 May 2013 at 20:11

I'm using the stock cooler it came with and the stock thermal compound. I really wasn't sure about the stock compound but I couldn't find my Arctic Silver paste at the time, so I had to go with the stock pad. Also, this machine is running at stock speeds. I can't afford to screw up and fry this machine, so it's going to be staying at 3.5GHz with a stock cooler for the forseeable future. Then again that's far better than the single core Athlon 64 3500+ the previous build used.

I've got the same version of HWmonitor on my own machine and it too sometimes comes up with some really random figures. I was just sorting out some data migration on the new rig and it's been running sweet as a dream with the package temp at 9-10C. The TMPIN0,1,2 etc was around 25C

I've looked up that thread and it does seem that a few Hiper products went bang! All I know for sure is I'm getting a decent PSU next time!

medseven · 20 May 2013 at 21:04

It just seemed a really low temp to me, especially with stock cooler but yet I don't know a great deal about these Piledriver chips!

Borealis · 20 May 2013 at 21:40

Yeah, the HWmonitor temps are a touch suspicious. The CPU temp in the BIOS is more normal, anywhere from 24-40C which suggests that for this AMD processor, HWmonitor isn't accurate.

Doomedspeed · 20 May 2013 at 21:56

AMD and tempuature sensors never get on.

Aslong as you ensure a safe voltage and decent temps you'll be fine.

Though normally the underestimate, not over.. (ie 40 means 60 not 80 means 60)

Borealis · 20 May 2013 at 22:38

OK, thanks for the info. Everything is set to stock setup and the BIOS is set to auto except for the RAM profile.

Is there any point in me setting the voltages to stock spec manually, so the auto volt function can't do anything crazy?

That makes me wonder if my own rig is running hot...time to delve into the BIOS and investigate!

medseven · 20 May 2013 at 23:44

A lot of cases you can reduce the voltage a little if all your doing is running at stock speeds!

Borealis · 21 May 2013 at 21:39

I am seriously considering a slight undervoltage here, but first I've got a bit of news about my PSU. As you've pointed out, I've got some voltage fluctuation on the 12V rail. I've been running HWmonitor all evening, with the machine doing next to nothing and it's suddenly shot up from 12.2V to 13.6V for a few seconds and then back to 12.2V again. I'm guessing this is not normal.

How soon do you think I should get a new power supply? The good news is I've finally persuaded my dad that it would be a bad idea if his rebuild went up in smoke because the PSU failed!