how to tell if power supply is bad

[NCOELHO]

hello,
I have been having an issue with my computer and i have no idea what is going on. But for some reason my computer just keeps resetting. No blue screen nothing. I attempt to go into safe mode and it still reboots. It reboots at different times. At first i thought it was a hard drive issue but after buying a new hard drive that option was void.
Im just not sure what else to look at. I have not installed any new hardware so i doubt that the issue is due to overheating but im lost. Does anyone have any idea what it could be.
Thank you for the help
Its a
AMD 2000+
1 G RAM
ASUS MOTHERBOARD
ASUS V8000 TI5 GEFORCE 3
Please help!
=;(
and thanks for ur time
=) (u guys rock)

 

[franklin97355]

The usual way to tell if a power supply is bad (when it doesn't just quit) is to replace it with a known good one. You could also test it with a meter and a load but that is beyond most users and the equipment needed would cost as much as a new power supply.

 

[Frank4d]

Look in you BIOS (usually DEL at bootup) and see if there is a "PC Health" menu.

Your power supply voltages should be:
+5vdc should be between 4.75 to 5.25 (though anything below 4.85 might be suspect.
+12vdc should be between 10.8 to 13.2.
-12vdc should be between 10.8 to 13.2.
+3.3vdc should be between 3.15 to 3.4.
Core voltage should be very close to the specified CPU core voltage, within about ± 0.2vdc.

And the voltages should be steady, not jumping around wildly.

Also look at your CPU temperature. 35-45 degrees is good. 45-50 might be a problem. Over 55 is a problem.

 

[edfair]

Possible that it is running at the limits. You could run a power required calculation and compare it to what you have.
Bad surge protectors have created the problem in the past. And any indication of flickering lights will indicate source problems.
On a UPS?

For a power need calculation do a google search on:
"computer power supply calculator"

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[paparazi]

One absolute giveaway is the audible tone of the CPU and other cooloing fans in the system.
A failing or inadequate PSU allows the voltages to fluctuate more than it should, this can be heard by the changing tones in the systems cooling fans, slowing down and speeding up when under differant load conditions etc
If your PSU is good and has plenty of reserve this "tone" never changes.
Martin

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