anything use the 12v line?

[LRW]

(or is it properly refered to as "rail"?)

I just ordered a new PSU, a 350 watt that has a max on the 3.3+5v lines at
220 watts.
I've been looking over some tips about power usage and components, and while
I can't come up with an exact number, it looks like all my components are
around 210 watts. Since I don't have exact numbers, just basically used the
maximum example found on Tom's Hardware site, that's a bit close for
comfort. I'd really feel a lot better about it if I knew something in there
used the 12v line.
Any feedback?

Here's what I have:
Epox 8KHA+ mobo (VIA KT266)
Athalon XP 1600+ CPU
512 MB PC2700(?) RAM
ATI Radeon 9600XT vid card
a 7200 rpm (ATA 100) and a 5600 rpm (ATA33) HD
48x CD-RW (not DVD)
onboard NIC and sound
USB Palm Pilot cradle
USB flash drive

What do you think? =/
Thanks!!
Liam

 

[Dave C.]

(or is it properly refered to as "rail"?)

I just ordered a new PSU, a 350 watt that has a max on the 3.3+5v lines at
220 watts.
I've been looking over some tips about power usage and components, and while
I can't come up with an exact number, it looks like all my components are
around 210 watts. Since I don't have exact numbers, just basically used the
maximum example found on Tom's Hardware site, that's a bit close for
comfort. I'd really feel a lot better about it if I knew something in there
used the 12v line.
Any feedback?

Your processor alone probably pulls ~50W from the 12V line. All your drives
use it, the cooling fans (4?, 5?, more?) use it. That's just off the top of
my head. Looking over your list of components, your power supply should be
sized just under 300W. You're fine. -Dave

 

[LRW]

Your processor alone probably pulls ~50W from the 12V line. All your drives
use it, the cooling fans (4?, 5?, more?) use it. That's just off the top of
my head. Looking over your list of components, your power supply should be
sized just under 300W. You're fine. -Dave

Ah yeah, forgot the fans:
2 case fans, a "turbine" fan in a PCI slot under the AGP card (still
wondering if it's doing any good,) and a Volcano 7 on the CPU.

Thanks for the feedback! That makes me feel a lot better! =)

 

[jamotto]

Your processor alone probably pulls ~50W from the 12V line. All your drives
use it, the cooling fans (4?, 5?, more?) use it. That's just off the top of
my head. Looking over your list of components, your power supply should be
sized just under 300W. You're fine. -Dave

umm, to my knowledge AMD chips do not
draw power form the 12V rail. They draw all their power form the 3.3V and 5V rail.
Intel chips however use the 12V rail

 

[LRW]

"Dave C." <[email protected]> wrote in message

umm, to my knowledge AMD chips do not
draw power form the 12V rail. They draw all their power form the 3.3V and 5V rail.
Intel chips however use the 12V rail

Mm, that's what I was afraid of....
What about the drives and fans at least?

 

[Jon Danniken]

Mm, that's what I was afraid of....
What about the drives and fans at least?

Actually, many AMD boards have been using 12v from the same connector used on P4 boards.

Jon

 

[Guest]

I just ordered a new PSU, a 350 watt that has a max on
the 3.3+5v lines at 220 watts.
it looks like all my components are around 210 watts.
I'd really feel a lot better about it if I knew something
in there used the 12v line.

Epox 8KHA+ mobo (VIA KT266)
Athalon XP 1600+ CPU
512 MB PC2700(?) RAM
ATI Radeon 9600XT vid card
a 7200 rpm (ATA 100) and a 5600 rpm (ATA33) HD
48x CD-RW (not DVD)

+12V is used by the motors of the disk drives, by some fast video
cards (from a disk drive power connector), and by many motherboards
for the main CPU power. I don't know about your Radeon card, but the
Epox 8KHA+ does not use +12V for the CPU because it has only one power
connector, the 20-pin ATX type, indicating that CPU power comes from
the +5V (some server motherboards also have a separate 6-pin Aux
connector to provide extra +5V and +3.3V capacity). When +12V is used
for the CPU there's also 4-pin power connector, either square or disk
drive type (Asus uses the latter). The CPU doesn't use +5V or +12V
directly but instead a voltage regulator on the motherboard converts
that to the CPU core voltage, and in the case of the Epox 8KHA+ that
regulator consists of most of the components located between the CPU
and the connectors on back. The use of +12V for CPU is less common for
Athlon motherboards than it is for Pentium 4 boards, but it is used,
the ECS K7S7AG being an example.

 

[LRW]

Actually, many AMD boards have been using 12v from the same connector used

on P4 boards.

Thanks for the reply. =)
My board is only using the long rectangular ATX power connector. Does that
indicate anything one way or the other?
Is there a way to tell if anything's being drawn on the 12v? I'm using
SpeedFan and the 12v line constantly reads around 11.4v. Is that an
indicator it's being used...(or just more evidence I should have gotten a
new PSU a long time ago?)

Thanks for replying!

 

[jamotto]

I don't think you have to worry about it. A computer I put together
with a 300 Watt PSU was as follows:
SY-KT333 DRAGON Plus (which claims it needs a 250Watt PSU)
Athlon XP 2500+
512MB PC3200
ATI Radeon 9600 Pro
7200 rpm (ATA 100)
52X CD-RW
onboard NIC
add-in sound card
three case fans

This system run's fine on 300watts of power. As long has you have a
good PSU you should be fine.

 

[Jon Danniken]

on P4 boards.

Thanks for the reply. =)

Your welcome.

My board is only using the long rectangular ATX power connector. Does that
indicate anything one way or the other?

What is your question regarding this again?

Is there a way to tell if anything's being drawn on the 12v?

I'm not sure what you're asking here; of course there are things using 12v. Can you clarify a
little bit for me?

I'm using SpeedFan and the 12v line constantly reads around 11.4v.

I don't know about SpeedFan; I only use MBM5 (Motherboard Monitor). What voltage is given in
your BIOS?

Is that an indicator it's being used...(or just more evidence I should have gotten a
new PSU a long time ago?)

It's an indicator that either SpeedFan is giving you an incorrect reading or that your PSU is a
POS. What brand/model of PSU is this?

Jon

 

[Gary Tait]

on P4 boards.

Thanks for the reply. =)
My board is only using the long rectangular ATX power connector. Does that
indicate anything one way or the other?

That the CPU gets is voltage from other than the +12V supply. AFAIK,
other than fans and drive, the COM ports may use +12V

Is there a way to tell if anything's being drawn on the 12v?

Not directly, without using test gear.

I'm using
SpeedFan and the 12v line constantly reads around 11.4v. Is that an
indicator it's being used...(or just more evidence I should have gotten a
new PSU a long time ago?)

It is not evidence the Mobo is using it.

 

[LRW]

What is your question regarding this again?

Whether that indicates if my board or CPU uses the 12v line. I got another
reply telling me drectly that my particular mobo does not directly use the
12v line, so disregard. =)

I'm not sure what you're asking here; of course there are things using 12v. Can you clarify a
little bit for me?

Well, I'm not sure how to ask it. Is there some way through maybe some
software that tells what uses the 12v line. But I had another reply tell me
that the HD's use the 12v, and evidently some video cards that use HD power
connectors do too. So, I guess that answers my question well enough.

I don't know about SpeedFan; I only use MBM5 (Motherboard Monitor). What voltage is given in
your BIOS?

The same things more or less that SpeedFan says.
VCORE = 1.76v
+3.3v = 1.52v
+5v = 4.54v
+12v = 11.90v
VBAT 3.10v

It's an indicator that either SpeedFan is giving you an incorrect reading or that your PSU is a
POS. What brand/model of PSU is this?

Uhm, whatever generic one came with the case. =) I had no idea until a
couple of weeks ago just how important a quality PSU is. So I've ordered a
Sparkle that's the same model as a Fortron that got some good rating at
Tom's Hardware site.

Thanks for replying!
Liam