How to know if a power supply unit would supply enouth power for 3 HDDs, a DVD-ROM and a DVD-RAM dri

[Dmitriy Kopnichev]

My main board had a Shepherd utility, but it is of 1999 year. I'm not sure
that it is compatible with Windows XP Pro SP2.

I don't think it does. I used the Intel active monitor,
your mobo may have a monitor or you can use Motherboard
Monitor 5 which is a free download.
http://mbm.livewiredev.com/download.html


| Will EVEREST v1.1 alert me if the voltage will drop to the
low end of the
| range or below? What are the admissible "ranges" for
"Voltage Values" for
| "CPU Core", "+1.5 V", "+3.3 V", "+5 V", "+12 V"?
in message
| | > EVEREST will show you power required by the CPU and what
| > devices are installed. All power supplies have same
voltage
| > standards. If you try to draw more power than rated
power,
| > the voltage will drop to the low end of the range or
below.
| >
| > There is no other method that I know of to plan in
advance
| > of a purchase than reading the spec sheets and using a
| > calculator to add up the totals.
| > My EVEREST report on the CPU...
| > --------[ EVEREST Home Edition (c) 2003, 2004 Lavalys,
| >
Inc. ]-----------------------------------------------------------
| >
| > Version
| > EVEREST v1.10.106
| > Homepage
| > http://www.lavalys.com/
| > Report Type
Quick
| > Report
| > Computer
| > Generator
| > J.H.Macklin
| > Operating System
| > Microsoft Windows XP Professional 5.1.2600 (WinXP
Retail)
| > Date
| > 2004-09-07
| > Time
01:30
| >
| >
| > --------[
| >
CPU ]---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| >
| > CPU Properties:
| > CPU Type
| > Intel Celeron 4, 1700 MHz (17 x 100)
| > CPU Alias
| > Willamette Lite, Willamette-128
| > CPU Stepping
E0
| > Instruction Set
x86,
| > MMX, SSE, SSE2
| > Original Clock
1700
| > MHz
| > Engineering Sample
No
| > L1 Trace Cache
12K
| > Instructions
| > L1 Data Cache 8
KB
| > L2 Cache
128
| > KB (On-Die, ATC, Full-Speed)
| >
| > CPU Physical Info:
| > Package Type
478
| > Pin uPGA
| > Package Size
3.50
| > cm x 3.50 cm
| > Transistors
42
| > million
| > Process Technology
6M,
| > 0.18 um, CMOS
| > Die Size
217
| > mm2
| > Core Voltage
1.75
| > V
| > I/O Voltage
1.75
| > V
| > Typical Power
| > 63.5 - 66.1 W
| > (depending on clock speed)
| > Maximum Power
84 -
| > 88 W (depending on clock speed)
| >
| > CPU Manufacturer:
| > Company Name
| > Intel Corporation
| > Product Information
| > http://www.intel.com/products/browse/processor.htm
| >
| > CPU Utilization:
| > CPU #1 6
%
| >
| > SNIP
|

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| >
| > The names of actual companies and products mentioned
herein
| > may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
| > *****************************
| >
| >
| >
message
| > | > | How to know in the EVEREST if my PSU is enough for my
| > hardware? What are
| > | minimum admissible "Voltage Values" for "CPU Core",
"+1.5
| > V", "+3.3 V", "+5
| > | V", "+12 V"?
| > | "Jim Macklin" <p51mustang[threeX12]@xxxhotmail.calm>
wrote
| > in message
| > | | > | > Here are some numbers [for the OP] to indicate what
you
| > | > might need. You can get numbers for your system
using
| > | > EVEREST Home from www.lavalys.com Also check the
| > sources at
| > | > Intel, AMD and Antec-Inc.
| > | > http://www.epanorama.net/links/psu_computer.html
| > | > and
| > | >
| >
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/f.../www.pcpowercooling.com/maxpc/index_cases.htm
| > | > **********************************************8
| > | > From PC Power and Cooling
| > | > "Products: Power Supplies:
| > | > How Much Power Do You Need?
| > | >
| > | >
| > | >
| > | > Component Requirement Line(s) Used
| > | > AGP Video Card 30 - 50W +3.3V
| > | > Average PCI Card 5 - 10W +5V
| > | > 10/100 NIC 4W +3.3V
| > | > SCSI Controller PCI Card 20W +3.3V and +5V
| > | > Floppy Drive 5W +5V
| > | > CD-ROM 10 - 25W +5V and +12V
| > | > DVD-ROM 10 - 25W +5V and +12V
| > | > CD-RW 10 - 25W +5V and +12V
| > | > 7200rpm IDE Hard Drive 5 - 20W +5V and +12V
| > | > 10,000rpm SCSI Drive 10 - 40W +5V and +12V
| > | > Case/CPU Fans 3W (ea.) +12V
| > | > Motherboard (w/o CPU or RAM) 25 - 40W +3.3V and
+5V
| > | > RAM 8W per 128MB +3.3V
| > | > Pentium III Processor 38W +5V
| > | > Pentium 4 Processor 70W +12V
| > | > AMD Athlon Processor 70W +12V
| > | >
| > | >
| > | > For overall power supply wattage, add the
requirement
| > for
| > | > each device in your system, then multiply by 1.8.
(The
| > | > multiplier takes into account that today's systems
draw
| > | > disproportionally on the +12V output. Furthermore,
power
| > | > supplies are more efficient and reliable when loaded
to
| > | > 30% - 70% of maximum capacity.)"
| > | > *******************************************
| > | >
| > | >
| > | > My Celeron can use 88 Watts, a P4 could use much
more.
| > | > A motherboard can use 50 Watts
| > | > A video card 50 Watts depending on model
| > | > Each hard drive 25 Watts, an optical drive would use
25
| > | > Watts to read and maybe 40 Watts while writing.
| > | > Each RAM stick uses 10 Watts or so/per 128 MB
| > | >
| > | > You need extra capacity to handle start-up surge
loads.
| > | >
| > | > --
| > | > The people think the Constitution protects their
rights;
| > | > But government sees it as an obstacle to be
overcome.
| > | >
| > | >
| > | >
| > | > | > | > | That is still going to be too low for what you are
| > | > running. You risk
| > | > | data loss, system problem, and even damaged
hardware
| > if
| > | > you run them for
| > | > | extended periods of time with too little power.
| > | > |
| > | > | ----
| > | > | Nathan McNulty
| > | > |
| > | > | Dmitriy Kopnichev wrote:
| > | > | > My PSU is 250 Watt.
message
| > | > | > | > | > | >
| > | > | >>It would help if you included info such as the
| > Wattage
| > | > of your PSU. What
| > | > | >>is up with all the odd questions anyways? I
would
| > | > suggest using at least
| > | > | >>a 400 Watt PSU for that system though.
| > | > | >>
| > | > | >>----
| > | > | >>Nathan McNulty
| > | > | >>
| > | > | >>
| > | > | >>Dmitriy Kopnichev wrote:
| > | > | >>
| > | > | >>>Hello
| > | > | >>>How to know if a power supply unit of my
computer
| > case
| > | > would supply
| > | > | >>>enough power for 3 HDDs, a DVD-ROM and a
DVD-RAM
| > | > drives? I want to add a
| > | > | >>>third HDD.
| > | > | >
| > | > | >
| > | > | >
| > | >
| > | >
| > |
| > |
| >
| >
|
|

 

[Len]

The voltage standards are in the ball park for what should be delivered to
the system. Your 3.3 rail should provide at least 3.3 volts continuous
power, 5v rail 5 volts and the 12v rail 12. If it is dipping too far below
this figure (>10%) it clearly indicates a problem!

As mentioned by a previous poster your best monitoring tool would probably
be Mother Board Monitor. It is free and once set up can give you current
voltages on the 3 main rails and CPU core on a realtime basis. You can set
alarm levels where ever you would like them to be for voltage, fan and CPU.
That way if for example you set the 3.3v alarm level at 3.0v an alarm will
go off if you reach the 2.99v level.

As a general rule of thumb modern day CPUs + devices require a great deal
more steady power than a 250w PS can provide. If you are having problems
with the system that have no specific cause it is often useful to try a more
robust power supply. In your case I would go with at the very least a
quality 350w unit - 400 would be better. I do not recall what CPU you are
using but if it is in the P4 family or some of the more powerful AMD Bartons
then it is not going to function reliably under load with that size PS.

FWIW,
Len

"Diagnostics" window shows actual "CPU Core", "+1.5 V", "+3.3 V", "+5 V",
"+12 V" "Voltage Values" in EVEREST. What are the admissible "ranges" for
"Voltage Values" for "CPU Core", "+1.5 V", "+3.3 V", "+5 V", "+12 V"? Will
EVEREST v1.1 alert me if the voltage will drop to the low end of the range
or below?

EVEREST will show you power required by the CPU and what
devices are installed. All power supplies have same voltage
standards. If you try to draw more power than rated power,
the voltage will drop to the low end of the range or below.

There is no other method that I know of to plan in advance
of a purchase than reading the spec sheets and using a
calculator to add up the totals.
My EVEREST report on the CPU...
--------[ EVEREST Home Edition (c) 2003, 2004 Lavalys,
Inc. ]-----------------------------------------------------------

Version
EVEREST v1.10.106
Homepage
http://www.lavalys.com/
Report Type Quick
Report
Computer
Generator
J.H.Macklin
Operating System
Microsoft Windows XP Professional 5.1.2600 (WinXP Retail)
Date
2004-09-07
Time 01:30


--------[
CPU ]---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CPU Properties:
CPU Type
Intel Celeron 4, 1700 MHz (17 x 100)
CPU Alias
Willamette Lite, Willamette-128
CPU Stepping E0
Instruction Set x86,
MMX, SSE, SSE2
Original Clock 1700
MHz
Engineering Sample No
L1 Trace Cache 12K
Instructions
L1 Data Cache 8 KB
L2 Cache 128
KB (On-Die, ATC, Full-Speed)

CPU Physical Info:
Package Type 478
Pin uPGA
Package Size 3.50
cm x 3.50 cm
Transistors 42
million
Process Technology 6M,
0.18 um, CMOS
Die Size 217
mm2
Core Voltage 1.75
V
I/O Voltage 1.75
V
Typical Power
63.5 - 66.1 W
(depending on clock speed)
Maximum Power 84 -
88 W (depending on clock speed)

CPU Manufacturer:
Company Name
Intel Corporation
Product Information
http://www.intel.com/products/browse/processor.htm

CPU Utilization:
CPU #1 6 %

SNIP
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein
may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
*****************************



| How to know in the EVEREST if my PSU is enough for my
hardware? What are
| minimum admissible "Voltage Values" for "CPU Core", "+1.5
V", "+3.3 V", "+5
| V", "+12 V"?
in message
| | > Here are some numbers [for the OP] to indicate what you
| > might need. You can get numbers for your system using
| > EVEREST Home from www.lavalys.com Also check the
sources at
| > Intel, AMD and Antec-Inc.
| > http://www.epanorama.net/links/psu_computer.html
| > and
| >
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/f.../www.pcpowercooling.com/maxpc/index_cases.htm
| > **********************************************8
| > From PC Power and Cooling
| > "Products: Power Supplies:
| > How Much Power Do You Need?
| >
| >
| >
| > Component Requirement Line(s) Used
| > AGP Video Card 30 - 50W +3.3V
| > Average PCI Card 5 - 10W +5V
| > 10/100 NIC 4W +3.3V
| > SCSI Controller PCI Card 20W +3.3V and +5V
| > Floppy Drive 5W +5V
| > CD-ROM 10 - 25W +5V and +12V
| > DVD-ROM 10 - 25W +5V and +12V
| > CD-RW 10 - 25W +5V and +12V
| > 7200rpm IDE Hard Drive 5 - 20W +5V and +12V
| > 10,000rpm SCSI Drive 10 - 40W +5V and +12V
| > Case/CPU Fans 3W (ea.) +12V
| > Motherboard (w/o CPU or RAM) 25 - 40W +3.3V and +5V
| > RAM 8W per 128MB +3.3V
| > Pentium III Processor 38W +5V
| > Pentium 4 Processor 70W +12V
| > AMD Athlon Processor 70W +12V
| >
| >
| > For overall power supply wattage, add the requirement
for
| > each device in your system, then multiply by 1.8. (The
| > multiplier takes into account that today's systems draw
| > disproportionally on the +12V output. Furthermore, power
| > supplies are more efficient and reliable when loaded to
| > 30% - 70% of maximum capacity.)"
| > *******************************************
| >
| >
| > My Celeron can use 88 Watts, a P4 could use much more.
| > A motherboard can use 50 Watts
| > A video card 50 Watts depending on model
| > Each hard drive 25 Watts, an optical drive would use 25
| > Watts to read and maybe 40 Watts while writing.
| > Each RAM stick uses 10 Watts or so/per 128 MB
| >
| > You need extra capacity to handle start-up surge loads.
| >
| > --
| > The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
| > But government sees it as an obstacle to be overcome.
| >
| >
| >
| > | > | That is still going to be too low for what you are
| > running. You risk
| > | data loss, system problem, and even damaged hardware
if
| > you run them for
| > | extended periods of time with too little power.
| > |
| > | ----
| > | Nathan McNulty
| > |
| > | Dmitriy Kopnichev wrote:
| > | > My PSU is 250 Watt.
| > | > | > | >
| > | >>It would help if you included info such as the
Wattage
| > of your PSU. What
| > | >>is up with all the odd questions anyways? I would
| > suggest using at least
| > | >>a 400 Watt PSU for that system though.
| > | >>
| > | >>----
| > | >>Nathan McNulty
| > | >>
| > | >>
| > | >>Dmitriy Kopnichev wrote:
| > | >>
| > | >>>Hello
| > | >>>How to know if a power supply unit of my computer
case
| > would supply
| > | >>>enough power for 3 HDDs, a DVD-ROM and a DVD-RAM
| > drives? I want to add a
| > | >>>third HDD.
| > | >
| > | >
| > | >
| >
| >
|
|

 

[w_tom]

Onboard voltage monitor is not sufficiently accurate to
measure voltages. No less expensive alternative to the 3.5
digit multimeter exists. Meter can also be used to calibrate
onboard 'monitor' to monitor for voltage change.

Signals between power supply and motherboard must work as
defined. Voltages must measure in the upper 3/4 of limits from
charts provided in previous discussions:
"Computer doesnt start at all" in alt.comp.hardware on 10
Jan 2004 at
http://tinyurl.com/2t69q or
"I think my power supply is dead" in alt.comp.hardware on 5
Feb 2004 at
http://tinyurl.com/yvbw9

Do not use the onboard monitor as a calibrated voltage
measurement. It is a monitor that first must be calibrated.
The 3.5 digit multimeter is required.

Returning to the original question - a power supply is
sufficiently sized if voltages remain well within limits even
when computer simultaneously accesses as many peripherals as
possible. Is a 250 watt supply sufficient? Depends. Many
brand name manufacturer's 250 watt supplies are electrically
equivalent to 350+ watt clone supplies. Third party power
supply manufacturers play games with the watt numbers because
too many computer assemblers have insufficient electrical
knowledge.

Only way to properly determine if power supply is sufficient
without spending massive money on test equipment - the 3.5
digit multimeter and above cited test.

 

[Dmitriy Kopnichev]

Motherboard Monitor 5 shows that "Core 0" is low, in the yellow zone, about
1,58 V instead of 2 V. IDE devices do not consume "Core 0". Why is "Core 0"
low?

I don't think it does. I used the Intel active monitor,
your mobo may have a monitor or you can use which is a free download.
http://mbm.livewiredev.com/download.html


| Will EVEREST v1.1 alert me if the voltage will drop to the
low end of the
| range or below? What are the admissible "ranges" for
"Voltage Values" for
| "CPU Core", "+1.5 V", "+3.3 V", "+5 V", "+12 V"?
in message
| | > EVEREST will show you power required by the CPU and what
| > devices are installed. All power supplies have same
voltage
| > standards. If you try to draw more power than rated
power,
| > the voltage will drop to the low end of the range or
below.
| >
| > There is no other method that I know of to plan in
advance
| > of a purchase than reading the spec sheets and using a
| > calculator to add up the totals.
| > My EVEREST report on the CPU...
| > --------[ EVEREST Home Edition (c) 2003, 2004 Lavalys,
| >
Inc. ]-----------------------------------------------------------
| >
| > Version
| > EVEREST v1.10.106
| > Homepage
| > http://www.lavalys.com/
| > Report Type
Quick
| > Report
| > Computer
| > Generator
| > J.H.Macklin
| > Operating System
| > Microsoft Windows XP Professional 5.1.2600 (WinXP
Retail)
| > Date
| > 2004-09-07
| > Time
01:30
| >
| >
| > --------[
| >
CPU ]---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| >
| > CPU Properties:
| > CPU Type
| > Intel Celeron 4, 1700 MHz (17 x 100)
| > CPU Alias
| > Willamette Lite, Willamette-128
| > CPU Stepping
E0
| > Instruction Set
x86,
| > MMX, SSE, SSE2
| > Original Clock
1700
| > MHz
| > Engineering Sample
No
| > L1 Trace Cache
12K
| > Instructions
| > L1 Data Cache 8
KB
| > L2 Cache
128
| > KB (On-Die, ATC, Full-Speed)
| >
| > CPU Physical Info:
| > Package Type
478
| > Pin uPGA
| > Package Size
3.50
| > cm x 3.50 cm
| > Transistors
42
| > million
| > Process Technology
6M,
| > 0.18 um, CMOS
| > Die Size
217
| > mm2
| > Core Voltage
1.75
| > V
| > I/O Voltage
1.75
| > V
| > Typical Power
| > 63.5 - 66.1 W
| > (depending on clock speed)
| > Maximum Power
84 -
| > 88 W (depending on clock speed)
| >
| > CPU Manufacturer:
| > Company Name
| > Intel Corporation
| > Product Information
| > http://www.intel.com/products/browse/processor.htm
| >
| > CPU Utilization:
| > CPU #1 6
%
| >
| > SNIP
|

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| >
| > The names of actual companies and products mentioned
herein
| > may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
| > *****************************
| >
| >
| >
message
| > | > | How to know in the EVEREST if my PSU is enough for my
| > hardware? What are
| > | minimum admissible "Voltage Values" for "CPU Core",
"+1.5
| > V", "+3.3 V", "+5
| > | V", "+12 V"?
| > | "Jim Macklin" <p51mustang[threeX12]@xxxhotmail.calm>
wrote
| > in message
| > | | > | > Here are some numbers [for the OP] to indicate what
you
| > | > might need. You can get numbers for your system
using
| > | > EVEREST Home from www.lavalys.com Also check the
| > sources at
| > | > Intel, AMD and Antec-Inc.
| > | > http://www.epanorama.net/links/psu_computer.html
| > | > and
| > | >
| >
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/f.../www.pcpowercooling.com/maxpc/index_cases.htm
| > | > **********************************************8
| > | > From PC Power and Cooling
| > | > "Products: Power Supplies:
| > | > How Much Power Do You Need?
| > | >
| > | >
| > | >
| > | > Component Requirement Line(s) Used
| > | > AGP Video Card 30 - 50W +3.3V
| > | > Average PCI Card 5 - 10W +5V
| > | > 10/100 NIC 4W +3.3V
| > | > SCSI Controller PCI Card 20W +3.3V and +5V
| > | > Floppy Drive 5W +5V
| > | > CD-ROM 10 - 25W +5V and +12V
| > | > DVD-ROM 10 - 25W +5V and +12V
| > | > CD-RW 10 - 25W +5V and +12V
| > | > 7200rpm IDE Hard Drive 5 - 20W +5V and +12V
| > | > 10,000rpm SCSI Drive 10 - 40W +5V and +12V
| > | > Case/CPU Fans 3W (ea.) +12V
| > | > Motherboard (w/o CPU or RAM) 25 - 40W +3.3V and
+5V
| > | > RAM 8W per 128MB +3.3V
| > | > Pentium III Processor 38W +5V
| > | > Pentium 4 Processor 70W +12V
| > | > AMD Athlon Processor 70W +12V
| > | >
| > | >
| > | > For overall power supply wattage, add the
requirement
| > for
| > | > each device in your system, then multiply by 1.8.
(The
| > | > multiplier takes into account that today's systems
draw
| > | > disproportionally on the +12V output. Furthermore,
power
| > | > supplies are more efficient and reliable when loaded
to
| > | > 30% - 70% of maximum capacity.)"
| > | > *******************************************
| > | >
| > | >
| > | > My Celeron can use 88 Watts, a P4 could use much
more.
| > | > A motherboard can use 50 Watts
| > | > A video card 50 Watts depending on model
| > | > Each hard drive 25 Watts, an optical drive would use
25
| > | > Watts to read and maybe 40 Watts while writing.
| > | > Each RAM stick uses 10 Watts or so/per 128 MB
| > | >
| > | > You need extra capacity to handle start-up surge
loads.
| > | >
| > | > --
| > | > The people think the Constitution protects their
rights;
| > | > But government sees it as an obstacle to be
overcome.
| > | >
| > | >
| > | >
| > | > | > | > | That is still going to be too low for what you are
| > | > running. You risk
| > | > | data loss, system problem, and even damaged
hardware
| > if
| > | > you run them for
| > | > | extended periods of time with too little power.
| > | > |
| > | > | ----
| > | > | Nathan McNulty
| > | > |
| > | > | Dmitriy Kopnichev wrote:
| > | > | > My PSU is 250 Watt.
message
| > | > | > | > | > | >
| > | > | >>It would help if you included info such as the
| > Wattage
| > | > of your PSU. What
| > | > | >>is up with all the odd questions anyways? I
would
| > | > suggest using at least
| > | > | >>a 400 Watt PSU for that system though.
| > | > | >>
| > | > | >>----
| > | > | >>Nathan McNulty
| > | > | >>
| > | > | >>
| > | > | >>Dmitriy Kopnichev wrote:
| > | > | >>
| > | > | >>>Hello
| > | > | >>>How to know if a power supply unit of my
computer
| > case
| > | > would supply
| > | > | >>>enough power for 3 HDDs, a DVD-ROM and a
DVD-RAM
| > | > drives? I want to add a
| > | > | >>>third HDD.
| > | > | >
| > | > | >
| > | > | >
| > | >
| > | >
| > |
| > |
| >
| >
|
|

 

[w_tom]

Onboard voltage monitor is not sufficiently accurate to
measure voltages. No less expensive alternative to the 3.5
digit multimeter exists. Meter can also be used to calibrate
onboard 'monitor' to monitor for voltage change. Put that
meter directly on the CPU voltage to see what it really is.
However that voltage is not a function of the power supply;
irrelevant voltage reading when considering the original
question. Meter is required to really know what that voltage
is.

 

[Dmitriy Kopnichev]

Is that voltage a function of irrelevant voltage reading?

 

[w_tom]

Computer power supply puts 3.3, 5., and 12 volts into
motherboard. It does not create the 2 volts. Posted on 7
September were to previous discussions that details what comes
out of power supply - including signals between that power
supply and motherboard's power supply controller. Again, the
multimeter is necessary to see or verify those voltages and
signals.

A motherboard voltage monitor is only a monitor. It must be
calibrated which is but another reason why the multimeter is
necessary.

 

[Dmitriy Kopnichev]

Why does MBM 5 show Core 0 and Core 1 voltages? What is to blame for low
Core 0 voltage?

 

[w_tom]

Numerous reasons could explain a low core voltage. One is
that the voltage monitor is built using low precision parts -
less cost. Another may be a failure involving the CPU and CPU
power supply. The latter says you actually have a failure.
The former demonstrates why you don't yet have accurate
numbers. IOW a low voltage is only suspected. With a
multimeter, confirm those readings - both voltage into CPU and
voltage feeding that CPU power supply. Further information is
required to better answer your question.

 

[Dmitriy Kopnichev]

What is the difference between "voltage into CPU and voltage feeding that
CPU power supply"?
What is IOW abbreviation for?

 

[w_tom]

Notice different voltages. The main power supply is 3.3, 5,
and 12 volts (also -5 and -12). But a CPU wants a special
voltage - maybe 1.8 or 2 or whatever. CPU programs an
adjacent power supply to provide a customized voltage.
Obviously it must program a CPU power supply built on the
motherboard. This CPU supply is completely different from a
main power supply that provides 5 or 12 volts to that CPU
power supply.

IOW - In Other Words