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Thread ID: 32701	2003-04-25 19:42:00	Low Voltage	JJJJJ (528)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
138910	2003-04-25 19:42:00	I notice that in the voltages on my comp the 3.3 v normaly runs at 3.28 , but sometimes drops below 3. Occasionaly (about once a day) it drops below 2.8. When this happens it sets off alarm. The droppages are usualy only for a second or two. But about once every two or three weeks the comp drops the OS. and leaves me with a black screen. Then gives three long beeps. five second pause and then three more etc. If I turn the thing off with the off switch , and then turn on again It still does the same. I have to switch off at the wall plug, no wait needed, switch on again and everything is OK. Except I have lost what I am working on. This is not specific to any program. It even happened once when the only thing opened was windows. I have a MSI ultra m/b with Athlon 2000+. running XP. My alarm system is "PC Alert 4". This is a utility that comes with the MB. I also use "cooler PC" (Part of PC Alert). This keeps my PCU temp at about 30. Ten degrees below what it is without "cooler". Do I have a problem worth worrying about? I have 300 w power supply. Whole system is about nine months old. Jack	JJJJJ (528)
138911	2003-04-25 19:53:00	>>> Whole system is about nine months old. It sounds to me like there's a problem with either the power supply, or the power controller (or whatever it is) on your motherboard. That said though, whatever it is (almost definitely a hardware problem) it should be under warranty - get in touch with the shop you bought it from, and talk to them about getting it fixed under either their warranty, or the manufacturers warranty. Mike.	Mike (15)
138912	2003-04-25 23:26:00	Firstly, the 3 beeps are probably indicating a ram error. (If its an AMI BIOS). As mike said, take it back Secondly, the "voltage drops" you are seeing may be to do with the cooler program you are running? They lower the CPU load to achieve a cooler running state, is it possible that they reduce the core voltage?? If the cooler simply introduce wait states, I wonder if that lengthens the refresh time on the RAM, which could trigger the error? Remember, just as with temperature reporting from motherboard sensors, voltage is also only a very approximate indication. My motherboard reported voltage is considerably different to the actual voltage, as shown on a calibrated mutimeter. If I had a PC that needed a cooler program, I would take it back and get some more efficient cooling. You are throttling the performance in the quest for low temperature, you could have achieved the same thing by buying a slower processor, and would have saved money at the same time.	godfather (25)
138913	2003-04-25 23:41:00	>They lower the CPU load to achieve a cooler running state, is it possible that they reduce the core voltage?? don't know of any that do and i doubt any desktops would. >If I had a PC that needed a cooler program, I would take it back and get some more efficient cooling. You are throttling the performance in the quest for low temperature, you could have achieved the same thing by buying a slower processor, and would have saved money at the same time. er...yes and no. basicly put win2k/xp tells the cpu when its idle so the cpu can go into idle mode but win9x/me dosn't. there is also another method which they can force the cpu to slow down which can result in a performance drop. if you have to use the 2nd mthod which causes a performance drop then you are better off to install better cooling.	tweak'e (174)
138914	2003-04-26 02:09:00	As for taking it back to shop. I bought the case with mb and cpu installed and then built it up from there. If I could prove the mb or power supply was faulty I could probably get a replacement but I can forsee all sorts of arguements doing that, so I won't bother. The cooler doesn't seem to make any difference to performance. Without using the cooler my temp does not get above the high fourties. Realy I only use it because it is there. I will stop using it for a while and see how it goes. At least if voltage drop is causing problems I can't see it doing any real damage. ???? Thanks to those who replied. Jack	JJJJJ (528)
138915	2003-04-26 02:59:00	I'd consider the CPU dropping out "real damage". A computer is paid to compute. I want it to stop when I want it to stop, not randomly. :D At least talk to the supplier. It shouldn't do that. The whole idea of a regulated supply is that the volts stay constant.	Graham L (2)
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