Storage Solutions Low +12V Rail Voltage in BIOS and 3 HDD Failures in a Week

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chasni_chasni

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Hi:

I don't know how to start my sad story. This is how it goes.Initially, I had 3 HDDs in my system; 1 Corsair Force 3 SSD, one 7200.12 500Gb Seagate and 500Gb WD Caviar Blue. Last week, my 4 yr old 500Gb 7200.12 Seagate HDD went kaput. I thought it was very old so it didnt bother me much. But crashes didnt stop there. After 2 days my 6 months old 500Gb WD Caviar Blue crashed. I thought it may be a bad luck and i sent the WD for RMA and got another 2Tb 7200.14 Seagate. Everything worked fine for next 2 days and finally my new 2Tb 7200.14 Seagate showing symptoms. This new Seagate HDD hasn't failed SMART Test, however, it is running slow with more than 2000ms access time and making clicking noise. I dont know how long it is going to last. I disconnected this hdd from system for now.

After these 3 crashes, I started my research. I came to the conclusion that something might be wrong with my PSU. So I download CPUID Hardware monitor and checked the voltage on the rails. I was surprised to see that +12V was at 2.95V. I knew that software monitoring is not accurate so I tried to check the voltage in BIOS. However, it was also shown 2.85 in Red Color. So finally, I decided its time to RMA the PSU. But I was not sure about it. Hence, I went and borrowed a DMM from a neighbouring electrical shop and checked the volatge on +12V rails using the molex connector. To my surprise, DMM was showing the 12.23V. I ran Blend Torture Test on Prime95 and the reading stayed between 12.18-12.22V. Now I am back to square one but I have my doubts on the Mobo.

Please guys help me.

My system config:
Core i7-920
Asus P6T Deluxe OC Palm
6 Gb DDR3 Ram- Corsair XMS3
Cooler MAster Silent Pro 600W
MSI GTX 560 Ti Twin Frozer 2Gb[DOUBLEPOST=1368217281][/DOUBLEPOST]I forgot to mention....I have Windows 8 installed on the Corsair SSD and it works fine....No restarts no freezing
 
PSU ripple, probably, and yes, it could have easily taken down your mobo as well. Seriously, after all we post on these forums, people don't understand the first thing about CM PSUs? The Silent Pro is one of their better supplies, but that's like saying that an Ambassador Mark IV is a better Ambassador. It's still a pile of crap.
 
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Today, I took my PSU to Nehru Place to get it checked. There the supply was not stable and was around 12.5V. I feel something is wrong with my PSU. Have disconnected everything from system. Not using it anymore coz it can cause further damage
 
How old is it? Teapo caps on the secondary. Could be busted caps with high ripple like cranky says.

chasni_chasni said:
Today, I took my PSU to Nehru Place to get it checked. There the supply was not stable and was around 12.5V
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How did you check it? And what do you mean by not stable? Most test the PSU unloaded, so you tend to get incorrect readings.
 
I took my whole system with the PSU.... the guy there checked with a Fluke DMM... I don't remember the numbers exactly, however, the voltage was oscillating between 12.20-12.25 at boot. when tries to run something heavy like crysis 3, it was somewhere near 12.44-12.55. So, I feel that the PSU is dying
 
You cannot understand ripple behaviour using a DC reading. The only way to test it is using an oscilloscope.

Both voltage readings seem OK, but higher voltage under load indicates poor cross-load regulation. 12.55 is almost at the limit of the ATX specification, not a nice reading though you could argue it is on spec.

You might want to get the motherboard thoroughly evaluated as well, with a known good power supply. I would never advise a CM PSU or one of the low-end Corsairs (VS/VP), which are equally terrible nowadays.
 
I know but I think it will be hard to find an oscilloscope.

I have tested my system with a borrowed PSU (Seasonic S12II 520) for few 7-8 hrs and the system was fine..... However, could not do load testing as I feel 520 W wasn't good enough.

I have already bought Seasonic X850 online.. Will do load tests once i receive it...
 
That is one heck of an upgrade. I'm very happy with mine, and the new versions are supposed to be even better. I think you'll enjoy yours. Good power supplies last through many different builds, and the Seasonic-built and factory branded supplies are the best that there is available today.
 
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