Power Supply?

[Nova]

Well, i have a 1900 with 512 ddr pc2100, gf4 ti 4600, soyo k7ada with the ali magik1 chipset, 2 cd drives, barracuda 7200 40gb, 4 pci cards( usb 2.0,ethernet, modem,sound). Finally a 425w power supply.My question is on my hardware monitor the core voltage stays at 1.73v at idle. Now ive been told a 1900 is supposed to run at 1.75. Also if i run an application it goes down to 1.71v. I'm wondering if i have a weak ps. Or is the high power of the 4600 and the 1900 is too much for it to handle. Some of my games crsh or tottally restart the cpu on windows98se. Most cd games dont work for 2000 or xp. it was a cheap case with the power supply.Can my crashing and restarts be a weak ps?
confused, Nova

[catch23]

It doesn't have to...you can increase the Vcore if you want...head into your BIOS and up it to 1.85v.

[TimPoet]

Originally posted by Nova
it was a cheap case with the power supply.Can my crashing and restarts be a weak ps?Yes, it can be.... Power supply units really need to be good quality not necessarily high wattage.
Could be bad RAM or overheating, too. Who made the Power Supply Unit, RAM and what temp. is your CPU at idle and under a load?

[Nuclear Krusader]

Hi there Nova and welcome to the PC Mech forums!!

You don't happen to own a Deer PSU, do you?

Amperage is important too, not just wattage. But I'm not sure if the amperage has anything to do with your problem, when it comes down to electrics I'm a complete noobster.

If you can borrow another quality PSU and try it on your system maybe you will be able to see if the lack of juice from the PSU is indeed the problem or if we have to track it down somewhere else.

[glc]

The low voltage is more likely a motherboard issue - it's the motherboard that steps down and regulates the Vcore.

[Nova]

ok , I have increased the core volts and at 1.775 the monitor says 1.74 at 1.8 it says 1.8.? Also I really don't want to keep the core set at even 1.775 because it increases the temp by about 10 deg. at idle. My ps is from l and c technologies? Nobody ive heard of. My ram came from pny, i think. temp. at idle for the cpu is about 46 to 50 cel. and running games abot 55 to 60 cel. the system runs at 36 at idle and 42 to 45 running games. ive triied an other ps but it was old and small 160w, it was an antec though. It didnt seem to help. as for it beiing the motherboard, would it be resonsible for the varying voltage? if not i don,t think that would be the problem.(I at least hope not). and if it was how can i troubleshoot it?

[TimPoet]

Originally posted by Nova
and if it was how can i troubleshoot it? By using Hal's Famous Troubleshooter:
http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12753

[Nova]

well you know thax for the tip tim but it does run and start im writing on it right now. so taking it apart might help ill try it but really if ther is a problem with the mobo how do i know?

[Nuclear Krusader]

L&C are the same crappy PSUs that are sold by thousands down here. I've heard they're remanufactured Deers. :(

[TimPoet]

Originally posted by Nova
so taking it apart might help ill try it but really if ther is a problem with the mobo how do i know? well, the idea is to isolate the faulty part so you'll know for sure what to replace. Unfortunately, here it seems to be the most basic part, your mobo.

So, your use of Hal's tip will be to see if the problem occurs when the mobo is outside your computer. To check the problems you have gaming, though, means you can't strip down to just VC, RAM, CPU, HSF and mobo... you'll need the CD Rom and HDD hooked up.
Now that I think about it, it is a lot of work, but it is the only way I can think of to make sure the mobo is not shorting out. But to make sure it's the mobo as you asked about, well, unless you have another mobo that's compatible with all your system components to swap and see if you get the same results (which will tell you it may not be the mobo) you would have to take the mobo to the shop to have it tested.
See if some of the other guys have other suggestions, like glc