PSU Misbehaving? Call Dr. Power II From Thermaltake
If You Lack A $2,000 PSU Tester, Is A $35 One Worth It?
If you have yet to experience the memorable feeling of a new build doing absolutely nothing when you finally connect the power and hit the switch, nary a beep, boop nor whrrr; don’t you worry, you will get there one day. If you have then you know the proper next steps to troubleshoot and you might even follow at least some of them. One step that is worth considering before removing any other component is to pop out one of the last you installed; test that PSU to see if it is what is making you miserable.
As The FPS Review mentions early in their review of Thermaltake’s Dr Power II you can quickly spend thousands of dollars on proper testing equipment but you would probably prefer to spend that money on your PC, as opposed to testing equipment. To that end they took a look at a less expensive solution that will let you know just how healthy the voltages your PSU provides.
The tester can effectively measure all the voltages your computer will make use of, with the exception of the testing limits of the 3.3V line which do not cover the full gamut of the ATX12v spec. The Dr. Power II only offers single digit precision, unlike the they compared it to but to be fair that is a $2000 piece of equipment. If you just need a quick way to know if your PSU is dead though, this review is worth checking out.
Well, most of the time you swear some more as you painstakingly check each component (ok, who are we kidding people never do that). Finally, you find it. The trusty power supply that you have used in a thousand builds before did not make it to build 1001. Well, hell. You should have checked that before installing it shouldn’t you have?
More Tech News From Around The Web
- Gone in 15 minutes: Qualcomm claims new chargers will fill your smartmobe in a flash @ The Register
- Samsung Weighs Dropping Its Bixby AI Assistant and Galaxy Apps Store as Google Dangles New Mobile Apps Deal @ Slashdot
- Google allowed to remember search results to news articles it was asked to forget. Good @ The Register
Yes indeed! If you’re serious about getting your hands bloody mucking about inside the case, even a simple tester is worth it’s weight in antidepressants. Don’t forget the little neon bulb outlet checker as well. Much running in circles may be saved by knowing if the power is actually on.
A multimeter and a paper clip can work too