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Post #1
So, I've noticed this constantly for the last, well, forever. But never thought much of it. But for some reason my -12V rail on my current PSU is, well, not -12V, it's sitting around -6V and has been for as long as I can remember;
View image here
(this reading is the same in Speccy)
Should I really be concerned about this? My PC runs fine as far as I can tell, it doesn't crash, hang or stop working unexpectedly, and hasn't set fire yet. I don't particularly have the money to be replacing parts right now so this has concerned me a bit more than normal. Could this be caused by a lose connection?
Specs;
AMD Phenom II 4x 955 @ stock
ASUS M4A785TD-V EVO
4 GB DDR3
nVidia GTX 460 768MB
XFX 650W XXX Edition Single Rail Modular PSU (way out of warranty by now I bet)
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I honestly do not know all too much about PSUs but I wouldn't worry about it. As soon as it causes any issue at all though You should prolly get it checked or replaced.
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Probably just a bad sensor, but even if it is that low the -12v line isn't really used.
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Software readings of PSU voltages are usually really bad. If you're still unsure then take a multimiter to your PSU.
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The only purpose of -12v is for the legacy PCI bus, and hardly any PCI cards ever used the voltage. There also used to be a -5v (which is still included on many shitty IED PSUs on the market) that some older ISA cards used.
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Ahh well thanks guys. I don't have a multi-meter, but if -12V isnt vital, I think I can get along fine. From the looks of it, reviewers have the same readings as I do for this particular series of PSU. So it can't be a major concern.
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If memory serves, it is also used for RS-232 interfaces.
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No, RS-232 uses 5v signalling.
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Legacy RS-232 uses +/- 15V voltage protocols:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RS-232#Voltage_levels
Agree x 1
