Power supply testing

[spawnman]

Help!! I think I may have a faulty power supply but I'm unsure as to how to test it. I'm borrowing a Fluke 12 Multimeter to take home from work to test it out. Where do I attach the leads to be able to check for the proper power output? Also should this be done with the computer turned on? Sounds scarey to me :shock:

I hope someone can help me.

Spawny

[Ghost]

Try this url http://www.informit.com/articles/article.asp?p=31105&seqNum=12

Basically it explains how to test with the system powered. If the system powers up, you may be able to go into the BIOS and check the voltages that the system board is seeing also. Death can probably give you more in depth info on how to test a PS.

[spawnman]

Thanks, that was exactly what I was looking for.

BTW do you know how acurate the power readings shown in the BIOS are? Are those ok to take as gospel or should I measure it with a multimeter?

Spawny

[Malice]

I would use a multimeter but all of those voltages will fluctuate some while its running. 12V is an average reading.