checking the power supply
- Thread starter ethman13
- Start date
If you don't even know where the supply is located in a case I doubt you understand how to place a load on it to see the amperage output with a multimeter tester. That's nothing for a novice to try without some formal training or having been self taught by studying testing proceedures. Don't ruin your case trying this. Take it to a local repair shop or the retail vendor to avoid ruining any warranty!
ceewi1
VIP Member
Depends on what you mean by how much power you are getting. If you mean how much power are you drawing, you can purchase a wattage meter such as a Kill-a-watt. This tells you the amount you draw from the wall, not the amount that is being provided to the components, but you can guesstimate this by multiplying by the PSUs efficiency (usually advertised on the manufacturer website).
If you mean how powerful is your PSU, you can take the side off the case - the wattage and other key specs will be printed on the side of the PSU.
As PC Eye has said - don't try to directly measure the output from the PSU.
If you mean how powerful is your PSU, you can take the side off the case - the wattage and other key specs will be printed on the side of the PSU.
As PC Eye has said - don't try to directly measure the output from the PSU.
If you have a prebuilt system there you would need to provide the make and model. The support site may have general information on the supply itself. Usually those are ordered special for their systems while still being a standard atx supply. The total output in wattage like a 350w, 400w, 450w model are common.
Sometimes you also can learn who manufactured the supply. That can be helpful in getting more detail specifications. If that was custom built the make and model supply can be found on a vendor's site where the product info and specs are usually provided there. For actual testing of the supply itself someone with experience would be needed.
Sometimes you also can learn who manufactured the supply. That can be helpful in getting more detail specifications. If that was custom built the make and model supply can be found on a vendor's site where the product info and specs are usually provided there. For actual testing of the supply itself someone with experience would be needed.