Check HDD voltage

[imortal]

How would I go about checking what voltage my HDD is currently getting? there must be a program out there that can do it but I can't seem to find one. Reason being is the SATA connector broke off inside the power connector, It still runs but the PC feels very laggy and hangs all the time when I know it didn't use to while back, so i'm thinking the HDD power could be all wonky.

 

[gibbly]

Question, how is the hdd getting power if the connector broke in it? Did you take some tweasers and pull out the broken connector and plug in a different one or what? A sata connector has 3 voltages, 12v, 5v, and 3.3v, as long as your power supply isn't a peace of fire hazard crap your hdd should be getting all three voltages correctly.

 

[imortal]

Ill try to elaborate, The SATA power connector on the HDD itself consists of an "L" shape piece of plastic that matches a SATA power connector rail slot that comes off a power supply, The "L" part that's on the HDD is broken off inside the power supply's SATA connector at somewhat of a slight angle, just looks like one big mess if you try to look at it, you can barely even see the golden prongs in it, and if I were to try and ever take it out the HDD would likely be unusable.

Alas my question being if all the prongs were not properly touching it could be getting incorrect voltages?

 

[imortal]

Does anyone know a way I can do this?

 

[jsmithepa]

if S.M.A.R.T. doesn't log this information then I dunno.

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Hey there, imortal!

I'd second what @jsmithepa mentioned about checking the S.M.A.R.T. attributes of the drive by running it's brand-specific diagnostic tool from the manufacturer. If you cannot find it on their website, you can refer to this thread for some third-party suggestions: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/282651-32-best-diagnostic-testing-utility
If the connector is broken, then I'd recommend you to back up your data somewhere else and consider replacing the HDD.
It's possible that the drive is underpowered from the PSU's side, but it could also be the hard drive itself.
That's why I think it's best to check up on its health by running the tests.
In case you want to check up on the PSU's voltages, you can check this guide as well: http://www.howtogeek.com/172933/how-can-i-test-my-computers-power-supply/
However, I wouldn't recommend doing this by yourself, especially if one of the connectors is broken.

Keep us posted with the results, though. Good luck!
SuperSoph_WD

 

[imortal]

Hey there, imortal!

I'd second what @jsmithepa mentioned about checking the S.M.A.R.T. attributes of the drive by running it's brand-specific diagnostic tool from the manufacturer. If you cannot find it on their website, you can refer to this thread for some third-party suggestions: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/282651-32-best-diagnostic-testing-utility
If the connector is broken, then I'd recommend you to back up your data somewhere else and consider replacing the HDD.
It's possible that the drive is underpowered from the PSU's side, but it could also be the hard drive itself.
That's why I think it's best to check up on its health by running the tests.
In case you want to check up on the PSU's voltages, you can check this guide as well: http://www.howtogeek.com/172933/how-can-i-test-my-computers-power-supply/
However, I wouldn't recommend doing this by yourself, especially if one of the connectors is broken.

Keep us posted with the results, though. Good luck!
SuperSoph_WD

It's a western digital blue drive, (WD3200AAKS) so I downloaded and ran Data Lifeguard tool, before I even made this thread, far as I see there as no real errors, and it does not tell me what voltage its running at though, it's not that detailed sadly. Really don't have the funds or I would of just replaced it by now since it only a 320gig drive haha. I know the PSU is fine, it's still fairly unused just need to see if the drive itself is getting proper power.

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Hey there again, imortal!

I'd suggest you to check BIOS then, there are some versions that state the current voltages. So you should look for it there and check the 5v and 12v levels. Another way to do this is to use a voltmeter on the power cable and the HDD itself. Here's a Windows guide about testing the PSU, you might find useful: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/301799-psu-test-dc-output-voltage.html

Hope it helps! Let me know how it goes!
SuperSoph_WD

 

[imortal]

Hey there again, imortal!

I'd suggest you to check BIOS then, there are some versions that state the current voltages. So you should look for it there and check the 5v and 12v levels. Another way to do this is to use a voltmeter on the power cable and the HDD itself. Here's a Windows guide about testing the PSU, you might find useful: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/301799-psu-test-dc-output-voltage.html

Hope it helps! Let me know how it goes!
SuperSoph_WD

I have checked the Bios as well, its showing normal voltages on the rails, but that's the PSU information, I need the harddrive's volts itself I don't see how one would physically test a drive with power already feeding into it with a voltmeter. For reference here is the smart log anyways.

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Well, Imortal, I think that since the drive is working properly, there's nothing to worry about just yet. If you feel concerned about your data, I'd strongly recommend you to do regular backups of the files somewhere else.
Of course, SMART attributes cannot predict high power issues, but this WD Blue's SMART status indicates that the drive is healthy and properly working. Since everything is ok in the BIOS as well, you shouldn't worry.
The voltmeter/multimeter test should be executed ONLY when you have powered down your system and you've unplugged the PSU from the HDD and all other hardware components!

If you need assistance with this, I'd suggest you to turn to a professional computer repair service and let the tech guys there test your whole system.

Good luck!
SuperSoph_WD

 

[imortal]

Well, it's not really like I'm worried about anything it's just that the PC is really laggy after all maintenance tasks known to man have been preformed (literally, you can ask but I've probably done it) only thing left I have to blame is that messed up power connecter. Just seems so weird that you can check the voltage levels on PSU, CPU,RAM and video card but not the hard drive.,..

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Well, the PSU is what supplies the components with power, normally with +3.3 V, +5 V, and +12 V depending on the hardware component itself. Here's an interesting TH article that explains everything you need to know about power supplies: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/power-supply-specifications-atx-reference,3061-2.html

If you take the WD Blue out, you will see that the 3.5" mechanical hard drive pulls power from both - the + 5 V and the + 12 V rail. These voltages are used for different things, though. Usually, the 5 V line is used for the circuitry of the drive and the 12 V for the motors. For example, a 2.5" HDD can run off 5 V only, but the RMP is less. You can see what are the specifications for your particular model (WD3200AAKS) here: http://products.wdc.com/support/kb.ashx?id=RDR7ie

If the lagging in your system is so persistent, I'd recommend you to do a clean install of the OS as a last resort. Hopefully, it will end your headaches!

Good luck! Hope I was helpful!
SuperSoph_WD