Need help with my +12v rail

[curiousff]

Hi there. I have a 700W Deep Cool PSU and I'm planning to add a 2 meter LED strip (5050/30) and upgrade my current core i3 6100 to a non-K i5 or i7 in a matter of days. However, I decided to test my PSU before deciding to install the LED strip and just then I saw the +12V rail is at 11.95V (max) and 11.74V (min) and it never reached the 12V. I just decided to play a game for 5 minutes to see the drop again and these were the readings:

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According to the PSU vendor, the +12V rail has a maximum output of 54A and 648W.

The big question is if it will be safe to connect the LED strip to my PSU with these readings, especially considering there's a more powerful CPU incoming and that I have four 120mm pwm fans connected to the motherboard. My PC consists of Core i3 6100, a GTX 1050 and 8GB of RAM (2x4), all that on a Gigabyte B7 motherboard.

Help me, please. I need your expertise on this matter before I toast or damage my rig.

 

[R_1]

the ATX spec calls for a +/- 5%.
11.4V through 12.6V is in spec.
looks normal to me

 

[curiousff]

the ATX spec calls for a +/- 5%.
11.4V through 12.6V is in spec.
looks normal to me

Thanks for your answer. So there's a +/- 5% tolerance for the +12V rail, that's good news. But, by adding more components that use that rail won't cause the voltage to go lower? What computer parts could be damaged by an undervoltage? Are there any symptoms that can be seen?

 

[R_1]

a Power Supply is basically an AC to DC transformer. All the rails have the same +/-5% tolerance. as more power is needed it will consume more from the wall and provide it. it is not like the PSU is making 700W all the time. it can provide 700W if called to and it will draw more from the wall as it needs, the power it makes is dynamic, changing all the time.

about the undervolting question. what happens when a battery dies in your laptop? no damage. same principle here. DC devices will operate within a range, hence the 1.2V range on the 12v rail. under volting memory can lead to data corruption, random black screens, freezes and reboots. windows lives in RAM so the problem could be anything.

your system is within spec. all good.

 

[curiousff]

a Power Supply is basically an AC to DC transformer. All the rails have the same +/-5% tolerance. as more power is needed it will consume more from the wall and provide it. it is not like the PSU is making 700W all the time. it can provide 700W if called to and it will draw more from the wall as it needs, the power it makes is dynamic, changing all the time.

about the undervolting question. what happens when a battery dies in your laptop? no damage. same principle here. DC devices will operate within a range, hence the 1.2V range on the 12v rail. under volting memory can lead to data corruption, random black screens, freezes and reboots. windows lives in RAM so the problem could be anything.

your system is within spec. all good.

Great explanation, many thanks!

So, to summarize, adding the LED strip and a more powerful processor shouldn't affect the PSU any further, right? I was worried about the slightly low voltage on the +12 rail, but if it is within specs, I can safely go on with my illumination project.