fan speeds, voltages etc

[vaineh]

ive got an asus a7n8x-x, xp 2800, akasa 795cu hsf
was wondering how much fan speeds and voltages should fluctuate

cpu fan ranges between 4900 and 5500ish, can hear the change in rpm all the time

and my +12v seems to always be just over 13v

[Austin]

Could be a problem with the PSU supplying voltage. It's normal for voltages and rpm to vary a LITTLE but IIRC only about 5% either way. So 12v shouldn't really be less than 11.5 nor more than 12.5v (as a rough guide). I'd say 13v is dangerously high. The rpm is nothing to worry about although it isn't a good sign to have such a large variance ... just so long as your CPU is cool enough (ie stable). Where are you reading the info from and what are the other voltage rails like?

[pikacu]

can a fan controller adapter, it might solve your problem.

[vaineh]

just using asusprobe or wotever its called

[Austin]

So long as it's specific to your mobo (ie from the mobo maker) as it is then it should be pretty accurate (as accurate as the mobo can measure things anyway). BIOS tends to be the best place to check but then you're not placing things under stress so in many ways a Windows app from the mobo maker is best. So it would seem your voltage is running scarilly out of spec. The PSU would be the most likely culprit although it could be to do with the mobo regulating its power. Is the CPU fan run off the mobo or from a lead coming out of the PSU?

If you do want to look into a new PSU then rem a good brand is virtal. Antec, Enermax, ThermalTake, ToPower, S.Flower and SParkle are good in rough order of preference. Also check out Scan as IIRC they do CWT/CTW which are believed to be rebadged Antec. 350W is the least you shoudl go for with 400W being nicer for the long term.

[vaineh]

wot exactly are the voltages of?
and why is it bad if they're off the mark ?

[Austin]

Everything inside your PC is designed to run at a set voltage although there is a degree of leniency as a general rule you should have these voltages no more than 5% either way. If a component gets too little voltage it will become unstable and stands a chance of crashing your PC or corrupting data. If too much currect is pushed through a component it is almost certain to cause it harm and possibly other things it is connected to. It could be as bad as a small fire but that is unlikely. The main voltage rails your PSU supplies are 3.3v, 5v and 12v which are used to supply the key voltages req'd from diff parts of your PC. Your mobo will inherently manage these voltages further to adapt or store them as required for the different parts it services BUT the supply to each part can only be as good as the source. It's not only a matter of the average voltage per second but also a 'clean' and constant supply of regular voltage, spikes for example can also cause a lot of damage. This is all to the best of my knowledge but should be roughly on the mark. Can you supply more details about your system esp the PSU's brand (if any), wattage and whether it came with your case, was the case cheap etc?

[Agent]

Its a NF2 mobo - a lot of these have wrong voltage readings, I got the same on my NF7-S. The issue is known by Abit, but they cant really do anything as its a fault with Nvidias supplied reference boards. It'd be fairly safe to assume the ASUS suffers the same fate as its pretty much a copy of the reference board aswell.
Grab a multimeter and test the +12v from a molex, and if you like, the mobo header. Ill be willing to bet its just the mobos readings being off .