home › BY › Maternal test. Review and test of the GIGABYTE GA-Z270-HD3 motherboard. RAM diagnostics

Maternal test. Review and test of the GIGABYTE GA-Z270-HD3 motherboard. RAM diagnostics

With the release of 7th generation processors and system logic for these CPUs, Intel company toughened its attitude towards lovers of “free MHz”, i.e. overclockers by blocking the ability to overclock processors with and without the “K” index for all chipsets except the top-end Intel Z270 Express. Therefore, if you want to build yourself a powerful computer with an overclocked processor, you need to choose a motherboard with a higher chipset.

We have already met a large number of interesting motherboards from GIGABYTE, each of which is unique in its own way and has interesting features. The GA-Z270X-Gaming 5, GA-Z270X-Gaming 7 and GA-Z270X-Gaming K3 we reviewed are located in the upper and middle price range, starting from 9,000 rubles. and higher. But what should those who do not want to spend a large amount on a motherboard, but at the same time want to get the most out of it, do?
In this case, you need to pay attention to budget boards, for example GIGABYTE GA-Z270-HD3, which can be found in Russian retail at a price of 7,500 rubles. (according to Yandex.Market, the cost may vary depending on the region and date).
At first glance, it may seem that the GIGABYTE GA-Z270-HD3 is too simple a board and you can forget about overclocking, but this is not so, and after reading this review until the end, you will be convinced of this.

Specifications.

Manufacturer	GIGABYTE
Model	GA-Z270-HD3
System logic	Intel Z270 Express
Socket	LGA1151
Supported processors	Intel 7-/6 – Core generation i7 / Core i5 / Core i3 / Pentium / Celeron
Supported Memory	4 x DDR4, max 64 GB; DDR4 3866(O.C.) / 3800(O.C.) / 3733(O.C.) / 3666(O.C.) / 3600(O.C.) / 3466(O.C.) / 3400(O.C.) / 3333(O.C.) / 3300(O.C.) / 3200(O.C.) / 3000(O.C.) / 2800(O.C.) / 2666(O.C.) / 2400(O.C.) / 2133 MHz.
Expansion slots	– 1 x PCIe 3.0 x16 (x16 mode); – 2 x PCIe 3.0 x1; – 1 x PCI.
Disk subsystem	6 x SATA 6.0 Gbit/s, or 1 x SATA Express + 4 x SATA 6 Gbit/s; 1 x M.2 (Key M).
LAN	1 x Intel GbE (10/100/1000 Mbit).
Sound subsystem	7.1-channel HD audio codec Realtek ALC887.

Packaging and equipment.

The GA-Z270-HD3 motherboard comes in a small, by modern standards, cardboard box with an interesting design. In front we are greeted by a large UD5 (Ultra Durable 5) logo, which is a kind of quality mark. GIGABYTE Ultra Durable motherboards utilize high-quality components to ensure stable performance of the processor, RAM modules and system as a whole throughout the life of the product.
On the opposite side we see the technical characteristics of the GA-Z270-HD3 and a description of its capabilities. Despite the affordable price, the motherboard has received many useful technologies in its arsenal. For example, Smart Fan 5 – allows the user to monitor operating temperature in real time motherboard, thanks to 6 temperature sensors, and adjust the operation of fans.
Inside the box, the board is placed in a cardboard tray and packed in an antistatic bag.

In the package we found:
- user guide;
– disk with software;
– 2 x SATA cables;
– plug for the interface panel;
– G-Connector.

Appearance.

The GA-Z270-HD3 motherboard is based on brown textolite. The board belongs to the ATX form factor, but in reality its dimensions are slightly smaller - 305 x 225 mm. You can't expect any design delights from the GA-Z270-HD3; after all, it's a board entry level, but even despite this, it looks quite modern.

The layout of the motherboard is quite standard, the slots random access memory and the top PCIe 3.0 x16 slot are located far enough apart that you don't have to remove RAM modules to replace them. system unit video card.
Opposite side printed circuit board It looks standard, the only thing that can be noted here is the plastic clips for attaching the radiators, which in practice turned out to be very reliable.

There are four slots for RAM. GA-Z270-HD3 supports modules with frequencies up to 3866 MHz and a total capacity of up to 64 GB (4 x 16 GB).
The full list of supported frequencies is as follows: DDR4 3866(O.C.) / 3800(O.C.) / 3733(O.C.) / 3666(O.C.) / 3600(O.C.) / 3466(O.C.) / 3400(O.C.) / 3333(O.C.) / 3300 (O.C.) / 3200(O.C.) / 3000(O.C.) / 2800(O.C.) / 2666(O.C.) / 2400(O.C.) / 2133 MHz.
Next to the DIMM slots, there are two connectors for additional USB3.0 ports; in total, you can connect up to 4 ports.

The printed circuit board has six slots for installing expansion cards:
– 1 x PCIe 3.0 x16 (x16 mode);
– 2 x PCIe 3.0 x16 (x4 and x4 mode);
– 2 x PCIe 3.0 x1;
– 1 x PCI.

For hard drives and SSD drives there are four SATA 6 Gb/s ports and one SATA Express. The latter, if you do not have devices compatible with this interface, can be used as a pair of regular SATA ports.

Faster SSD drives can be installed in the M.2 port, which supports the following standard sizes: 2242 / 2260 / 2280 / 22110. The drive can operate in both PCIe 3.0 x4 mode and SATA mode.

At the bottom of the PCB there is a large set of connectors for connecting peripheral interfaces: F_AUDIO, COM, LPT, TPM, 2 x USB2.0, F_Panel.

The interface panel contains the following connectors:
– 1 x DVI-D;
– 1 x D-Sub;
– 1 x HDMI;
– 1 x PS/2;
– 1 x LAN RJ45;
– 4 x USB 3.1;
– 2 x USB 2.0;
– 6 x audio ports.

The audio subsystem of the GIGABYTE GA-Z270-HD3 is based on the Realtek ALC887 8-channel HD audio codec, and the part of the PCB on which it is located is isolated from the rest of the board layout. Also, high-quality Japanese audio capacitors are used in the sound path.

The motherboard cooling system consists of two aluminum radiators, one cools the chipset, and the second removes heat from the CPU power module. Despite the compact size of the radiators, they do their job well; the temperature of the hottest one was only 35 degrees!

The CPU power supply module has seven phases, organized according to a 4+3 phase scheme. Four phases are allocated for powering the processor cores; they are cooled by the radiator, and another three phases are allocated for powering the integrated graphics core. The elementary base of the power system is made up of high-quality components, solid-state capacitors and chokes with a ferrite core.

The VRM module is controlled by an Intersil 95866 controller.

The GIGABYTE GA-Z270-HD3 motherboard, despite its external simplicity, has an informative graphical shell that boasts an impressive and intuitive user interface. The BIOS capabilities in terms of overclocking and system settings are in no way inferior to more expensive devices. In EasyMode on home page We are greeted by ten blocks, with information about:
- processor temperature;
- system components;
- motherboard temperature and Vcore voltage;
- rotation speed of connected fans;
- connected SSD and HDD drives.

In ADVANCED mode, which has expanded functionality, we get to the M.I.T. page. It contains many parameters necessary for overclocking and simply setting up the system. All parameters necessary for overclocking the processor and RAM are concentrated here: CPU multiplier, BCLK frequency, memory frequency, power system settings, timing settings and the ability to increase voltages. In addition, there is a separate submenu for setting up the processor power system.

Advanced Frequency Setting is responsible for setting: processor multiplier, BCLK bus frequency, RAM frequency, northbridge frequency, integrated graphics core frequency.

The Advanced Memory Setting contains settings related to RAM, the function of activating the XMP profile, timing and subtiming settings.

Advanced Voltage Setting allows you to configure the main operating voltages that you will need for overclocking: Vcore, Vmem, etc. Here you can configure the operation of the processor and RAM power supply system.

The System tab contains time and date settings, as well as a language selection function; by the way, the BIOS is translated into Russian, so if your English is not good, you can still easily navigate the BIOS.

The BIOS tab contains information about the computer's boot mode.

In Peripherals you can disable or enable the controllers you need, for example, a LAN controller.

The Chipset configures the operation of the audio codec and integrated graphics.

The Power tab will allow you to configure the PC to turn on when you press a mouse button or keyboard key.

The Save & Exite tab is clear what it is needed for.

Overview of proprietary software.

Together with motherboard comes with a disc with everything branded software GIGABYTE, you can also download it from the company's official website. Let's start with the simplest CPU-Z program, the design of which was changed to suit the manufacturer's corporate style.

Next on the list is the APP Center program - this is a basic program, one might even say the basis, which you can supplement with the functions you need. All installed programs from GIGABYTE will automatically get here and save you from dozens of shortcuts on your desktop.

There are several tabs here, for example Advanced CPU OC contains settings responsible for overclocking the processor. Moreover, here you can control not only frequencies, but also voltages, which greatly simplifies and speeds up the process of overclocking and searching for stable frequencies. As you can see, GIGABYTE GA-Z270-HD3 was no exception and received exactly the same customization capabilities as more expensive boards.

Advanced DDR OC contains memory settings, including timings.

CPU power management is presented in the Advanced Power tab.

In HotKey, you can configure hotkeys that will save profiles with the settings you choose.

The next program in line was Ambient LED, in which you can customize the operation of the LED backlight. In the case of the board we are considering, only two modes are available for change (static glow and pulsating).

System Information Viewer is a program that allows you to configure the operation of the computer’s cooling system, or rather the fans connected to the motherboard. The first tab provides information about the system.

Next, on the Smart Fan 5 Auto tab, the program offers you to select one of the pre-prepared profiles: Quiet, Standard, Performance, Full Speed. The modes are set in ascending order, the quietest is Quiet, and the most productive is Full Speed. In our opinion, Standard has the most optimal noise/performance ratio, although this will depend on the type of fans installed in your PC.

By going to Smart Fan 5 Advanced, you can configure the operation of each connected fan by manually setting the rotation speed depending on the temperature of the components.

In the Record tab, you can activate monitoring of basic system parameters and save the data to a separate file.

3D OSD is a program completely designed for monitoring computer parameters. In addition to the fact that it can monitor the state of the computer, it can also display the information the user needs on the monitor screen, on top of all windows.

Testing.

Test stand:
- Processor Intel Core i5-7600K
- WITH: Corsair H110i GTX
- RAM KFA2 Hall Of Fame DDR4-3600 2 x 8 GB
- Corsair AX1200i power supply
- Radeon R9 280X video card.

Testing was carried out in two stages: first, test applications were run at nominal frequencies, and then the same applications were run at higher frequencies in overclocking mode.

Nominal system settings.

Settings in overclocking mode.
On the GIGABYTE GA-Z270-HD3 motherboard, we were able to overclock the processor to 5000 MHz, while it remained completely stable in all benchmarks. To do this, we had to increase the core voltage to 1.315 V.
For ease of perception, all test results in benchmarks are presented as graphs.

Less is better

More is better

Less is better

During testing, using a thermometer, we measured the operating temperatures to which the radiators of the cooling system heat up. The radiator of the power supply system warmed up to a temperature of 34°C when idle.

Radiator Intel chipset The Z270 Express warmed up to 35°C.
Below in the graphs we show all the temperature values we measured during testing.

Conclusion.
GIGABYTE GA-Z270-HD3 will be an excellent basis for home computer. The motherboard will easily ensure stable operation of modern Core i5 or Core i7 processors even when overclocked. A computer built on the GIGABYTE GA-Z270-HD3 will be able to solve a wide range of tasks, from work or surfing the Internet to modern games.
To be honest, when we first saw this board, we did not expect anything outstanding from it, not to mention overclocking the processor to 5 GHz. However, after a detailed acquaintance, these thoughts immediately disappeared.
Yes, the GIGABYTE GA-Z270-HD3 looks much simpler than more expensive solutions, but this does not degrade its performance in any respect. This was clearly demonstrated in the testing section.
Don’t forget about expansion capabilities, the GA-Z270-HD3 has everything in order, in addition to additional USB ports, 2nd and 3rd generations, you can connect devices with a COM and TPM interface to it, which may be relevant for office tasks.
Perhaps the design of the device may seem too simple to some users, however, if you do not use a computer at home in the form of an open stand, this will not be a problem. And lovers of cool design should pay attention to a more expensive price segment, for example the AORUS line.
Therefore, based on the results of maternal testing GIGABYTE boards GA-Z270-HD3, we can say the following. GA-Z270-HD3 will become good choice for building a PC with a limited budget and a desire to further overclock the processor in order, if necessary, to increase the performance of the computer.

Test inspection:

How to check the motherboard for functionality? Connect the PSU (power supply) to it and start the card.

A blue (green/red) LED indicator should appear, indicating the operating status of the device.

By the way, the motherboard is an old model - it is not so easy to start it, since there is no power button as such.

You need to close the contacts.

If you are confident in the power supply, but the indicator is still lifeless, and the processor is safe and sound, then the problem is with the board.

We begin a visual inspection and look for any of the following:

scratches on PCB;

swollen capacitors;

excess metal particles;

bent or broken connectors;

dust;

BIOS battery.

Any scratch on the board can cause irreparable damage to the system, since the tracks with contacts are spread over the entire surface.

The motherboard is as thick as a human hair, if not even thinner.

Be extremely careful when inspecting the board.

Swelling of the “conders” is a clear sign of a malfunction.

Inspect each one carefully and if you find one that is not functional, take the product to a service center.

Is it possible to replace it yourself and do you have the appropriate knowledge?

Then go to a radio store and buy a part with the same markings, no analogues.

And yes, such a procedure will not give a tangible guarantee, prolonging life motherboard for a year - another, but in the field you need to save what you have.

Metal can close those very thin and invisible paths by coming into contact with them.

Thoroughly blow off the surface of the PCB, additionally using a natural bristle brush.

No synthetics - it's static! Additionally, clean it from dust.

And pay key attention to the contacts that are closed together, forming a jumper, or are simply curved.

The socket connector is shown as an example Intel processors, however, by analogy one can understand that this should not be the case.

By the way, most often the contacts to which the system unit indicators are connected “suffer”: LED power-on indicator, power to external USB, various warning lights, and everything else. Be careful.

South and north bridge on the motherboard

How to check the processor for functionality

BIOS errors:

It would seem that, how to check motherboard for errors using this chip?

And it is responsible for all the basic settings of your computer, and if the BIOS fails, then only its complete replacement will save it. But let's not be so pessimistic.

First, replace the device's battery with a new one. It is marked CR2032 and is sold at any home electronics store.

It's hard to miss on the motherboard, but look near the PCI-Ex X16 connector.

Turn off the power supply and very carefully remove the battery for 2-3 minutes so that all settings are finally reset to factory settings, including the date and time.

Why is this necessary?

Some “Kulibins” could, without realizing it, do something clever in the system, or “overclock” components to a critical value.

The BIOS goes into protection and completely blocks the computer from working. This simple manipulation of the battery returns the factory appearance to the product.

But it’s not a fact that everything will work out.

If this does not help, then we disconnect all the peripherals from the motherboard, leaving only the processor with a cooler and the internal speaker, which “beeps” at startup.

It is inserted into the connector next to which it says “SPK” or “SPKR”. It is located next to the socket for the LED indicators of the system unit.

The future of your motherboard will depend on it.

When the system starts, a RAM failure sound will appear.

If you hear it, then everything is more or less in order with the motherboard. But if the silence is dead, then a trip to the service center cannot be avoided.

No signal on the monitor when turning on the computer

Table of sounds that indicate a motherboard malfunction:

There are 3 types of BIOS in total, each of which has its own logic.

You can find out which one you have by looking at the motherboard markings.

The sounds for each are as follows:

Table of BIOS-speaker sounds that indicate a problem with the AMI motherboard malfunction:

Table of BIOS speaker sounds that notify you of a problem with the Award motherboard:

Next steps:

So, there is sound.

Turn off the motherboard, and first of all insert one stick of RAM (random access memory).

Let's restart and listen.

If successful, we will receive a warning about a video card malfunction (see the sign with sounds and their sequence).

We connect the video adapter and, if required, additional power. Additionally, we connect a monitor to output a visual signal.

We turn on the computer and wait for the speaker signal.

If it is single and short, then your car is fine. The cause was dust, metal shavings, or a bent contact that was returned to its original shape. This is the case if everything is in order with the capacitors.

But if the sound of a video card malfunction does not disappear, then it is to blame.

Otherwise, you should look among sound adapters, hard drives and other connected peripherals.

How to check the health of your hard drive

Results:

Don't rush to bury motherboard as soon as possible.

Carefully inspect the device, following the instructions, then begin to cut off the “tails” in the form of all additional installed equipment one by one and in a certain sequence until you come across the cause of all the troubles.

You will succeed.

The ComputerPress testing laboratory tested nine motherboards with graphical interface support PCI Express x16, designed to work with Socket 939 processors AMD Athlon 64 and AMD Athlon64 FX. The following motherboards took part in testing: ABIT AX8, ABIT Fatal1ty AN8, Albatron K8X890 Pro, ASUS A8V-E Deluxe, Gigabyte GA-K8NXP-9, Gigabyte GA-K8VT890-9, MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum, WinFast NF4UK8AA-8EKRS and reference model based on the ATI RADEON XPRESS 200 chipset.

Introduction

The subject of our latest testing were motherboards designed to work with processors of the AMD Athlon64/AMD Athlon64 FX family (Socket 939) and supporting GUI PCI Express x16. This choice was due to several reasons. Firstly, the growing popularity of solutions based on the AMD64 architecture, in particular desktop processors built on its basis. And this is not at all surprising, since the appearance of AMD Athlon64 processors was a breakthrough that brought a number of innovative solutions to the world of desktop PCs, among which, first of all, it should be noted the appearance of a memory controller integrated on the processor core, which not only allowed to reduce latency when working with RAM, but coupled with the use of the HyperTransport bus as a system interface, it will significantly make life easier for manufacturers of system logic and Cool'n'Quiet technology.

By dynamically controlling the clock frequency and voltage of the processor depending on its load level, this technology can reduce system power consumption and provide more efficient (and most importantly, low-noise) cooling of the central processor.

Secondly, we paid attention to this category of motherboards because a large number of new chipsets are currently being offered that are designed to work with processors of the AMD Athlon64/AMD Athlon64 FX family. Almost all system logic manufacturers have presented solutions for these processors that support the PCI Express x16 graphic interface. The choice of the Socket 939 processor socket was primarily due to the desire to present the most productive models of motherboards, since this particular packaging form factor for AMD Athlon64/AMD Athlon64 FX processors implies the presence of a dual-channel memory controller. As for specific models

Thus, our testing involved nine motherboards built on the chipsets of the ATI RADEON XPRESS 200 (ATI RS480), NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra and VIA K8T890 these are ABIT AX8, ABIT Fatal1ty AN8, Albatron K8X890 Pro, ASUS A8V- E Deluxe, Gigabyte GA-K8NXP-9, Gigabyte GA-K8VT890-9, MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum, WinFast NF4UK8AA-8EKRS and a reference model on the ATI RADEON XPRESS 200 chipset.

Test participants

When considering the capabilities of motherboards, it would be logical to start by getting acquainted with their main technical characteristics(Table 1), after which our readers may be interested in familiarizing themselves with some subjective assessments and comments regarding the presented models.

The ABIT AX8 motherboard is based on the VIA K8T890 system logic chipset (VIA K8T890 + VIA VT8237R). The first thing you immediately notice when looking at the ABIT AX8 motherboard is its unconventional asymmetrical design. Thus, the north bridge chip in this model is located closer to the output panel, and the processor socket is now located slightly to the right of the imaginary central axis of the board, exactly in the center of the DIMM slots intended for installing RAM modules. By the way, despite the well-known passion of ABIT for various kinds of original active cooling systems, this time a passive, albeit rather large, aluminum radiator should ensure optimal temperature conditions for the operation of the north bridge chip, which will certainly appeal to users seeking to reduce the noise of their computer systems. Speaking about the design features of this motherboard, it is worth noting three more unusual design solutions: the use of PATA IDE connectors oriented parallel to the motherboard, the placement of the main 24-pin power connector on the left side of the board (at the output panel) in close proximity to the 4-pin connector ATX12V and the presence of an additional MOLEX connector (apparently, it should provide additional power to the PCI Express x16 slot when using powerful graphics cards when connecting a power supply with a 20-pin main cable).

Today, of course, it is impossible to imagine a new motherboard from ABIT without ABIT Engineered technologies, and the AX8 model is no exception. To understand this, it is not necessary to study the specifications and the included instructions, since even a cursory glance at the board is enough to notice a small chip with a holographic sticker, on which there is a name already well known to many users? Guru, indicating that the ABIT AX8 motherboard has everyone set of functions provided by ABIT ?Guru Technology. These include ABIT OC Guru, ABIT EQ, ABIT Flash Menu, ABIT Black Box and, naturally, the long-time favorite of many overclockers - the low-level ABIT ?Guru Utility, accessible through the BIOS Setup menu. It should be noted that there is another ABIT Engineered technology that has found its application in the described motherboard model: CPU ThermalGuard Technology, which provides additional protection for the processor from overheating and through which, if a critical temperature is reached, the system shuts down.

Another very useful solution that can be considered traditional for ABIT motherboards is a two-digit seven-segment POST indicator, thanks to which you can easily localize and identify possible faults computer system.

The ABIT Fatal1ty AN8 model is built on the NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra chipset. With a more detailed acquaintance with the capabilities and scope of delivery of this motherboard, one can come to the conclusion that this model has become a real testing ground for new ideas from ABIT specialists. Everything about this board indicates its special place among other models from the company. Even the packaging - a black book-like box with an ominous slogan on the spread "Built to kill" and with windows revealing some key design elements with explanations of the benefits their presence promises - is not typical for the products of this company. Already by appearance boxes it is not difficult to guess that the target audience this decision ABIT marketers primarily target gamers and computer enthusiasts.

Among a number of original solutions used in the ABIT Fatal1ty AN8 model, the most interesting, in our opinion, are two implementations of the proprietary cooling concept ABIT OTES Technology OTES Power and OTES RAMFlow, which should provide correspondingly more efficient cooling of the hot elements of the VRM block and memory modules. This solution makes the ABIT Fatal1ty AN8 a real find for those who like to experiment with extreme overclocking of the system, especially since the board provides the greatest opportunities for overclocking and diagnosing possible faults thanks to the functions of ABIT ?Guru Technology and a two-digit seven-segment POST procedure indicator. CPU ThermalGuard Technology capabilities provide a higher level of processor protection from overheating.

Another interesting feature of this motherboard is the original approach to the implementation of sound capabilities. Thus, the audio codec chip and audio connectors are soldered onto a separate AudioMAX module, for installation of which a special connector of the same name is provided on the motherboard. ABIT specialists gave this solution the sonorous name AudioMAX Technology. It is, of course, not new, but for the ABIT Fatal1ty AN8 model it came in handy, since a significant part of the space usually allocated for output panel connectors is occupied by the OTES Power cooling system.

Perhaps this model will find its fans among fans of computer modding. Red textolite, red and black slots, red backlight of the board (by the way, the board has eight LED indicators, six of which (red) are located with reverse side motherboard, apparently for a purely decorative purpose) all this will help bring some design ideas to life.

The Albatron K8X890 Pro board, built on the VIA K8T890 system logic chipset (VIA K8T890 + VIA VT8237R), surprised us with two unexpected solutions. Firstly, there are no slots on the board Express x1, and instead of them one PCI Express x4 slot is implemented. This solution may seem controversial at first glance, although from a practical point of view it is quite justified, since this interface is compatible with both PCI Express x1 and PCI Express x2. As for the number of slots, at present there are very few expansion cards with the PCI Express interface (unless, of course, you take into account video cards), and the functionality of the motherboard is such that hardly anyone will doubt that their the quantity will not be enough even for very demanding users.

Secondly, this is the mPOWER technology implemented in this model. Apparently, the laurels of GIGABYTE Technology, with which it was crowned for the invention of new power circuits, did not give rest to the specialists from Albatron Technology. And now their research in this area has materialized in the form of the mPOWER module, the installation of which makes it possible to obtain not a three-phase, as was the case before its installation, but a four-phase power supply circuit, which should reduce the load on the power channels (primarily this concerns power central processor), and this, in turn, should lead to an increase in the stability of the supply voltage and, as a result, increase the stability of the system as a whole. It is also important that the motherboard can successfully work with both installed module mPOWER, and without it.

In addition, I would like to note that the Albatron K8X890 Pro motherboard is the only model built on the VIA K8T890 chipset fully realizes the capabilities of VIA Vinyl Audio technology, which implies the implementation of eight-channel audio using the VIA Envy 24PT PCI audio controller and six-channel audio codec.

The ASUS A8V-E Deluxe motherboard, which is built on the VIA K8T890 chipset (VIA K8T890 + VIA VT8237R), has become another model that has joined the ranks of the Proactive AI series. And this already says a lot, because only the best of the best, the most advanced, the most functional motherboards incorporating the latest proprietary developments can be marked with the logo of this elite series.

The first thing that immediately attracts attention when looking at the board is the microcircuit covered with a shiny metal screen physical level Wi-Fi controller. It is the presence of this controller, which supports the wireless network of IEEE 802.11g standards, that has become one of the main advantages of this motherboard. But still, the main advantage of this model, in our opinion, is the richest set of tools for system overclocking, ranging from a banal “manual” increase in frequencies and supply voltage of the main system interfaces to such specially developed technologies as AI Overclocking (providing the simplest way system overclocking), AI NOS (Non-delay Overclocking System, allowing dynamic overclocking depending on system load) and PEG Link Mode (providing increased performance of the graphics subsystem). Since we are talking about overclocking, it would be worth noting that to ensure better cooling of the hot elements of the VRM module, an aluminum radiator is used, which to a certain extent contributes to more stable operation of the system under increased loads on the power channels. All this, coupled with a number of technologies that ensure the system is unsinkable even during extreme overclocking experiments, such as ASUS CrashFree BIOS2 (allows you to restore the BIOS using the motherboard support CD) and C.P.R. (CPU Parameter Recall allows you to restore after reboot

BIOS settings

by default when an attempt to overclock the processor fails), making this board an excellent choice for those who want to try their hand at overclocking. Gigabyte GA-K8NXP-9 Gigabyte GA-K8NXP-9 is based on the NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra chipset and, like the rest

motherboards
EasyTune 5 utility, which allows you to overclock the system directly from Windows environment;
low-level “tweaker” of the M.I.T. system (Motherboard Intelligent Tweaker), which makes it possible through the menu BIOS Setup carry out all settings directly related to overclocking;
S.O.S technology (System Overclock Saver), which allows you to avoid the consequences of rash actions of a user who is overzealous when overclocking the system;
system for remote monitoring of the status of the C.O.M. system. (Corporate Online Management);
the Xpress Recovery option, built into the BIOS and allowing you to make a backup of the system with the possibility of subsequent recovery from the created image;
Xpress Install utility, which allows you to extremely simplify the process of installing motherboard drivers and the utilities included with it.

The Gigabyte GA-K8VT890-9 motherboard is based on the VIA K8T890 system logic chipset (VIA K8T890 + VIA VT8237R).

When creating this model, GIGABYTE Technology specialists apparently did not set themselves the task of once again surprising the world with original solutions and unusual technologies. This is simply a high-quality and reliable product, which, in our opinion, is the main advantage of the Gigabyte GA-K8VT890-9.

Powered by the NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra chipset, the MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum is a clear example of an attempt to create a core PC platform with the highest possible level of functionality. And it should be noted that Micro-Star International specialists succeeded: at least in terms of the number of integrated devices, only the most complete motherboards presented in this test can be compared with this model.

Specific features of this model include the presence of a PCI Express x4 slot, which, by the way, can only operate in PCI Express x2 mode, since there are two more PCI Express lines (in total, the chipset supports 20 PCI Express lines, 16 of which are used for the graphical interface PCI Express x16) are used by the network controller and the PCI Express x1 slot.

When looking at the board, it’s hard not to notice the orange PCI slot that stands out from the rest of the slots. This is the so-called Communication Slot, specially optimized for the operation of various network cards, including proprietary MSI Dual-Net modules, and combining Wi-Fi and Bluetooth controllers on one PCI board.

And of course, speaking about Micro-Star International motherboards, one cannot ignore such company know-how as the CoreCell chip, which opens up new opportunities for energy saving (PowerPro technology), noise reduction (BuzzFree technology), and increasing the life expectancy of components systems (LifePro technology, based on constant temperature control and intelligent fan control) and dynamic overclocking (Speedster and D.O.T).

By the way, here it would probably be appropriate to remind readers that it was MSI, which at one time first implemented D.O.T technology on its motherboards, is a pioneer in the development of tools that provide dynamic overclocking of the system. Last interesting feature

This model uses a button to reset the CMOS BIOS instead of the traditional “jumper”.

WinFast NF4UK8AA-8EKRS Built on the NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra chipset, the WinFast NF4UK8AA-8EKRS motherboard is, in our opinion, good example

how to create a top-end model without resorting to any circuitry sophistication, but simply by implementing the capabilities inherent in the base chipset. Although in fairness it is worth noting that there is still one additional integrated device on the board - this is the IEEE-1394a Agere FW3226 controller.

The features of the WinFast NF4UK8AA-8EKRS motherboard probably include the presence of an additional MOLEX connector (apparently, it should provide additional power to the PCI Express x16 slot when using powerful graphics cards when connecting a power supply with a 20-pin main cable) .

This reference motherboard is based on the ATI RADEON XPRESS 200 chipset (ATI RS480 + ATI IXP400). This motherboard is the only model in our review made in the microATX format. But, perhaps, its main feature is not the form factor, but the presence of an integrated graphics core ATI RADEON XPRESS 200, which was based on the already well-known RADEON X300 solution, albeit with a halved number of pixel pipelines (their number was reduced from four to two) . And although assessing the capabilities of integrated “graphics” is not at all included in the tasks of this testing, one cannot help but note the fact that this model motherboard built on the RADEON XPRESS 200 chipset from ATI Technologies, which, by the way, became the first system logic chipset with an integrated graphics core for computer platforms based on AMD Athlon 64 processors and also has full hardware support for DirectX 9, including vertex and pixel shaders version 2.0 (there is a version of this chipset without a graphics core it is called ATI RADEON XPRESS 200P.) To be fair, it must be said that motherboards on these chipsets have not yet become widespread even the motherboard model for testing we were able to obtain only thanks to the assistance of the Russian representative office of ATI Technologies. Nevertheless, we considered it necessary to include it in the testing program so that readers could get an idea of the capabilities of products based on the new chipset, which will probably soon appear on the Russian market.

Testing methodology

For testing we used test stand following configuration:

Processor AMD Athlon64 4000+ (2.4 GHz);

Memory 2x512 MB PC3200 Trancend,

memory timings:

RAS Act. to Pre 8,

CAS# Latency 2.5,

RAS# to CAS# delay 3,

RAS# Precharge 3;

Graphics card PowerColor X800 Pro;

HDD Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 80 GB (ST380013A8).

Testing was carried out under the control of the operating room Microsoft systems Windows XP Service Pack 2 with installed updates for the chipset and video driver ATI CATALYST 5.2. For each tested motherboard, the latest BIOS firmware version was used at the time of testing. At the same time, all settings of the basic I/O system were disabled, allowing for any overclocking of the system.

During the tests, test packages were used that evaluate the overall performance of the system when surfing the Internet, namely the BAPCo WebMark 2004 test package (patch 1), and when working with office applications and multimedia applications used to create Internet content, Office Productivity and Internet Content Creation from the BAPCo SySMark 2004 test package (patch 2). The capabilities of the tested motherboard models for 3D gaming applications were determined using the FutureMark 3DMark 2005 v.1.2.0 test package and a number of test videos of such popular games as Half-Life 2, Unreal Tournament 2004, FarCry (patch 1.3) and DOOM III ( patch 1.1). For a more detailed analysis of the operation of motherboards (primarily the memory subsystem), synthetic tests SiSoft Sandra 2005 SP1, ScienceMark 2.0 and Cache Burst 32 were used. In addition, the testing assessed the performance of motherboards when performing complex mathematical calculations, for which the Molecular utility was used Dynamics Benchmark from the ScienceMark 2.0 test package, through which the calculation time of the thermodynamic model of the argon atom was determined. The time to convert a reference WAV file to an MP3 file (MPEG-1 Layer III) was also assessed, for which the AudioGrabber v1.83 utility with the Lame 3.97 codec was used, as well as a reference MPEG-2 file to an MPEG-4 file using the VirtualDub 1.5 utility .10 and DivX Pro 5.2.1 codec and into a WME file using Windows utilities Media Encoder 9.

Criteria for evaluation

To assess the capabilities of motherboards, we derived two integral indicators:

integral performance indicator to evaluate the performance of tested motherboards;
integral quality indicator for comprehensive performance assessment and functionality motherboards.

The need to introduce these indicators was due to our desire to compare boards not only by individual characteristics and test results, but also as a whole, that is, integrally. In this testing, we decided to abandon the evaluation criteria related to the price of motherboards, since many of the presented models are new products and are not yet sold on the Russian market.

A few words about how the above integral indicators were determined.

Office and multimedia tasks (BAPCo SySMark 2004 and BAPCo WebMark2004).
Conversion time estimation (WAV > MPEG-1 Layer III, MPEG-2 > MPEG-4, MPEG-2 > WME).
Scientific computing (Molecular Dynamics Benchmark from the ScienceMark 2.0 test suite).
Game tests(FutureMark 3DMark 2005, Half-Life 2, Unreal Tournament 2004, FarCry and DOOM III).

Each group of tests was assigned a weight coefficient (Table 2), which, in accordance with our subjective opinion, reflects the level of priority of one or another type of task for a modern high-performance PC.

Table 2. Weighting coefficients

For each group, a geometric mean was calculated, characterizing the performance of a particular motherboard for various types applied tasks:

,

Where g i geometric average characterizing the performance of the motherboard when performing application tasks i-th group;R ij result of the jth test i groups; n number of tests in the group.

The integral performance indicator was determined as the geometric mean of the weighted normalized values of the geometric mean of each group.

,

Where P pr integral performance indicator; G i normalized value of the geometric mean characterizing the performance of the motherboard when executing application tasks of the i-th groups; k i weight coefficient i groups; i number of groups.

We used the integral quality indicator as a kind of comprehensive assessment of the functionality of motherboards (when setting it, we were guided by the criteria given in Table 3) and their performance.

List of evaluated motherboard capabilities	Grade
Supports two SATA ports with the ability to create RAID arrays of levels 0 and 1
Supports four SATA ports with the ability to create RAID arrays of levels 0 and 1
Supports six or more SATA ports with the ability to create RAID levels 0 and 1
Availability of 6-channel audio
Availability of 8-channel sound
Availability of Gigabit Ethernet controller
Availability of a second gigabit controller
Availability of 10/100 Mbit Ethernet controller
Availability of Wi-Fi controller (802.11g)
Availability of IEEE-1394b controller
Availability of IEEE-1394a controller
Implementation of proprietary technologies, etc.

Table 3. Motherboard functionality assessment

This indicator was determined as the geometric mean of the normalized value of the integral performance indicator and the normalized value of the functional capabilities assessment:

,

Where P k integral quality indicator; nP pr normalized value of the integral performance indicator; nP f normalized value of a comprehensive assessment of functionality.

The result of all the above manipulations with scores and coefficients was the determination of the “quality/price” indicator for the tested motherboard models.

Test results

Comparing the performance of motherboards designed to work with AMD Athlon64/AMD Athlon64 FX processors is difficult, especially when we are talking about models built on different chipsets. Because when making such comparisons, you always want to come to an unambiguous and, if possible, objective conclusion about which set of system logic (and, consequently, solutions based on it) is the most productive. But in the case of the AMD64 architecture, everything is not so simple, since with the same configuration of the disk and video subsystems, the main contribution to the overall performance is made by the work of the “Central Processor / Memory” combination. With traditional architecture, the operation of this bundle meant the interaction of the central processor with the northbridge chip, and each system logic manufacturer offered its own options for implementing the controller and memory arbiter, its own technologies for processing requests to the processor through the system bus controller. In the case of AMD Athlon64/AMD Athlon64 FX processors, which, in addition to the processor core itself, also include a memory controller, there is no longer any need to talk about a clear performance advantage of one or another chipset. For this reason, the test results turned out to be more dependent than ever on the selected configuration, in particular on how well a particular motherboard works with the specific model of memory modules used in testing. It was the work of RAM that turned out to be the decisive criterion in determining the leader. Although in fairness it is worth noting that motherboards built on the NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra chipset turned out to be, on average, slightly faster than their rivals, which, in our opinion, is explained by the single-chip architecture of this solution, which resulted in a decrease in latency when accessing the system devices responsible for their operation. Traditionally, the south bridge is responsible for the memory and processor.

In order not to be unfounded in the above statements, let us consider the test results (Table 4).

But still, the main criteria when choosing a motherboard for most users are, first of all, its functionality and, of course, in these aspects, the difference between solutions based on different sets of system logic chips is much more obvious. Thus, the undisputed leaders in terms of the level of functionality offered are motherboards built on the NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra chipset. This chipset provides many important capabilities:

bidirectional HyperTransport bus (16x16 bits, operating frequency 1 GHz);
PCI Express x16 graphic interface;
support for three PCI Express x1 ports;
support for six PCI slots;
four-port SATA 2.0 controller (maximum throughput channel up to 3 Gbit/s, NCQ support);
dual-channel IDE ATA133 controller;
the ability to organize a RAID array of level 0, 1 or 0+1 from disks connected to any built-in IDE controllers;
Gigabit Ethernet controller (MAC level);
eight-channel sound controller AC’97;
10 USB 2.0 ports;
ActiveArmor Firewall with hardware core.

It is clear that motherboards based on the NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra chipset turned out to be the most functional solutions, especially since manufacturers such as GIGABYTE Technology, ASUSTeK Computer, Inc. and Micro-Star International, in their models that participated in our testing, further expanded the already considerable capabilities basic set system logic chips, placing additional integrated controllers on the board and implementing a number of interesting proprietary developments.

But competing solutions also have their trump cards. So, the VIA K8T890 chipsets, of course, have a more modest, but nevertheless quite acceptable, by modern standards, level of functionality - this is, of course, a lower price. And motherboards based on the chipset from ATI Technologies will certainly find their fans thanks to the excellent integrated graphics core ATI RADEON XPRESS 200.

The editors express gratitude to the companies for providing equipment for testing:

to the Russian representative office of AMD (www.amd.com/ru-ru/) for AMD processor Athlon64 4000+;
to the Russian representative office of ABIT (www.abit.ru) for parent ABIT boards AX8 and ABIT Fatal1ty AN8;
Albatron Technology (www.albatron.ru) for the Albatron K8X890 Pro motherboard;
to the Russian representative office of ATI Technologies (www.ati.com) for a motherboard based on the ATI RADEON XPRESS 200 chipset;
to the Russian representative office of GIGABYTE Technology (www.gigabyte.ru) for Gigabyte GA-K8NXP-9 and Gigabyte GA-K8VT890-9 motherboards;
Trinity Logic (www.tl-c.ru) for the WinFast NF4UK8AA-8EKRS motherboard;
company "PIRIT" (www.pirit.ru) for the parent ASUS board A8V-E Deluxe;
company "INLINE" (www.inline-online.ru) for the MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum motherboard.

Hi all. In today's article we'll talk about a complete diagnosis of all devices in your computer. I will show and tell you how to independently diagnose a computer and all its component devices:

HDD.
RAM.
Video card.
Motherboard.
CPU.
Power unit.

We will check all this in this article and for each of the computer devices I will make a video in which I will clearly show how to diagnose a particular device.

In addition, using diagnostics, you will be able to determine whether you should completely replace the device or whether you can repair it; we will also analyze the main problems of devices that can be determined without diagnostics. Well, let's start with the most important question that interests everyone - diagnostics HDD/SSD.

HDD and SSD disk diagnostics.

Disk diagnostics are done in two directions; they check the Smart system of the hard or solid state drive and directly check the disk for bad or slow sectors. In order to check the SMART HDD and SSD, we will use the program. You can download it from our website in the download section.

Well, now let’s go directly to the disk diagnostics itself, after downloading the program, run the file of the required bit depth and look at the main window if you see a blue icon with the caption good or in English good means with yours SMART disk everything is in order and further diagnostics need not be carried out.

If you see a yellow or red icon with the words carefully, bad, then there are some problems with your disk. You can find the exact problem below in the list of essential SMART diagnostic items. Wherever there are yellow and red icons opposite the inscription, it will indicate that it is in this part that your disk was damaged.

If your disk has already exhausted its lifespan, then there is no point in repairing it. If you have several broken sectors, then there is still a possibility of repair. I will talk about repairing bad sectors further. If there are many bad sectors on the disk, more than 10, or many very slow sectors, then it is not worth restoring such a disk. After some time, it will still crumble further, it will need to be constantly restored/repaired.

Software disk repair.

By repair I mean the relocation of bad and slow sectors on the disk. This instruction is only suitable for HDDs, that is, only hard drive. For an SSD, this operation will not help in any way, but will only worsen the condition of the solid-state drive.

Repairing will help extend the life of your hard drive a little more. To restore bad sectors we will use the HDD regenerator program. Download and run this program, wait while the program collects data about your drives; after the data has been collected, you will see a window in which you will need to click on the inscription - Click here to bad sectors on demaget drive surfase directly under Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 and 10. Click You need to quickly click on the inscription in OS 8 and 10, so the window will quickly disappear, in 7 everything is fine. Next, click NO. Then select your drive from the list. Click the start process button. A window will appear like command line in which you will need to press 2, Enter, 1, Enter.

After the completed operations, the system will begin scanning for bad sectors and moving them to unreadable disk partitions. In fact, bad sectors do not disappear, but in the future they do not interfere with the operation of the system and you can continue to use the disk. The process of checking and restoring the disk may take a long time, depending on the size of your disk. When the program is finished, press button 5 and Enter. If you encounter any errors while testing and fixing bad sectors, it means that your disk cannot be recovered. If you have found more than 10 bads - bad sectors, then restoring such a disk does not make sense, there will always be problems with it.

The main signs of disk failure are:

departures to blue screen.

Windows interface freezes.

There may be other problems, but it is not possible to tell about them all.

Video on how to diagnose HDD/SSD:

RAM diagnostics

This time we will conduct diagnostics of RAM. There are several options in which you can check the RAM, this is when your computer is still turning on and working somehow, and when you can no longer turn on the computer, Only the BIOS loads.
The main signs that the RAM is not working:

When loading resource-intensive applications, the computer freezes or restarts.
When using the computer for a long time, more than 2 hours, Windows begins to slow down, and as time increases, the slowdown increases.
When installing any programs, you cannot install them, the installation fails with errors.
Sound and video jamming.

The first thing we will look at is how to check the RAM if your Windows boots. Everything is very simple, in any of operating systems Starting with Windows Vista, you can type in the search tool Windows memory. When the shortcut appears, run it as administrator and see a message stating that you can reboot and start scanning right now or schedule a scan the next time you turn on the computer. Select the value you need. After the computer restarts, the RAM test will automatically start immediately. It will be carried out in standard mode, wait until the end of the test and you will find out if everything is okay with your RAM. In addition, after you have already loaded Windows, in the event viewer you can open the Windows logs, select the System item and find the memory diagnostic event in the list on the right. In this event you will see all the information about the diagnostics performed. Based on this information, you can find out whether the RAM is working.
The next option for diagnosing RAM if you cannot boot Windows. To do this, you need to write the program to a disk or bootable USB flash drive and run it from the BIOS. In the window that appears, a test to check random access memory (RAM) will be automatically launched. Wait until the test is completed and if there are any problems with your memory, the test window will change from blue to red. This will indicate defects or failure of the RAM. That's all, you have learned how to diagnose RAM.

Video on how to check the RAM:

Video card diagnostics

The main signs of a video card defect:

The computer hits the blue screen of death.
Artifacts appear on the screen - multi-colored dots, stripes or rectangles.
When loading games, the computer freezes or restarts.
When using a computer for a long time in a game, performance decreases and the game begins to lag.
Video jamming, video playback failure, problems with flash player.
No smoothing in text or when rewinding documents or web pages.
Changing the color scheme.

All these are signs of some kind of video card defect. Testing a video card should be divided into two stages: checking the graphics chip and checking the video card memory.

Checking the graphics chip of the video card (GPU)

To check the graphics chip you can use various programs which put a load on this chip and detect failures under critical load. We will use the program, and FurMark.
Launch Aida at the bottom of the tray near the clock, right-click and select system stability test. In the window that appears, check the box next to GPU Stress Test. The test will be launched below and you will see a graph of temperature changes, fan speed, and current consumption. To check, a 20-minute test is enough; if at this time the lower field with the graph turns red or the computer reboots, then there are problems with your video card.
Let's launch OCCT. Go to the GPU 3D tab, do not change the settings and press the ON button. Next, a window will appear with a furry donut, which is a visual test. The test will take 15-20 minutes. I recommend monitoring the temperature and monitoring the power readings; if multi-colored dots, stripes or rectangles appear on the screen, this will indicate that there is a problem with the video card. If the computer turns off spontaneously, this will also indicate a defect in the video card.
Now we have analyzed the diagnostics of the video card processor, but sometimes there are also problems with the video card memory.

Diagnostics of video card memory

For this diagnostic we will use the program. Unpack the program and run it as administrator. In the window that appears, put a checkmark next to the inscription signal if there are errors and press the start button. A check of the video card's RAM will be launched; if any errors are detected with the memory, the program will emit a characteristic sound signal, on some computers the signal will be system.
That's all, now you can diagnose the video card yourself. Check the GPU and video card memory.

Video card testing video:

Motherboard diagnostics

The main signs of a motherboard malfunction:

The computer hits the blue screen of death, reboots and turns off.
The computer freezes without rebooting.
The cursor, music and video (freezes) get stuck.
Connected devices disappear - HDD/SSD, drive, USB drives.
Ports, USB and network connectors do not work.
The computer does not turn on, does not start, does not boot.
The computer works slowly, often slows down or freezes.
The motherboard makes various sounds.

Visual inspection of the motherboard

The first thing you need to do to diagnose a motherboard is to conduct a visual inspection of the motherboard. What you need to pay attention to:

Chips and cracks - if such damage is present, the motherboard will not turn on at all or will turn on only once.
Swollen capacitors - due to swollen capacitors, the computer can turn on after 3, 5, 10 attempts or after a certain time, it can also go out for no reason and slow down.
Oxidation - the computer may turn on every once in a while and slow down. It may not turn on at all if the tracks are completely oxidized.
Warmed-up chips, microchips will have small burnt spots or holes - because of this, the computer may not turn on or the ports, network cards, sound or USB will not work.
Scratches on paths are the same as with chips and cracks.
Burnt around chips and ports leads to complete inoperability of the motherboard or its individual parts.

Software diagnostics of the motherboard

If your computer turns on and boots into Windows, but there are strange glitches and slowdowns, it’s worth doing software diagnostics of the motherboard using the program. Download and install the program, launch it, right-click on its icon at the bottom of the tray near the clock and select “service” - “system stability test”. Check the boxes next to Stress CPU, Stress FPU, Stress cache, and uncheck the rest. Press the "Start" button, the computer will freeze, and the test will begin. During the test, monitor the temperature of the processor and motherboard, as well as power. We carry out the test for a minimum of 20 minutes and a maximum of 45 minutes. If during the test the bottom field turns red or the computer turns off, then the motherboard is faulty. Also, the shutdown may be due to the processor, uncheckStress CPU and check again. If you find overheating, then you need to check the cooling system of the motherboard and processor. If the power supply fluctuates, problems with both the motherboard and the power supply are possible.

If the computer starts but Windows does not boot, you can check the mainland through a boot test. It needs to be written to a disk or flash drive. I will show you in more detail how to use it in the video.

Diagnostics of the power supply unit (PSU)

The main signs of a faulty power supply:

The computer does not turn on at all.
The computer starts for 2-3 seconds and stops working.
The computer turns on 5-10-25 times.
When under load, the computer turns off, reboots, or displays a blue screen of death.
When under load, the computer slows down a lot.
Devices connected to the computer spontaneously disconnect and connect (screws, drives, USB devices).
Squeak (whistle) when the computer is running.
Unnatural noise from the power supply fan.

Visual inspection of power supply unit

The first thing to do if the power supply is faulty is to do a visual inspection. We disconnect the power supply from the case and disassemble the power supply itself. We check for:

Burnt, melted elements of the power supply unit - make sure that all the elements are intact; if you find burning or something obviously melted, we take the power supply unit for repair or replace it with a new one.
Swollen capacitors - replace swollen capacitors with new ones. Because of them, the computer may not turn on the first time or may die under load.
Dust - if dust is clogged in the fan and radiators, it must be cleaned; because of this, the power supply under load may turn off due to overheating.
Burnt fuse - when there is a voltage drop, the fuse often burns and needs to be replaced.

We checked everything but the power supply is behaving badly, let's see.

Software diagnostics of power supply

Software diagnostics of the power supply can be carried out using any test program that gives the maximum load on the power supply. Before doing such a check, you need to determine whether all elements of your PC have enough power from the power supply. You can check this like this: run the AIDA 64 program link above and go to the site for calculating the required power of the power supply. On the website, we transfer the data from Aida to the appropriate fields and click the Calculate button. This way we will be sure exactly how much power the power supply will be enough for the computer.

Let's proceed to the diagnosis of PD itself. Download the program. We install and launch it. Go to the Power Supply tab. Check the box to use all logical cores (does not work on all computers) and press the ON button. The test lasts an hour, and if during this time the computer turns off, reboots, or displays a blue screen, there are problems with the power supply (Before checking the power supply, you must first check the video card and processor to avoid the test being incorrect).

I won’t show you how to diagnose a power supply with a multimeter, because there is a ton of this information on the Internet, and it’s better for professionals to do such diagnostics. I will show you testing the power supply in more detail in the video below:

Popular in the category: