this is actually a very useful device, it will tell u if the problem is with ur psu or something else. wouldda helped my friend, he thought there was a problem with his psu thts why his computer wasnt turning on, so he bought a new one, turns out it was the mobo all along. too bad.

Just ordered one, let's just hope this isn't a waste of corporate money!

There's nothing as annoying as not knowing if your power supply is good or not. I'd recommend one of these to anyone who has more than a couple computers under their care.

yes it can come in handy

Can this thing only test aluminum power supplies?

I've been eying the LED model for quite some time now... haven't pulled the trigger yet because really how often does a civilian need a power supply tester?

But I have to wonder is it really worth $15 to get the LCD read out of the actual voltages? The LED only model also sells on the same web site as this one.

This device can indicate "some" types of PSU problems. The problem is, it cannot indicate all types of PSU problems, and it cannot tell you that you have a properly working PSU either.

In other words, it is able to indicate certain types of moderate faults and it mostly a toy - you're better off buying a $15 multimeter and just plugging that PSU into a load like a hard drive or old system if not still connected to the intended load (system).

Since it is effectively an embedded voltmeter, it is a neat toy gizmo for those unacquainted with a multimeter, but for those people, I'd have to wonder if they can recognize it's limitations too. IMO, better to learn how to do it with a multimeter and the multimeter has another very important function which is to measure the voltage while connected to the actual load- this tester doesn't come remotely close to as high a load as a typical system.

I have one of these. I love it. I have the LED model too. I had a computer in the shop today with a -12 volt reading of -11 It would reboot randomly. All of the other voltages were ok. Hooked up a new PS. No more reboots. The LED tester did not pick up the problem. To hell with trying to back probe the 20 or 24 pin P1 connector while the computer is running, especially one of those small HPs or Dells. I have a Fluke 87. I would rather use this first. I know this LCD tester dosent test the system with a load. O well, if the tester says its bad with no load, it is bad. If it says it is good, maybe it is. If you still suspect the PS, back probe it while it is running. I guess im just too lazy and hard of seeing to do it the hard way first.

I have one of these. I love it. I have the LED model too. I had a computer in the shop today with a -12 volt reading of -11 It would reboot randomly. All of the other voltages were ok. Hooked up a new PS. No more reboots. The LED tester did not pick up the problem. To hell with trying to back probe the 20 or 24 pin P1 connector while the computer is running, especially one of those small HPs or Dells. I have a Fluke 87. I would rather use this first. I know this LCD tester dosent test the system with a load. O well, if the tester says its bad with no load, it is bad. If it says it is good, maybe it is. If you still suspect the PS, back probe it while it is running. I guess im just too lazy and hard of seeing to do it the hard way first.

This one seems to be only for aluminum power supplies. I need one for titanium power supplies.

#7 is spot on. Buying a cheap DMM is probably a lot more usefull than this thing. If you don't want to experiment with your hardware, you can always load it with a high power rating resistor. I bought a used pack of 10 that were 10 Ohm 25 Watt for a few bucks on ebay a while back. Something like that should do the trick.

There's a lot of info out there about do it yourself power supply maintenance. Be sure that you actually turn the power supply on (not just by flipping the switch). One of the pins on the motherboard connector usually needs to be grounded. Here's a good pinout site that I use: http://pinoutsbacon/

bacon filter... nice... the top level domain is russian (ru) and the domain name is pinouts (here is a test to see if "dot ru" is filtered to bacon: bacon)

Isn't this the exact same thing as the COOLMAX PS-224 LCD Power Supply Tester (RoHS Compliant)on NewEgg? If you look at the close up picture, they blacked out other marking on the unit. It's also the same price at NewEgg (23.99) and NewEgg has better customer service.

I have the previous model to this one (without the lcd) and it has saved me hours of trouble shooting time, by looking at the simple components first. this is a must have for multiple computer owners who have basic computer knowledge.

I still prefer my multimeter. =P You can't test the power under load with this little guy.

#9 ironically demonstrates what the problem is with this tester. An unused -12V rail at -11V is not a problem and not why that tested PSU failed to run the system acceptibly. So, the tester falsely indicated a problem that didn't exist, but did not indicate the actual problem. This means you'd end up rejecting PSU that had no problems and not catching PSU with same problem #9 had.

Hint- -12 and -5 rails aren't used by modern systems except in rare cases and aren't at all likely to fail at these low trickle currents in the rare caes when they are used. It's possible a board had a bios or software monitor that was buggy and didn't discriminate that unused fails may fluctuate in voltage, but this is a board QC, not PSU problem.

Note that this kind of situation may even become more common now with the push for higher efficiency PSU, as it tends to result in PSU manufacturers doing away with static loads inside the PSU to stabilize voltage (but waste power) when the system isn't loading any particular rail.