Lowest Voltage

[Anonymous user]

Just a curiosity question.. What is the lowest voltage that is safe for a PC..

[BillP]

Hi Edward, 

That depends on the type of PC you have and the kind of power supply it uses. This is a question that will need to be answered by the manufacturer of your PC. 

[Anonymous user]

I have a custom system so there is no maker other than myself to ask... And All i wanted was a ballpark for my own curiosity.  Not to base any setting on..

[voidstar_apc]

Speaking generally, low voltage shouldn't damage your PC (page 11 of ATX spec) however may result in the PC turning off during use or during UPS intervention.

You might want to look at the documentation for the power supply that is in your custom PC. You can also look at page 10 of the ATX specification for the minimum requirements:

http://www.formfactors.org/developer/specs/ATX12V%20PSDG2.01.pdf

Summarizing: At 115VAC nominal, the standard requires operation down to 90VAC. At 230VAC nominal, the standard requires operation down to 180VAC.

[Anonymous user · Accepted solution]

You might check the spec sheets for the power supply that you chose. Speaking in very general terms, most PC power supplies are rated for 90-140 volts AC or so when running from 120 volts AC and 180-260 volts AC when running on 220/240 volts AC.

Some PC power supplies might operate correctly from voltages exceeding these tolerances, but it's not the way to bet. Stresses on their components will be higher and a dramatic failure is much more likely to occur.