What do these voltages mean?

[meniscus]

Im running a program called lm-sensors on my computer. It monitors the current state of my hardware. Here is an example of the output it gives.......




Adapter: ISA adapter
VCore 1: +1.30 V (min = +1.42 V, max = +1.57 V) ALARM
VCore 2: +1.49 V (min = +2.40 V, max = +2.61 V) ALARM
+3.3V: +6.46 V (min = +3.14 V, max = +3.46 V) ALARM
+5V: +4.92 V (min = +4.76 V, max = +5.24 V)
+12V: +12.03 V (min = +11.39 V, max = +12.61 V)
-12V: -19.87 V (min = -12.63 V, max = -11.41 V) ALARM
-5V: -2.56 V (min = -5.26 V, max = -4.77 V) ALARM
Stdby: +5.00 V (min = +4.76 V, max = +5.24 V)
VBat: +3.18 V
fan1: 2909 RPM (min = 0 RPM, div = 16)
fan2: 0 RPM (min = 332 RPM, div = 16)
fan3: 3308 RPM (min = 664 RPM, div = 8)
M/B Temp: +41°C (low = +15°C, high = +40°C) sensor = thermistor
CPU Temp: +46°C (low = +15°C, high = +45°C) sensor = diode
Temp3: +41°C (low = +15°C, high = +45°C) sensor = thermistor






I just want to know which of the following values/rails apply directly to the CPU itself.
VCore1=1.3
VCore2=1.49
3.3
5
12
-12
-5
stdby =5
Vbat 3.18

And Why is there 2 Vcore's. Is one of them the chipset?

Thanks
meniscus

 

[Big B]

Assuming you're running a Pentium 4/AthlonXP system or newer, the CPU will be running off the +12V.

I'm not sure why the dual vCores, but, it wouldn't surprise me if it was measuring the northbridge.

 

[meniscus]

I thought CPUs run off 3.3 and 1.8V supplies? Am i totally wrong to assume that? What are all the rest of those readings for?

 

[Big B]

In the past, I believe they ran off the 5V rail, but CPU's began to require more juice, and they started switching them over to the 12V rail

3.3V powers the RAM, PCI slots, AGP slots
5V powers the drives, and older CPUs (P3 and older)
12V powers CPUs (Pentium 4/AthlonXP and newer), SATA hard drives, PCI Express

I'm not sure what the negative ones are for, but occasionally, some devices do require them, and if nothing else, they can be a ground wire, which are necessary.

There are no 1.8V rails in any power supply I'm aware of, at least any current standards.

 

[meniscus]

Here is a sample of the readings taken from the bios just after running lm sensors. Why is it showing 2 different sets of temperture readings? They were taken just after 1 another!!

« Sensors » example output taken from terminal
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
VCore 1: +1.30 V (min = +1.42 V, max = +1.57 V) ALARM
VCore 2: +1.49 V (min = +2.40 V, max = +2.61 V) ALARM
+3.3V: +6.46 V (min = +3.14 V, max = +3.46 V) ALARM
+5V: +4.89 V (min = +4.76 V, max = +5.24 V)
+12V: +11.90 V (min = +11.39 V, max = +12.61 V)
-12V: -19.87 V (min = -12.63 V, max = -11.41 V) ALARM
-5V: -2.56 V (min = -5.26 V, max = -4.77 V) ALARM
Stdby: +5.00 V (min = +4.76 V, max = +5.24 V)
VBat: +3.18 V
fan1: 3013 RPM (min = 0 RPM, div = 16)
fan2: 0 RPM (min = 332 RPM, div = 16)
fan3: 3375 RPM (min = 664 RPM, div = 8)
M/B Temp: +43°C (low = +15°C, high = +40°C) sensor = thermistor
CPU Temp: +48°C (low = +15°C, high = +45°C) sensor = diode
Temp3: +43°C (low = +15°C, high = +45°C) sensor = thermistor

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Phoenix Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility- PC Health status

CPU temp tag................................................... 68 (Possible failsafe shutoff temp?)CPU Voltage................................................... 1.31 VCore1AGP Voltage................................................... 1.48 VCore2
+3.3................................................................. 3.23 +3.3 (+6.46)
+5.................................................................... 4.91 variable +5(+4.89)
+12................................................................. 11.96 +12(+11.90)
-12................................................................. -11.95 -12(-19.87)
DDR Voltage.................................................. 2.57
+5VSB............................................................. 4.97 Stdby (+5)
Voltage Battery............................................... 3.2 VBat (+3.18)
System Temperature......................................... 49
CPU Temperature............................................. 62
Fan1 Speed................................................... 3125 Fan1
Fan2 Speed................................................... 0
Fan3 Speed................................................... 3443 Fan3

 

[Big B]

That is odd. I'm unfamiliar with the program you're using, so I can't say anything about the quality of the software. You might snag Speedfan and see how that matches up just to get a second opinion.

You may also want to find out if your motherboard's BIOS has a miscalibrated temp sensor. I don't know what motherboard you have, but if it's still using a thermistor in the CPU socket, it could be mis-calibrated.