The weirdest problem you have ever heard: slight input voltage increase seems to affect my pc performance drastically

[alindefaugh]

So for the longest time I had issues in this location while gaming. I am on a second pc build that exhibits the same weirdness that made me actually quit playing Fifa though I loved the game. To use a simple clear example of weird behaviour, a game like Rocket League (maybe some have heard of this) just feels weird 99 % of the time. I play it using a controller (currently using a xbone controller) and the only requirement is being precise and almost every millisecond counts. On some rare occasions the game is way more responsive, long story short, its a night and day type difference won't go into detail, the important thing is that it's clear and I notice the change right away

So today for a couple of hours it was that rare good game-play. And I think for the first time I caught what was different from the rest of the time: I think it's a lower voltage being supplied. I know this because recently i started using a sine-wave UPS. It has a display that shows about 10 values. The first one is called INPUT and it displays a number labeled V so I assume it\s the outlet input voltage (probably butchering the terms but that's what I know). Usually it's 228-230. Today for the first time I've seen a value of 218! I played 2-3 hours everything was just great and smooth and responsive. I monitored the value and it was around 218-222 Later it started feel weird again; checked the value fast and it's 226. That moment the game even reported packet loss for a couple seconds (I have the router connected to the ups as well). I think I played for 3 hours and this was the first time the package loss was reported, too high of a coincidence... The voltage went to 227 and then it climbed to 228 and stayed there. I checked in offline gameplay for 5 minutes and it was trash again.

Assuming this was not a huge coincidence and that the voltage could be causing this, Is there any reasonable explanation
I understand the 230 V was introduced in the last years, before we had 220. I live in a old apartment complex and this was surely built when the standard was 220. My only guess as a complete novice is that the wires clearly are not replaced and the electrical company started supplying at some point 230 instead of 220. Maybe when it approaches 230 it can be somehow unstable and feed some junk into my ups who in turn screws up in a minor way that is visible only when using high demand games. Or maybe monitor slightly out of sync. It's the weirdest thing and I cannot state what goes wrong in what way but I can state with 100 % certainty that I see the difference in the game in 5 seconds. Feels like the inputs are rushing and not very consistent

Is anything I'm saying making any sense from an electrical perspective, have you ever heard of this? Help me out, what could I do where do I start. I know that the UPS is grounded even though all the outlets in the house were not, I called an electrician and he used a free spot in the electrical home panel that is not connected to the rest (thats how he explained it to me) to draw a cable and outlet that powers the UPS. Of course the home panel wires that come from the building were not touched.

 

[DPG]

The switch mode PSU in your PC will work on a much wider voltage range than the examples you have given. This variation in supply voltage will not cause packet loss or unresponsiveness.

I suppose if your machine is running right at the extreme if its max operating temperature then there is the ever so slight chance that a higher supply voltage may just push it into overheating.

 

[alindefaugh]

The switch mode PSU in your PC will work on a much wider voltage range than the examples you have given. This variation in supply voltage will not cause packet loss or unresponsiveness.

I suppose if your machine is running right at the extreme if its max operating temperature then there is the ever so slight chance that a higher supply voltage may just push it into overheating.

I actually thought about this and was cursing myself for not checking if there is any major change using Ryzen Master to check the temp but it was not a main concercn in the back of my head because the gpu is undervolted and works great and the cpu is around 70 when playing RL so it has a long way from reaching 95 and it has never happened even in games like COD that hammer the cpu.

I am not saying that the variation is causing anything directly. For now from my perspective I can only say I identified a clear factor that aligns with good gameplay, the first time since I have acknowledged that I have a reoccurring problem. That voltage value that I saw yesterday is an outlier just as my smooth gameplay is an outlier .

I'm not claiming any causation for now I am looking at it as a correlation and I'm trying to describe the issue in hope it would make sense from an electrical perspective because I have eliminated so many other factors I would bore you telling you about.

The system works great overall and is a massive improvement and even helped stabilize somewhat the issue I have but it is not perfect. Yesterday it was perfect. We are not talking about borderline not working, a mere de-sync for a random value of 15 to 30 milliseconds lets say somewhere could throw off the entire system when you play something that require your fastest reaction time and your greatest accuracy. Like I said maybe the monitor is the one taking a hit because of bad current or something and it translates to a small random delay etc etc

I would love to know if there can be general issues caused by improper wiring or old wiring or poor electricity etc.

Is the 220 v 230 v standard change that I described totally nonsensical in explaining why did the gameplay would feel more stable around 220 v instead of 230 v?

 

[DPG]

As I say, the power supply in your PC will maintain regulation over that input voltage range. You could prove this if you want by using a decent multimeter to measurec the 5V and 12V outputs while the PC is in use.

 

[SparkyChick]

If it's a good quality on-line UPS you may be able to adjust the output voltage... from the sounds of it though it's an off-line one which only kicks in when the power disappears completely.

As @DPG says, I might be inclined to monitor the voltages coming out of the power supply paying particular attention to the 3.3v, 5v and 12v. The 3.3v because I think that is the base of the supply to the CPU and the 12v because that what is supplied to the graphics card I believe.

I might also be inclined to change the PC power supply. As DPG stated, these units are capable of delivering with a massive range of input voltages, far beyond the fluctuations you are seeing. Spend money on the PSU if you haven't already, this is one of the components I never buy cheap.

 

[Lucien Nunes]

If the PSU is actually faulty, then it might have an influence. As stated above though, a normal PSU will handle anything from aboutt 90 to 250V while staying within specification. The power for some of the most critically voltage-sensitive parts of the PC is converted twice, once in the PSU and once on the board adjacent to the chipset, so even minor fluctuations in PSU output won't have any impact.

 

[alindefaugh]

If it's a good quality on-line UPS you may be able to adjust the output voltage... from the sounds of it though it's an off-line one which only kicks in when the power disappears completely.

As @DPG says, I might be inclined to monitor the voltages coming out of the power supply paying particular attention to the 3.3v, 5v and 12v. The 3.3v because I think that is the base of the supply to the CPU and the 12v because that what is supplied to the graphics card I believe.

I might also be inclined to change the PC power supply. As DPG stated, these units are capable of delivering with a massive range of input voltages, far beyond the fluctuations you are seeing. Spend money on the PSU if you haven't already, this is one of the components I never buy cheap.

Hi I have a pretty good PSU Corsair RMx Series RM650x, 650W, 80+ Gold
I watched those values, since getting the UPS they are rock solid, before when I was connecting to the wall outlet the 12 V was fluctuating like crazy all the time (not by huge percentages it was in range but not stable as now)

Also maybe I am not describing the problem correctly. The game runs great 300+fps looks good. Nothing breaks. System is not overheating. BUT I am playing a different game when the 'smooth gameplay' happens. It just is slower visually and the inputs are fast.

Let's look at it differently, can we have in theory a location where the current is 'bad'? A PC would work but the PSU is receiving a either a fluctuating current or a bad wave form etc (I know the terms are ridiculous but I know nothing about this just that the current comes as a wave or something like that)? Let's ignore the PC, can the monitor be influenced by this in theory, same unit can it work in one way in a location and have a small delay in another location giving the wiring at the location? This is the only angle I can tackle this as I have eliminated everything else and I can't just move to test it

Also if I understand you correctly the PSU outputs what it receives right? Gets 228 from the wall outlet it will send 228 to the PC something like that? If yes I can't adjust that. I have this thing: CyberPower CP1300EPFCLCD with Pure Sine Wave output

I cant help but think about this, if the apartment complex wiring was made when the standard in the country was 220V but years later it was changed to 230v and the electrical companies started supplying more or howeve the hell this was accomplished, is that wirring still doing a top notch job with this difference or something could in theory be a bit off?

 

[hasel5]

Is this a online game if so prob more related to that

 

[James]

I am wondering if as the input voltage to the UPS increases above a certain voltage, if the ups is becoming active and supply the pc with a poor quality (but correct voltage) supply.

if your computer is modified as it appears to be, it may be far more susceptible to variation to the supply waveform.
as you seem to have a poor quality power supply to the building that is changing
voltage, I would suggest a good quality double conversion, online UPS. (Pure sine wave output)

 

[DPG]

And also maybe try it without the UPS in the system for a while. See if you notice any difference.

 

[James]

And also maybe try it without the UPS in the system for a while. See if you notice any difference.

I did think about that, but with a highly modified pc, I would not like to run it without some form of protection on the input side of things.
it would be a case of try it at your own risk!
some of the better quality surge protector extension leads may give good enough over voltage protection.

just an after thought, if you are running the computer through a UPS, especially one that uses a modified sine wave output, I would not recommend having any form of surge protection extension lead between the UPS and the computer.
I doubt the electronics in the lead will be able to cope well with the waveform coming out of the UPS.
If you must have a surge protector for your own peace of mind, put it before the UPS.

 

[alindefaugh]

After some more testing I think it was a coincidence sadly

I have a somewhat unrelated question though, I noticed on the outside of the block 5-6 electrical cables that go right along the wall of the room where the pc is. Would this be a possible cause for some electro-magnetic field causing some interference or this is not a concern in any case whatsoever?

 

[Slimmct]

It's more likely a concern than the voltage drop. If you are getting 5% voltage drop, sounds like something is placing a demand on the line. If you are gaming, I'm guessing you're using ethernet, not wireless. Check that you haven't run your cable alongside the power cable.

When running your data cables next to power, you should try and separate by at least 200mm or 8" to avoid picking up interference on parallel runs, or just use a different route. More so of an issue is you are running gig ethernet. You will start getting line errors and packet drops and retransmits that will hit your throughput.

Edit: you can check if this is an issue using a free hosted checker such as Packet Loss Test – Test Your Connection Quality - https://packetlosstest.com

Wouldn't normally be a concern, and data cable is often run within 50mm of power in final delivery, with no to little impact. But it is worth checking for. Run a test when input is reading normal, and another when it drops.

 

[alindefaugh]

It's more likely a concern than the voltage drop. If you are getting 5% voltage drop, sounds like something is placing a demand on the line. If you are gaming, I'm guessing you're using ethernet, not wireless. Check that you haven't run your cable alongside the power cable.

When running your data cables next to power, you should try and separate by at least 200mm or 8" to avoid picking up interference on parallel runs, or just use a different route. More so of an issue is you are running gig ethernet. You will start getting line errors and packet drops and retransmits that will hit your throughput.

Edit: you can check if this is an issue using a free hosted checker such as Packet Loss Test – Test Your Connection Quality - https://packetlosstest.com

Wouldn't normally be a concern, and data cable is often run within 50mm of power in final delivery, with no to little impact. But it is worth checking for. Run a test when input is reading normal, and another when it drops.

I have optical fiber coming into the appartment and I am using an Ethernet cable from router to pc. I guess the power cable coming from the electrical panel is quite close as the pc is near it. But maybe you meant by power cable the ones that run outside apartments buildings

Anyway I did a test, I stopped the power to the UPS so the PC ran on the UPS battery. Shockingly it feels way better, I had about 10 minutes of gameplay offline and a bit online and it just feels like I have around 5-8 % more time to react, like everything is a bit slowed down and even the picture feels more clear, it's hard to describe. This is so weird

 

[DPG]

I have optical fiber coming into the appartment and I am using an Ethernet cable from router to pc. I guess the power cable coming from the electrical panel is quite close as the pc is near it. But maybe you meant by power cable the ones that run outside apartments buildings

Anyway I did a test, I stopped the power to the UPS so the PC ran on the UPS battery. Shockingly it feels way better, I had about 10 minutes of gameplay offline and a bit online and it just feels like I have around 5-8 % more time to react, like everything is a bit slowed down and even the picture feels more clear, it's hard to describe. This is so weird

You ideally need to do more testing than that. It could just be psychological. Blind A/B testing with the help of an assistant would be the way to prove it.