Clever Power CPU Stabilizer



Are we the PC-industry's "Crash Test Dummies?" The PC-industry is obviously a for-profit business and as such the devices found on most main boards are designed to meet system requirements at stock speed and voltages, This is reason so many overclocking articles use the disclaimer "Overclocking or modding voids your warranty..." Surely no company will admit to placing profits before product integrity and there is a concerted effort by companies such as DFI, AOpen, Abit and now "Asus-Byte" (or "Giga-Tek") whom are building with the PC-enthusiast in mind. The fact remains in the last few years motherboard prices have literally doubled and where once a 150.USD board was high-end, 300.USD is now more common. Overclocking taxes hardware finding and often surpasses its performance ceiling. Overclocking communities provide a wealth of valuable information for the IT-industry they have an R&D facility in the homes of Overclockers the world over. Of course the ultimate burden still falls upon the average PC-user, yet it's the Overclockers whom offer the industry an unlimited resource in they're inventiveness, knowledge and resources.

CPU Stabilizer external view



Rear View



Internal view



Rear View





Taking a closer look at the 12V-Rail solder point of origin from the PCB, all 12V sources originate from a group which is soldered together. This may violate the "split plane" provision which in part reads: ...+12V1, +12V2, and +12V3 should not be connected together on the baseboard to ensure that 240VA protection circuits in the power supply operate properly. (PDF)



The CPU Stabilizer circuitry (as seen above) is comprised of almost entirely of capacitor banks. In fact the circuitry is quite mundane in this respect. The design intent looks to replace what is often absent in both motherboard power circuitry and PSU's, ample capacitance with emphasis on storage. Capacitors serve two functions in this application, storing current and smoothing current, both are usually cost effected which leaves them susceptible under duress. Capacitors money, they are one of the more costly items as far as "parts" go and one simply cannot spec budget Caps with a propensity for failure lest they seek infamy on BadCaps.net. The obvious question; "Will this product improve performance?"

Bench Tests
Clicking on the thumbnails below reveals photos taken of oscilloscope results. Photos have been placed side by side for comparison and were arranged in series from left to right; 3.3V, 5V and 12V respectively. In each individual voltage series the photo on the left was taken without the Stabilizer and on the right with the CPU Stabilizer in-line.



If a picture is worth a thousand words, I'm sure there will be a few happy Campers as I tend to wax philosophical. Dry humor aside, that the CPU Stabilizer looks to improve ripple on all DC lines is prima facie based on the oscilloscope results. How the results above will translate into system performance and if they manifest empirically (quantifiable, measurable) may be the most difficult question to answer.