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I have an AVR and my PC plugged into. I Live in Europe and the voltage in the mains is +-240V. The AVR has a LCD display showing the current input (mains) is 237 and the output voltage 210-217V. My question is, because i'm not familiar with electricity too much, what is the deal with that, is it something wrong with my AVR or they all work like that.

And while i was searching for an answer for this topic I've found some other information online like: "...So in general and within reason, higher voltages give you higher efficiencies." And: "Here's a quick explanation of why power supplies get less efficient as the supply voltage decreases. All electronic components (transistors, transformers, even the traces on the printed circuit board) have some sort of equivalent resistance..."

Anyway am I putting more stress on the PSU by using AVR or it is normal. Thanks

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    Your question is not about computers, so it's off topic here (I think the emphasis is on whether dropping 20-27 V is normal, and whether this difference is significant). You may ask it on electronics stackexchange.
    – Máté Juhász
    Commented Apr 22, 2016 at 7:28

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No, you are not stressing the PSU.

The nominal voltage for mains power in Europe is actually 220V, not 240. That being said, anything between 210 and 240 is considered normal for supply voltage.

As for the PSU, it is designed to work anywhere, including North America where supply voltage can be as low as 110 volts (60Hz).

The reality is that a standard PSU in a normal computer is converting input power to 12V DC. It's not the input supply voltage that stresses a PSU; it's the load factor of the components inside the computer that stress it. That's why you have to size the PSU appropriately for the computer itself. Your location in the world and the quality of mains power is rarely a concern, except in countries where the power grid is unreliably flaky.

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  • That is some elaborate answer :) Thanks. In my country the power grid is not that well. It is fine for couple of months and than it is really unstable for a week or so, with massive brownouts, it's like a pattern so far. Anyway that was my main concern, but I also have some delicate equipment plugged into the AVR just to be on the safe side because I have lost quite a lot so far.
    – Dzigi
    Commented Apr 30, 2016 at 6:32

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