What kind of power supply is needed for a computer? How to choose a power supply for your computer without making a common mistake. Types of power supplies
Reliable block nutrition is necessary for stable operation systems. If the power is not enough, the computer will start to freeze, under load it will show blue screen, and the computer components and the power supply itself will heat up.
Many people often do not have enough power, which can be obtained through the slot; for this they have to use additional power. The video card board has 6-pin and 8-pin connectors. Connectors with this pinout can be found on new power supplies, which means you can connect wires without using adapters. If there are no connectors on the power supply, you will have to use an adapter that will allow you to connect a 4-pin Molex type connector.
For particularly “gluttonous” video cards, it is necessary to use two power connectors at once, which means you need a powerful power supply that can provide the necessary power to the video card. high-end class already consume up to 400 V, and they need a power supply of 12-18 A over a 12 V channel, and this is only for one video card. Choosing a power supply for gaming computer, you need to look for a power supply that provides at least 25-30 A along the 12 V line.
Don't forget that many power supplies do not meet their stated specifications! This was described in the article.
HD4770/4830/4850/4870/4890. Requirements for power supplies.
Radeon HD 4770. Power consumption (2D) = 152 W, with load in (3D) = 199 W.
Radeon HD 4830. Power consumption (2D) = 140 W, with load in (3D) = 244 W.
A power supply of more than 450 W with one 6-pin connector and more than 550 W in CrossFire is required.
Radeon HD 4850. Power consumption (2D) = 166 W, with load in (3D) = 270 W.
A power supply of more than 450 W with one 6-pin connector and more than 550 W in CrossFire is required.
Radeon HD 4870/4890. A power supply with more than 500 W with one 6-pin connector and more than 650 W with CrossFire is required.
HD5750/5770/5850/5870. Power supply requirements
Radeon HD 5750. Power consumption (2D) = 16 W, with load in (3D) = 86 W.
Radeon HD 5770. Power consumption (2D) = 18 W, with load in (3D) = 109 W.
A power supply of more than 450 W with one 6-pin connector and more than 600 W in CrossFire is required.
Radeon HD 5850. Power consumption (2D) = 27 W, with load in (3D) = 151 W.
Radeon HD 5870. Power consumption (2D) = 27 W, with load in (3D) = 188 W.
A power supply of more than 500 W with one 6-pin connector and more than 600 W in CrossFire is required.
9800GT. Power supply requirements
nVidia GeForce 9800GT. You need a power supply with more than 400 W (via +12V channel - 24A) and 550 W (via +12V channel - 26A) in SLI connection
nVidia GeForce GTX260/275/280/285/295. Power supply requirements
nVidia GeForce GTX 260/275.
You need a power supply with a power of more than 500 W (via +12V channel - 38A) and 600 W (via +12V channel - 42A) in SLI connection.
nVidia GeForce GTX280/285. A power supply with a power of more than 600 W (via +12V channel - 40A) and 700 W (via +12V channel - 46A) in SLI connection is required.
nVidia GeForce GTX295. A power supply with a power of more than 700 W (via +12V channel - 40A) and 750 W (via +12V channel - 46A) in an SLI connection is required.
nVidia GeForce GTX465/470/480. Power supply requirements
nVidia GeForce GTX465.
nVidia GeForce GTX470. A power supply with a power of more than 550 W is required.
nVidia GeForce GTX480. A power supply with a power of more than 600 W is required.
And notepaper from ASRock.
1. Background.
The story began when a couple of years ago I heard about the need for a powerful power supply for Athlon/P4-based computers and decided to replace my old Linkworld 200W, which was then on my Athlon 1333. I suspect that then I was very lucky and this block nevertheless, he went into retirement without taking half of the components with him, despite the fact that under load he increased the voltage by +12V right up to +13.2V, forcing everything system fans howl when launching something resource-intensive, such as Photoshop or BurnK7. In my naivety, I thought that I had a “smart” cooler that changed the speed depending on the load on the thermal sensor, but when I found out that this was not so, my hair stood on end. A week later, having saved the required amount for new block power supply, I came to the company and bought an LCT unit, stated as 300W. While driving home, I read the stickers and rejoiced at the huge declared currents, but after installing this unit in my computer, I realized that they had cheated me. The voltages became even worse and, in addition, the computer began to shut down when the load increased. The block was returned after a lengthy quarrel with the managers in exchange for money, with which I immediately bought another “three-watt unit” LPK (Linkworld) from another company. The situation repeated itself - abnormally high voltages, strong heating of the unit. After talking with the manager, we managed to find a new unit in the company’s reserves, which turned out to be the PowerMaster FA5-1 (300W peak) and although it pulled out its 250W (It would seem, what else is needed?), subsequently new problems arose... more on that later .
2. ATX/ATX12V power supplies
To begin with, a few words about the requirements for power supplies according to generally accepted standards. There is a certain standard for PC power supplies, which is recommended for unit manufacturers to adhere to. The document describing the requirements can be read at www.formfactors.org. It should be noted that for ATX power supplies, the requirements are slightly lower than for ATX12V, so older power supplies of similar power may have lower maximum output currents.
Load distribution for ATX12V standard units.
| +3.3 VDC | +5 VDC | +12 VDC | -5 VDC | -12 VDC | +5 VSB | |
| 200W | 14A | 21A | 10A | 0.3A | 0.8A | 1.5A |
| 250W | 20A | 25A | 13A | 0.3A | 0.8A | 1.5A |
| 300W | 28A | 30A | 15A | 0.3A | 0.8A | 2.0A |
This table shows the maximum possible loads on single outputs for power supplies certified to comply with the standard. The total load for all outputs of the block should not exceed 200/250/300W, respectively. I will also give a diagram of the output loads for a 300W unit.
In this diagram, the Y scale shows maximum load to the output +12V, and horizontally - the total load is +3.3V and +5V. The circled area is the permissible output currents in various combinations, for example, with a load of 180W at +3.3V & +5V, the power supply is required to output +12V up to approximately 100W, the remaining 20W is distributed between additional outputs.
Within this area, the voltage on the power supply must be within the range allowed by the standard:
| Exit | Range | Minimum | Maximum |
| +12V | +-5% | +11.40V | +12.60V |
| +5V | +-5% | +4.75V | +5.25V |
| +3.3V | +-5% | +3.14V | +3.47V |
If you go beyond acceptable standards, all sorts of troubles are possible, such as overheating and spontaneous shutdown hard drives or reboot the system. This means that in the future we will focus on mandatory compliance of voltages with the standard.
3. Power supply
Oddly enough, most serious reviewers of power supplies agree on the same opinion - the consumption of the most sophisticated computer does not exceed 150-200W and a more powerful unit does not make sense. And yet, users complain about the lack of power of even three-hundred-watt units from renowned manufacturers, and equipment manufacturers, such as video cards or motherboards, are increasingly declaring the need to use power supplies with a power of 300-350W and higher... What's the matter? There is an opinion that manufacturers are trying in this way to protect themselves from low-quality power supplies that hold a given load only for a few seconds, having real power much lower (peak power is usually 30% higher than long-term power, if the manufacturer did not cheat with a simple relabeling). Therefore, block with peak power at 200W has a long-term, God forbid, 180W, or even lower.
This assumption is partly true, but users on forums are increasingly reporting a lack of power in high-quality power supplies that can easily withstand a long-term load of 300-350W, up to the point where the overload protection triggers and voltages go beyond the tolerances stated in the ATX/ATX12V standard, which high-quality blocks are usually fully compliant. What's the matter? Why for powerful computer, which according to all calculations consumes no more than 250W, requires a high-quality power supply that honestly delivers its power, about 400-500 watts?
In order to understand this issue, a program was written into which consumption data was entered various devices, collected bit by bit from a large number of sites. The first version, which calculated power according to recommendations for assemblers from AMD, showed mixed results. The AMD manual suggests finding out the processor's power consumption by multiplying the core current by the voltage, dividing by 12, and multiplying by 1.25 (taking into account the approximate efficiency of the processor power regulator on the motherboard). Then, the total consumption of computer components is calculated, multiplied by 0.8 (80% of the power of all devices) and added to the processor consumption. But as you can see, for some reason this algorithm implies powering the processor from +12V, which is not available on all systems (especially old ones) based on AMD processors. In addition, in such systems, the main load often falls on the +5V output, leaving virtually no load on the +12V output. Here it is! It turns out that if the system, by all calculations, consumes no more than two hundred watts, it is necessary to take into account the distribution of loads across the outputs, and if the load on +5V & +3.3V reaches 180-200W, you need to think about a power supply with an honest 300W or higher, otherwise troubles with protection is triggered or voltages exceed permissible limits when the power supply is only two-thirds loaded. It also seemed a little strange to me that the recommendations for ATX12V power supplies do not include units more powerful than 300W, although there are already many such power supplies on the market. Perhaps a system with standard components does not really need a more powerful unit, and more powerful ones are required by overclocking and modding enthusiasts.
4. Program for calculating the power of the power supply
This program was written to calculate the power supply power required by a user's system with a selected configuration. It is the power of the unit, not the components. Information about large quantities processors, their base power, with coefficients that allow estimating changes in power consumption during overclocking and increasing core voltage. Also, you can select the power supply for the processor, which is useful for owners of motherboards without support additional food ATX12V (P4), for example, on the Epox 8RDA+, popular in overclocking circles, the processor is powered from +5V. In general, the algorithm is simple, it can be calculated approximate consumption on various outputs, the most loaded one is selected and scaled based on the requirements for ATX12V power supplies. The program tries to automatically determine some parameters, but most others require manual correction (such as for coolers, etc.). Also, there is a voltage test function at idle and under load, with the display of percentage deviations from standard values. Unfortunately, this function was debugged only on three motherboards with Winbond monitoring chips and incorrect readings are possible on motherboards with other monitoring systems.
As you can see from this screenshot, my FSP300-60BTV(PF) power supply is already loaded quite close to its limit, which indirectly confirms the +5V voltage drop by 4% during the processor load test, which is already close to the maximum permissible voltage of +4.75V .
You can download and try the program here - Power.exe
Be careful, the program requires administrator mode in Windows XP and may cause the system to hang due to the use of low-level access to the hardware. Before testing, it is recommended to close all applications to reduce the load on the processor and obtain more correct test results.
5. Criteria for choosing a power supply
First, make sure that the power supply is from a reputable manufacturer and that its wattage matches what is stated on the label. But the power of the power supply is not everything; in addition, it must provide “quality watts”. That is, it should not interfere with the equipment located in the computer and have low level pulsations. You may be asking - why? But this is a power supply, it feeds your computer :) Why feed it all sorts of nasty things? It might even cause an upset stomach :)
One day, after reading reviews on the Internet, I decided to change my dubious PowerMaster FA5-1 to something more noble and my choice fell on the FSP300-60BTV(PF). Although the stresses were only slightly better, one interesting thing- the integrated sound in the Epox 8RDA+ has sharply increased the quality according to the Audio RightMark test. But I was already desperate to get high-quality sound on the nForce2 APU... and as it turned out, it was too early. Below are the results of testing with different power supplies, a cord from TV-Tuner was used as LoopBack, recording was made on line input motherboard (when recording on a higher quality board, some parameters are much better, so pay attention only to the difference):
As you can see, the difference is simply huge. So for the lovers high-quality sound It’s also worth paying attention to what you feed your pets :)
And that's not all... Some time ago I wrote an article about “frequency dances” on motherboards with the nForce2 chipset, which turned out to be APIC timer dances. So, after changing the power supply the situation changed for the better. The timer began to behave much more stable, and I noticed the beating only when setting the "Bus Throttle" parameter to Motherboard BIOS fees. Perhaps this is a coincidence, but who knows... There were also reports from other owners of nForce2-based motherboards that this problem disappeared when changing the power supply.
Also, an important criterion when choosing a power supply is its noise level. Cheap units like PowerMaster or Linkworld often do not have a system automatic adjustment fan speed, or simply overheat, and for this reason the fans in them always operate at maximum speed, drowning out all the coolers in the system. Changing to less revving ones is, in my opinion, a bad idea, especially if the block gets very hot. For weak units, the fan may be the only thing keeping them from burning out.
Also, an indirect criterion for the quality of a power supply is its weight. It must be at least 2 kg, and even more on units with passive PFC. Heavy weight means no savings on components, and big size transformers with radiators.
From those available on Russian market power supplies, the following manufacturers have proven themselves well:
1. FSP. Power supplies are manufactured by the Fortron/Source division (FSP Group) - - SPI Electronic, and are OEM suppliers of power supplies for InWin, AOpen, Zalman. Be careful when purchasing, there are suspiciously cheap FSP300 power supplies on the market, priced just above $20, which may be a lightweight option for entry-level systems, or secretly rebranded from 250W. By the way, my power supply has 470 MF capacitors at the input, and the cross-section of all wires corresponds to the minimum allowable, although older versions of this unit had 680 MF capacitors, and all the wires were equally thick. In addition, instead of six connectors, this unit has only five. The simplification is insignificant, but the trend is alarming... but perhaps it did not affect blocks for third-party FSP customers.
2.InWin. One of the most well-known manufacturers of housings previously used blocks from FSP Group, but has now established its own production of no less quality. These power supplies usually have the PowerMan logo, which is not a registered trademark, and therefore can be freely used (the Russian company Nienschanz sells Sirtec power supplies under this brand).
3. Sirtec. The blocks of this company are sold under the brands High Power, Powerman, PowermanPro, Thermaltake. Models 360W and higher are recommended for purchase.
4. Delta/LiteON. IN currently found in HP cases, sometimes require modification with a soldering iron.
Power supplies like Antec and Enermax are very popular on the foreign market, but, unfortunately, they are practically not supplied to Russia.
6. Conclusion
No matter how trivial, it only makes sense to repeat the phrase that has been said many times - you should not save on a power supply, because by saving 30-50 dollars on a unit, you can lose a thousand dollars worth of components. In addition, the use good source power supply improves the parameters of other components of the computer, such as sound card, and increases the stability of the system as a whole. And most importantly, the need for a powerful power supply is not a myth, but harsh reality. Especially for those owners of AMD-based systems whose motherboards do not support powering the processor from the ATX12V (P4) tail.
In this article, we will help you choose a Power Supply for your computer in order to manage your funds correctly and not overpay for “unnecessary Watts”.
Many people, when buying a computer, pay little attention to choosing a power supply. They believe that any one installed in the purchased case will do.
But in vain. The power supply is one of the most important components of your work, home or gaming computer.
Because of a cheap (bad, low-quality) power supply costing a couple of tens of dollars, equipment worth several hundred or even thousands of dollars can “go to their forefathers.”
So you shouldn’t skimp on your computer’s power supply. This is a well-known fact, confirmed by regular failures of expensive components.
So, where should you start when choosing a power supply?
First thing
you need to roughly calculate the power consumption of all system components.
That is, we will find out what power supply unit we need.
This can be done using the so-called “power supply power calculator” ( power supply calculator).
In each section you need to select the components of your computer: type of processor (CPU), motherboard, random access memory, video card, hard drive and optical drive, and also indicate the quantity installed components. Then click the "Calculate" button.
The resulting number will be required power for your system (and with a small margin), accordingly we need to choose a power supply with a power as close as possible to our calculated value.
Power Supply Calculator
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Our calculator takes into account a small power reserve when calculating. Why this is needed can be found in the article.
The second step there will be a choice of power supply type.
Power supplies are distinguished by the type of connection of outgoing lines: modular And standard.
Toward modular You can connect cables as needed, depending on your needs. A very practical property - it allows you to get rid of unused bundles of wires inside the system unit. Used mainly by enthusiasts.
In standard BP all bundles of wires are made non-removable. This is a cheaper and simpler model.
Power supplies are also distinguished according to the type of Power Factor Correction - Power Factor Correction (PFC): active And passive.
Passive PFC implemented in the form of a conventional choke, smoothing out voltage ripple. But the efficiency of such PFC is very low.
WITH passive system power corrections are available in the most simple blocks power supplies that are installed in inexpensive budget cases.
A active PFC implemented in the form additional fee and represents another pulse source supply, and increasing the voltage. In addition to the fact that active PFC provides a power factor close to ideal, it also, unlike passive, improves the performance of the power supply - it additionally stabilizes the input voltage, and the unit becomes noticeably less sensitive to undervoltage, and also “swallows” short-term (fractions of a second) voltage dips.
WITH active system Later models of high-quality power supplies from well-known manufacturers are produced: Seasonic, Chieftec, HighPower, FSP, ASUS, CoolerMaster, Zalman.
Note: Conflicts have sometimes been noted between a PSU with an active PFC and some UPS (uninterruptible power supplies).
In addition, you need to pay attention to the power supply cable connectors that will be used to connect your components.
There is a so-called ATX standard power supplies. This standard determines the availability of the necessary connectors for connecting all equipment.
We recommend standard PSU at least ATX 2.3 for all modern gaming systems(where additional power supply for video cards is used), and not lower than ATX 2.2 for office multimedia systems. There should be enough connectors to connect your devices: 6+6 pin video cards or 6+8 pin, motherboard 24+4+4, SATA devices
etc.
The third point There will be an overview of the specifications specified by the manufacturer on the label of the Power Supply.
Important! When purchasing, always pay attention to nominal power supply unit, not peak(PEAK)(peak is always greater).
Rated power of PSU- this is the power that the unit can produce for a long time, constantly.
Peak power- this is the power that the power supply can only provide for a short time.
The most popular parameter today is the power of the power supply through +12V channels.
The more channels the better. It can range from one +12V channel to several: +12V1, +12V2, ..., +12V4, +12V5, etc.
IN modern systems The main load falls on these channels: processor, video cards, coolers, hard drives, etc.
Therefore, when choosing between several power supplies that suit your power, The decisive factor is the total power along the +12V lines.
The greater this total power, the better the PSU components are implemented.
In other words, for example, if you have chosen three power supplies, say, with a total power of 500W, then among them you need to choose the one with the greater total current (and therefore power) along the lines +12V1..+12V2, etc.
Let's look at examples of where to look for the information we need on a sticker.
The first will be the power supply from ZALMAN.
There is one +12V line, only 18A and only 216 W.
But it contains active PFC, which is an undeniable advantage.
This block is quite enough for an average budget system.
The second one will be BP FSP.
In it we already see two +12V lines (15A and 16A). Despite the fact that the marking indicates a power of 500 watts, in the “nominal” it is 460 watts.
This is a high-quality, but inexpensive power supply in the budget sector. It is quite capable of providing a lightweight gaming system.
Unfortunately, there is no information about PFC on the label, you can get it on the website FSP.
Well, the third will be a power supply also from ZALMAN.
It has 6 (!) +12V lines with a total power of 960 Watts. The table shows a diagram of connecting devices by branches.
This power supply is suitable for the most demanding and “charged” gaming overclocking system.
Another very important parameter for the power supply is the coefficient Useful Action(efficiency).
Power supplies are distinguished mainly by their threshold value Efficiency, which is 80%. All power supplies that have an efficiency below 80% are classified as simple-budget, which are used mainly in office systems.
And those power supplies whose efficiency is above 80% are classified as productivity-gaming ones. Such power supplies have an international certificate 80PLUS.
In turn, the standard 80PLUS has categories BRONZE, SILVER, GOLD, PLATINUM:
Latest feature
The thing you should pay attention to when choosing a power supply is the cooler or fan.
Everything is simple here: the larger the cooler, the less noise it makes.
Current power supplies are equipped with fans measuring 120 mm or larger. Moreover, in good, branded power supplies, the fan changes the number of revolutions depending on the load. This helps reduce noise.
I would not recommend purchasing a PSU with one 80mm fan.
Now let's summarize the material learned.
To buy the best power supply you need:
- buy a high-quality power supply from a trusted/verified manufacturer with “honest watts”;
- select a power supply with active PFC (APFC);
- determine the power supply with the maximum total current along the +12V lines;
- ATX 2.3 standard (ATX 2.2 as a last resort) with the maximum set of connectors for our devices, and also where the main power is transferred to the +12V branches;
- necessarily with an efficiency of at least 80%, one that has an 80PLUS certificate;
- the fan (cooler) must be at least 120 mm.
So I think we've given you enough information to the right choice power supply.
Fortunately, the times are gone when the average gaming PC consumed a lot of power, made noise like a vacuum cleaner, and collected dust almost as efficiently. However, the question of which power supply to choose for a computer is still relevant in 2017. The hardware requirements for voltages and currents have changed, but so have the user requirements for computers. Let’s try to figure out how to choose the right power supply in 2017.
With the transition to 14-16 nanometer manufacturing processes, all chips in PCs have become very economical. Even top Intel The Core i7-7700K consumes less than 100 W if you don't play around with extreme overclocking. It’s the same with video cards: previously, gaming GPUs were still those stoves, and required a pair of connectors for operation external power supply, and a massive cooler with a howling turbine for cooling. The reality is that even the Nvidia Titan X, a monster that crushes any game, consumes only 250 W of energy. And the more mainstream GTX 1080 consumes up to 180 W without overclocking. Therefore, if you are not interested in a CrossFire or SLI configuration of 2-3 video cards, then a kilowatt block is absolutely unnecessary. 
If you don’t delve into studying the market and searching for rare goods, then for the most part only those blocks are on sale that are enough to assemble a gaming PC. Models with a power of less than 400 W are practically never found, and those that exist usually do not have the lowest price, and therefore there is no point in saving on watts. And finally, the numbers indicated on the label and in the description (400, 500 or 600 W) do not directly indicate the capabilities of the power supply. What is much more important is not the maximum total power in continuous mode (and the number on the package is exactly that), but the potential of the line(s) of 12 volts. All the most power-hungry pieces of hardware (processor, video card and 3.5″ hard drives) are powered from it. The 3.3 V line carries absolutely ridiculous loads, but the 5 V line can be loaded quite a bit ( hard drives and 2.5″ SSD, USB devices), but there is always a lot of power reserve there.
How to choose the power supply for your computer
We decided that the power supply should be selected based on the capabilities of the 12 volt line. There are various online power calculators on the Internet, but the algorithm for calculating them is often known only to the service developers. You can calculate the load yourself. From a school physics course it follows that 1 watt is 1 volt multiplied by 1 ampere. Knowing the consumption of the processor and video card (and they are indicated in the specifications), to calculate the current, you should divide their power consumption by 12 (power line voltage). For a video card with a TDP of 120 W (for example, GeForce GTX 1060), the required current is 10 A. The same should be done with the TDP of the processor.
A 450 W power supply is capable of delivering only 312 W on the +12 V lines If a video card with a TDP of 120 W requires 10 A, and a processor with a TDP of 95 W requires about 8 A, then the 12 V line should produce at least 18 A. Also, to this current you should add 1 A for each HDD format 3.5″, and approximately another 20% of the total figure - as a reserve. That is, for a PC with a processor TDP of 95 W, a video card - 120 W, and a pair of hard drives - the current strength at the output of the +12 V line should be (10+8+1+1)+20%, that is, 20 A or 240 Tue Even a 400 W power supply can provide such power.
There can be several or just one +12 V lines in the power supply. The presence of several lines is due to the fact that the ATX standard up to version 2.3 limited the current on one line to 20 A. To get around the limitation, manufacturers began to separate the lines, but in most modern power supplies the separation is virtual (the voltage of all lines is provided by a common rectifier). To avoid unnecessary hassle with finding the real total power across all lines, it is advisable to choose a power supply standard ATX 2.3 and newer, where this limitation has been removed.
Efficiency and certificates
Which power supply to choose for a PC depends not only on its power, but also on its efficiency. One of the key criteria is efficiency. The higher it is, the closer the amount of power received from the outlet will be to the power given to the computer components. Cheap ones Chinese models Efficiency is usually 60-70%, that is, to produce a power of 70 W, such a unit will take all 100 W from the outlet. In order to highlight power supplies with high efficiency, the 80+ certification system was invented, and later a new “metal” division of units into categories based on efficiency was introduced.
- Certificate 80+ means that the power supply is capable of maintaining an efficiency of 80% at loads of 20, 50 and 100% of maximum.
- Certificate 80+ Bronze increases the requirements to 81% at 20 and 100% load, and at 50% requires at least 85% efficiency.
- Certificate 80+ Silver issued if under loads of 20 and 100% of the maximum efficiency is 85%, and under 50% - 89%.
- Certificate 80+ Gold sets requirements for efficiency of at least 88% at loads of 20 and 100%, and at 50% - at least 94%.
- Certificate 80+ Platinum requires that at 20% of the load the efficiency should be at least 90%, at 50% - at least 94%, and at full load - from 91%.
- 80+ Titanium Certificate puts forward the most stringent requirements. A condition has been added for the efficiency to be at least 90% at a load of 10% of the maximum power, at 20% it must exceed 94%, at 50% - 96%, and at full load - 91%.
It is important to note that “metal” certificates are not given to power supplies that operate only from European networks in the range of 200-250 V, but do not support US networks. Therefore, the absence of a sticker can only indicate that the product is not designed for America, and not its low quality.
Efficiency does not directly affect the functionality of the power supply. However, the higher it is, the less the PC will consume, and the less it will heat up. Many cheap units can also deliver under load in the range of 50-70% of the maximum power efficiency above 80%, however, everything may vary depending on the specific specimen. However, even more expensive models high efficiency- not yet a sign of reliability element base. No one often guarantees that a block will retain its original properties after several years. Therefore, in addition to efficiency, it is important to take into account the quality of the components.
Quality of PSU components
Before choosing a power supply for your PC, it is important to make sure that it uses high-quality converters, capacitors and other circuit elements. However, this parameter cannot be assessed so easily; it is not included in the characteristics. Therefore, in order not to make a mistake, you will have to visit Google and look at reviews, tests and disassemblies of the power supply model you like. 
If the power supply has bad capacitors inside and poor cooling, they can degrade and lose capacity. As a result, after a couple of years, a power supply with a “silver” certificate turns into a pumpkin and is not much better than a nameless “Chinese” for 500 hryvnia. It is worth paying attention to units with active PFC, which are usually of decent quality and can more easily withstand load changes and power surges. Of course, this is not an axiom, there are exceptions, but usually manufacturers do not dare to use relatively expensive and complex circuit active power correction, in order to then ruin everything with cheap capacitors that will swell in six months.
Cooling and noise
If 10 years ago many were ready to put up with the noise of the computer, as long as it ran everything at maximum settings, now everyone wants a quiet PC. It is for this reason that fans with a diameter of 80 mm are now practically not used in power supplies. They make a lot of noise, but pump little air. Preference should be given to power supplies equipped with 120 mm Carlsons, or better yet - 140. Such coolers can capture a lot of air with their large blades, maintaining speeds within 2 thousand per minute.
In addition to the fans, it is worth looking at the radiators inside the unit. Fortunately, now, thanks to large coolers and an abundance of grilles, the radiators inside are visible even in the photo. A massive radiator more effectively removes heat from rectifiers and converters that heat up during operation, allowing them to maintain optimal operating conditions and provide good efficiency. If the unit has a minimum of grilles, it is better not to buy it: such a power supply can be cooled efficiently only by blowing air under powerful pressure. This means that it will either heat up or roar like a fighter jet under load.
Cables and connectors
How to choose the right power supply for a computer depends not only on technical characteristics its “stuffing”, but also from the cables with which it is equipped. Modular power supplies with detachable cords are now popular. This is both good and bad at the same time. It’s good because some extra wires can be removed so they don’t get in the way. And it’s bad because each connection is a plus to the resistance and a place for energy leakage for heating. U good connectors this minus is kept to a minimum, but the detachable power cords for the motherboard (24 pin) and processor (4 or 8 pin) are heresy. After all, these cables are needed in any case; making them removable is a pointless and even slightly harmful idea. 
In principle, any modern power supply will fit any PC. But who wants to create a web of adapters and extension cords? Therefore, it is important to consider the type of plugs available, their number, and the length of the cords. The latter is especially important when choosing a power supply for a case with a bottom location. After all, motherboards, in the old fashioned way, are equipped with a 4-pin processor power socket at the top, and it can be difficult to reach the cable to it from below. For a case with a bottom-mounted power supply, the optimal cable length is 4 pins (or 4+4 pins) - from 35-40 cm. But with an upper location, a 30-centimeter “stub” is usually enough. The same applies to hard drives/SSDs: if the power supply is at the bottom and the compartment for them is at the top (or vice versa), it is important that the cables are long enough.
1. Power cable FDD drive(outdated) 2. Molex connector 3. SATA power cable 4. 6+2 pin for video cards 5. 6 pin for video cards 6. 8-pin cable for powering processors with a TDP of more than 120 W 7. 4+4 pin processor power connector 8 . 24-pin motherboard power connector 4-pin, 24-pin, Molex and SATA connectors are required for all modern power supplies, but the number of the latter two may vary. Power supplies with less than two ports SATA power supply and it’s not worth buying as many Molexes. Even if the PC currently has only one hard drive, what is the guarantee that in a year or two you won’t want to install another one or add fans?
Many users are in pursuit of high performance personal computer forget about the main element system unit, which is responsible for high-quality and timely provision of power to all components inside the case. We are talking about a power supply that buyers do not pay attention to at all. But in vain! After all, all elements in a computer have certain power requirements, failure to comply with which will lead to component failure.
From this article, the reader will learn how to choose a power supply for a computer, and at the same time get acquainted with products from well-known brands that are recognized by all test laboratories in the world. Tips for ordinary users and beginners, provided by experts in the field of IT technologies, will help all potential customers make their choice in the store.
Definition of need
Before starting to search for a decent power supply, all users need to decide on the power consumption. That is, first the buyer must select the elements of the system unit ( motherboard, processor, video card, memory, hard disks and other controllers). Each system component in its specification has power requirements (voltage and current, in rare cases - power consumption). Naturally, the buyer will have to find these parameters, add them up and save the result, which will be useful in the future.
It doesn’t matter what actions are carried out by the user: replacing the computer’s power supply or purchasing an element with a new PC - calculations must be carried out in any case. On some elements such as the processor and video card, there are two requirements for power supply: active voltage and peak load. You need to focus your calculations on the maximum parameter.
Finger to the sky
There is a strong opinion that for a resource-intensive system you need to choose the most powerful power supply that is on the storefront. This decision has logic, but it does not fit in with rationality and economy. Money, because the higher the power of the device, the more expensive it costs. You can buy a price that exceeds the cost of all elements of the system (30,000 rubles and more), but such a solution will be very expensive for the consumer in the future.
For some reason, many users forget about the monthly electricity consumption that is necessary to operate a personal computer. Naturally than more powerful block power supply, the more electricity it consumes. Thrifty buyers cannot do without calculations.
Standards and power losses
The bigger, the better
Many experts, in their advice on how to choose a power supply for a computer, recommend that all beginners pay attention to the number of connectors and cables - the more there are in the device, the more efficient and reliable the power supply system. There is logic in this, because manufacturing plants carry out testing before releasing products to the market. If the power of the unit is low, then there is no point in providing it with a large number of cables, because they will still be unused.
True, in Lately Many careless manufacturers use a trick and provide the buyer with a large wire clamp in a low-quality device. Here you need to focus on other indicators of battery efficiency (weight, wall thickness, cooling system, presence of buttons, quality of connectors). By the way, before connecting the power supply to the computer, it is recommended to visually inspect all the contacts coming from the head unit and make sure that they do not intersect anywhere (we are talking about cheap representatives of the market).
Top seller
Seasonic, a company specializing in the production of batteries, is known throughout the world. This is one of the few brands on the market that sells products under its logo own production. For comparison: a well-known manufacturer computer elements- Corsair company - does not have its own factories for the production of power supplies and purchases finished products from Seasonic, equipping them with its own logos. Therefore, before choosing a power supply for a computer, the user will have to become more familiar with the brands.
Seasonic, Chieftec, Thermaltake and Zalman have their own factories for the production of batteries. Products under the well-known FSP brand are assembled from spare parts produced at the Fractal Design plant (by the way, they have also recently appeared on the market).
Who to give preference to?
Gold-plated computer power supply connectors are good, but is there any point in overpaying for such functionality, since it is known for certain from the laws of physics that current is better transmitted between homogeneous metals? But it is Thermaltake that offers users such a solution. As for the rest of the products of the famous American brand, they are impeccable. There is not a single serious negative response from users about this manufacturer in the media.
The trusted products on the shelf include the brands Corsair, Aercool, FSP, Zalman, Seasonic, Be quiet, Chieftec (Gold series) and Fractal Design. By the way, in test laboratories, professionals and enthusiasts check the power and overclock the system with the power supplies listed above.
Finally
As practice shows, choosing a decent power supply for a personal computer is not easy. The fact is that many manufacturers use all sorts of tricks to attract buyers: they reduce the cost of production, decorate the device to the detriment of efficiency, and present a description that does not correspond to reality. There are many mechanisms of deception, it is impossible to list them all. Therefore, before choosing a power supply for a computer, the user must study the market, familiarize himself with all the characteristics of the device and be sure to find positive reviews about the product from real owners.
