What kind of power supply should it be? How to choose a power supply for a desktop computer. PSU manufacturing quality, its manufacturer
Quality is main characteristic any power supply. In the dashing 90s, a good provider of all components was judged by its weight, but the cunning Chinese quickly learned to weigh down the body using bolts mounted on adhesive tape. Nowadays no one is doing such “life hacks”, and there is no need for it. For a long time now, the weight of the power supply does not mean anything. In 2016, it is very difficult to determine the build quality by external signs. " Metal box». « With fan». « With a bunch of braided wires». « Oh, and this is where the cables come off!» In fact, only the manufacturer’s name, price and efficiency classification 80 PLUS speak about the reliability of the unit.
All three points, as you yourself understand, are interconnected. So, cheap devices from SeaSonic, ENERMAX and be quiet! You won't find it on sale. Yes, the computer power supply market is quite conservative. Therefore, the name plays a big role. The paradox is that there are not very many manufacturers of power supplies themselves, and companies producing ready-made solutions under your logo are a dime a dozen. Here everything depends on the office itself, namely on how closely it monitors the production process. Therefore, sometimes sad situations happen when at first the quality specific model stays stable high level. And she gains well-deserved popularity. But a year or two later, under the same name, they release a block on a different platform with a modified “filling” worse quality. Below is a table of reliable manufacturers; it includes those who are more or less represented in Russian retail. Selling expensive blocks costing 10-30,000 rubles in times of crisis is difficult. Therefore, retail is predominantly filled with simpler solutions. The same ENERMAX in Russia is almost “over”. But, as Ostap Bender said, abroad will help us!
When you assemble your computer, this has its own significant advantages, since all components are in personal computer(PC) play their role with system unit- processor and RAM for speed of operations, video card for displaying the graphics part, motherboard for connecting it all together. That is why it is important to select components not only by how they will satisfy your needs, but also by how they will interact with each other.
In particular, there are errors when the motherboard does not “accept” the processor or there is no space in the case to install a video card.
But even if you seem to have selected all the components and they fit together, then when choosing a power supply unit (PSU) questions often arise. The most common is how much power is needed to make all components “feel” comfortable.
In order to calculate the power of the power supply, you can go in several ways. For example, you can ask the consultants in the store and hope that the store employee will be sufficiently knowledgeable about this and will be able to advise and select the right one.
Or you can go and buy a power supply with a power of 600-1000 Watts and not think about it at all because... Either way, this is enough. Yes, you can do this and overpay for the extra 600 Watts because... in fact, 400 W for example could be enough for you. It seems to me that this is not a way out of the situation. If only for the lazy and who don’t mind the money.
You can also look on the Internet how much power is needed for each of the components of the future system unit, and then calculate the required power. It should be taken into account that the total power of all components must be less than the maximum output power of the power source. It is also worth knowing and remembering that the specifications indicate the maximum power consumption of the components. During operation, energy is consumed unevenly by everyone (turning on, turning off, recording information, launching many programs, a complex episode in a game, etc.).
For example, the power consumption of components looks something like this:
And some more nuances in the form of ports, floppy drives, various peripheral devices etc. As you can see, it will not be possible to calculate computer power for everyone. These are purely individual characteristics.
This is very a good option for you. Now there are many specialized sites and programs for calculating power on a computer. The topic is always quite relevant.
There is only a small problem that not all databases on the sites and in the program are up to date, but I will give you links to those that are really suitable for modern components.
A great calculator that requires minimal knowledge of English.
There are two types of calculator - Basic and Expert. From the name you can guess what each one is needed for. Using the second one, you can also specify how many hours the power supply will work, models for bitcoins, coolers (fans), processor speed and frequency, keyboard/mouse, etc. In general, take everything into account in more detail (for those in the know).
Selecting the main components ( motherboard(Motherboard), processor (CPU), RAM(Memory), video card (Video Cards), HDD(Storage) and drive (Optical Drives)) and press the CALCULATE button (or RESET to reset) to then see how much power supply the computer needs.
Of the features of this service It can be noted that it is possible to select the number of components to a minimum.
One of the disadvantages (or advantages, depending on who you choose) is the display of advertising for a product from one well-known foreign site. And when calculating, they will show the recommended power supply, which is also available on another site.
This site, on the one hand, makes it possible to choose from the offered products and buy a power supply immediately, and on the other hand, he will earn money from this. Whether to follow such links or not is up to you.
A more advanced version of the previous service. The principle is similar, but there are some additional functions like: choosing a language (though there is no Russian), manually specifying the processor speed and its power, connecting a Blue-Ray drive, TV tuner, sound card, USB connectors(2.0 and 3.0), coolers (fans) indicating their number and sizes, mice, keyboards and similar little things. It is even possible to specify how long the computer is turned on.
In general, this is a good modern service calculator for calculating the power of a computer power supply.
A site from the famous company MSI, which is famous for its gaming products.
There is Russian language and quite modern characteristics for components. In principle, everything is easy and clear.
Program K.S.A. Power Supply Calculator WorkStation -
As an alternative to online calculators on the Internet for calculating computer power.
Portable (does not require installation), small size (177 kb), supports Russian language (developer Kaurkin S.A.) and that’s it OS(Windows Xp, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10 (x86,x64)), and besides, the database is fresh and up-to-date.
In general, a miracle program for calculating the power of a power supply in a PC.
I don’t think it’s necessary to describe how and what to press, because... The interface is very simple and intuitive. I will only note that the program can also calculate the power for the Source Uninterruptible Power(UPS), which is also important for a computer
Just in case, I’m attaching it to the topic (version 1.2.4.0 dated June 24, 2015), because I don’t want such a program to remain inaccessible
I think this will be enough for you to easily find out which power supply is suitable.
I would like to emphasize the fact that you need to calculate the computer's power supply in such a way that there is a reserve for the future. As is the case with subsequent system updates, so will various surges in the load of the components themselves. It is better to take it with a reserve of 5-20 percent of power. For example, if a minimum of 500 W suits you, then take at least 550 or 600 W.
The moment when mine burned out old computer, I was very upset. The question arose about choosing a new home workstation, but we’ll put that off for later. I wondered how to choose good block power supply for the computer. After reading a bunch of forums and articles, I began to study what kind of power supplies there are and what their main characteristics are, as well as what they influence.
How to choose a good power supply for your computer?
Let me start with the fact that in computer stores some unscrupulous sellers They are trying to reduce the price of the system unit due to a cheap case and power supply. This is a fundamentally incorrect judgment, good and reliable block nutrition is a guarantee reliable operation video card, processor, motherboard and other components of your system. After all, you must agree: an expensive video card worth 300-500 dollars will fail due to cheap block power supply for the computer that comes with the case and motherboard. But it was worth not sparing money on a good power supply that costs not 20-30 dollars, but spends at least 100-200 dollars. Let's start with the basic parameters.
Power. Over time, the capacity grows by leaps and bounds. Some ten years ago, most machines needed 300-400 watts. Now in gaming computers and powerful gaming stations will not surprise you with 800, 1000 or even 1.5 kilowatts for PCs. Processors of those times, like all kinds of Pentiums and Athlones, did not consume more than 90 W. That's modern multi-core processors consume more than 150 watts. With video cards the situation is even worse. If the glands of those times like GF660 or X800GT consumed no more than 50 watts. But they lagged behind their modern counterparts not only in performance, but also in power consumption. For example, modern video cards consume up to 300-400 W. What is my burnt old Ge Force 8800 GTX worth?
Computers should be divided into several types: Office version, Home (the average version) and Gaming computer.
Office option power consumption is about 300-400 watts;
The home version consumes 400-800 watts
Gaming computer 800-1500 watts. You also need to take into account that the computer can have 2 video cards.
Let's give an approximate calculation of computer power.
- Processor 25-220 W
- Video card 50-400 W
- Motherboard 50W (Elementary), 100W ( Middle class), 150 W (High class)
- HDD 12 Watt
- DVD drive -35 Watt
- 3 W strip
- Fans 6 W
Many modern blocks Power supplies are produced with overestimated capacities. We don’t take into account the rootless Chinese fakes famous brands. Sometimes it seems like they take a 300 W power supply and stick a 450 or 500 W sticker on it. And if you look at the table of permissible current load for various voltages, it turns out that its power is 300 W.
I think, dear reader, it is clear to you that you need to take into account many factors when choosing a power supply for your computer.
All modern power supplies are produced with the ATX standard.
They come in several types: ATX12V 2.3, 2.31, 2.4. If you buy a power supply, then you need to buy exactly those that are produced according to these standards.
What is the difference between a bad power supply for a computer? How to choose correctly. There is an opinion that before you buy, you need to estimate its weight. They say that then the manufacturers did not skimp on the details and it will last longer. But this is not entirely true. Modern technologies can reduce weight due to a step-down transformer and a more advanced power correction system (PFC). We will talk about it further. I'll tell you that even if you look at the board itself and the quality of the wiring, you can say a lot.
For example, a high-quality unit has a minimum number of unsoldered connectors on printed circuit board. And unscrupulous manufacturers instead necessary components(be it a capacitor, coil or inductor) just leave jumpers. Naturally, a high-quality power supply will last longer and will not burn out from power surges and surges in the network. After all, we will have different filters and a more advanced surge protection system.
What types of surge protection systems are there?
All kinds of ripples and voltage drops can occur in the network. The presence of capacitors allows you to convert consumed power into useful power, and various current pulses and voltage drops allow you to extend it over time. Therefore, the circuit must have a power correction (PFC) module. They come in these types:
Passive
The passive correction module (PFC) consists of a conventional coil (throttle), which allows you to smooth out voltage ripple. But it should be said that such modules have low efficiency and are usually installed in cheap power supplies.
Active
The active power correction module is a separate board whose functions include stabilizing the output voltage. It smoothes out all current ripples and voltage amplitudes more efficiently, providing the most optimal power factor. Typically, such power correction systems are installed on more expensive power supplies.
Fans must also be positioned to provide the necessary cooling. Usually a 120mm fan is enough for cooling. Firstly, it will provide a large airflow area, and secondly, it works quite quietly.
No one will insure you against poor quality assembled block power supply, but such manufacturers as Zalman, FSP, Chieftic, Cooler Master etc. They are not assembled in artisanal conditions, they carry out quality control, so by buying a power supply from well-known brands of manufacturers, you reduce the risk of being deceived and purchasing a fake.
Keep this in mind; you also need to know how to choose a power supply for a computer, depending on the availability of connectors and connectors.
These correction systems improve efficiency useful action)
The PSU may have the designation 80 PLUS. With this standard you are allowed everything normal blocks nutrition. The fact is that in the presence of a passive PFC, the efficiency will not be higher than 75%. 80 PLUS means that the PSU has Active PFC. There are several varieties
80 PLUS efficiency 80%;
80 PLUS BRONZE Efficiency 82%;
80 PLUS SILVER Efficiency 85%;
80 PLUS GOLD Efficiency 87%;
80 PLUS PLATINUM Efficiency 90%;
Having such a certificate is more of a bonus than mandatory attribute equipment.
Other characteristics:
By type, depending on the availability of connectors, power supplies can be divided into several types:
Standard
IN standard blocks power supply, all cables are connected directly to the power supply. This ensures minimal losses during current transmission. But this greatly affects ergonomics and the system unit becomes a mess due to large quantities saggy cables that may not even be used.
Modular
In a modular power supply unit, cables are connected directly using connectors. This reduces the number of cables inside the system unit, but the main disadvantage is the large losses during current transmission.
Hybrid
Such power supplies combine the advantages of both standard and modular power supplies. The main cables are connected directly to the power supply, and additional cables can be connected using connectors and modular extensions.
Let's talk about the power supply connectors:
24-pin (contact) connector. All modern motherboards have such a connector. But on older motherboards there are 20 contact connectors. Therefore more universal connector will be designated as 20+4 pin. They can be turned on everywhere.
4-pin (pin) connector for powering the processor. The power supply may have two such connectors. But one can work.
15 pin SATA connector power supply for hard drives and optical drives(CD drive). There should be at least 4-6 such connectors for ease of connection. Agree, it is inconvenient to put several hard drives and optical drives on one cable.
6-pin video card power connector (PCI-E). There may also be designations 6+2pin. This is a more universal option, since there are video cards that are connected with an 8-pin connector. If you have more than one video card, you must have at least 2 of these connectors.
4-pin connector (obsolete) for powering older hard drives and other devices. (You can even connect a fan or video card cooling system separately). Nowadays it is rarely used, but it is still present in many power supply units.
4-pin floppy drive power connector. It is very outdated, but can still be found in some system units.
I'll give you a little price guide
- BP a budget option power up to 400 W $20-30
- Entry class for office PCs 400-500 W $30-50
- Mid-range 500-800 W for home PCs $52-80
- High end 600-700W for Gaming PCs $80-150
- Top 700-1500 W for powerful workstations
After reading everything written, so as not to confuse the reader and choose your power supply, we will tell you in Russian:
- Calculate the approximate power
- Go to the manufacturer's website or online store
- Select the required power and energy efficiency standards
- Check required amount connectors and modules on the power supply.
- Check for Surge Protection Systems (PFC)
- If everything suits you, pay and use it
This is all that my dear readers wanted to write to you. I hope you will take my experience into account and not rush into choosing a power supply for your Machine. Either gaming station, multimedia center or a modest office PC.
The power supply is a PC component that converts the 220 V network voltage into the one needed for various devices 3.3-12 V. And, alas, many people have no attitude towards choosing a power supply - they simply take it as change from the purchase of other components, often right along with the case. However, if you are building something more powerful multimedia computer, then you shouldn’t do this - a bad power supply can easily damage expensive processors or video cards, and so that later it doesn’t end up like the saying “the miser pays twice” - it’s better to buy a good power supply right away.
Theory
First, let's figure out what voltage the power supply supplies. These are the 3.3, 5 and 12 volt lines:
- +3.3 V - intended to power the output stages system logic(and in general power supply to the motherboard and RAM).
- +5 V - powers the logic of almost all PCI and IDE devices (including SATA devices).
- +12 V is the busiest line, powering the processor and video card.
But the 12 V line is very busy - it powers both the processor (50-150 W) and the video card (up to 300 W), so the most important thing in the power supply is how many watts it can deliver through the 12 V line (and this By the way, the figure is usually close to the total power of the power supply).
The second thing you need to pay attention to is the power supply connectors - so that it doesn’t happen that the video card requires a couple of 6 pins, but the power supply only has one 8 pin. The main power supply (24 pin) is present on all power supplies, you can ignore this. Additional CPU power is presented in the form of 4, 8 or 2 x 8 pin - it depends on the power of the processor and motherboard, respectively, make sure that the power supply has a cable with the required number of contacts (important - 8 pin for the video card and for the processor are different, do not try swap them!)
Next is additional power for the video card. Some low-end solutions (up to GTX 1050 Ti or RX 460) can be content with power supply through PCI-E slot(75 W), and them extra food no need. However, more powerful solutions may require from 6 pin to 2 x 8 pin - make sure that the power supply has them (for some power supplies, the contacts may look like 6+2 pin - this is normal, if you need 6 pin, then connect the main part with 6 contacts, if you need 8, add 2 more on a separate cable).
Peripherals and drives are powered either through a SATA connector or through Molex - there are no divisions into pins, just make sure that the power supply has as many necessary connectors as you have peripheral devices. In some cases, if the power supply does not have enough pins to power the video card, you can buy a Molex - 6 pin adapter. However, in modern power supplies this problem is quite rare, and Molex itself has almost disappeared from the market.
Form factors of power supplies are selected either for the case, or, conversely, if you have chosen a good power supply unit of a certain form factor, then you select the case and the motherboard to match it. The most common standard is ATX, which is what you'll most likely see. However, there are more compact SFX, TFX and CFX - these are suitable for those who want to create a very compact system.
The efficiency of a power supply unit is the ratio useful work to the energy expended. In the case of power supplies, their efficiency can be determined by the 80 Plus certificate - from Bronze to Platinum: for the first it is 85% at 50% load, for the latter it is already 94%. There is an opinion that a power supply with a 500 W 80 Plus Bronze certificate can actually deliver 500 x 0.85 = 425 W. This is not so - the unit will be able to deliver 500 W, but it will simply take 500 x (1/0.85) = 588 W from the network. That is, the better the certificate, the less you will have to pay for electricity and nothing more, and taking into account the fact that the difference in price between Bronze and Platinum can be 50%, there is no particular point in overpaying for the latter, saving on electricity will pay off oh so much not soon. On the other hand, most expensive power supplies have at least a Gold certificate, that is, you will be “forced” to save electricity. 
Power Factor Correction(PFC)
Modern units are becoming more powerful, but the wires in the sockets do not change. This leads to the occurrence of impulse noise - the power supply is also not a light bulb and, like the processor, consumes energy in impulses. The stronger and more uneven the load on the unit, the more interference it will release into the power grid. PFC was developed to combat this phenomenon.
This is a powerful choke installed after the rectifier before the filter capacitors. The first thing it does is limit the charging current of the aforementioned filters. When a unit without PFC is connected to the network, a characteristic click is often heard - the consumed current in the first milliseconds can be several times higher than the rated current and this leads to sparking in the switch. While the computer is running PFC module dampens the same impulses from the charge of various capacitors inside the computer and the spin-up of hard drive motors.
There are two versions of the modules – passive and active. The second is distinguished by the presence of a control circuit connected to the secondary (low-voltage) stage of the power supply. This allows you to react faster to interference and better smooth it out. Also, since there are quite a lot of powerful capacitors in the PFC circuit, an active PFC can “save” the computer from shutting down if the electricity goes out for a split second.
Calculation required power power supply
Now that the theory is over, let's move on to practice. First you need to calculate how much power all PC components will consume. The easiest way to do this is to use a special calculator - I recommend this one. You enter your processor, video card, data on RAM, disks, number of coolers, how many hours a day you use your PC, etc. into it, and in the end you get this diagram (I chose the option with i7-7700K + GTX 1080 Ti): 
As you can see, under load such a system consumes 480 W. On the 3.3 and 5 V line, as I said, the load is small - only 80 W, which is what even the simplest power supply will deliver. But on a 12 V line the load is already 400 W. Of course, you shouldn’t take a power supply back to back - 500 W. He, of course, will cope, but, firstly, in the future, if you want to upgrade your computer, the power supply may become a bottleneck, and secondly, at 100% load, the power supplies make a very loud noise. So it’s worth making a reserve of at least 100-150 W and taking power supplies starting from 650 W (they usually have 12 V lines output from 550 W).
But several nuances arise here:
- You shouldn’t save money and take a 650 W power supply built into the case: they all come without PFC, that is, one voltage surge and you’re in best case scenario you go for a new power supply, and worse, for other components (up to the processor and video card). Further, the fact that 650 W is written on them does not mean that they will be able to deliver that much - a voltage that differs from the nominal value by no more than 5% (or even better - 3%) is considered normal, that is, if the power supply supplies 12 There is less than 11.6 V in the line - it is not worth taking. Alas, in noname power supplies built into the case, drawdowns at 100% load can be 10%, and what’s even worse - they can produce significantly more high voltage, which may well kill the motherboard. So look for a PFC with active PFC and 80 Plus Bronze certification or better - this will ensure that there are good components inside.
- It may be written on the box with the video card that it requires a 400-600 W power supply, when it itself barely consumes 100, but the calculator gave me a total of 200 W under load - is it necessary to take a 600 W power supply? No, absolutely not. Companies that produce video cards play it safe and deliberately increase the requirements for power supplies, so that even people with power supplies built into the case will most likely be able to play (since even the simplest 600 W power supply should not drain voltage under a load of 200 W).
- If you are collecting quiet assembly, then it makes sense to take a power supply that is one and a half or even 2 times more powerful than what your system actually consumes - at 50% load, such a power supply may not turn on the cooler for cooling at all.
The task of the computer power supply is to turn 220 Volts alternating current at three o'clok different voltages permanent. Incoming mains voltage constantly fluctuates slightly, and the load on the video card, CPU and other components often “jump” very strongly. At the same time, the power supply is required to constantly and accurately maintain the required voltage.
The power supply is one of the key components that affects the safety of the system as a whole.: If there is any defect, the currents passing through it can damage the components connected to it and even cause a fire. In general, there are plenty of arguments for a serious approach to choosing a high-quality power supply.
A good PSU should operate as efficiently as possible (that is, with low heat loss). It is also undesirable for its fans to make a lot of noise. A electrical elements and must be completely silent at low loads (the noise of the throttles should not be heard).
Power
Depending on the components, computers can consume power from several watts to several kilowatts. The power supply must be designed to cope with maximum load, and it is advisable to have reserves - only in this case will it work efficiently and quietly.
The optimal power of a power supply can be calculated by the sum of TDP(thermal package) of the processor and video card, multiplied by 1.5. Yes, for Core processor i5-8600 (TDP 65 Watt) and AMD video cards Radeon RX 560 (TDP 75 Watt) requires a power supply of at least 450 Watt. A 450-watt unit would be loaded at about 50%, a 750-watt unit at 30%. For an accurate calculation, use the power supply power calculator: bequiet.com/ru/psucalculator.
| PSU power | 400 Watt | 550 Watt | 800+ Watt | |
| CPU | middle class | high class | high class | high class |
| Video card | middle class | high class | ||
| Second video card | - | - | - | high class |
| SATA connectors | >8 |
Power supply for office PC
If you are building a simple PC for office tasks, then you don’t have to buy it at all powerful block nutrition. 300 W is enough. But you still need to have a reserve. After all, you can work not only in Word, but also edit graphics and even build 3D models. A 500 W power supply is perfect for these purposes; you won’t feel much savings when buying a device with less output (if you buy high-quality ones).
Depending on the components used in them and the cooling system, their price varies from 2,000 to 7,000 rubles. To ensure that your PC lasts a long time, we recommend not saving too much and opting for a power supply from famous brand, for example, Thermaltake TR2 S 500W, costing about 3,200 rubles.
He has a very quiet cooler, high-quality elastic braiding of wires and produces 75 W along the 5 V line and 420 W along the +12 V line.
Efficiency
So, a good power supply provides the maximum possible power consumption to all PC components. So that you can evaluate the efficiency of the power supply before purchasing, manufacturers certify them to the 80 Plus energy efficiency standard with additional levels of Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and the very rare Titan.
Each power supply generates heat, which in rare models with passive system cooling is provided only by the radiator, which requires precise planning and constant optimal conditions environment. For users who are extremely sensitive to noise, we recommend a power supply with hybrid system cooling, for example Corsair RM550x, costing about 8,000 rubles.
Corsair RM550x notable in that its fan only turns on when the load exceeds 40% or the temperature rises. This ensures stable, continuous operation under any circumstances. For other users, we recommend regular power supplies with active system cooling - for example, be quiet Straight Power 10. Its fan operates almost silently under light load. The noise only appears when full power is required.
Expensive capacitors last longer
The first step to high quality- this is the choice of well-known manufacturers: be quiet!, Cooler Master, Corsair, Enermax, Thermaltake Xilence and others. As for the equipment, when choosing a power supply you should pay attention to the presence of all the necessary plugs - available models they often do without a power connector for SATA devices, and some may even comply with an outdated standard.
Also check the exact number of 12-volt plugs (6- or 8-pin) for your video card. A modern technology modular connection Cable management allows you to connect to the power supply only required cables and don’t make a mess in the building.
Expensive capacitors of top power supply models can withstand high temperatures(for example, not 85°, but 105°C), due to which they last longer. Manufacturers can anticipate this fact quite accurately. Long-lasting power supplies can be found among models with a five-year warranty. For example, Cooler Master G650M, with a power of 650 Watts and a cost of about 5,600 rubles.
Photo: manufacturing companies
