How to choose a power supply for your computer
Power supply is one of the key components of a modern computer. Without this component, absolutely no "machine" can start. Moreover, the quality and convenience of working on a PC largely depends on this component. If you want to choose the right BP and make no mistake, then our detailed article will help you with this. In which we will talk about it, how to choose the right power supply for your computer and what parameters you need to pay attention to in the first place. In addition, the ancillary capabilities of the BP will be assessed, among which we will select really useful and important functions for the modern user.
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Power supply selection criteria for PC
To answer the question, which power supply is better to choose, several important characteristics need to be considered. First of all, you need to determine the optimal power. Then the type of device is selected and other parameters are taken into account, as a type and efficiency of the cooling system, form factor, additional food, auxiliary functions, as well as the manufacturer of BP.
power
If you don't know, which power supply is best to buy for your computer, then different calculators will help you, which are offered online. Many of them are available directly on the websites of manufacturers of PSUs and motherboards, like MSI or be quiet! If the unit you choose is not able to provide enough power for the components, then the computer will not work or will constantly make errors.
The latter include various artifacts in the form of colored squares when running computer games. It is caused by that, that a certain area of memory is instantly left without food at the right time, therefore, the system cannot obtain data from it. Therefore, it is important to calculate the power of the power supply before buying it. On average, you can rely on the following figures:
- For GTX 1080/1080 Ti - 600/750 W
- For GTX 1070 — 500 W
- For GTX 1060 — 400 W
- For 1050/1050 Ti - 300/350 W
Everything else "iron" can be completely arbitrary, including the most productive processors from Intel or AMD. More powerful power supplies on 1 kW and above it makes sense to buy only with a margin for the future or when assembling systems with two (SLI / CrossFire) and a large number (CrossFire) video cards.
Types of power supplies
By type of BP are divided into modular and standard. In the first version, the design provides the ability to disconnect cables. Standard power supplies are equipped with unsoldered wires directly on the board and output. As for modularity, then it can be complete (completely disconnect all cables) or partial (do not turn off the power supply to the CPU and the motherboard).
If you are looking for an inexpensive computer power supply, then you should choose standard models. For budget and office assemblies, such solutions are perfect. With an unlimited budget, take a look at the modular options. With them it is much easier to assemble a PC and organize the cables inside the case (especially when it comes to compact gaming and multimedia systems).
Coefficient of performance (KKD)
To buy a good power supply you need to pay attention to its efficiency. This indicator means the ratio of useful work to the energy spent on this work. To put it simply, then we are talking about power, which the PSU must receive from the socket, to give the PC the amount of electricity it needs. This figure is measured as a percentage and in the cheapest power supplies the efficiency can be total 60-70%.
Even if the efficiency in the BP is total 50%, then it will still be able to give the computer the claimed power. This means, what power supply is on 500 W is able to provide these 500 W of components. But due to the low efficiency, it will take much more out of the socket:
500 / 0,5 = 1 kw
Low efficiency has many disadvantages. Among them, the most obvious is the increase in the amount of electricity bills. But, exept this, due to high losses, power supplies begin to heat up more, raising the overall temperature inside the case, as well as louder noise, after all at high indicators of temperature sensors fans start to turn faster. A special certification has been created to combat this problem, which was named 80 Plus.
Certificate 80 Plus
All popular power supply manufacturers want to get a certificate 80 Plus, for which high-efficiency computer PSUs are created. Depending on the value of the last device, one of the certification classes can be assigned:
- Bronze
- Silver
- Gold
- Platinum
- Titanium
For certified devices 80 Plus Bronze efficiency at maximum load is 81%, and for 80 Plus Titanium — 91%. At the same time, Titanium also has requirements for energy efficiency under load 10%, when for other efficiency certificates from 80% and above should only be when the power supply is running on 20%, 50% and 100% power.
Power supply connectors and cables
Most computer motherboards are powered by 24-pin contacts, therefore, it must be present on the BP. The characteristics of oregano may differ and, depending on their format, the board often has a connector on 20 contacts. In this case, the power supplies can be simply disconnected 4 "Extra" contact. Along with the power supply of the motherboard from the PSU, a 4-pin contact must be connected to power the processor. Some boards also have an 8-pin connector, where the CPU power is connected. However, cheap power supplies do not always have such a contact. In this case, you can use one 4-pin, what is enough for PC operation.
Be sure to have power connectors on the PSU, as well as HDD and SSD. The drives require a SATA cable to operate, and Molex connects to CD and DVD players. It is also used with older ATA hard drives. The last contact in this group is the floppy disk drive connector, but in modern power supplies it is absent.
The contacts described above are in absolutely any block, though standard, though modular type. But PCI Express Power Connector is not present on every PSU. Even if you buy a power supply on 600 Watches for a computer with a powerful video card will not always have the connectors you need. So for the latest video cards (GTX 1080 You) an additional pair of 8-pin contacts may be required. Simpler models (GTX 1070) one such connector is enough, and mid-range cards have a 6-pin connector for extra power.
So when buying, be sure to specify whether you need an additional PCI Express Power Connector or not, as this may affect its final value.
Cooling system
Such devices are cooled by fans built into their housing. At the same time, under minimal load, modern units in the computer can work even without the inclusion of active cooling. As for temperature and noise levels, then they depend entirely on the parts selected by the manufacturer. In modern power supplies, according to user reviews, very quiet "turntables" are used, and the design allows to involve them only at high loading (example, in modern games).
When choosing a power supply, be sure to consider the size of the cooler, the minimum that will provide stable cooling should be within 120x120 mm. In this case, that fact plays an important role, the more the better.
external connectors
Most modern power supplies are equipped with only an input for power connection. Older models may also have a connector for connecting the monitor's power cord. Advanced solutions can sometimes be equipped with USB hub inputs on the rear wall or other ports. However, they are not very common due to unnecessary.
Form factor
An important nuance is also the form factors of power supplies. ATX models are mainly presented on the market, which are great for Full, Midi and Micro Tower enclosures. The second most popular is the EPS format. This solution differs slightly from ATX: use an 8-pin 12V connector instead of a pair of 4-pin ones, as well as great depth (180 or 230 against 140 mm). There are also BTX form factors, TFX and SFX. The last two varieties are perfect for compact assemblies based on Mini-ITX boards.
Useful features
One of the most important functions in power supplies is PFC or Power Factor Correcting. These three words can be translated from English, as "power factor correction". Sometimes PFC is active and passive:
- Active: use of an additional chip (extra impulsive nutrition). This allows you to stabilize the voltage and bring the power factor as close as possible to the nominal value. Used in blocks of premium brands.
- Passive: Ordinary choke, which removes voltage ripple. The price and efficiency of this option is much lower, therefore, they are most often installed in the budget segment model.
Very useful feature, especially in rural areas and regions, where there are often thunderstorms, there is a function of protection against short circuit. This mechanism helps protect computer components from burning out due to improper power supply. The same task is assigned to the scheme, which protects the unit from overvoltage. However, in this case, the negative impact of a sharp increase in voltage in the grid is prevented. For the same purpose, users often buy uninterruptible power supplies.
Which computer power supply to buy
Quality of workmanship, noise level, energy efficiency, durability and many other parameters of the PSU largely depend on the manufacturer. Well-known brands make better power supplies, provided by many years of experience, branded technology and the desire to meet the needs of the buyer, which will increase profits. Less famous brands should be looked at more closely. There are many great budget computer power supplies on the market today, but there are also a lot of mediocre quality solutions, characterized by high noise levels and poor assembly. If you do not want to exchange for mediocre products, then you should look closely at the following manufacturers:
- Corsair
- Chieftec
- be quiet
- DeepCool
- Aerocool
conclusion
The choice of BP should be taken very seriously. First of all, you need to decide on the optimal power, because it is missing, the computer may reboot spontaneously, turn off and don't even start at all. It is also necessary to pay attention to the quality of the selected model, after all, power problems can affect the performance of other PC components. To choose a good power supply for your computer, it is enough to rely on the above recommendations. It is important not to save on this component, preferring protected models.
