How to Tell What Power Supply I Have
One of the least heady, only near important, PC components is the ability supply. PCs run on electricity, of form, and that's non provided straight from the wall to every component inside a PC's case. Instead, electricity routes from the alternating current (AC) provided by the ability company into the direct electric current (DC) used past PC components in the required voltage.
Information technology'due south tempting to buy just any power supply to run your PC, but that'southward not a wise choice. A ability supply that doesn't provide reliable or clean ability can cause any number of problems, including instability that can be hard to pin down. In fact, a failing power supply tin can often crusade other problems such as random resets and freezes that can otherwise remain mysterious.
Therefore, you'll want to give your power supply choice as much time and attention equally your CPU, GPU, RAM, and storage options. Picking the right ability supply will requite you the best possible performance and help contribute to a lifetime of reliability.
Prices and availability of products discussed were authentic at time of publication, but are subject to change.
Power output: How much do yous need?
While there are several important factors to consider when choosing a power supply – merely like with every PC component – identifying 1 of the virtually of import factors is refreshingly simple. You don't demand to pour through benchmarks or read reviews to know how much power output you demand. Rather, you lot can utilise a tool like Newegg's power supply calculator to make up one's mind exactly how much power your new supply needs to output.
To use the tool, you need to select your components from the drop-downward lists for each category. The tool higher up is up-to-date with the latest options for cardinal processing unit (CPU), motherboard, graphics processing unit (GPU), random admission retentivity (RAM), and more. While the tool doesn't drill down into the details of every component, it does so where necessary and takes the guesswork out of deciding how much power yous need.
For instance, if you lot're edifice (or buying) a PC with an Intel Core i7-11700K CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 GPU, sixteen gigabytes (GB) of RAM fabricated upwards of two 8GB sticks, a 1TB solid-state drive (SSD), and a 1TB 7200RPM hard disk drive (HDD), then 512 watts of power would exist recommended. You could choose a 600-watt power supply to be safe – and buying a suitable option is just a click of a button away.
Anticipate upgrades when buying a power supply
Of course, you might want to run some scenarios to make sure you can handle your long-term needs. For example, upgrading to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 GPU bumps the recommendation to 602 watts, while doubling the RAM makes no difference. If you think you might upgrade your GPU, then, and so you'll want at least a 700 watt PSU.
You lot go the moving-picture show. Don't but plan to meet your needs today, instead expect downwards the route a bit and recall about what changes you might want to make later. And if y'all're buying a pre-built PC, so y'all'll want to brand sure you know what ability supply it uses to brand sure it can handle whatever you might want to add together – or that it's easy enough to supercede at some point.
An important note regarding power: continuous power and meridian power are different things. By and large, the "Maximum Power" figure of a power supply refers to the continuous (stable) ability the PSU will evangelize consistently, while the height ability refers to the elevated maximum (surge) ability the PSU tin deliver, albeit for a very brusque amount of time (east.grand., 15 seconds). When buying a power supply, brand sure its continuous wattage meets your needs or you'll likely run into bug when your PC is running a full load.
Finally, don't be worried that buying a college-rated power supply means you lot'll necessarily be using more power. A power supply will only pull the electricity demanded by your PC's components – and and so while it might be a waste matter of money up front to purchase a larger power supply than you demand, it won't cost you whatsoever more than to operate your PC considering of it.
Protection
Some power supply manufacturers will build in protections to help keep your components safety from power-related problems. These protections ofttimes add together some cost to a power supply, but they can offering some boosted peace of listen equally well.
The first is overvoltage protection, which refers to a circuit or mechanism that shuts downwardly the power supply unit if the output voltage exceeds the specified voltage limit, which is oftentimes college than the rated output voltage. This protection is of import since high output voltages may cause damage to computer components that connect to the power supply.
The second is overload and overcurrent protection. These are circuits that protect the ability supply unit and the reckoner by shutting downwards the power supply unit when there is excessive current or ability load detected, including short circuit currents.
Efficiency matters with a PSU
Wattage is just ane measure of a power supply's performance. Another is its efficiency rating, which is a measure of how much DC ability it sends to the PC and how much is lost primarily to rut. Efficiency is of import considering it affects how much you'll spend on keeping your PC juiced up.
As an example, consider a PC that requires 300 watts of ability. If yous employ a power supply with an 85% efficiency rating, your PC will pull nigh 353 watts of input power from your power company. A power supply that'due south only 70% efficient, on the other paw, will pull 428 watts of ability from the wall. Choosing the more efficient power supply will salvage some cash on your monthly power neb.
At the same time, a power supply with a higher efficiency rating volition allow your PC to run libation equally well. Every PC component generates some rut, and that tends to work against summit operation. A more efficient power supply volition dissipate less heat, which will mean a quieter system thanks to fans that don't take to run as fast or as long, amend reliability, and a longer lifespan.
What is 80 PLUS certification?
As y'all're searching for ability supplies, y'all'll meet many that carry 80 PLUS certification labels. 80 Plus is a certification program that manufacturers tin can use to provide some assurances that their power supplies will meet certain efficiency requirements. 80 PLUS has various levels ranging from the bones certification to Titanium, and ability supplies are rated by independent labs to provide the following efficiency levels for consumer 115-volt ability systems:
| % of Rated Load | 10% | 20% | 50% | 100% |
| 80 PLUS | – | 80% | 80% | lxxx% |
| 80 PLUS Bronze | – | 82% | 85% | 82% |
| 80 PLUS Silver | – | 85% | 88% | 85% |
| fourscore PLUS Aureate | – | 87% | 90% | 87% |
| eighty PLUS Platinum | – | 90% | 92% | 89% |
| 80 PLUS Titanium | 90% | 92% | 94% | 90% |
When you're shopping for a power supply at Newegg, you lot can cull to filter past lxxx PLUS certification level. That makes it easier to dial in exactly the level of efficiency that you lot want to achieve in your new PC.
Rails aren't just for trains
Wattage isn't the simply measure of a power supply's ability to support all of your components, however. Power is provided to the components by runway, and while each voltage rail requires attention, the most attention needs to go to the +12V rail(s) that provide power to the near power-hungry components, as the processor and PCIe video cards receive their ability from them.
A mod power supply must output at to the lowest degree 18A (amps) on the +12V track(s) for a mainstream up-to-date computer, more than 24A for a system with a single enthusiast-class graphics bill of fare, and no less than 34A when information technology comes to a high-terminate SLI/CrossFire system. The output amperage figure we're talking about here is the combined figure for PSUs offering more than 1 +12V runway.
Of grade, information technology is the combined full output number you should expect for, and you tin't always add up the+12V rails to calculate the combined output. For instance, a PSU labeled with rails labeled +12V1@18A and +12V2@16A may only take a 30A combined power output instead of 34A. Expect for this information in the detailed item specifications or on the PSU information characterization.
If you are going to run an SLI/Crossfire configuration, y'all should make sure the +12V rail(due south) provide no less than 34A combined. Different power supplies are labeled differently – some evidence the maximum amperage provided by each rail, and some will provide the maximum combined maximum wattage, e.k., 396W, which equals 396W/12V = 33A.
Some other important consideration is the number of rails a power supply uses to provide power to its components. Simply put, a ability supply can provide just ane +12 volt rail to provide all of the power to your PC's components, or it can have multiple runway. Using i rail means that all the ability is available to all components continued to it – that makes configuration easy because you lot don't need to worry about matching components to runway, merely information technology also means that a power supply failure, such as a surge, volition affect all components. Conversely, having multiple runway gives some security against catastrophic failure only requires more care in setting things up.
Form factor – Will your ability supply fit?
The adjacent consideration is a simple ane – you'll need to pick a form cistron that y'all're sure will physically fit into your case. Fortunately, there are standards in terms of power supplies just as there are in cases and motherboards.
This topic tin can become quite complicated, just the important matter to think is you'll want to match your power supply with your case and motherboard. The following is a basic overview of the most important ability supply form factors today.
ATX
Although there are withal AT form gene power supplies available for buy, AT class factor ability supplies are undoubtedly legacy products, on the way out. Even the later ATX grade factor ability supplies (ATX ii.03 and before versions) are falling out of favor. The major differences between the ATX and AT power supply form factors are:
- ATX power supplies provide an actress +iii.3V voltage rail.
- ATX ability supplies utilize a single 20-pin connector as the main power connector.
- ATX power supplies support the soft-off feature, allowing software to plow off the power supply.
ATX12V
The ATX12V form factor is the mainstream pick now. At that place are several different versions of the ATX12V form factor, and they can exist very different from one another. The ATX12V v1.0 specification added over the original ATX grade gene a 4-pivot +12V connector to deliver power exclusively to the processor, and a six-pin auxiliary power connector providing the +3.3V and +5V voltages. The ensuing ATX12V v1.iii specification added on pinnacle the xv-pivot SATA power connector on top of all that.
A substantial change occurred in the ATX12V v2.0 specification, which changed the main ability connector from a 20-pin to a 24-pivot format, removing the six-pin auxiliary ability connector. Also, the ATX12V v2.0 specification also isolated the electric current limit on the four-pivot processor power connector for the 12V2 track (+12V current is split into the 12V1 and 12V2 rails). Afterward, the ATX12V v2.i and v2.2 specifications also increased efficiency requirements and mandated various other improvements.
All ATX12V power supplies maintain the same physical shape and size every bit the ATX form factor.
EPS12V, SFX12V, and Others
The EPS12V power supply form gene utilizes an 8-pin processor power connector in add-on to the 4-pin connector of the ATX12V class gene (this isn't the only difference between these 2 form factors, but for most desktop computer users, knowing this should be sufficient). The EPS12V form factor was originally designed for entry-level servers, but more and more loftier-finish desktop motherboards are featuring the 8-pivot EPS12V processor power connector now, which enables users to opt for an EPS12V power supply.
The Modest Course Gene (SFF) designation is used to describe a number of smaller ability supplies, such as the SFX12V (SFX stands for Minor Form Factor), CFX12V (CFX stands for Meaty Form Factor), LFX12V (LFX stands for Low Profile Form Gene) and TFX12V (TFX stands for Thin Form Cistron). They are all smaller than the standard ATX12V form cistron power supply in terms of physical size, and pocket-size form factor power supplies need to be installed in corresponding small class factor reckoner cases.
Connectors
A ability supply is useless if it won't connect to and power every component in your PC. That ways it needs to accept all the required connector types.
The first connector to consider is the primary connector that powers the motherboard. This connector comes in ii types, twenty-pin and 24-pin. The latter is increasingly popular, and it'southward likely that your power supply will provide both options. Just check to be sure.
Next upwardly is the processor power connector, which comes in 4-pin and viii-pin versions. Every bit with the primary ability connector, many modern motherboards have switched to the larger format. Again, make sure your power supply is compatible.
The most frequently used power connector is the 4-pivot Molex connector. It's used for a variety of components including older HDDs, optical drives, fans, and certain other devices. Newer SATA components have their own SATA ability connector, and you can too utilise Molex to SATA adapters if you run out of either. And, you can fifty-fifty employ splitter cables to increase the number of components you tin can connect – merely proceed in mind your power supply'south upper limits.
Fan noise and cable convenience
Now that we've considered the most of import ability-related factors, there are a couple of other things to consider when choosing a power supply. These aren't as vital, but they can affect how pleasant a power supply is to live with throughout your PC's lifespan.
Fan noise
As we've already discussed, power supplies generate oestrus. That means they require fans to stay cool and run efficiently. Y'all'll want to give some idea to how quiet you want your PC to run, which will be determined a lot past your environment. If your PC operates in a tranquillity space, then larger fans that spin more slowly to move the same amount of air volition probable result in a quieter PC.
In that location aren't whatsoever existent standards effectually power supply cooling, and so you'll demand to compare marketing materials for your power supply options. This is one expanse where in-depth reviews will be particularly helpful, as they tend to measure how loud a power supply is during diverse levels of operation and and then offer some guidance as to how loud you lot tin can expect your PC to run.
Cabling
Finally, there are three basic types of power supply cabling. Whether yous choose a difficult-wired, modular, or hybrid system will determine how make clean the inside of your example will exist and how much work you lot'll need to put in to keep your PC uncluttered and organized.
Hard-wired cabling means that every connector is directly connected to the ability supply and and then will be nowadays whether needed or non. The reward – and it's a small-scale one with modern power supplies – to hard-wired systems is that it'due south both simpler and doesn't impose any boosted resistance with extra connectors.
Modular cabling means that each connector can be added in every bit needed. That makes it easier to keep your case clean and uncluttered, simply it too introduces some boosted complexity – and toll – and some boosted resistance thanks to extra physical connections. That's well-nigh likely irrelevant for most users, though.
Hybrid systems accept some cables, such as the primary power connect, physically continued and the others beingness optional. A hybrid system can nowadays a good compromise, in that sure cables are required and even if the additional resistance of modular connections is minimal, information technology'southward easy enough to avoid.
Time to ability up
Obviously, there's a lot to picking a power supply, and it's an important decision in putting together a new PC. But spending a niggling time upward-front to make sure your power supply provides your PC components with reliable, consistent, and safe power will save you huge amounts of time in the long term, and it will help make your PC a amend and more than efficient machine.
Source: https://www.newegg.com/insider/how-to-choose-a-pc-power-supply-buying-guide/
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