The importance of the PSU.

N

Net Jockey

Geek Trainee
After having recently built my first computer, I have learned something I would like share with anyone who will listen.

And that is: That the power supply one chooses can determine just how well your unit will preform. In fact it is the absolute last thing that one should skimp on...And I am about to tell you why...

It is important that the computer operates at the coolest temperature possible...Although it may appear to run OK...an underpowered (poor quality) unit causes additional heat...Which among other things can shorten the life of the other components. And the hotter your unit functions at...the poorer the quality of power that is being delivered, which translates into poorer performance.

A Crappy Power Supply can also take out such things as your Motherboard and your RAM.

I have a 750 Watt TX Corsair PSU in my unit. And I do not use my unit for games...My CPU temperature is currently at 22 degrees Celsius...Main board Temperature is currently at 26 degrees Celsius...and the Aux temperature is currently at 26.5 degrees Celsius. Room temperature is at 21 degrees Celsius, the unit is air cooled with stock fans, the case is not the average case that comes with a prebuilt computer.

How does that stack up against your unit?

Note: All the other components are from quality manufactures.

The right PSU Brand names = Quality...While not all inclusive...Some of the approved Brand names follow...

Seasonic - any model
Corsair - any model
Thermaltake - "Toughpower" series only
Coolermaster - "Real Power Pro" series only
PC Power & Cooling - any model
Silverstone - any model

Unless you are into some serious gaming a 600 watt or higher will take care of your needs.

If you are a serious gamer a 750 Watt, or a little higher will be all that you would need.
 
i :agree:, but there are quite a few other considerations to make:
  • the quality of the power to the PSU
  • other appliances attached to the same circuit (refrigerators, photocopiers etc)
  • when you are planning to upgrade, the PSU should be able to power newer hardware
that about all i can think of at the minute, i'll add more if i think of anything
 
Good names. However, as with anything, don't cling to a particular brand. Many companies don't make the PSU in house and use an OEM like CWT or Seasonic for the guts and go with that and slap their fancy housing around it.

While the wattage is a nice guide, you really need to look at what the rail output is, primarily what the +12V (or combination of the +12V) rail(s) offer for the amperage. There are also the +3.3V and +5V along with some (-) negative voltages (mostly for legacy use). Most PSU's should be heavy on the +12V, as that's where components are shifting their draw to, specifically power hogs like the CPU and PCIe video cards.

The reason to look more closely at the amps on the rails is because you get the PSU wattage from the +12V, +3.3V, and the +5V. If you have 30A on the +12V (360W) and 20A for both the 3.3 (60.6W) and 5V (100W) rails, you might have a 500W PSU, but it may hamper you're upgrades down the line when you buy a video card that requires a 450W PSU with 35A on the +12V rail.
 
You really need to more than look at what the rail output is...You should not believe everything you read. Testing with a multimeter is the only way you would know for sure...That will show you where the quality is.

The units I listed have been tested under harsh conditions...and have stood up...Proven themselves.

And of course...at the end of the road...the proof will be in the pudding. IE: (Component temperatures).

I did not achieve the temperatures I posted by looking at the rail output...Others did...and saved me a lot of work by sharing their findings with me.= Good Brand Names.

Edit: I just read your PSU Info thing (in your sig) and even you recommend some Brand names...I am curious...how did you arrive at those conclusions?
 
Lots of research and keeping up with quality reviews. The list is not to say that a specific brand listed as recommended does not produce a dud line. It's not to say a crap brand may not produce a stellar product. It's a general look at the overall product quality, based on multiple sources (as available) that do have the proper equipment and methodology to test a PSU. I also keep tabs around on other forums to see if there's something specific going on with a particular unit.

Certain brands, Apevia (formerly Aspire) use a screwy system. Typically, PSU companies rate their units at 45*C, which is on the warmer end of things. Apevia is, last I was aware, of rating their PSU's at 25*C, which wouldn't be so bad if PSU's weren't operating in the 30-35*C range. And let's not get into the construction.

Testing with a multimeter is a start, but far from a conclusion. A good PSU will put out what it says on the rails, but most reviews don't do a proper review. Most reviews pop the PSU in, see that it doesn't explode while running 3DMark and comment how pretty it looks. You wouldn't know that FSP's Epsilon line isn't that great, and they're starting to milk a mediocre platform. You also wouldn't find out if the marketing hype is all it's worth.

To review a PSU in a meaningful way, you need to load each rail and see if it does what the sticker says. Very, very few sites have any sort of equipment to do the tests, but they include JonnyGuru (who's founder is working for BFG's PSU line), [H]ard|OCP, Hardware Secrets, Anandtech, and PC Perspective. The units that do the testing are high dollar (think $10,000 USD), so they're not something that can be done by the average user.

A multimeter simply is checking values, not loading them down, nor is it meant to.

Overall, this isn't meant to be the de facto, ultimate source. However, it's to get people to understand that the PSU isn't some arbitrary equipment that doesn't require a few seconds of thinking. It's the first step in a stable system. If the power isn't stable and clean, you're more likely to experience issues. I'm not an electonics engineer by any means, so I don't claim that I have every detail listed here or am any sort of expert.

A good PSU (depending on wattage) is likely to ask $80-100 for what most people would need. If they're rolling their own or building a new box, getting a case with a 600W PSU sounds like a good idea for only $100. Unfortunately, to get that $100 price point, something needed cut in the quality scale. The same amount of money will net you one good PSU, or a mediocre (at best) PSU and case. Again, it sounds like a good deal, but not at the expense of stability.
 
The goal of this thread was to simply help people understand the importance of the PSU...Most people who come here will not go into the depth that your last post has went into...which has the flavor of being a perfectionist...and argumentative... I used to be like that...and found out that it did not give me what I thought it would... I found that I no longer need that sort of thing as a prompt in my life...So I will not be apart of any more conversation with you on this matter.

Cheers.
 
That's precisely why the PSU form came about along with the PSU Sticky thread. The PSU is a big deal. It probably has been for longer than most people realize, but it's coming to the forefront with multi-core CPU and multi-GPU setups.
But, if people don't know, they can't make an informed decision, and that's what the purpose of a forum is here for.
 
Believe it or not...I actually agree with most of what you have said...even though...there are some things I have a problem with...that I will not get into.

You have people like me...and you...who will dig deep into issues in order to understand what is going on.

But there is more than one way to skin a cat...and not everyone benefits from that approach.

Going back and forth as we were doing really serves no purpose...in my opinion...As we are not teaching each other anything.

Edit: In my opinion...Most of the computers sold by manufactures today purposely include a low end PSU in their machines...Yes it is a Big Deal...That is what keeps them alive...That is what keeps bringing you back...to purchase more equipment.

I really think we are on the same page...on most things.
 
Probably some truth to that. On the flip-side, it's hard to justify a 600W PSU in a machine with a Celeron and integrated graphics. However, it's not good business to purposely put something bad in place, unless you want a rep for crap, one that I highly doubt any remotely sane company wants. Corner's get cut, and they have to come from somewhere.

It would be very interesting to see how the PSU's in an average pre-built box fair.
 
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