Computer Power Supply

Don't use the computer power supply that comes with the computer case. I know it's tempting but the results can be very bad. Researching power supplies is my least favorite part of choosing components for a gaming computer. It’s easy to get excited about your processor. It’s real easy to get excited about your video card. They’re big, they’re colorful, and they have shiny things on them. The computer power supply on the other hand sits hidden in the corner of the case and for the most part goes unnoticed. It’s the unsung hero giving every component the power it needs to function properly. If you skip the research and choose a power supply at random you are gambling. You may get a power supply that is inefficient, supplies inferior power to your components, or worse yet it could go up in smoke taking the rest of those big colorful expensive components with it. It doesn’t take long to make a good decision though so take 5 minutes to read the rest of this article.

All Power Supplies are Not Equal

The first thing to understand is all computer power supplies are not made equal. Just because two power supplies are advertised at 500 watts doesn’t make them the equivalent of each other. Cheaply made power supplies are inefficient. Inefficiency equals heat and heat is the enemy inside a computer case. Your power supply takes the AC (alternating current) from your wall outlet and converts it into DC (direct current) power that can be used by the components in your computer. The power supply can’t convert 100% of the power from your wall outlet. Any excess power that it cannot convert is dissipated as heat. It is important to get an efficient power supply. Look for 80% certified or better.

The second thing to understand about power supplies is how they come up with their ratings. Your power supply provides several different voltages for your computer to function. These are referred to as rails. There is a 3.3V, +5V, and a +12V rail. The power rating is the combined total power from all of the rails. The power rating is the peak power. A power supply can only function at peak power for a short period of time though. It is important that you get a power supply that can supply consistent power at the level you need to run your components. If you rely on your peak power rating alone you will likely have an inferior power supply.

So What Size Power Supply Do I need?

To determine how much power your components require you can look up the power requirements of all of your components and do some math or you can use this nifty computer power supply calculator from Thermaltake to calculate what sized computer power supply you need. You just enter your components and click a button and it calculates your power requirements for you. Just remember that you want to be sure you have enough constant power so if your power requirements are 300 watts don’t get a 300 watt power supply. Get one that is larger to ensure that there is enough constant power.

Pick a Quality Manufacturer

Finally, as we mentioned earlier you want to avoid inferior power supplies. If you want to get real technical you can look at how they are constructed, tests on the output of their rails, and so forth. It’s pretty safe though to just choose a reputable manufacturer and be sure that it has a high efficiency rating. Here is a short list of reliable brands.

Seasonic
Antec
Enermax Liberty
Fortron (FSP Group)
OCZ
PC Power & Cooling
Silverstone
Tagan
Sparkle
Scythe
Zippy
Emacs

You can find them for sale at TigerDirect.com and Newegg.com. .