How to pick the best desktop power supply for your needs?
Building your own desktop system? Definitely, you will opt for the best components that match your need of performance and your budget.
You might have kept in mind all the feature checks that the components must satisfy your need. But, wait. Are you forgetting something?
Of course, not. You won’t neglect a main part of your desktop system, will you? Yes, the desktop power supply that is going to power up your entire system.
PSUs (Power Supply Unit) you use must be pre-eminent, whether you are a passionate gamer or a builder, so that you get the experience you expected from your new build.
If you are clueless how to choose the best desktop computer power supply for your needs, this piece will steer you to what you are looking for.
Say ‘NO’ to low cost desktop power supplies
To settle down your budget on buying a new desktop computer, you will often prefer a low cost desktop computer power supply, concentrating more money on processors, RAMs, CPUs.
But PSUs are equally important. One time investment on the right power supply will save you a lot on your monthly bills.
Not only that, it will ensure that your system does not face any power crash downs and blunder booting issues. Also, low cost power unit will not include a warranty that takes responsibility of damages.
Poor quality power supplies will not only deliver a poor performance, but also has the potential risk of blowing up your system and even causing a fire break-out in your home.
Don’t think that this as frightening, but true. Therefore do not hesitate to devote a decent sum to buy your desktop power supply.
Know the wattage requirements of your entire system
Simply a power supply is going to provide electric power in terms of Watts to your system. So, you must be aware of the power requirements of your build.
There are many power calculators available online. Make use of one.
Enter the details of all the hardware installed or going to be installed in the appropriate fields and then select calculate.
You will get the overall power, in Watts, your system is going to need. Once you have the power requirement of your system, you can choose the optimum desktop power supply.
Both excessive and temperate power supply is an utter slip-up.
For example, the result you have obtained says that your build requires 440 Watts on the whole; you might wonder whether to choose a 450W or 500W power supply unit.
Come on, I know it is absurd to think that a 400W PSU will power up your system. So, amidst 450W and a 500W supply unit, what should you choose?
Of course, a 450W power supply unit can energize your system. But as time goes on, your components are prone to aging and will use a higher power than when they are new.
So, a 500W PSU will justify your system’s power requirement.
Obviously, a 750W power supply unit will also do the job.
But such a high power system won’t do anything much better, other than costing you handsome money.
Choose an efficient desktop power supply – Go for 80Plus
The efficiency of the power supply unit is all that matters at the end of the day. How efficiently it converts the AC Mains to DC, how effectively it delivers power to your system with minimal wastage, is the key factor.
The 80Plus is a sovereign certification that that tells that your desktop power supply unit has the efficiency of 80% for different loads, while the remaining 20% is wasted as heat.
All the new power supply units have the 80Plus certification and this is a crucial factor that you must look for in your new power supply unit.
Don’t fall for Peak Power
Peak Power is the maximum power that a PSU can supply to a system whereas Continuous Power is the steady power it generates.
If the Continuous Power is mentioned in the PSU, then you can buy it. If both the Continuous Power and Peak Power are mentioned, then it is double okay.
But is there is no remark of Continuous Power and only the Peak Power is mentioned then it is advised not to buy it.
Peak Power is just an indicator of the capability of the power unit. It might vanish over the time.
So note that Peak Power is not an instrumental factor that decides the decency of your power supply unit.
Look for the correct number and type of connectors
Your PSU must have the right number and right type of connectors to connect your PC components. So, make sure that you buy a power supply with appropriate connectors.
If not, you must look for the suitable adapters to overcome the lacking. Or you can pick a modular type power supply unit as per your need.
Non- Modular type PSUs come with pre-attached cables that you cannot remove from them.
If you are going to build a basic normal desktop system, with dual core processor, then non-modular type PSUs will do the work, since a less number of cables are sufficient.
Also it comes with an advantage that it will fit right in your budget because of their low cost.
If you are going to build a superior PC with Quad core processors, then Semi-Modular type PSUs will help you.
The semi-modular type PSUs have some of its cables attached and some others that can be removed as per your wish.
They are high-priced and come with extra cables that ease running both the processing unit as well the extra hardware components.
In fully modular type PSUs, all the cables can be removed as per your wish. So, you can include only the ones that you need, resulting in less-jumbled and less-chaotic set-up.
It is beneficial if you are building your own computer as a heavy-duty gaming machine or a machine learning rig, with multiple graphics cards and hardcore processors (hexa/octa). They give you more options and are quite expensive.
As concluding remarks, choosing the right power supply unit is the finishing touch and also a deciding factor in the art of building a desktop.
Choosing it wisely will give a tremendous upshot. Lavish PSUs will not only run but will also protect your system.
But remember, buying a PSU that is far superior to your needs is a waste of money.
I hope this guide helps you in choosing a right PSU. At last, it is so simple. Feed your system a quality food in the quantity it needs.
