A power supply unit is exactly that part of a computer that directly determines the reliability of a computer, and, above all, the reliability of an HDD, a hard disk that stores all the information. In fact, without the power supply unit, even the best computer hardware will not be able to work at all - it is this part that is responsible for supplying computer parts with energy and converting the voltage supplied to the computer from the network to the required for individual computer nodes.
It is important to remember that in addition to its main task, the power supply for the computer serves as a voltage stabilizer and a kind of shield from small interference of the incoming voltage, and also participates in the cooling of the system unit.
Nowadays, almost all modern PCs use ATX power supplies. Compared to legacy AT units, ATX has a higher minimum current. This is due to the fact that the details of modern computers consume much more electricity and require more powerful currents for optimal operation.
The most important thing that you need to pay attention to when choosing a power supply for a computer is its power and basic technical characteristics. The required power for each computer is different and primarily depends on the configuration of the computer itself, as well as the degree of complexity of the system. For example, gaming machines or high-performance workstations require higher power than embedded small form factor platforms.
Another important characteristic that each power supply unit for a computer has is this total current strength obtained from the PSU at the output. At the same time, some manufacturers produce power supplies with one line, and some power supplies include two or four lines along which current flows, and the number of lines sometimes almost does not affect the operation of the power supply itself.
Before buying a power supply, it is very important to calculate how much energy a personal computer will approximately consume, on which this power supply will be installed. Moreover, the final factor when choosing this part should be considered its main characteristics (power and total current strength), and not additional functionality. For example, if you decide to choose a less powerful but quieter power supply for your computer, you may regret such a choice over time - after installing an additional memory bar or another hard drive, you will have to purchase a more powerful power supply. For a computer that the user plans to use for several years, you can buy a PSU with a small margin of power just in case if over time additional parts are bought into the computer.
Additional functions that you should pay attention to when choosing a power supply are, first of all, Cable Management and Power Factor Correction. Cable Management is the ability to unfasten unused cables, allowing you to more efficiently use the purchased power supply. Power Factor Correction (literally can be translated as “Power Factor Correction”) can be of two types - active and passive. Passive PFC simply smooths current pulses, stretching them a little in time. Active PFC is also able to provide a power factor that is close to ideal. As a result, the power supply for the computer will use its potential to the maximum.
But how do you choose the best power supply for your computer? To do this, you need to study the tasks that you set for your computer, approximately calculate the power and energy consumption of all the parts of a PC, and simply select the model corresponding to the received numbers. Among all manufacturers of power supplies, it is worth noting such players in the computer market as FSP, Zalman, Asus, Chieftec and @LUX. Depending on the manufacturer and the capabilities of the selected model, the cost of the power supply can range from twenty to two hundred US dollars.