Most computers are purchased for multimedia and gaming, and this, in turn, requires high system performance. And if several years ago, in the PC specifications before purchase, the power supply was provided along with the case, now the power supply power is calculated, and the buyer only has to choose the brand. This article will assist the consumer in making correct calculations of power supply power for full-function computer operation.
The bigger, the better?
Insufficient power of the power supply primarily leads to unstable operation of the system. This is expressed by banal freezes and reboots. If an overload occurs during a game, the “blue window of death” Windows BSOD appears. Naturally, the user will criticize the developers of the operating system, games, and drivers, but will never think about the power supply. The PC owner will learn about the insufficient power of the power supply at the service center when he tries to repair the burnt-out motherboard and video adapter under warranty. It is clear that most users, in order to avoid calculating the power of the power supply, will prefer to purchase a device with the highest possible characteristics. Why not, if funds allow. You just need to take into account that the computer's power consumption may be significantly less than that which will load the household electrical network, causing the counter to rotate very quickly. Everything must be calculated within reason.
Easy way
A calculator specially designed for this purpose will tell you the power of the computer power supply. At the moment, almost all computer component manufacturers have such a tool in their arsenal. Programs from the famous brands Asus and Cooler Master are very popular. The calculator can be downloaded from the manufacturer’s website or used online service. The user is asked to fill out all the fields in the program, indicating the processor, motherboard, video adapter and other components. The program will make a calculation and provide the recommended power at which the power supply can operate at 100% load. Some manufacturers of software calculators add several tens of watts in reserve, but the user is not notified about this.
Difficulties with power calculators
Calculating power supply power using a calculator is subjective. After all, it only takes into account basic devices and does not pay attention to the issue of peripherals at all. The cooling system, connected multimedia devices and office equipment, keyboard, mouse, and external drive are not taken into account. All these devices are powered by the computer's power supply and together consume considerable current. Experts recommend reserving about 100 watts of design power for the periphery, which must be added to the maximum calculated in the calculator. For those who like to increase system performance by overclocking the processor and video card, the calculator is not at all helpful. This requires manual calculation using knowledge from a school physics course.
Simple math
The usual calculation of power supply power can be done mathematically by adding the power consumption of all components together. The method is not easy, but it is the only objective one. If you look closely at the labels on computer components, any user will notice a sticker that indicates the operating voltage and current consumption. By multiplying these data, you can calculate the required power consumed by this device. It's a little more complicated with processors. Information on their power can be found on the company’s official website. Fans of CPU overclocking need to know one more calculation formula. As the processor frequency increases, power consumption increases by 25% for every 10% overclock. This kind of mathematics is also suitable for calculating the increase in video card performance.
Effective power of PSU
Having calculated the required power, it is still too early to go to the store to buy a new power supply. Ahead are calculations of the effective power of the device. After all, the transformer built into the power supply tends to heat up, and the cooling system tries to reduce the temperature of the device. And the higher the temperature of the transformer, the worse it works. The seller combines all this into one indicator, which is called the “power factor of the power supply”. On average it is 80-85%. That is, if it is written on the device that the rated power is 500 watts, in fact it will be 20% less - 400 watts. Naturally, there are devices on the market with an efficiency of about 90-95%, but their price is much higher than their competitors - these are power supplies from the companies FSP, Seasonic, Enermax, Hipro, HEC.
About voltage channels
In most cases, buying an inexpensive Chinese device with a high power rating can still lead to system inoperability. The fact is that the maximum power of the power supply is not an indicator for the device itself. Any user will notice that a large number of different cables come from the power supply unit, the purpose of which is to connect power to devices. You can connect components to the system that consume 3.3, 5 and 12 volts. Accordingly, the cables are specialized for them. The power supply system distributes the load between these three voltage channels, delivering the larger one at 12 volts.
Sometimes even this power is not enough. Therefore, the buyer’s task is first of all to determine the power consumption of devices along the 12 volt line, and this is the processor, video card, hard drives and cooling system.
Performance analysis of installed equipment
It is worth noting that there are instructions on how to find out the power of the power supply on a computer. To do this, you need to remove the cover of the system unit and look at the sticker on the power supply. Its obligatory attribute will be information on the distributed power of the power supply between channels 3.3, 5 and 12 volts. The indicator located in the “max output” field under all columns is the maximum theoretical power of the power supply unit. This does not take into account the efficiency factor. It remains to understand how to determine the actual power of the power supply. To do this, subtract 20% from the indicated value. Naturally, all voltage lines are subject to power calculations, primarily with preference for the 12 volt line. In addition, it is recommended to calculate the required power of all devices operating on a 12 volt line, and then compare the resulting amount with the data indicated on the power supply sticker with a difference of 20%. There are also special testers that can be used to measure the actual voltage and current supplied by the power supply, but they have many questions regarding the calculation of peak power.
Increasing PSU performance
A pressing problem for users is the question of how to increase the power of the power supply, because in fact, any components of a personal computer can be improved. Professionals recommend that owners of inexpensive Chinese devices do not waste time on increasing power, but buy a better device. But owners of decent power supplies from a well-known brand can help themselves by reducing the power consumption of devices using a 12 volt channel. First of all, this alteration requires the entire cooling system, which can be converted to 7 volts without loss of quality.
- All coolers have a three-pin connector. Black - ground, red - 12 volts, yellow - speed sensor.
- Taking the 12 volt cable coming from the power supply, you need to insert the black wire from the cooler into the red connector, and the red cable of the cooler into the yellow connector. As a result, a voltage of 7 volts will be supplied to the fan.
Checking power supply
When wondering how to check the power of a power supply, many users are unaware of how dangerous an adventure lies in wait for them. It’s not for nothing that software developers, before conducting stress tests on computer equipment, warn about the likelihood of failure of low-quality power supplies. After all, even a theoretically correctly calculated power supply power does not guarantee voltage surges that will be required to operate basic devices at their maximum capabilities. The stress test is designed to check the stability of operation, but it is only suitable for owners of branded power supplies. The result will be information on all power lines with the output of graphs of voltage failures, if any. The test will ensure that the power supply is stable when the load changes. There are situations when the power of the branded power supply is not enough to complete the test. In such cases, the scan is interrupted by the Windows BSOD window of death. There's nothing wrong with that. The result is the same - the power supply is not enough for the system to work.
Portable devices and laptops
In unforeseen situations, when the power supply of a laptop or tablet fails, the need arises to purchase a new device. The choice on the market is great, as is the difference in price. However, the power supply of a laptop or tablet will have to be calculated. To do this, just turn the device upside down and study the sticker, which indicates the recommended voltage and current for operating the device. Simple manipulations of multiplying values will give the minimum power that the power supply should have. Naturally, the power factor must also be taken into account. However, most experts in the field of computer technology recommend not to do mathematics, but to trust the device specifications, which can be found on the manufacturer’s website. There is also a list and labeling of all power supplies that are suitable for operating a mobile device.
Finally
So, we figured it out on the computer, calculate the required voltage consumption by the components of the system unit and increase the performance of the power supply. It remains to add that any actions that require physical intervention in the operation of the power supply can not only lead to serious damage to the device. In most cases, PSU combustion is accompanied by failure of the motherboard, video adapter and RAM. And if it is enough to resolder the capacitors on the motherboard to restore functionality, then the remaining components cannot be returned.
