What kind of power supply is needed for a computer. Power supply for a computer - how to choose the right one based on power, manufacturer and cost

The power supply is the most important component of any personal computer, on which the reliability and stability of your build depends. There is quite a large selection of products on the market from various manufacturers. Each of them has two or three lines or more, which also include a dozen models, which seriously confuses buyers. Many people do not pay due attention to this issue, which is why they often overpay for excess power and unnecessary bells and whistles. In this article we will figure out which power supply is best for your PC?

A power supply (hereinafter referred to as PSU) is a device that converts high voltage 220 V from an outlet into computer-friendly values ​​and is equipped with the necessary set of connectors for connecting components. It seems to be nothing complicated, but upon opening the catalog, the buyer is faced with a huge number of different models with a bunch of often incomprehensible characteristics. Before we talk about choosing specific models, let’s look at what characteristics are key and what you should pay attention to first.

Main parameters.

1. Form factor. In order for the power supply to fit into your case, you must decide on the form factors, based on from the parameters of the system unit case itself . The dimensions of the power supply in terms of width, height and depth depend on the form factor. Most come in the ATX form factor, for standard cases. In small system units of the microATX, FlexATX, desktops and others, smaller units are installed, such as SFX, Flex-ATX and TFX.

The required form factor is specified in the characteristics of the case, and it is by this that you need to be guided when choosing a power supply.

2. Power. The power determines what components you can install in your computer, and in what quantity.
It is important to know! The number on the power supply is the total power across all of its voltage lines. Since the main consumers of electricity in a computer are the central processor and video card, the main power line is 12 V, when there are also 3.3 V and 5 V to power some components of the motherboard, components in expansion slots, power drives and USB ports. The power consumption of any computer along the 3.3 and 5 V lines is insignificant, so when choosing a power supply for power, you should always look at the "characteristic" power on line 12 V", which ideally should be as close as possible to the total power.

3. Connectors for connecting components, the number and set of which determine whether you can, for example, power a multiprocessor configuration, connect a couple or more video cards, install a dozen hard drives, and so on.
Main connectors except ATX 24 pin, This:

To power the processor, these are 4 pin or 8 pin connectors (the latter can be detachable and have a 4+4 pin entry).

To power the video card - 6 pin or 8 pin connectors (8 pin is most often collapsible and is designated 6+2 pin).

For connecting 15-pin SATA drives

Additional:

4pin MOLEX type for connecting older HDDs with an IDE interface, similar disk drives and various optional components, such as rheobass, fans, etc.

4-pin Floppy - for connecting floppy drives. They are very rare these days, so such connectors most often come in the form of adapters with MOLEX.

Extra options

Additional characteristics are not as critical as the main ones in the question: “Will this power supply work with my PC?”, but they are also key when choosing, because affect the efficiency of the unit, its noise level and ease of connection.

1. Certificate 80 PLUS determines the efficiency of the power supply unit, its efficiency (efficiency factor). List of 80 PLUS certificates:

They can be divided into the basic 80 PLUS, on the far left (white), and the colored 80 PLUS, ranging from Bronze to the top Titanium.
What is efficiency? Let's say we are dealing with a unit whose efficiency is 80% at maximum load. This means that at maximum power the power supply will draw 20% more energy from the outlet, and all this energy will be converted into heat.
Remember one simple rule: the higher the 80 PLUS certificate in the hierarchy, the higher the efficiency, which means it will consume less unnecessary electricity, heat less, and, often, make less noise.
In order to achieve the best efficiency indicators and obtain the 80 PLUS “color” certificate, especially at the highest level, manufacturers use their entire arsenal of technologies, the most efficient circuitry and semiconductor components with the lowest possible losses. Therefore, the 80 PLUS icon on the case also speaks of the high reliability and durability of the power supply, as well as a serious approach to creating the product as a whole.

2. Type of cooling system. The low level of heat generation of power supplies with high efficiency allows the use of silent cooling systems. These are passive (where there is no fan at all), or semi-passive systems, in which the fan does not rotate at low powers, and starts working when the power supply becomes “hot” under load.

When selecting a power supply, you should pay attention to for the length of the cables, the main ATX24 pin and the CPU power cable when installed in a case with a bottom-mounted power supply.

For optimal installation of power wires behind the rear wall, they must be at least 60-65 cm long, depending on the size of the case. Be sure to take this point into account so you don’t have to bother with extension cords later.
You need to pay attention to the number of MOLEX only if you are looking for a replacement for your old and antediluvian system unit with IDE drives and drives, and even in a significant quantity, because even the simplest power supplies have at least a couple of old MOLEX, and in more expensive models There are dozens of them in general.

I hope this small guide to the DNS company catalog will help you in such a complex issue at the initial stage of your acquaintance with power supplies. Enjoy the shopping!

Let's start with the obvious - with power. Remember that the purchased power supply must have at least 25% power reserve from the peak power in the assembled system (it is not difficult to calculate it - there are many online calculators on the Internet). Taking into account the future upgrade, it is worth setting aside up to 50% of the reserve - this will not only allow you to seriously increase energy consumption in the future, but will also reduce the load on the power supply, ensuring it operates in the most optimal part of the efficiency curve.

The efficiency of switching power supplies is nonlinear - at low load and at maximum it is lower than at average (around 50-60%). However, the efficiency that is most important to us is at maximum load, especially when we are talking about systems with high power consumption. If you are assembling a simple PC with a 250-watt power supply, then its efficiency will not be decisive - even a cheap “Chinese” one will heat up slightly. But at powers above 500 W, a difference of a few percent in efficiency will already make a serious difference in heating, and this directly affects not only the noise of the power supply, but also its resource, especially when the radiators and fan impeller have already collected dust.

We recommend that you only consider purchasing power supplies with 80 Plus certification, indicating that the efficiency of the power supply is above 80% (this not only promises low heating, but also directly indicates the quality of the components). There are several certification options, we present them in order of increasing efficiency: Bronze->Silver->Gold->Platinum->Titanium. And, if at powers within 500 W the 80 Plus Bronze unit will be a completely balanced choice, then in the kilowatt region it is already worth looking at “platinum”, or even “titanium”.

In the list of characteristics you need to pay attention to one more point. This is about presence of PFC- physically, the operation of this system is to minimize the phase shift that is inevitable in AC networks due to the presence of high-capacity capacitors at the input of the power supply. If a power supply without PFC has a power factor of about 70%, then active PFCs can bring it to almost an ideal unity - and with a kilowatt load this provides no less than a savings of up to 300 watts of power consumption. But do not forget that not every PFC circuit can “make friends” with uninterruptible power supplies - since in cheap UPSs the voltage shape is far from an ideal sinusoid, the PFC literally “goes crazy”, refusing to work.

The vast majority of modern users who build their own computers pay attention exclusively to the processor, video card and motherboard. Only after this a little love and warmth goes to the RAM, the case, the cooling system, but the power supply is usually bought as change. Of course, I’m not saying that everyone does exactly this, but in most compilations from YouTube, articles from the Internet or advice from close friends, this is exactly the chain that sounds.
Why is the power supply the last thing people look at? It's simple - it does not affect the performance of the computer. Gamers absolutely always strive to get more FPS in their favorite games, investing their entire budget in three main components, and buying the rest with the remaining money. Designers and video workers invest resources in RAM and a processor with a large number of cores. Nobody is interested in the power supply, it just “starts the computer”.

However, it is the “engine” of your PC. If you choose the wrong power, then most of the money invested in the purchase will either be idle, or you will buy a 500 W unit, and then install a more powerful video card and there will not be enough power. Unstable operation of the system, crashes, overheating of components, and blue screens of death occur. Today we will learn to avoid all this. And, let me tell you right away, we will be talking specifically about the power of the power supply. Not about which brand is cooler, not about lighting, coloring, design, not about cooling, there will be no debate about “modular system or not.” We talk about power and the steps you need to take to purchase the perfect one.

Power from characteristics vs real power

It is worth immediately understanding that the Watts indicated in the characteristics always differ from real indicators. Absolutely always. The only question is how much. For example, if it is written on the power supply, then this does not at all guarantee real 500 W of output power. This is just a rounded value imposed by marketers. The same thing with other powers - 700 W, 1300 W. These are all beautiful numbers that attract attention.

Usually, on more or less decent blocks the efficiency factor is written. Mid-level models and above will have an 80 Plus certificate (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum). This means that the efficiency of this model is above 80%. The higher the certificate level, the higher the efficiency percentage. For example, a model with Bronze will have 82-85% efficiency of the declared figure, and a version with Gold will have 90% efficiency. Below I have given a plate showing the percentage of efficiency under different load levels. For those models that cannot boast of a certificate, the efficiency is usually 75% or lower.


So it turns out that you buy a 600 W power supply without a certificate, but you get 450 W of real power. It is worth considering this point when buying a computer “engine”, because very often they do not pay attention to this detail and are surprised when the PC constantly turns off under load. Today, most power supplies are certified 80 Plus Bronze; such models can be considered a reasonable minimum. Units without a certificate remain dark horses - who knows how much real power there will be.

Golden Rule

The next thing you need to know is the load level of your power supply. Often, due to budget problems, gamers take the power of the hardware for themselves. We assembled a system for 430 W of power consumption and took a 550 W model with a “bronze” certificate. The system element works, allows you to start the computer and play games, but is constantly working at the limit of its capabilities. Naturally, due to the maximum load, all elements of the power supply overheat, the fan runs at maximum speeds and makes wild noise, and the internal components wear out much faster.


To prevent your “engine” from dying out in a year and a half, you need to follow one rule - take the rated power one and a half (or even twice) times more than what the system requires. For example, you calculated (later I will tell you exactly how to do this) that your system needs 350 W of power. Multiply by two, we get 700 W - this is the model we are looking for. Even if you take away the 20% efficiency that is lost, your system will load the power supply by 50-60% in high load mode. This allows the block filling to wear out longer, not overheat, the fan will not spin like mad, and there will be much less noise. Using this rule, you will spend a little more money, but the system will last three to five years instead of a year.

Counting Watts

Now that we have studied the theory and learned the necessary rules, let's calculate the required power for your computer. If you assembled a PC in an online store and the purchase is hanging in the cart, or you have written down the components on a piece of paper, we will use the processor/video card frequencies from the specifications. For those who have already assembled the system, you only need to replace the battery, you can use real frequencies.
  • Calculator Cooler Master
  • MSI calculator
  • Calculator be quiet!
I advise you to open three links at once and build your PC on three resources, then we’ll just compare the indicators and display the average number, this will be more accurate.

The first service will be a calculator from. There are a lot of switches, a lot of additional checkboxes and parameters. For an experienced user, they even allow you to select the frequency of the processor and video card, if you already know these parameters or can guess them.


Enter the data, click on the “Calculate” button at the bottom right and two numbers will appear in the same place. First, the power consumption of this system (Load Wattage) is written in black font, which is what we need. You don't have to watch the second one. For example, my system has a power consumption of 327 watts.


Next, go to the MSI calculator. There are fewer options; there are no sliders for frequency at all. We select the processor model, video card, select the number of fans, and so on. The value will be shown immediately in the upper right corner (it’s hard not to notice). In my case - 292 W.


The last one will be a calculator from the company be quiet!.. There is an even smaller menu, so even a user with little knowledge will be able to figure it out. Click on the orange “Calculate” button and look at the power consumption. In this program - 329 W.


Based on these calculations, the MSI calculator in my case forgot to add something. Let's take the average power consumption as 328 W.

Putting knowledge into practice

So, our system consumes 328 W. Multiply by one and a half (remember the golden rule!) and we get 492 watts. But we remember that power supplies do not deliver 100% power, but only 80%, in the case of Bronze. This means that with simple mathematical calculations, we get the required power “on paper” of 615 W. This figure can be rounded to 600 W and take any model from bronze and above, you can take it with a slightly larger margin - 650 or 700 W so that our “engine” is loaded by 50-60%.

All you have to do is calculate the power consumption of your PC and do the same mathematical calculations. The remaining parameters - cable modularity, lighting, brand, noise level, smartphone applications and so on - are chosen separately, depending on your budget and desires.

In this article, we will help you choose a Power Supply for your computer in order to manage your funds correctly and not overpay for “unnecessary Watts”.

Many people, when buying a computer, pay little attention to choosing a power supply. They believe that any one installed in the purchased case will do.
But in vain. The power supply is one of the most important components of your work, home or gaming computer.
Because of a cheap (bad, low-quality) power supply costing a couple of tens of dollars, equipment worth several hundred or even thousands of dollars can “go to their forefathers.”
So you shouldn’t skimp on your computer’s power supply. This is a well-known fact, confirmed by regular failures of expensive components.

So, where should you start when choosing a power supply?

First thing you need to roughly calculate the power consumption of all system components.
That is, we will find out what power supply unit we need.
This can be done using the so-called “power supply calculator”.
In each section, you need to select the components of your computer: type of processor (CPU), motherboard, RAM, video card, hard drive and optical drive, and also indicate the number of installed components. Then click the "Calculate" button.

The resulting number will be the required power for your system (and with a small margin); accordingly, we need to choose a power supply with a power as close as possible to our calculated value.

Power Supply Calculator

Motherboard:Video card:Memory:DVD/CD-ROM:HDD (hard drive):SSD:
CPU: Please select a processor =========AMD CPUs======= AMD FX 8-Core Black Edition AMD FX 6-Core Black Edition AMD FX 4-Core Black Edition AMD Quad-Core A10-Series APU AMD Quad-Core A8-Series APU AMD Quad-Core A6-Series APU AMD Triple-Core A6-Series APU AMD Dual-Core A4-Series APU AMD Dual-Core E2-Series APU AMD Phenom II X6 AMD Phenom II X4 AMD Phenom II X3 AMD Phenom II X2 AMD Athlon II X4 AMD Athlon II X3 AMD Athlon II X2 AMD Phenom X4 AMD Phenom X3 AMD Athlon 64 FX (Dual Core) AMD Athlon 64 FX (Single Core) AMD Athlon 64 X2(90nm) AMD Athlon 64 X2(65nm) AMD Athlon 64 (90nm) AMD Athlon 64 (65nm) AMD Sempron =========Intel CPUs======= Intel Core i7 (LGA1150) Intel Core i7 (LGA2011) Intel Core i7 (LGA1366) Intel Core i7 (LGA1155) Intel Core i7 (LGA1156) Intel Core i5 (LGA1150) Intel Core i5 (LGA1155) Intel Core i5 (LGA1156) Intel Core i3 (LGA1150) Intel Core i3 (LGA1155) Intel Core i3 (LGA1156) Intel Pentium Dual-Core Intel Celeron Dual-Core Intel Core 2 Extreme (Quad Core) Intel Core 2 Extreme (Dual Core) Intel Core 2 Quad Series Intel Core 2 Duo Series Intel Pentium E Series Intel Pentium EE Intel Pentium D Intel Pentium 4 Cedar Mill Intel Pentium 4 Prescott Intel Pentium 4 Northwood Intel Celeron D Prescott Intel Celeron D Northwood Intel Celeron Conroe-L
Please select a motherboard Budget (up to $100) - Motherboard Medium (from $100 to $200) - Motherboard Top-end (over $200) - Motherboard Workstation (WS) - Motherboard Server board - Motherboard
Please select a graphics card Integrated graphics card =========AMD VGA Cards======= AMD Radeon R9 Fury X AMD Radeon R9 390X AMD Radeon R9 390 AMD Radeon R9 380 AMD Radeon R7 370 AMD Radeon R7 360 AMD Radeon R9 295X2 AMD Radeon R9 290X AMD Radeon R9 290 AMD Radeon R9 285 AMD Radeon R9 280X AMD Radeon R9 280 AMD Radeon R9 270X AMD Radeon R9 270 AMD Radeon R7 265 AMD Radeon R7 260X AMD Radeon R7 260 AMD Radeon R7 2 50X AMD Radeon R7 250 AMD Radeon R7 240 AMD Radeon R5 230 AMD Radeon HD 7990 GHz Edition AMD Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition AMD Radeon HD 7970 AMD Radeon HD 7950 AMD Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition AMD Radeon HD 7870 AMD Radeon HD 7850 AMD Radeon HD 7790 AMD Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition AMD Radeon HD 7770 AMD Radeon HD 7750 AMD Radeon HD 6990 AMD Radeon HD 6970 AMD Radeon HD 6950 AMD Radeon HD 6870 AMD Radeon HD 6850 AMD Radeon HD 6790 AMD Radeon HD 6770 AMD Radeon HD 6750 AMD Radeon HD 6670 AMD Radeon HD 6570 AMD Radeon HD 6450 ATI Radeon HD 5970 ATI Radeon HD 5870 X2 ATI Radeon HD 5870 ATI Radeon HD 5850 ATI Radeon HD 5830 ATI Radeon HD 5770 ATI Radeon HD 5750 ATI Radeon HD 5670 ATI Radeon HD 5570 ATI Radeon HD 5550 ATI Radeon HD 5450 ATI Radeon HD 4890 ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 Ati Radeon HD 4870 Ati Radeon HD 4850 X2 ATI Radeon HD 4830 ATI Radeon HD 4770 ATI Radeon Radeon HD Rada Rada Rada Rada Rada Rada Rada Rada Rada Rada Radeon HD RADEN HD RADEN HD RADEN HD RADEN HD RADEN HD RADEN HD Radet HD Radee HD Radee HD 4670 ATI RADEON HDI Eon HD 4650 ATI Radeon HD 4550 ATI Radeon HD 4350 ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 ATI Radeon HD 3870 ATI Radeon HD 3850 X2 ATI Radeon HD 3850 ATi Radeon HD2900 Series ATi Radeon HD2600 Series ATi Radeon HD2400 Series ATi Radeon X1950 XT(X) ATi Radeon X1950 Series ATi Radeon X1900 XT(X) ATi Radeon X1900 Series ATi Radeon X1800 Series ATi Radeon X1650 Series ATi Radeon X1600 Series ATi Radeon X1550 Series ATi Radeon X1300 Series ATi Radeon X800 Series ATi Radeon X700 Series ATi Radeon X600 Series ATi Radeon X300 Series ATi Radeon 9800 Series ATi Radeon 9700 Series ATi Radeon 9600 Series ATi Radeon 9550 Series =========Nvidia VGA Cards======= NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN X NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 740 NVIDIA GeFor ce GTX 730 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 720 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 NVIDIA GeForce GT 640 NVIDIA GeForce GT 63 0 NVIDIA GeForce GT 620 NVIDIA GeForce GT 610 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti 448 Cores NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti NVIDIA GeForce GT 520 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 NVID IA GeForce GTX 470 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 NVIDIA GeForce GT 440 NVIDIA GeForce GT 430 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 275 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250 NVID IA GeForce GT 240 NVIDIA GeForce GT 220 NVIDIA GeForce 210 NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GX2 NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX+ NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GSO 512 NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GSO NVIDIA GeForce 9500 GT NVIDIA GeForce 9400 GT Nvidia GeForce 8800GTX Nvidia GeForce 8800GTS Nvidia GeForce 8600 Series Nvidia GeForce 8500 Series Nvidia GeForce 7950GX2 Nvidia GeForce 7950GT(X) Nvidia GeForce 7900 Series Nvidia GeForce 7800 Series Nvidia GeForce 7600 Series Nvidia GeForce 7300 Series Nvidia GeForce 6800 Series Nvidia GeForce 6600 Series Nvidia GeForce 6200 Series Nvidia GeForce FX 5 900 Series Nvidia GeForce FX 5700 Series Nvidia GeForce FX 5600 Series Nvidia GeForce FX 5200 Series x 1 2 3 4
Please select memory 256MB DDR 512MB DDR 1GB DDR 512MB DDR2 1GB DDR2 2GB DDR2 4GB DDR2 1GB DDR3 2GB DDR3 4GB DDR3 8GB DDR3 x 1 2 3 4
Please select DVD/CD-ROM BLU-RAY DVD-RW COMBO CD-RW DVD-ROM CD-ROM Not installed x 1 2 3 4
Please select HDD 5400RPM 3.5" HDD 7200RPM 3.5" HDD 10,000RPM 2.5" HDD 10,000RPM 3.5" HDD 15,000RPM 2.5" HDD 15,000RPM 3.5" HDD x 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Select Solid State Drive (SDD) SSD (SATA) SSD (PCI) SSD (mSATA) x 1 2 3 4

Our calculator takes into account a small power reserve when calculating. Why this is needed can be found in the article.

The second step there will be a choice of power supply type.

Power supplies are distinguished by the type of connection of outgoing lines: modular And standard.

Toward modular You can connect cables as needed, depending on your needs. A very practical property - it allows you to get rid of unused bundles of wires inside the system unit. Used mainly by enthusiasts.



In standard BP all bundles of wires are made non-removable. This is a cheaper and simpler model.

Power supplies are also distinguished by type of Power Factor Correction (PFC): active And passive.

Passive PFC implemented in the form of a conventional choke, smoothing out voltage ripple. But the efficiency of such PFC is very low.
The simplest power supplies are produced with a passive power correction system and are installed in inexpensive budget cases.

A active PFC It is implemented in the form of an additional board and is another switching power supply, which increases the voltage. In addition to the fact that active PFC provides a power factor close to ideal, it also, unlike passive, improves the operation of the power supply - it additionally stabilizes the input voltage, and the unit becomes noticeably less sensitive to low voltage, and also “swallows” short-term (shares seconds) voltage dips.
Later models of high-quality power supplies from well-known manufacturers are produced with an active system: Seasonic, Chieftec, HighPower, FSP, ASUS, CoolerMaster, Zalman.

Note: Conflicts have sometimes been noted between a PSU with an active PFC and some UPS (uninterruptible power supplies).

In addition, you need to pay attention to the power supply cable connectors that will be used to connect your components.

There is a so-called ATX standard power supplies. This standard determines the availability of the necessary connectors for connecting all equipment.
We recommend standard PSU at least ATX 2.3 for all modern gaming systems(where additional power supply for video cards is used), and not lower than ATX 2.2 for office multimedia systems. There should be enough connectors to connect your devices: 6+6 pin video cards or 6+8 pin, motherboard 24+4+4, SATA devices etc.


The third point There will be an overview of the specifications specified by the manufacturer on the label of the Power Supply.

Important! When purchasing, always pay attention to nominal power supply unit, not peak(PEAK) (the peak is always greater).
Rated power of PSU- this is the power that the unit can produce for a long time, constantly.
Peak power- this is the power that the power supply can only provide for a short time.

The most popular parameter today is the power of the power supply through +12V channels.
The more channels the better. It can range from one +12V channel to several: +12V1, +12V2, ..., +12V4, +12V5, etc.
In modern systems, the main load falls on these channels: processor, video cards, coolers, hard drives, etc.

Therefore, when choosing between several power supplies that suit your power, The decisive factor is the total power along the +12V lines.
The greater this total power, the better the PSU components are implemented.

In other words, for example, if you have chosen three power supplies, say, with a total power of 500W, then among them you need to choose the one with the greater total current (and therefore power) along the lines +12V1..+12V2, etc.

Let's look at examples of where to look for the information we need on a sticker.
The first will be the power supply from ZALMAN.

There is one +12V line, only 18A and only 216 W.
But it contains active PFC, which is an undeniable advantage.
This block is quite enough for an average budget system.

The second one will be BP FSP.

In it we already see two +12V lines (15A and 16A). Despite the fact that the marking indicates a power of 500 watts, in the “nominal” it is 460 watts.
This is a high-quality, but inexpensive power supply in the budget sector. It is quite capable of providing a lightweight gaming system.
Unfortunately, there is no information about PFC on the label, you can get it on the website FSP.

Well, the third will be a power supply also from ZALMAN.

It has 6 (!) +12V lines with a total power of 960 Watts. The table shows a diagram of connecting devices by branches.
This power supply is suitable for the most demanding and “charged” gaming overclocking system.

Another very important parameter for a power supply is the Coefficient of Efficiency (COP).
Power supplies are distinguished mainly by their threshold value Efficiency, which is 80%. All power supplies that have an efficiency below 80% are classified as simple-budget ones, which are used mainly in office systems.
And those power supplies whose efficiency is above 80% are classified as productivity-gaming ones. Such power supplies have an international certificate 80PLUS.
In turn, the standard 80PLUS has categories BRONZE, SILVER, GOLD, PLATINUM:

Latest feature The thing you should pay attention to when choosing a power supply is the cooler or fan.
Everything is simple here: the larger the cooler, the less noise it makes.
Current power supplies are equipped with fans measuring 120 mm or larger. Moreover, in good, branded power supplies, the fan changes the number of revolutions depending on the load. This helps reduce noise.
I would not recommend purchasing a PSU with one 80mm fan.

Now let's summarize the material learned.

To buy the best power supply you need:
- buy a high-quality power supply from a trusted/verified manufacturer with “honest watts”;
- select a power supply with active PFC (APFC);
- determine the power supply with the maximum total current along the +12V lines;
- ATX 2.3 standard (ATX 2.2 as a last resort) with the maximum set of connectors for our devices, and also where the main power is transferred to the +12V branches;
- necessarily with an efficiency of at least 80%, one that has an 80PLUS certificate;
- the fan (cooler) must be at least 120 mm.

So, I think we have given you enough information to choose the right power supply.

The power supply is designed to supply electrical current to all computer components. It must be powerful enough and have a small margin for the computer to work stably. In addition, the power supply must be of high quality, since the service life of all computer components greatly depends on it. By saving $10-20 on the purchase of a high-quality power supply, you risk losing a system unit worth $200-1000.

The power of the power supply is selected based on the power of the computer, which mainly depends on the power consumption of the processor and video card. It is also necessary that the power supply has at least 80 Plus Standard certification. The optimal price/quality ratio are Chieftec, Zalman and Thermaltake power supplies.

For an office computer (documents, Internet), a 400 W power supply is sufficient; take the most inexpensive Chieftec or Zalman, you won’t go wrong.
Power supply Zalman LE II-ZM400

For a multimedia computer (movies, simple games) and an entry-level gaming computer (Core i3 or Ryzen 3 + GTX 1050 Ti), the most inexpensive 500-550 W power supply from the same Chieftec or Zalman will be suitable; it will have a reserve in case of installing more powerful video card.
Chieftec GPE-500S power supply

For a mid-class gaming PC (Core i5 or Ryzen 5 + GTX 1060/1070 or RTX 2060), a 600-650 W power supply from Chieftec is suitable, if there is an 80 Plus Bronze certificate, then good.
Chieftec GPE-600S power supply

For a powerful gaming or professional computer (Core i7 or Ryzen 7 + GTX 1080 or RTX 2070/2080), it is better to take a 650-700 W power supply from Chieftec or Thermaltake with an 80 Plus Bronze or Gold certificate.
Chieftec CPS-650S power supply

2. Power supply or case with power supply?

If you are assembling a professional or powerful gaming computer, then it is recommended to select a power supply separately. If we are talking about an office or regular home computer, then you can save money and purchase a good case complete with a power supply, which will be discussed.

3. What is the difference between a good power supply and a bad one?

The cheapest power supplies ($20-30) by definition cannot be good, since in this case manufacturers save on everything possible. Such power supplies have bad heatsinks and a lot of unsoldered elements and jumpers on the board.

At these places there should be capacitors and chokes designed to smooth out voltage ripples. It is because of these ripples that the motherboard, video card, hard drive and other computer components fail prematurely. In addition, such power supplies often have small radiators, which cause overheating and failure of the power supply itself.

A high-quality power supply has a minimum of unsoldered elements and larger radiators, which can be seen from the installation density.

4. Power supply manufacturers

Some of the best power supplies are made by SeaSonic, but they are also the most expensive.

Well-known enthusiast brands Corsair and Zalman recently expanded their range of power supplies. But their most budget models have rather weak filling.

AeroCool power supplies are among the best in terms of price/quality ratio. The well-established cooler manufacturer DeepCool is closely joining them. If you don't want to overpay for an expensive brand, but still get a high-quality power supply, pay attention to these brands.

FSP produces power supplies under different brands. But I would not recommend cheap power supplies under their own brand; they often have short wires and few connectors. Top-end FSP power supplies are not bad, but they are no longer cheaper than famous brands.

Of those brands that are known in narrower circles, we can note the very high-quality and expensive be quiet!, the powerful and reliable Enermax, Fractal Design, the slightly cheaper but high-quality Cougar and the good but inexpensive HIPER as a budget option.

5. Power supply

Power is the main characteristic of a power supply. The power of the power supply is calculated as the sum of the power of all computer components + 30% (for peak loads).

For an office computer, a minimum power supply of 400 watts is sufficient. For a multimedia computer (movies, simple games), it is better to take a 500-550 Watt power supply, in case you later want to install a video card. For a gaming computer with one video card, it is advisable to install a power supply with a power of 600-650 Watts. A powerful gaming PC with multiple graphics cards may require a power supply of 750 watts or more.

5.1. Power supply power calculation

  • Processor 25-220 Watt (check on the seller’s or manufacturer’s website)
  • Video card 50-300 Watt (check on the seller’s or manufacturer’s website)
  • Entry class motherboard 50 Watt, mid class 75 Watt, high class 100 Watt
  • Hard drive 12 Watt
  • SSD 5 Watt
  • DVD drive 35 Watt
  • Memory module 3 Watt
  • Fan 6 Watt

Don’t forget to add 30% to the sum of the powers of all components, this will protect you from unpleasant situations.

5.2. Program for calculating power supply power

To more conveniently calculate the power of a power supply, there is an excellent program “Power Supply Calculator”. It also allows you to calculate the required power of an uninterruptible power supply (UPS or UPS).

The program works on all versions of Windows with Microsoft .NET Framework version 3.5 or higher installed, which is usually already installed for most users. You can download the “Power Supply Calculator” program and if you need the “Microsoft .NET Framework” at the end of the article in the “” section.

6.ATX standard

Modern power supplies have the ATX12V standard. This standard can have several versions. Modern power supplies are manufactured according to ATX12V 2.3, 2.31, 2.4 standards, which are recommended for purchase.

7. Power correction

Modern power supplies have a power correction function (PFC), which allows them to consume less energy and heat less. There are passive (PPFC) and active (APFC) power correction circuits. The efficiency of power supplies with passive power correction reaches 70-75%, with active power correction - 80-95%. I recommend purchasing power supplies with active power correction (APFC).

8. Certificate 80 PLUS

A high-quality power supply must have an 80 PLUS certificate. These certificates come in different levels.

  • Certified, Standard – entry-level power supplies
  • Bronze, Silver – mid-class power supplies
  • Gold – high-end power supplies
  • Platinum, Titanium – top power supplies

The higher the certificate level, the higher the quality of voltage stabilization and other parameters of the power supply. For a mid-range office, multimedia or gaming computer, a regular certificate is sufficient. For a powerful gaming or professional computer, it is advisable to take a power supply with a bronze or silver certificate. For a computer with several powerful video cards - gold or platinum.

9. Fan size

Some power supplies still come with an 80mm fan.

A modern power supply should have a 120 or 140 mm fan.

10. Power supply connectors

ATX (24-pin) - motherboard power connector. All power supplies have 1 such connector.
CPU (4-pin) - processor power connector. All power supplies have 1 or 2 of these connectors. Some motherboards have 2 processor power connectors, but can also operate from one.
SATA (15-pin) - power connector for hard drives and optical drives. It is advisable that the power supply have several separate cables with such connectors, since connecting a hard drive and an optical drive with one cable will be problematic. Since one cable can have 2-3 connectors, the power supply must have 4-6 such connectors.
PCI-E (6+2-pin) - video card power connector. Powerful video cards require 2 of these connectors. To install two video cards, you need 4 of these connectors.
Molex (4-pin) - power connector for older hard drives, optical drives and some other devices. In principle, it is not required if you do not have such devices, but it is still present in many power supplies. Sometimes this connector can supply voltage to the case backlight, fans, and expansion cards.

Floppy (4-pin) - drive power connector. Very outdated, but can still be found in power supplies. Sometimes some controllers (adapters) are powered by it.

Check the configuration of power supply connectors on the seller's or manufacturer's website.

11. Modular power supplies

In modular power supplies, excess cables can be unfastened and they will not get in the way in the case. This is convenient, but such power supplies are somewhat more expensive.

12. Setting up filters in the online store

  1. Go to the “Power Supplies” section on the seller’s website.
  2. Select recommended manufacturers.
  3. Select the required power.
  4. Set other parameters that are important to you: standards, certificates, connectors.
  5. Look through the items sequentially, starting with the cheapest ones.
  6. If necessary, check the connector configuration and other missing parameters on the manufacturer’s website or another online store.
  7. Buy the first model that meets all parameters.

Thus, you will receive the best price/quality ratio power supply that meets your requirements at the lowest possible cost.

13. Links

Corsair CX650M 650W power supply
Thermaltake Smart Pro RGB Bronze 650W power supply
Power supply Zalman ZM600-GVM 600W

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