Whether you’re building a basic desktop or a power-house gaming PC, choosing the right PSU is an important decision.
Corsair's just released it's shiny new RM range of power supplies, so it's as good a time as any to look at how to choose the right PSU for you...
When it comes to PC building, there are some really exciting decisions that are going to have an immediate effect on your system. The stars of the show are usually the processor and the video card, with the motherboard a close second; people agonise over what part to choose in order to get the most of out of their new build.
Compared to these attractive pieces of kit, the humble power supply – just as essential, but a little on the boring side – can often get overlooked in terms of research and impact.
However, choosing the right PSU can have a massive impact on your next build – and many builds after, too, as this is one part that, like monitors, can often carry over from one PC to the next. So you should really make the right choice first time. You’ll end up with better performance, and a component that will last through multiple upgrades and builds. Here’s our advice on what to look for when you’re in the market for more power.
Form factor
The ATX form factor is very much the industry standard these days, and while that means its width and height, not to mention mounting-screw placement, are locked in – and compatible with all ATX case designs – the form factor can vary in depth. If you’ve got a full-size desktop tower, you’re probably not going to have to worry about room, but smaller cases will often require a shorter PSU design, so as to leave room for neat cabling. In some shorter case designs, longer PSUs will even get in the way of optical drive cables.
The ‘standard’ drive depth is around six inches deep, though supplies with a higher wattage will be an inch or two deeper. Always make sure you know the room you’ll be working with in any build, and choose an appropriately-sized PSU.
Fan placement and size is something you’ll want to pay attention to as well. Smaller fans will have to spin faster to push more hot air out of the PSU, and will therefore be noisier. Larger fans, up to 140mm in diameter, spin slower and are therefore quieter.
If you want a quiet system, this is definitely important, but larger fans usually vent into your PC’s case. You’ll need to make sure there’s room enough for sufficient exhausting, as well as make sure that the cooling within your case are up to the task of dealing with the extra hot air.
Power to the people
Well, components, actually.
You’ll want to choose a PSU that’s up to the task of powering all your components, with enough headroom to take care of any future upgrades, though with PC parts becoming more and more efficient, this is less of a concern these days. One of the best places to start is with the excellent online calculator at Extreme Outervision. Here you can list the parts of your particular build, including whether or not you intend to overclock any components. You’ll then end up with an overall wattage you should be aiming for. Alternately, various PSU makers offer similar services, such as Corsair’s PSU Finder; they may be simpler, but are often quite adequate for
most needs.
If you’re running powerful parts, you’ll also need a basic understanding of the individual ‘rails’ within your PSU. Some designs offer a single rail, others multiple rails, with different amperages on each. Your video card specs, if it’s powerful enough, will often call for a recommended power supply wattage that can help you choose the right PSU. If you have a powerful CPU and video card, you’ll want a PSU with dedicated rails for these parts.
Cabling
It’s up to you whether you want a PSU with fixed or modular cabling, as modular PSUs – with the ability to use only the cables you need, like Corsair’s RM series, pictured – are generally more expensive. But if you’ve got the cash in your budget, we’d suggest going modular.
It’s not only neater and easier to install a PSU with less cabling, but ultimately this will assist in keeping your PC running cool in the long run, and provide less surfaces for dust and other cruft to accumulate on.
You’ll also want to make sure you’ve got PCI-E connectors for any juice-hungry video cards you’re using, especially if you’re running any kind of multi-GPU rig. In the latter case, choosing a PSU that is SLI Ready or CrossFire Certified is a safe bet. Even then, check that you’ll be getting the right number of 4-, 6- or 8-pin PCI-E connectors.
You do not want to get your PSU home to find out you can’t hook up your precious video cards.
Lastly, while even lower-specced PSUs tend to come with a mess of SATA and Molex connectors for components like drives, if you’re running anything more complex like front-bay fan monitors or water-cooling loops, just make sure your PSU has enough for your needs.
Efficiency
The more efficient your PSU, the less noise it will make, the less power it will draw, and the less it will cost when you open your energy bill. PSUs are rated at five levels – 80 Plus, 80 Plus Bronze, 80 Plus Silver, 80 Plus Gold and 80 Plus Platinum, with Platinum being most efficient. There’s not a huge difference, but if you’re PC is on a lot, or you’re building multiple, powerful systems, you’ll want to go with at least a Gold rating.
We’d definitely suggest not taking any cheap option that isn’t properly rated – it’s just not worth the risk.
When it comes to PC building, there are some really exciting decisions that are going to have an immediate effect on your system. The stars of the show are usually the processor and the video card, with the motherboard a close second; people agonise over what part to choose in order to get the most of out of their new build.
Compared to these attractive pieces of kit, the humble power supply – just as essential, but a little on the boring side – can often get overlooked in terms of research and impact.
However, choosing the right PSU can have a massive impact on your next build – and many builds after, too, as this is one part that, like monitors, can often carry over from one PC to the next. So you should really make the right choice first time. You’ll end up with better performance, and a component that will last through multiple upgrades and builds. Here’s our advice on what to look for when you’re in the market for more power.
Form factor
The ATX form factor is very much the industry standard these days, and while that means its width and height, not to mention mounting-screw placement, are locked in – and compatible with all ATX case designs – the form factor can vary in depth. If you’ve got a full-size desktop tower, you’re probably not going to have to worry about room, but smaller cases will often require a shorter PSU design, so as to leave room for neat cabling. In some shorter case designs, longer PSUs will even get in the way of optical drive cables.
The ‘standard’ drive depth is around six inches deep, though supplies with a higher wattage will be an inch or two deeper. Always make sure you know the room you’ll be working with in any build, and choose an appropriately-sized PSU.
Fan placement and size is something you’ll want to pay attention to as well. Smaller fans will have to spin faster to push more hot air out of the PSU, and will therefore be noisier. Larger fans, up to 140mm in diameter, spin slower and are therefore quieter.
If you want a quiet system, this is definitely important, but larger fans usually vent into your PC’s case. You’ll need to make sure there’s room enough for sufficient exhausting, as well as make sure that the cooling within your case are up to the task of dealing with the extra hot air.
Power to the people
Well, components, actually.
You’ll want to choose a PSU that’s up to the task of powering all your components, with enough headroom to take care of any future upgrades, though with PC parts becoming more and more efficient, this is less of a concern these days. One of the best places to start is with the excellent online calculator at Extreme Outervision. Here you can list the parts of your particular build, including whether or not you intend to overclock any components. You’ll then end up with an overall wattage you should be aiming for. Alternately, various PSU makers offer similar services, such as Corsair’s PSU Finder; they may be simpler, but are often quite adequate for
most needs.
If you’re running powerful parts, you’ll also need a basic understanding of the individual ‘rails’ within your PSU. Some designs offer a single rail, others multiple rails, with different amperages on each. Your video card specs, if it’s powerful enough, will often call for a recommended power supply wattage that can help you choose the right PSU. If you have a powerful CPU and video card, you’ll want a PSU with dedicated rails for these parts.
Cabling
It’s up to you whether you want a PSU with fixed or modular cabling, as modular PSUs – with the ability to use only the cables you need, like Corsair’s RM series, pictured – are generally more expensive. But if you’ve got the cash in your budget, we’d suggest going modular.
It’s not only neater and easier to install a PSU with less cabling, but ultimately this will assist in keeping your PC running cool in the long run, and provide less surfaces for dust and other cruft to accumulate on.
You’ll also want to make sure you’ve got PCI-E connectors for any juice-hungry video cards you’re using, especially if you’re running any kind of multi-GPU rig. In the latter case, choosing a PSU that is SLI Ready or CrossFire Certified is a safe bet. Even then, check that you’ll be getting the right number of 4-, 6- or 8-pin PCI-E connectors.
You do not want to get your PSU home to find out you can’t hook up your precious video cards.
Lastly, while even lower-specced PSUs tend to come with a mess of SATA and Molex connectors for components like drives, if you’re running anything more complex like front-bay fan monitors or water-cooling loops, just make sure your PSU has enough for your needs.
Efficiency
The more efficient your PSU, the less noise it will make, the less power it will draw, and the less it will cost when you open your energy bill. PSUs are rated at five levels – 80 Plus, 80 Plus Bronze, 80 Plus Silver, 80 Plus Gold and 80 Plus Platinum, with Platinum being most efficient. There’s not a huge difference, but if you’re PC is on a lot, or you’re building multiple, powerful systems, you’ll want to go with at least a Gold rating.
We’d definitely suggest not taking any cheap option that isn’t properly rated – it’s just not worth the risk.
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