Power supply for computer. How to make the right choice?

The power unit is exactly the part of the computer on which the reliability of the computer depends directly, and, first of all, the reliability of the HDD - a hard disk that stores all the information. In fact, without a power supply unit, even the best computer hardware can not work at all - this part is responsible for supplying computer parts with energy and converting the voltage coming to the computer from the network to the necessary 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 against small interference of incoming voltage, and also participates in cooling the system unit.

Nowadays almost all modern PCs use ATX power supplies. Compared to obsolete blocks like AT, 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 performance.

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 depends primarily 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 platforms of small form factors.

Another important characteristic that each power supply unit for a computer possesses is this total current strength, which is obtained from the BP at the output. At the same time, some manufacturers produce power supplies with one line, and some power units include two or four lines that carry current, and the number of lines sometimes has almost no effect on the operation of the power supply itself.

Before buying a power supply unit, it is very important to calculate how much power the PC will consume approximately on which this power supply will be installed. And the final factor in choosing this part should be considered its main characteristics (power and total current), and not additional functionality. For example, if you decide to choose a less powerful but quiet power supply for your computer, you may regret this choice over time - after installing an additional memory card 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 BP with a small margin of power just in case if in time the computer will be purchased additional details.

Additional features that should be taken into consideration when choosing a power supply are 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 smoothes the current pulses, stretching them a little bit 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 put in front of your computer, approximately calculate the power and power consumption of all PC parts and simply select the model corresponding to the received figures. Among all manufacturers of power supplies, it should be noted 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.