Explaining PC Power Supplies
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- čas přidán 27. 05. 2024
- Desktop PC power supply units (PSUs) explained, including ATX standards and connectors, modular and non-modular cable options, power and efficiency ratings, and the latest ATX 3.0 developments.
The video in which I fit and test a quiet PSU with a zero-RPM fan at low loads is here:
• Quieter PC #2: Corsair...
The first of two videos where I built the Mini-ITX PC is here:
• Haswell i3 Mini-ITX Bu...
And I have a more recent, silent Mini-ITX build here:
• Silent Mini-ITX PC Par...
The PSU calculators shown in the video are here:
Corsair: www.corsair.com/uk/en/pc-buil...
Cooler Master: www.coolermaster.com/power-su...
be Quiet!: www.bequiet.com/en/psucalculator
For additional ExplainingComputers videos and other content, you can become a channel member here:
/ @explainingcomputers
More videos on computing and related topics can be found at:
/ @explainingcomputers
You may also like my ExplainingTheFuture channel at: / @explainingthefuture
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:46 PSU Basics (inc voltages & modularity)
02:25 ATX Standards & Connectors
08:08 ATX 3.0 & ATX12VO 2.0
11:36 PSU Ratings (power & efficiency)
13:51 Noise & Cooling
15:30 Wrap
#PSU #Desktop #powersupply #explainingcomputers - Věda a technologie
Been working on PC for over 25 years and still learned quite a bit about PSU from this video. Amazing the amount of information you squeezed into 16 minutes, very concise and to the point.
Same here, over 30 years, now retired but some new stuff that I did not know! And very good pointing that PSU watts are not what it consumes. Oversizing is the key for long lasting PSU.
Same here just more like 11 years
It's topics like this, the attention to detail and the wonderful narration that make this channel and Chris himself a treasure to be protected and supported. You may not think you need to know about PSUs, but when you do, you do! Thank you Chris, much respect indeed!
Thanks for your support, always appreciated. :)
I think it's another missed opportunity to talk about warranty length and save ppl from buying the slightly cheaper PSUs that will fail much earlier than they would have to.
@@Breakfast_of_Champions I would argue that extended warranties for any product are virtually irrelevant - beyond the "usual" one year period, extended warranties are usually filled with clauses that make it very difficult to get a free replacement or repair on the basis that the end user probably has to spend a considerable amount of time and effort to demonstrate that it wasn't something they did that caused the failure and thus voided the warranty anyway.
And let's face it - how many hours of your time does fault-finding a PSU and its associated PC to gather enough evidence to claim a free warranty repair buy, as opposed to just buying a new one.
@@terrydaktyllus1320Well without going into too many details that's a pile of nonsense. There's no reason a PSU wouldn't last a decade if the manufacturers weren't incentivised to save a dollar or two with bottomfeeder parts by ppl who know nothing and are happy to surrender their rights.
@@Breakfast_of_Champions But unless you go into details to demonstrate some proof of your point, then your point is no more or less opinion than mine is.
If you choose not to backup your arguments with more definitive statements, that's not the same as "pretending" that you can but just don't want to.
So we're at stalemate - which is fine by me.
But I suggest you do find some time to read extended warranty documentation to see the likely "pitfalls" that you will come across - for example, the cost of parts may be covered under warranty but the labour cost to fit those parts may still be chargeable to the customer.
You've lived an extremely sheltered life if you're trying to tell me that you've never seen such clauses in extended warranty documentation.
Please note the following minor corrections:
(1) The 4-pin ATF 12V power connector was introduced in 2000 to power the first “Pentium 4” processors, not “Pentium” processors (which were first launched in 1993). I somehow mislaid the “4” during production! My apologies.
(2) I should have said that most and not all PSUs contain a fan. As has been noted below, there are a few, large, fanless PC PSUs -- for example this one: seasonic.com/prime-titanium-fanless Again my apologies.
A few years ago, 2021, I built myself a Linux server, using an old PC I was given at a place where I'd worked. They had lots of these old computers they were giving to charity, but I asked if I could have one just to tinker with. So I got this computer and installed Ubuntu Server on it. Everything worked fine until I added a third hard drive, which was a Seagate Ironwolf drive used for NAS. I didn't bother to check the PSU, it was only 350 watts, and it wasn't enough to power the extra NAS drive. I nearly sent the drive back to the seller on eBay as I thought it was faulty. As soon as I put in a 750 watt PSU, the server worked fine, and I'm still using it to this day.
I can't count how many times that I've added onto the 'standard' supply additional connections to additional components (new drives, different items with different power connectors - Molex connectors to/from Sata drives, additional fans, etc)
Note: modular power supplies cables from one manufacturer should not be used on a PSU from another manufacturer. They all use the same connectors but there is no standard for the wiring I.e. what is + or - voltage. You risk damaging a peripheral if you do this
Yep, one of the reasons why I stick to one brand. In my case it's EVGA. Although between models they *can* change designs so I usually keep the extras in a plastic bag with the model marked on it.
Fun fact, since I live in a pretty cold end of the world and houses is heated in some way 7-8 months of the year, it's worth noting that 99% of the power that goes in to a computer comes out as heat, physics states that energy can not dissapear, just be converted into otherf forms of energy, when you talk about efficiency of a PSU like 80% means that 20% comes out as heat, then running GPU, CPU, RAM and HDD's all outputs equal amount in heat as is drawn from power socket in you wall... so for me running several computers can lower radiators and that way I'm pretty much running the computers for free... Summer is the time I loose, but here it is short and sweet :)
Precisely. I've been trying to explain to people that the higher power draw a GPU has the more heat it will output to the air around it regardless of how good it's cooling is. More power more heat simple as that.
Most people don't even look at power draw they just want the most powerful GPU and don't look at efficiency.
You are the exception, but most people don't want a space heater computer.
It's only free if you use electricity for heat. Natural gas or oil tend to be much cheaper than using electricity for heat.
@@chrimony and even if you're using electricity, you can be more efficient in heating with a heat pump than a computer/electric heater (although at super cold temperatures I'm not sure how well they work, but this definitely applies to people in moderately cold temps)
@@drojf heat pumps don't work well 15 degrees F and below they are not very useful for most people
it is better to keep home heating at minimum to keep pipes from freezing and simply use a personal heater in the room you are residing
It's the same with light bulbs. Some people push for fluorescent and LED lights everywhere, but if you live in a cold climate, incandescent bulbs are still useful in heated spaces. Their reduced efficiency in light emission translates to increased heat emissions, which might keep your heating system cycling on and off just a tiny bit less often. Depending on what fuel(s) your heating system and your local electric grid use, the difference in efficiency may be a wash or if one system is much more expensive than the other, there might still be a difference.
I have 3 PSU's. One, of course, is in my PC. The other two have been 'surgically modified', using appropriate safety precautions. One supplies DC power for my model railroad layout, and the other is a workbench power supply for electronics projects.
I'm telling you: PSU's, they're not just for PC's anymore!
Especially for older PSUs that are not quite powerful enough for newer PCs or don't have the right connectors.
I have a AC to DC converter for my CB mobile radio, which use as a base station, that is another type of PSU. Good recycling on the units!
Thanks for sharing this topic! I always inform all my PC customers of the importance of a good PSU! This is a component NEVER to skimp on! BRAVO Mr. Barnatt!
Trouble is, the PSU is such a mundane component that it's often overlooked. I know people who put more effort into choosing LEDs than the power supply. By the time they get round to choosing one the budget is tight because most of it has already been spent on CPU, GPU, RAM and storage.
@@johnm2012 I do hope these folks worked up their power budgets including all these whiz-bangers and go-fasters before they bought that cheap PSU that won't really tote the load... That would just be silly. That said, sometimes a PC is as much about looks as it is about performance, but that's no excuse to cheap out on the PSU. Find the price/performance point that's right for all of your system.
I had a 1000W power supply from 2008 that didn't even have any efficiency rating on it.
When I switched to a Platinum rated power supply nearly a decade later it dropped my idle wattage use by ~30-40W! I was blown away!
30 plus years knowledge actualization in 16 minutes. Tank you Professor.
Great video Chris! Interesting to see how the efficiency of the unit changes depending on the load, so therefore going for a way overkill PSU can make your efficiency worse.
yeah exactly, you wouldn't want a 1000W psu for a system that only draws 200W.
@@ohrun3106 Yeah, but you wouldn't want a 200 W supply, either. Not all vendors' 200W ratings are specced the same way. With a reliable vendor like Corsair or Delta, I'd go with something between 350 W and 500 W, just to have a little headroom, and for "future proofing". (Of course, with modern video cards being so power-hungry, be sure to leave room for the cooling tower... 😆 )
Thanks Chris for a thoroughly interesting video. I've learnt a lot from this, sometimes we give little though to something that's so important for a stable system! The Coolermaster & BeQuiet PSU calculators are the ones I use, one tip I was given is 'Never cheap out on a PSU' otherwise it's false economy :)
Hi Alan, thanks for your support. :)
The most useful bit for me was the illustration of a typical PSU airflow setup. I've been thinking about how best to cool my PC and not fighting the PSU (which is mounted toward the front of my case) is a good place to start.
I appreciate the history of the ATX spec and different cable types too.
Thx for the update, Christopher. Since 15 years I’m on Mac, so I lost the track. Amazing! 1300 W! Weird!
Thanks again Chris. Even after 40 years in the industry, I knew I would learn something from you. I was not disappointed.
Not quite 40y, but very ditto. Thanks
What did you learn?
I subscribed a few years ago (I think) but only come back every so often. And I am consistently blown away by the way you break down every subject you cover in easy to understand, informative and well-thought out pieces. I don't often watch but when I do, I watch entirely to the end even if I more-or-less know the subject.
For example, I've been making my own computers since the late 90's and I knew quite a bit about PSU's but even then, I learned more from this video than I thought I would. Like, I didn't know off hand the actual power rails being sent into the MB unit via the 20+4 and the 4+4 cables but here you laid it out plain and easy. Thank you very much, sir.
Thanks for watching. :)
Every Sunday Morning I Look At What The Professor Is Up To & As Always, Many Thanks For Sharing Your Knowledge!
I learned quite a lot about PC power supplies this morning! Thank you, Chris. 😁
Also, massive yikes regarding 9:03. Mmmmmm, melted plastic and metal bits. Delicious on fries. At least nobody hesitated developing a new power connector!
I'm glad you included airflow along with you're other Quality standards and comparisons.
I really enjoy the "Ronseal" episodes of explaining computers, where all Chris does is explain computers.
Nice thorough coverage of the necessary details. A small investment of around $10 has proven it's worth time & time again, and that's a PSU tester. When a PSYU goes bad, it's not necessarily all at once. Being able to test for everything and also each individual output is very handy.
Paul M., Atlanta, GA
one of 8088 guy here now over age-50 whom built the latest 13-gen i5 last week, never know how PSU works, learnt a lot after watch this video, thank you Sir.
God video. No way I would go back to using a non-modular PSU these days. Perhaps a point also to make is not to purchase the cheapest unbranded PSU, esp if you have high-end components attached and value them.
Nice. I wonder if you'll delve deeper into their safety system, such as Over Current Protection (OCP) and Over Temperature Protection (OTP)? I think this is a valuable information for first time PC builders, or at least helping understand their PSU safety features. I have a Gigabyte GH750 Power Supply Unit, it works well, but it does lack of OCP, which mean I have to pay attention to it and make sure that I don't overload any of its power rail.
Valuable info indeed. For a moment I even thought Chris was going to mention a certain video from Gamers Nexus about exploding PSUs... 🙂
@@liontuga155 Ho ho. But I think those only happen when you use 120V AC. I'm using the dreaded Aorus P850G PSU and it works like a charm. My location uses 240V AC and yeah, while I heard a lot of issues with this PSU from the American side, I didn't encounter any faulty unit in my area.
Man, I have been watching your videos for years now, but you don't have idea how useful this video was for me. You dropped it in the exact right moment. Thank you.
Great video. I like the fully modular power supplies -- though I've never had a computer that uses one. If I ever replace my power supply or build my own machine, fully modular would be the way to go. Doing away with all those extra wires would simplify maintenance.
I think it improves airflow as well. 🌬
@@gr-os4gd It should. After all, having a rat’s nest of wires takes up space that has to block airflow.
Thank you Chris, this is great detail for understanding PSU's. I had only basic knowledge but knew enough to make sure the right connections and voltage coverage was there. Keep up spreading the knowledge!
Whoever thought that 600W through a little 6 pin internal connector was a good idea??? As you said, that's the equivalent of a small electric fire.
So glad I now know the difference between a top mounted and bottom mounted PSU. Mine's top mounted, but the case originally shipped with a Windows 7 system, so it's knocking on a bit!
Now I know way more than I thought I would ever know about power supplies. Another amazing video.
This is a very informative video. When I come to build a new PC (Not very often) there are so many changes. EC does a great job. Thanks, Chris.
This was a great video. I learned so much. I have been building PC's for ten years and never thought much about PSU's.
As always, your videos are very well organized and very informative. It amazes me to think that the power supply is often the most overlooked component of the entire system even though the system won't work without it.
Thank you and hope to see you again, very soon.
Thanjs Chris, it's great to see the info in one place. The evolution of components since I built my first PC in the good old days of XP, is amazing
A valuable teaching tool!
Will be sharing this among people new to building.
Thank you!
Very good video: well structured, clear, comprehensive, accurate, touching on all the necessary details.
That said, what lead me to comment was at 6:34 "... the 4-pin Molex connector which used to be used to power most hard drives and optical disks and SADLY remains in use to this day as a general PC power connector" 😆
I'm an electronic engineer and I've been designing electronics for longer than 20 years. The job often includes selecting and verifying all sorts of connectors. I've been dabbling with PCs for longer than I've been an engineer and I've always been puzzled by the choice of such connector. How did Molex manage to get such terribly flawed design to be selected for such a popular industrial standard like the PC? The 4-pin HD/FDD Molex connector is extremely awkward to plug (receptacles and pins typically refuse to align) and the shape of the cable-end housing seems purposefully designed to hurt the fingers and prevent gripping it.
This is such a well researched and professionally produced piece.
I have saved this in my archives for future reminding.
A nice informative video on another specific topic of computers. Thanks for all the effort you make for this.
Thank you for going through the details in depth. It is what makes these videos great.
Thank you, your comprehensive reviews such as this one are very valuable!
Truly a powerful topic. Looking forward to your next video!
This video was quite helpful for me when I build PCs. I had very little knowledge on PSU's so I thank you for this great insight. Keep up the great work.
Thanks for your support. :)
@@ExplainingComputers your welcome in fact I think your channel is brilliant. You should do a video on freebsd itself.
FreeBSD is rising up the list. :)
@@ExplainingComputers epic, it's my most favorite operating system of all time thank you.
Excellent video, very informative. I’ve been messing with PCs so long that I remember the old pre-ATX power supplies, with an input voltage selector switch and an output socket to supply a monitor.
I liked those monitor sockets. They made things very neat at that desk.
Thanks for such a brilliant and informative video on PSUs. It is such an important thing to get right if you don't want to frazzle ⚡your expensive pc components. We're lucky that there are a wide range available at various prices these days. The psu cultist list is great to check the quality of a potential purchase and the sites you mentioned are very helpful to check how much power you might need. Brilliant work as usual 👍
I recently had a no boot no beep issue with an old HP Z230. Thought it was the PSU. I learned that HP Z workstation PSU's are proprietary and are 11V standby and 18 pin motherboard connection. Thankfully after further diagnosis I changed the CMOS, got it to beep 5 times that pointed to the CPU which I cleaned and it booted. Always great videos on this channel that is a source of informative information, thank you.
Thanks for another great video explaining history and technical details in easy to understand way.
Thanks! I learned quite a bit toward the end. Looking forward to your next video
Very comprehensive and informative video, thank you for sharing.
This is great information! I've been trying to learn about building a pc for the last couple of months and nobody talks about what power supply you should be running based on the usage. This was what I was mostly after, but also knowing that the sustained and peak supply rating is different but labeled the same across different manufacturers is good to know as well.
Wonderful production! You covered power supplies in a very concise manner.. I look forward to your CZcams each week.. thank you for your interesting shows
Thanks for watching. :)
As usual, a comprehensive (if not exhaustive) video on an important PC subject. Thanks you, Sir.
There is always a balance to strike of what to include -- and as usual in this type of video, some (nice) content disappeared in the edit.
@@ExplainingComputers Maybe a second channel: “Explaining Computers: Uncut!” 😂
Jolly fantastic . . . once again!
Thank you Chris 👍
Spectacular video. I based one whole lecture on PSUs for the highschool I am teaching at, based on your video. Bowing down at your skill to explain and organize, we know how much time it took to prepare so much information.
Thanks for your find feedback. :)
Getting to learn more about PC Power Supplies.
Thanks Chris :)
It's practically a standard that non-modular PSUs come with cables that resemble ketchup and mustard (red and yellow), and some other occasional condiments such as relish (green). My guess is that each color represents a different voltage, with black denoting ground.
it's a standard with non modular PSUs that there are simultaneously too many cables for the PC you're building and that they are only just long enough. Are there any cases out there with busbars?
There are not enough cables if you want to fill the PC with as many disk drives as it can fit, requiring the use of cable splitters, even though a "500W" unit could supply enough power.
Chris always amazes me with new information, even if the subject sample and I know a lot about it he give me new info in short video.
Thanks Chris and please keep up
Very thorough and complete. Thank you!
Very good coverage Chris! 👍
Great video. Great production as always. Your channel reminds me of BBC's "The Computer Program" with Chris Serle and Ian McNaught-Davis.
Another excellent video as usual. Keep up the good work.
Not even a minute-and-a-half in, and already learnt something. Definitely a thumbs-up!
Very informative and brilliantly presented.
This is without a doubt the best video I've seen about PSUs on here.
this is a great video Chirs, but i wish to have some addition
it also has the PFC, and the output ripple needs to be care of.
PFC, the Power Factor Correction, is build for increase the power factor, it more closer to 1, it is better. it is not the efficiency, but it will also effect the computer input. for example if we got a 900w hardware, and PSU at 90% efficiency, which require input 1000w of power. if now, we got 2 PSU, A has PFC running at 0.99 PF, and B got no PFC running only at 0.45 PF, now both of A and B running at the same input power of 1000w running at 240 to 220V (which is majority in the world), A only require around 4.2A (taking 240), B will require 9.2A, more than doubling the current which will give more pressure to your house electricity circuit and generate more heat, it also not friendly to the electrical grid. so please if you have the chance, please get the PSU with active PFC.
output ripple in short it will effect your hardware stability
Who knew that a video about power supplies could be so interesting? I enjoyed it. Well done!
I look forward to these every Sunday! Thank You for another great video. I did not know about the upcoming pci 6, I'm still striving to get on pci4.0.. What the future holds@@
I have this goal every sunday for EC new video: thumbs up before oppening ends 😊
Cheers! Nice video, by the way !
This is a good back to basics video. My personal recommendation is to never buy anything lower than gold or silver, and target it so the power you use is around 50% of the max output. Its not just the power saving , to get that rating you have to have a well designed power supply, a lot of the 80+ (below bronze) units are very old architectures made to look new, stay clear. Cheap PSUs are never worth it. A good high end PSU can last decades if not longer. Not ATX but my nice thurlby thanadar bench top power supply is over 30 years old if its a day and still going strong.
Thank you for the history lesson! It was interesting to learn about when and what changes were made to the industry standard over time.
Excellent video! I always enjoy this kind of videos, because you are the right guy to explain a PC component!
I have to mention that there were many connectors mentioned around 6:45. It would have been awesome if, at the end of the video, you showed some of your PCs available as an example of how many of these connectors actually come up frequently on motherboards and how many of them you need to use. Maybe an idea for a next video 😛.
very comprehensive summary, thanks.
Very informative. Thank you. Much of this information I did not know.
Tx Chris. Always spellbound when I watch your vids.
Great Job worth the long week for another video. Well explained maybe a first it is a treasure and wealth of valuable knowledge. Love watching very informative and well explained very professionally done. Thank YOU so much again.. Mike
Extremely informative video, especially if you are looking to build your own systems using contemporary technology.
Great video Chris! Thank you for sharing it with us!💖👍😎JP
Such a good training! So well explained.
👍👍👍👍👍
Great Concise & Clear explanation as always - very enjoyable learning experience.
Thank you Chris!
May I salute you with a toast to good health, wealth & joy!
🍷🍾🍷🍾🍷🍾
With much awe & honour!
This was a great video! Very informative!
Great video, answered questions I did not know to ask.
Thanks! I finally got around to replacing my old 300W PSU with a 550W but had to use an adapter since the 550W only had a 24 pin power connector.
Thanks for your support, most appreciated. I'm glad your upgrade worked out.
wow, I last dealt with home built PC-s in the 1990's what a lot i missed out on. Thank you for the update, it was great to see how the power supplies got developed over the decades.
I love your channel, so informative
I like knowing what I will encounter before I start on these projects. These videos never disappoint!
Thank you for this presentation, which will serve as the ultimate reference for many of us... That said, I love it when technological extravaganzas end up deep-fried! I hope that these experiences will lead some engineers to a little more humility and common sense! The fact remains that the challenge of the next few years will be the quest for efficiency and the efficient use of electricity... To be continued, with you, of course... 😉
I've used PC Powersupplies for years now in my electronic projects.
Greetings Leslie. I should have guessed that you would be innovative like that. :)
@@ExplainingComputers
All I ever need to know about PSUs and then some, delivered with customary efficiency. 👍👍
So true to invest in a higher quality PSU! Low and/or unstable output is no bargain in the long run
Thanks, another great video. One thing I was curious about is the negative voltage.
This video is well timed and much appreciated. I was just working on giving my PC a mid-life upgrade, including upgrading to a modular power supply.
Perhaps a video on UPS devices and how best to pick one to match one's PSU?
A good idea, noted.
I learnt a few new things from that - cheers Chris!
Brilliant video covering something I am sure many don't give a lot of consideration - naturally depending on how demanding a machine you're building.
I am sure many have built, for instance, a Linux machine from older components using just any old power supply that'll fit in the build and has the right plugs.
Informative and helpful. Thanks much.
Haven't seen the whole thing yet, but I know it'll be great.
Thank you! That was a very informative video.
Another great and informative video.
Another excellent breakdown of something that can often be more complicated to get across. Melting connectors does indicate the introduction of a standard that was clearly not fully tested, which is always a concern.
excellent video and a great topic, specially now with the higher costs of electricity.
Thanks Chris!, very useful video indeed.
Thanks for posting another great video.
thank you for the detailed information