The Role of Power Supplies in Gaming PCs: How to Pick the Best PSU
Personal computers are important to our daily lives. With its apps, it can help us shorten tasks that can take way longer. It boosts productivity and allows people to spend more time on other things. Laptops can also do it too, but it is way more limited than PCs. Computers are capable of better performance. It is also customizable and upgradeable to unlock laptops. However, it comes with a catch. PC requires way more power for it to work.
Power Supply is needed for a PC to work because it is the main source of power for your PCs. Computers needed Power Supply Units, or PSUs, are responsible for transferring electricity to your PC. It is the one that regulates and distributes power to important parts of a PC, such as the CPU, GPU, and motherboard. In case of power surges, the PSU also protects your PCs. It can also actually power some gadgets via USB cables connected from the PC to your gadgets to charge them. That’s how important it is. Therefore, there are some key factors to consider when choosing a PSU.
Calculation
One should estimate their system’s total power requirement. Of course, there are online PSU calculators for these in which you just input your PC components, like what your CPU is or what your GPU is, and you just insert them in the input fields. After everything is taken into account and the final calculations are over, make sure to add a 20% to 30% allowance to the final calculations. This is so that there is room for error and even improvement if you want to improve hardware. Usually, these are just either 400W to 600W PSUs. However, high-end gaming requires higher ceilings, such as 750W to 1000W PSUs.
Efficiency
After knowing the right calculation numbers, now look for its certification. The better your certification is, the more you can maximize your PC. Contrary to what it looks like on the surface, buying much higher certification grades, which are more expensive, will save more money as it wastes less energy and generates less heat, hence reducing your electrical bill. It also has low thermal stress; therefore, it lasts longer.
The efficiency levels are Brozne, which is for entry-level efficiency, and then there’s Gold, which is the very popular choice for gaming PCs. And the last one is the Platinum and Titanium options. They are premium options with very high efficiency, but of course, they are also very expensive.
Modularity
Just like other devices, PSUs have cables. Dealing with cables can be tricky. The most basic PSU is the non-modular PSU, wherein all cables are attached permanently. They are for budget builds, but they can be messy.
Semi-modular PSUs are a mix of permanently attached and detachable. Important cables, such as the ones going to the motherboard and CPU, are fixed, but the others are fixed. And then there’s the fully modular PSUs, wherein all cables are detachable. Easier to maintain and easier to clean too. Best for airflow. This is the one very ideal for PC builders.
Size
This is one thing that people somewhat forget when buying PSUs. They think of all the data and all that and then forget that they actually need a proper size for their PC case. One should ensure that their PSU can fit inside their case. Otherwise, it’s a waste of money to buy one that doesn’t match.
By understanding your PC’s power requirements, getting the right calculations, knowing what the correct efficiency levels are, choosing what’s the best modularity setup for you, and the right size for your case, you will get the right PSU for your PC.
