Powerful power supply for a weak computer. Select the power supply for the computer. How is the Bitcoin block

Measurements of energy consumption of systems turned out quite expected. SAMI simple system Without a discrete video card, perhaps, perhaps, to do with any compatible power supply in general. We can also see that now quite old aMD processor Phenom II X4 965 demonstrates a decent difference in power consumption, if you compare it with a less demanding Intel Core i7-3770k. Nevertheless, technically, all four systems could regularly function even by 450 W power supply (appropriate quality with honest watts).

So who will then need 1000 W power supplies? It is obvious that they can also find real use, for example, if there is a trimmed gaming system worth about one hundred thousand rubles with three video cards. Some storage lovers have weakness to install twenty pieces hard disks With a bunch of additional controllers, but for most ordinary, even powerful systems will be fairly fair (read: high-quality) 550 W power supply. Office computer without discrete video (or with initial level devices) will certainly be able to do with one of the most low-power devices.

Conclusion

The results we got, they speak for themselves. Even a powerful gaming computer with overclocked components does not consume in the peak over 360 W. That is, it is obvious that you will not need a kilowatt power supply until you decide to assemble the 3rd SLI configuration. Of course, the results should not mislead you. They do not mean at all that you can use 400 W BP from the buildings with a total cost of 900 rubles for such an assembly. But in the end, there is no reason to take a really high-quality power supply for 750-1000 W, you can do the cheaper and quite reliable model that will work on your computer - and at the same time still with a large margin.

The power supply for a stationary computer is the necessary thing in the realities of the situation with electricity in the countries of the former CIS: frequent voltage drops and periodic shutdowns. Let's figure it out with how it works, how to check the power supply and what to do if he is sick?

What is the power supply?

Computer power supply is a device that generates a voltage that is necessary for the normal operation of the computer, transforming the current that comes from the total electrical network. In Russia, the device makes from AC from a total power supply 220V and a frequency of 50 Hz in several DC indicators of low values: 3.3V; 5B; 12V, etc.

The main thing is to watch when buying an electrical device - its power that is measured by watts (W). The more power consumes the computer, the more power should be in the power supply indicators.

Budget computers that are often bought for office equipment or schools consume about 300-500 W. If the model is not cheap - game or for working with heavy engineering or mounting programs, then the power of such a computer is about 600 W. In addition, there are models that need power to kilowatt, but these are computers with top-class video cards that rarely come from a regular user.

The power supply protrudes the energy core of the stationary computer, because it supposes the voltage to all the components of the computing machine and allows the computer to continue to work and not be knocked out due to current drops. First, the power supply is connected to shared network Through the outlet, and then attach it to the computer. It distributes the voltage that requires one or another part to the entire PC.

Usually, out computer Block Power to the PC itself goes a lot of cables: to motherboard, hard disk, video card, drive, fan and so on. The better and better block, the more stable it reacts that the voltage drops in the shared network. It is the fact that the power supply always issues a constant voltage, regardless of what is happening in a common network and retains a stationary computer and its individual components from breakdowns and wear.

If the computer is even the best video card, the motherboard and the modern cooling system, and the power supply does not cope with the task set before it, then all the power of the components is useless.

What is dangerous shortage of power in PC?

If you have not decided on whether a sufficiently powerful power supply of the computer is delayed, we will give a few examples of what happens when the power of the power supply is insufficient:

• May fail or partially damage hDD. If it does not receive enough power, they do not work on the reading heads in full, slide over the surface hard disk And scratch it. Interestingly, the sounds of the scratch can be heard.
• There may be problems with the video card. In some cases, the image even disappears on the monitor. This is especially happening if a hard game is running.
• Also removable drives may not be recognized by the computer if there is no normal nutrition.
• When the PC works at full power, it can turn off and reboot itself.

However, you should not think that all problems only in the power supply. If there are bad components, then the problem is most likely in them. However, if everything is fine with spare parts, it is worth buying a more powerful BP - and all the problems will go.

The difference between the bad power supply from good

How to find out what power supply is you, good or not enough powerful? There are several criteria for which a high-quality BP is determined:

1. Good protects against voltage jumps in a common network. If a strong jump occurs, the power supply itself will burn, but will leave the computer and components as integer and unharmed.,
2. A good power supply is a convenient system of wires, it is modern, it is possible to connect and disconnect some cables yourself.
3. In high-quality model good system cooling, it does not overheat, the fan does not make noise very much when working.

Power supply check

Sometimes it happens that the computer does not work well, it does not turn on or turns off itself, then you need to check the power supply. There is a way to do it at home yourself without a multimeter of reconnecting schemes.

Method of clips

There is an easy way how to check whether the power supply unit works using simple clips. This is a simple way that does not show, the power supply is normal, but it is easy to understand with it, whether the device gives the current to the computer as a whole. The sequence of actions is as follows:

• Disconnect the computer from the voltage.
• Open the housing cover and disconnect the connector from the motherboard.
• From the stationery clips, make a jumper in the form of U and shorten the jumper of the green wire of the connector and black, which works next to the green.
• Turn on the power supply.
• If everything has earned, then in the theory of BP works fine. If not, then it is worth carrying it into repair.

Basic symptoms and malfunctions

How can I determine if the power unit needs a thorough check and repair in the service or does it work well? If the BP is completely out of order, it will not be turned on with a jumper, but sometimes there are problems that simply notic.

Most often it happens if the user notices that there are some kind of violations in the motherboard or in RAM. In fact, it may be a problem with the power of BP and with how it regularly and without interruptions it submits it to certain chips. The problems described below may occur by the user if the power supply is faulty.

If you notice one of these symptoms and suspect that the problem can be in the power supply, as it is old or cheap, then you need to carry it into repair, as it can be dangerous for a computer. Often, the PC was simply burned from the fact that it is defective or poorly working BP. However, if there is little reason to doubt the reliability of BP, then you should call a specialist in order for it to have a comprehensive check of all computer systems, made the necessary cleaning and checked the power supply itself. Remember that checking and repairing will cost cheaper than buying a new computer, besides, timely consultation will help keep a lot of nerves and extend the life of the device for a few years over the deadline for him.

Frozen power supply

It is worthwhile to deal with the problem of the power of the power supply, as this is one of the most frequent reasons why users turn to the service. This is not only an annoying symptom, but also a serious reason to think about the repair or purchase of a new device.

There are several reasons for which the power supply is styled:

1. Cause in electricity. If strong voltage drops occur, they are knocked down the coherent operation of the power supply and it is manifested by an unpleasant peak. However, it is most often a one-time, does not last long, it does not repeat more often than a couple of times (if there are no serious voltage problems in your house, from which the light often goes out and suffers appliances). The problem most often turns out to be in the outlet. In order to check this, it is necessary to connect the device to a new outlet, it is desirable - on the opposite side of the room and will be convinced, whether the power plant is sicked as often as before.
2. A frequent squeak, which lasts longer pairs of seconds - a more alarming bell, because he speaks of a malfunction inside the power supply itself. It most often happens when connections internal components are weakened.
3. In addition, the squeak may indicate errors when assembling the power supply. However, in this case, a frequent and unpleasant squeak of BP will be immediately after purchase. If you contact service center With a check, they change it to you or reset so that there are no malfunctions.
4. Please note if the squeak is frequent, it does not leave when you connect it to another network, as well as the power supply is very hot and noise, it urgently needs to be carried to repair. In addition, the alarming bell is the bloating of the BP hull - then you need to change it as quickly as possible. And remember that the purchase of a new power supply unit or the repair of the old will cost cheaper than new computer and data that burned together with hard diskIf a sudden voltage jump in the network occurs.

To write this article I prompted constant questions to the materials of the heading "", which are quite often starting with the words " why». Why in such a assembly is recommended power supplyN watt? Why do you offer such expensive solutions, because you can noticeably save? Why is the power supply unit in one kilowatt be recommended to an extremal assembly? This is only a small list of questions that I remembered immediately when I started writing this article. Indeed, users who still do not have proper experience in collecting and configuring system blocks, want to know the exact and obvious criteria for choosing the "breadwinner" of all PC. In addition, the choice of power supplies in our market is very and quite wide. Thus, on the website of the Regard's shop, at the time of this writing, 676 models of computer power supplies - central processors are selling less. Therefore, it is necessary to help beginners to deal with this issue.

It is important to note that in this article I will not recommend any specific models Power supplies. For these purposes on our site periodically. IN this material Features of modern models of BP, as well as criteria and formats of modern PC platforms, allowing to collect a full-fledged game system.

⇡ How to change the power consumption of gaming components

Before starting the parsing of the main and secondary parameters of any computer power supply, in my opinion, it is necessary to understand which components of the PC affect the level of energy consumption. More precisely, it is clear that the Stakhanians in this matter are the central processor and the discrete video card, but how much does it affect the power consumed?

Let's do just. Below on the charts are the parameters of all processors and video cards that the 3DNews laboratory tested over the past five years and which, according to the author of this material, one can at least relate to the category of game solutions (including relevance at a certain period of time, of course). In this case we are talking About such a parameter as TDP - calculated thermal power. The fact is that very many associate this amount with power consumption.

Intel believes that the estimated thermal power (TDP) is a parameter that " indicates the average performance in watts when the processor power dissipates (when working with a base frequency, when all kernels are involved) in a complex load definedIntel" We see that the level of TDP modern - and not very modern - central processors change in a rather large range. Statistics collected by me speaks of chips with a calculated power of 35 and to 250 W, respectively. If we consider the most popular devices in your own years, we will see that basically chips with TDP are installed in the gaming computers from 65 to 105 W.

And here we immediately observe a certain catch. Undoubtedly, the central processor and the video card are the main consumers of energy in any computer system. At first glance, it may seem that choosing the power supply of the required power is very simple: fold the TDP processor with the TDP accelerator graphics plus we take into account that there are other components in any system unit (drives, motherboard and iron with fans). Only here, operate by the definition of Intel, we see that the calculated thermal power is the average performance in watts when the CPU operates at the base frequency. Quite often, you can meet the work scenarios when the central processor for desktop PC will be beyond the referenced by the level manufacturer. In general, TDP is not an indicator of a real level of energy consumption of this or that component.

I will give a simple example. The above is the screenshot, which clearly demonstrates how the central processor works under load in the form of Prime95. According to technical characteristicsThe base frequency of this 6-nuclear chip is 2.8 GHz, and the calculated power is 65 W. Only here in the program using AVX instructions, all the kernels work at a frequency of 3.8 GHz - the Turbo Boost technology works. Our measurements have shown that the processor consumes more than 95 watts, that is, it clearly goes beyond the limits defined by Intel in the specification. It turns out that in many boards, the MultiCore Enhancement feature responsible for the operation of the CPU within the TDP is included by default - therefore, limitations on the limit power consumption are removed.

And we recently learned that with the same TDP level - 65 W - works in a similar key. The frequency of the chip varies in the range from 4.1 to 4.4 GHz with a basic value of 3.6 GHz. Naturally, no about which 65 W speeches does not go: with a serious load, the processor establishes a completely different level of power consumption - 100+ W. Again, we are talking about the operation of the system in the default mode, without manual acceleration or increase voltage, that is, the manufacturer specially does that the real power consumption significantly exceeds the claimed TDP level. As you can see, both chipmeter in lately They act equally.

A similar situation is observed among video cards. Here is the most productive GEFORCE RTX 2080 TI game model at the declared TDP in 260 W at maximum load.

In this and consists of catching. It is impossible to just take and fold the calculated power of the main components of the system. Thus, the sum of TDP Core i9-9900K and GeForce RTX 2080 TI is 345 W. Something else "eaten" other components of the system. However, running forward, I will say that I managed to load the system so that it consumed more than 450 W.

And do not yet forget about overclocking. About his benefits from the point of view, for example, receiving additional FPS in games you can judge by our reviews - 3DNews does not miss interesting and popular models of central processors and video cards. But how is the power consumption of the system after overclocking, you will learn in the second part of the article.

Under the phrase "Other components of the system", naturally, they mean such an iron as the motherboard, RAM, other discrete devices (in addition to the video card), as well as the components of the cooling systems (cooler and body fans, pump SLC, and so on). Only here practice shows that all listed components consume not so much - against the background of the same processors and video cards.

* The graph above indicates the level of power consumption of the entire system (description - below), and not just RAM

Let's deal with RAM. Unfortunately, I do not know such a method that will definitely measure the power consumption of separately RAM modules. So I took two module samsung M378A1G43EB-CRC with a total volume of 16 GB and installed them in the system with the Ryzen 5 1600 processor and motherboard . We know that this kit calmly accelerates to 3200 MHz while maintaining delays, but a slight increase in voltage. For the load, I used the Prime95 29.8 program with the LARGE FFT test, which loads RAM to the maximum. Well, the difference between DDR4-2400 and DDR4-3200 amounted to only 14 W, if we compare the peak values \u200b\u200bof power consumption.

There is no particular sense to measure the power consumption of drives, because against the background of the same processors and video cards it is extremely small. For example, on our site there was an overview of hard drives with a volume of 14-16 TB - that these monsters in read mode do not consume more than 9.5 W, and after all, 7-9 plates are installed in such drives. It turns out that only a bunch of several HDD / SSD can seriously affect the power consumption of PC, and it must be borne in mind that storage devices should work simultaneously, and this is not very characteristic for desktops. Usually, if it comes to a home PC, 1-2 SSDs are used in the system and as many mechanical drives.

Approximately the same case with the power consumption of the fans - on their enclosure often indicate such parameters such as the current, voltage and power. Standard impellers suitable for use in desktop PC rarely consume more than 5 W. Usually, 3-4 cabinet fans are used in the system and one or two "carlson", which are complete with processor cooling. It turns out that even installing the six impeller will increase the power consumption of the system unit in just 20-25 W.

Actually, we come to what they started. The main energy consumption in any system unit comes to the central processor and the video card. We have already found out that you can not believe the Passport characteristics of the CPU and GPU and you cannot choose a block in the amount of TDP components - not the best undertaking. How to understand which block is needed - we will tell in the second part.

All of the above allows you to make another conclusion: we see that energy consumption computer equipment From year to year, it does not change much and is in certain framework. That is, the power supply bought now will last long and come true and useful when assembling the following system, and maybe two. In such a way, the purchase of knowingly good BP looks very rational.

⇡ About system unit cable management

Continuing the topic of choosing a power supply of a certain power, be sure to tell about cable management in modern PCs. The fact is that one works alone an important rule: The greater the power of the BP is the more cable. If we talk about game systems, then in modern realities from the power source, you may need a minimum of two wires that will be connected to the Matpat. In the middle, four or five cables are used. But the power blocks are most often much more.

Let's start with the video cards, because in most gamers, it is they who demand the most electricity. As you know, the PCI Express X16 of the motherboard is capable of transmitting a discrete device to 75 W electric power (in fact a little more, but the standard describes just such a value). For example, such nutrition is enough for most level video cards GeForce GTX. 1650, which can be safely attributed to the category of gaming. But on more powerful video cards, you can often find 6- and 8-pin power connectors. In the first case, up to 75 W energy is transmitted, in the second - up to 150 W.

The medium price range video card (with TDP is not above 200 W), as a rule, are equipped with one 6- or 8-pin connector. In more powerful video cards, a pair of connectors is usually found.

Continuing the topic of cable management, it is safe to say that in some cases other BP cables may not need. For example, if you use the M.2 form factor drives in the system and do not install different peripherals (for example, optical drive). In this case, you will need to be powered by BP only a motherboard and a video card. NVME SSD installed on the fee and do not require additional connectors, have long been recommended in most of the "computer of the month" assemblies.

Nevertheless, any power supply will be connected to a minimum of four SATA devices. And then the Molex wires are coming in the kit, which are now small where they are used. In cheap buildings from them can be powered by, for example, fans. In principle, via the adapters from Molex can also be powered and video cards (but I categorically not advise you with expensive 3D accelerators!).

In particularly launched cases, when you need to connect a large number of wires, it is better to take partially or completely modular BP. This approach will noticeably facilitate life when assembling the system. Funny, but if only three or four wires are required from the power supply, then in this case it is also better to use a device with a modular cable management - so that the extra "tail" is not shaking and did not interfere.

And yet, in aesthetic plan, the assembly of the system with a non-modular power supply is not a tragedy. Excess wires are easily hidden under the basket for hard drives. And now even the most inexpensive housings equip the curtain (metal or plastic) on the bottom. It is hidden both by the power supply and a pile of unused cords.

A fully modular power supply will be needed if you want not just to assemble a neat PC, but it is beautiful - using braids, for example. The same Corsair sells sets of braided wires, and you can make a braid yourself.

A small announcement: in more detail about cable-management I will tell (and show) in another article, which will soon come out on our website.

Cable length is another important operational parameter of any power supply. Of course, much depends on the computer case. But for most MIDI-Tower-models with a height from 400 to 500 mm with the lower arrangement of the BP, it is enough that the 4/8-pin CPU power conductor had a length of 500-550 mm. For Full / Ultra Tower 600-800 mm high - you need at least 600 mm. It turns out a fairly simple rule: EPS-cord in length should be equal to the height of the housing, if it comes to the bottom Location of the BP. Then no surprises in assembly will not happen. The length of other power supply cables in the case of the Tower-enclosures of us, in general, is not particularly interested. In some models, the length of the cord with the 24-pin port reaches 700 mm - in this case, normally put it behind the case of the Case chassis, it is even problematic.

The attentive reader probably noticed that I was in no way affected by the form factor of the BP itself - they are different, sometimes a computer case. But this article is tied to the heading "Computer of the Month", and builds are recommended in classical tower-enclosures. I promise that the assembly of compact gamers I will devote a separate detailed article.

And yet before buying, make sure that your power supply closes in length in the case. For example, the previously listed models of Corsair BP will fit 99% of MIDI-Tower-cakes. But for some Corsair Ax1200i a length of 225 mm (but also the connected wires will occupy 50-100 mm). It will have to look for a computer "dwelling".

⇡ How much does a new power supply cost?

In this paragraph, I will be brief. Quite often in the comments to the "Computer of the Month" or to any other article related to power blocks, you have to watch the message in the style of " Yes, why this is such a power plant? Here is enough model onN W." On the one hand, such commentators are right. On the other hand, the table below clearly shows that it is not always a low power supply unit worth noticeably less than the model with a large number of stated watts. Especially this rule is relevant for 400-600 W models.

We see that more powerful devices of a similar class (for example, possessing the 80 Plus Bronze certificate if it is more, then quite a bit. Comparing average prices, we see that the difference between the 400-450 W power supply blocks and 500-550 W is a little more than 600 rubles. With this scenario, it is clearly worth paying this amount, but to get in return powerful device. The price difference between blocks of 600-650 and 700-750 W is also less.

And such comparisons, looking at the table, you can spend quite a large amount. Therefore, the next question is suggested: if there is an opportunity for the same or a little longer to take the power supply greater power, why not take advantage of her? The question, however, rhetorical.

To collect statistics, I went to the website of the Regard store, chose six popular manufacturers and considered the average cost of power units of a certain power and a certain standard of 80 PLUS.

⇡ Methodology and stand

In today's testing, a large number of computer equipment was used to show how much energy consumes really existing gaming systems. In this regard, I relied on the assembly of the "Computer Month" rubric. A complete list of all components is shown in the table below.

Test stands were loaded as follows:

• Prime95 29.8. - SMALL FFT test, the maximum loading central processor. A very resource-intensive application, in most cases, programs using all kernels are not able to load chips stronger.
• AdobePREMIER.Pro 2019. - Rendering 4K video by means central processor. An example of the operation of the resource-intensive software that uses all the processor kernels, as well as available reserves of RAM and drive.
• "Witcher-3: Wild Hunt" - Testing was carried out in full-screen mode in 4K-resolution using the maximum graphics quality settings. This game greatly loads not only a video card (even two RTX 2080 Ti in the SLI array is loaded by 95%), but also the central processor. Eventually system unit Loading more than, for example, with the help of "Synthetic" FURMARK.
• "Witcher-3: Wild Hunt" +Prime95 29.8. (SMALL FFT test) - test for the maximum power consumption of the system, when 100% loaded and CPU, and GPU. And yet do not exclude that there are more resource-intensive ligaments.

Measuring energy consumption was performed using Watts Up wattmeter? Pro - Despite such a comical name, the device can be connected to a computer, and with the help of special software it allows you to track its various parameters. So, the average and maximum levels of energy consumption of the system will be presented below on the charts.

The period of each measurement of power was 10 minutes.

⇡ What power is needed by modern game PC

Once again, I note: this article is attached to a certain extent to the heading "Computer of the Month". Therefore, if you jumped to us for the first time, I recommend to get acquainted at least with. In each "computer of the month" there are six assemblies - predominantly gaming. Similar systems I used for this article. Let's get acquainted:

• The bunch of Ryzen 5 1600 + Radeon RX 570 + 16 GB of RAM is an analogue of the start assembly (35,000-37,000 rubles for the system unit without taking into account the cost of software).
• The bunch of Ryzen 5 2600x + GeForce GTX 1660 + 16 GB of RAM is an analogue of the base assembly (50,000-55,000 rubles).
• The bunch of Core i5-9500F + GeForce RTX 2060 + 16 GB of RAM is an analogue of the optimal assembly (70,000-75,000 rubles).
• The bunch of Core i5-9600k + GeForce RTX 2060 + 16 GB of RAM is another option of optimal assembly.
• A bunch of Ryzen 7 2700x + GeForce RTX 2070 + 16 GB of RAM is an analogue of advanced assembly (100,000 rubles).
• The bunch of Ryzen 7,2700x + RADEON VII + 32 GB of RAM is an analogue of the maximum assembly (130,000-140,000 rubles).
• The bunch of Core i7-9700k + Radeon VII + 32 GB of RAM is another option of maximum assembly.
• The bunch of Core i9-9900k + GeForce RTX 2080 Ti + 32 GB of RAM is an analogue of extreme assembly (220,000-235,000 rubles).

Unfortunately, to get the Ryzen 3000 processors at the time of all tests I failed, but the results obtained from this will not be less useful. The same Ryzen 9 3900x, consumes less Core i9-9900K - it turns out, in the framework of the extreme assembly, to study the energy consumption of the 8-kernel Intel will even more interesting and more important.

And also, as you could notice, the article uses only mass platforms, namely AMD AM4 and Intel LGA1151-V2. I did not use the HEDT system, such as TR4 and LGA2066. First, we have long refused them in the "Computer of the Month". Secondly, with the appearance of a 12-nuclear Ryzen 9 3900x in the mass segment and on the eve of the emergence of 16-nuclear Ryzen 9 3950x, such systems have been painfully narrowly specialized. Thirdly, because that Core i9-9900K still gives everyone in terms of power consumption, once again proving that the calculated thermal capacity stated by the manufacturer little about what the consumer says.

And now we turn to the results of testing.

To be honest, test results in such programs as PRIME95 and Adobe Premier Pro 2019, I cite more for familiarization - for those who do not play and do not use discrete video cards. You can safely navigate this data. Basically, we are interested in the behavior of test systems in the loads approximate to the maximum.

And here are very busy things. In general, we see that all reviewed systems consume not a lot of energy. The most voracious thing, which is quite logical, has become a system with Core i9-9900K and GeForce RTX 2080 Ti, but even in stock (read - without acceleration) consumes 338 W, if we are talking about games, and 468 W - at maximum PC load. It turns out that such a system is enough for the power supply for honest 500 W. It is so?

⇡ It's not just watts

It would seem that this can be completed this article: Recommend all the power supply in 500 honest watts - and live quietly. However, let's spend a few additional experiments to get a complete picture of what is happening with your PC.

In the screenshot above, we see that the power supplies work as efficiently as possible when loading 50%, that is, half from the claimed power. Someone may seem that the difference between the device with a basic certificate of 80 Plus with a peak efficiency of about 85% on the 230 V network and, for example, the "platinum" BP with the effectiveness of about 94% is not so great, but this is a delusion. My colleague Dmitry Vasilyev quite accurately indicates: "The source of energy from the efficiency of 85% is useless to heat the surrounding air of 15% of the power, and the" breadwinner "with an efficiency of 94% in heat passes only 6% of power. It turns out, the difference is not " someone there»10%, but x2,5. Obviously, in such conditions, a more efficient power supply and is working quieter (the manufacturer does not make sense to customize the device fan to the maximum speed), and heats up less.

And here is the evidence of the above words.

The charts above shows the efficiency of some power supplies involved in tests, as well as the frequency of rotation of their fans with different degrees of load. Unfortunately, the equipment used does not allow you to accurately measure the noise level, but by the number of revolutions per minute of built-in fans, we can judge how noisy the power supply will be. It is necessary to note here that it does not mean that under the load of BP will be allocated "from the crowd." Yet usually the most noisy components gaming computer are a processor cooler and a video card.

Practice, as you can see, converges with the theory. Power supplies really work as efficiently as possible at 50 percent load. Moreover, in this regard, I will note the CORSAIR AX1000 model - this BP goes to the peak of efficiency at a capacity of 300 W, and then its efficiency does not fall below 92%. But other Corsair blocks on schedules have quite expected "hump".

At the same time, Corsair AX1000 can work in half-space. Only with the load of 400 W, its fan begins to promote with a frequency of ~ 750 rpm. RM850X also possesses the same characteristic, but in it the impeller begins to rotate at the power of ~ 200 W.

And now take a look at temperatures. To do this, I disassembled all power supplies. The fans from the top cover were removed and installed on the home-made tripod so that the distance between it and the rest of the BP was about 10 cm. I am sure, in terms of cooling, the device does not work worse, but this design allowed me to take pictures with a thermal imager. On the chart above the temperature parameter 1 refers to the maximum temperature of the power supply inside when the fan is running. "Temperature 2" is the maximum heating of BP ... without additional cooling. Please do not repeat such experiments at home on your equipment! However, such a bold move allows you to visually show how the power supply is heated and how its temperature depends on the rated power, the quality of the assembly and the component base used.

The CX450 model heating to 117 degrees Celsius is a completely logical phenomenon, because this power supply under the 400 W load works almost at the maximum, and not yet cooled. The fact that the power supply generally passed this test is a great sign. Before you a high-quality budget model.

Comparing the results of other power supplies, it can be concluded that they seem to be quite logical: yes, the Corsair CX450 model is grazing, and less than all - RM850X. At the same time, the difference in the maximum heating indicators is 42 degrees Celsius.

It is important to define the concept of "honest power". Here is the Corsair CX450 model to a 12-volt line can transmit 449 watts of energy. It is on this parameter that needs to be viewed when choosing a device, because there are models that work not so effectively. In the cheapest blocks of similar power by a 12 volt line can be transmitted noticeably less watts. It comes to the point that the manufacturer declares support for 450 W, and in fact it is only about 320-360 W. So we write: when the power supply is selected, it is necessary to look at how much watts the device gives up a 12-volt line.

Let's compare Corsair TX650M and CX650 models that have the same stated power, but are certified by different 80plus standards: "Gold" and "Bronze", respectively. I think snapshots of the thermal imager attached above, they say more eloquent than any words. Really, support for a specific standard 80Plus indirectly speaks about the quality of the elemental base of the power supply. The higher the certificate class - the better the power supply.

It is important here to note that the CORSAIR TX650M model over a 12 volt line transmits to 612 W, and CX650 to 648 W.

Above the pictures you can compare the heating of the RM850X and AX1000 models, but already with a load of 600 watts. There is also an obvious difference in temperatures. In general, we see that Corsair dietary blocks are well coped with the load entrusted to them - and even in stressful situations. At the same time, I think it is now clear why there was no Ax1000 temperature indicators on the chart above - it is not solid, even if it takes off the cover with the fan.

Hovering the results obtained, it can be noted that it will completely be able to use the power supply unit in the system, twice the maximum power of the PC itself. In this mode of operations, the BP is heated less and noise is the facts that we have just proved once again. It turns out that the start-up assembly is suitable for the honest capacity of 450 W, for the base - 500 W, for optimal - 500 W, for advanced - 600 W, for maximum - 800 W, and for extreme - 1000 W. Plus, in the first part of the article, we found out that there is not such a big price difference between the power blocks, the stated power of which differs by 100-200 W.

However, let's not hurry with final conclusions.

⇡ a few words about the upgrade

Assembly in the "computer of the month" are designed not only to work in the default mode. In each issue, I tell about the possibilities of overclocking some components (or on the meaninglessness of overclocking in the case of some processors, memory and video cards), as well as the possibilities of the subsequent upgrade. There is an axiom: the cheaper the system unit - the more compromises in it. Compromises that will allow PC here and now, but the desire to get something more productive, quiet, efficient, beautiful or comfortable (needed - to emphasize) will not leave you anyway. Captain obvious suggests that in such situations the power supply with a good watt reserve is very useful.

I will give a visual example of the upgrade of the starting assembly.

I took the AM4 platform. 6-nuclear Ryzen 5 1600, Radeon RX 570 and 16 GB of RAM DDR4-3000 are recommended. Even when using a regular cooler (cooling systems, which is sold complete with CPU), our chip can be easily overclocked to 3.8 GHz. Suppose I arrived radically and changed the CO to a noticeably more efficient model, which allowed me to raise the frequency from 3.3 to 4.0 GHz when loading all six cores. To do this, it took me to raise the voltage up to 1.39 V, as well as to establish the fourth level of the Load-Line Calibration of the motherboard. Such overclocking, in fact, turned my Ryzen 5 1600 in Ryzen 5 2600x.

Suppose I bought video card Radeon. RX VEGA 64 - On the ComputerUniverse website a month ago, it could be taken for 17,000 rubles (excluding delivery), and from the hands and more cheaper. And in the comments to the "Computer of the Month" so sweetly talk about used GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, sold for 25-30 thousand rubles ...

Finally, instead of Ryzen 5,600, you can take Ryzen 2700x, which after the release of the family of the AMD chips of the third generation has fallen noticeably. There is no special need to overclock. As a result, we see that in both cases, the system's power consumption proposed by me has increased more than twice!

This is just an example, and the actors in the described situation can be completely different. However, this example, in my opinion, clearly shows that even in the starting assembly, the power supply with a honest capacity of 500 W, and even 600 watts.

⇡ "Game PCs do not need blocks per 1 kW" - Commentators under articles on the site

Such comments often have to see when it comes to the game PC. In the absolute majority of cases - and we found it in practice - so it is. However, in 2019 there is a system that is able to hit its energy consumption.

This, of course, is about extreme assembly in it, so to speak, the most combat form. Not so long ago, the article "" was published on our site - in it, we described in detail about the performance of the pair of the fastest GeForce video cards in 4k and 8k-resolution. The system is fast, but the components are selected in such a way that it is very easy to do even faster. In addition, it turned out that the overclocking of Core i9-9900K to 5.2 GHz turns out to be absolutely not an excessive occupation in the case of the GEFORCE RTX 2080 Ti SLI array and the Games in Ultra HD. Only here at the peak, as we see, such a overclocked configuration consumes more than 800 W. Consequently, for such a system, in such conditions, a kilowatt power supply will not be superfluous.

⇡ Conclusions

If you carefully read the article, then allocated several main points for yourself, which should be borne in mind when choosing a power supply. We list them all again:

• focus on the graphics card or processor, TDP indicators, unfortunately, can not be;
• the power consumption of computer equipment from year to year is changing and is in certain framework - therefore the qualitative power supply bought now will serve for a long time and correctly service and it is accurately useful during the assembly of the following system;
• the needs for cable management of the system unit also affect the choice of BP of certain power;
• not all power connectors on the motherboard must be used;
• not always the power supply of less power turns out to be more profitable (in terms of price) of a more powerful model;
• when choosing a power supply, you need to look including how much watts the device gives up a 12 volt line;
• support for a specific standard 80 Plus indirectly talks about the quality of the element base of the power supply;
• it is completely necessary to use the power supply, the honest power of which twice (or even more) exceeds the maximum power consumption of the computer.

Quite often you can hear the phrase: " More - no less" This very concise aphorism perfectly describes the situation when the power supply is selected. Take a model with a good power supply for your new PC - it will not be worse, and in most cases it will be only better. Even for an inexpensive gaming system unit, which at maximum load consumes about 220-250 W, it still makes sense to take a good model with honest 600-650 W. Because such a block:

• will work quieter, and in the case of some models - absolutely silently;
• will be colder;
• will be more efficient;
• will allow you to calmly overclock the system, increasing the productivity of the central processor, video card and RAM;
• will allow the upgrade of the main components of the system without any problems;
• survive several upgrades, and also (if the power supply is really good) settles in the second or third system unit;
• allows also to save upon subsequent assembly of the system unit.

I think few readers will refuse a good power supply. It is clear that it does not always have the opportunity to buy a high-quality device with a lot of thread for the future. Sometimes when buying a new systemist and a limited budget, I also want a processor to take more powerful, and video cards quickly, and SSD higher capacity - all this is understandable. But if it is possible to buy a good power supply with a margin - it is not necessary to save on it.

Express the gratitude to the companyASUS I.Corsair, as well as a computer store "Rearth" for the equipment provided for testing.

Most of us are widespread - this is what the system unit is protected from all sides, and therefore should not worry about its safety. In fact, if you compare your computer, then the screen is the eyes, and the "systemist" is the brain. That is why with such a part of the design you need to behave most correctly, only this technique will last long.

Why it is impossible to put a system unit on the floor without a stand:

1. A large amount of dust. The greatest amount of dust accumulation is on the floor. He settles on the nearest details, tables and lies with an imperceptible haze on the wallpaper. But in any case, dust is more deposited on the floor. The systemic contains fans that are responsible for stabilizing the temperature of the blocks, motherboard and video cards. If you put directly on the floor, then all the dust in even more will settle on the fan blades, which is further and contributes to the fact that the fan will stop, and some kind of design of the design.
2. Smooth surface. To ensure that the system block is stable, you need to put it on an ideally smooth surface. Unfortunately, 80% of all floor coatings have certain irregularities, and therefore it is impossible to guarantee stability without delivery.
3. Temperature differences. The system unit cannot be subjected to permanent temperature drops. If you put it on the windowsill or near the battery, you can not count on the fact that the technique will last long. Floors are capable of B. different time Years to scap warm, moisture, cold.
4. Mechanical damage. Any scratch on the surface of the block is potential threat Corrosion formation, and therefore it is worth more attentively to the place where you place the processor. It is impossible to put it near the passage, in a place where there is a risk to damage it or turn over. Especially carefully pay attention to children's rooms. It is better to install a computer near the wall, but not close to it so that condensate is not formed.

These are the main reasons why programmers are not recommended to install a computer block directly to the floor without a stand. But there are other common PC user errors - strikes, mechanical damage, Impact of moisture, accumulation of dampness on systems. All this contributes to the fact that through the short time of use, the computer fails, it has to be repaired or changed.

The microchips of the system unit are very susceptible to the statics, and therefore the location of the equipment near the sources of the statics will be broken by breakdown. Also, you can not install the device on your favorite Cat rest area, you can not allow it to sleep near a computer.

Where to put?

The first thing that comes to mind when placing the system unit is to buy a table with special stands. And if there are already no desire to change it? What to do in this case? In this situation, there are special supports under the system unit that are universal in its application, easy to use and not expensive.

The main advantage of the stand is its maneuverability. Wooden base can be put anywhere under the table, it will not interfere with work, and if necessary, you can easily change the location.

Stand under the system block of the computer

Universal and the only practical option to arrange the workplace with a table, which has no stand or placing a processor, is a wooden bar ash. Externally - that's simple design in the form of a n-shaped. But, despite its simplicity, she will incredibly simplify your life at the desktop. Advantages of applying a support for a system unit:

• is installed exactly relative to the surface;
• the system unit is ensured at the expense of side borders;
• you can change the location of the processor: in the left or right side, forward or move back to the wall;
• dust accumulates under the wooden base of the bottom, and not on the processor itself;
• it is transferred and will not need to fasten to the base of the table, which does not contribute to the deformation of the main structure;
• a light natural tree without chemical impregnates will fit into any interior of the room.

The main task of such a stand is to ensure the stability of the block and protect it from the accumulation of dampness from the floor surface.

How to define dimensions

System blocks differ not only in memory size, but also by external parameters: Some smaller, others are more. How to determine in this case specifications Stands? Special addition to the computer table - Stand Barka Universal. Its dimensions allow you to place both large devices and non-standard system blocks: the width-depth-height - 540x270x120 mm.

Near the side part there is the ability to carry or install a tee for connecting from the network. It helps to organize correctly workplace Houses or in the office.

Barsky offers

The black and white stand under the system unit of the computer from Barski is a combination of style, simplicity and harmony. It can be installed in any convenient place, which is relevant for the left (it is often necessary to adapt to the design of furniture designed for the right one). A durable wooden stand of ideal forms will help organize a workplace as convenient as possible and correct, and black and white color are suitable for any colors of the table.