The power coming in to a computer is the most critical part, & it may be of the most overlooked. It is taken for granted that it will always be there & working properly. A top of the line processor & ultra powerful video card do nothing if a technique does not get the ample, stable power it demands. Having quality parts providing & regulating the power supplied to a computer is critical, & this brief overview looks at a few areas worth consideration.
Power Supplies
Computer power supplies take the high (110V or 220V) DC voltages from an electrical outlet & convert it to the various lower AC voltages necessary for a technique to operate. The typical voltages necessary inside a computer are.3V, 5V, & 12V, where the.3V & 5V lines are usually used to power circuitry, & the 12V line provides power to run items such as hard drives, optical drives, & cooling fans.
Power supplies are sold in terms of their total power output, in terms of wattage. Choosing the correct power supply means not only finding that will provide power for all of the parts connected to the technique, but also that is the correct size physically, has connections for typical drives & fans, & if necessary, that also has special connections for things such as Serial ATA drives & modern video cards.
Choosing a power supply with power ought to not be much of an issue, as having more power than you require is seldom a bad thing. Because a power supply is rated for 400W, or perhaps 600W, does not insinuate that it is drawing that at any given time. It indicates the total power available to the various lines inside the computer. For those interested in getting a pleasant suggestion of their maximum power requirements, this Power Wattage Calculator is a convenient reference. In addition to checking out the total wattage of a power supply, looking for strong amperage ratings on the.3V, 5V, & 12V lines is also recommended, as power supplies with identical total power ratings may distribute the power to the various lines in different quantities.
Power supplies come in a few different physical sizes, but the most common are designed to fit the standard ATX & micro ATX (mATX) form factor cases. A typical ATX power supply, such as this Echo-Star 680W unit, measures.25" x 6" x.5" & features cooling fans to not only chilled the power supply, but to also help draw hot air out of the computer. A typical mATX power supply, such as this A-Power 320W unit, measures.5" x 5" x 4" & due to the smaller size features cooling fan. mATX cases are usually much smaller than ATX cases, & therefore have smaller power supplies, with usually lower power ratings, & fewer connectors.
The connectors on a power supply also deserve consideration. Most power supplies come with what looks to be an electric octopus of wires hanging off the back surface, & you need to make positive that somewhere in that tangled bundle are all of the connectors you need. The power supply ought to at least have as plenty of connections as the number of drives, cooling fans, & other items present in the case. Up until recently power supplies had a fixed number of connections, & in case you needed more, you needed to make use of splitters to distribute the power to all the parts. Modular power supplies, such as the Ultra X-Connect 500W unit, are now available that eliminate that "electric octopus" all together, & permit the finish user to connect the cables they need. The flexibility of a modular power supply design not only lets you personalize the connections to your needs, it also makes for a simple & tidy installation, since there is no additional wires dangling inside the case.
The choice of a top quality power supply may cost additional money up front, but down the road it could wind up saving money. Plenty of manufacturers now offer power supplies that consume less energy thanks to high quality internal parts, advanced designs, & active power factor correction. These units are now able to provide the same power to the parts in a computer, but due to increased efficiency, draw less power from the electrical outlet.
Surge Protectors
Surge protectors are intended to protect your electronics from a brief increase in voltage caused by such things as lightning, rolling blackouts, & heavy drawing electrical equipment. A surge protector reacts to divert the additional electricity to ground, & thus protects your pricey computer equipment from damage. A surge is any increase lasting nanoseconds or longer, so a surge protector needs to react quickly. Most surge protectors also include a fuse (or breaker), & if the surge is great to be handled without interruption, the fuse will blow. Although the fuse may be destroyed, it is a small loss compared to what it may have saved.
Surge protectors come in all shapes & styles. Some basic models may even be found at your local dollar store, but offer no over a few outlets connected to a breaker. No serious protection is obtained, but lots of people need more outlets, not protection.
More serious surge protectors will probably cost a bit over a dollar, but will offer some peace of mind that your equipment is actually being protected. In addition to defending from electrical surges, some devices include additional features such as conditioning to filter out line noise & ports to protect other lines such as cable tv, phone, & networking.
The Fellowes Smart Surge Power Strip protects up to0 devices from surges, as well as offering line conditioning & ports to protect your phone line. A highly appealing feature of such a surge protector is that of the ports are designed to accept bulky AC adaptors. For those with surge protectors that weren't designed to be this user friendly, there is still hope in the kind of Power Strip Saver Cables. Fundamentally 7 inch long extension cords, these things can come in handy when trying to connect multiple AC adaptors to a more traditional surge protector.
Uninterruptible Power Supplies
Lots of people familiar with Uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) know that they can keep a computer up & running in the work of a total power failure, but don't know what else they do. Most UPSes will also provide protection from voltage surges & sags (when the voltage drops below normal), as well as protection from the chance of a shift in the electricity's frequency.
UPSes come in varieties, standby & continuous, although standby versions are far more common & cheaper. A standby UPS allows the devices connected to it to run from the normal electrical connection until a loss of power is detected, at which point it quickly (in a matter of milliseconds) switches to the battery backup of the UPS. A continuous UPS always has the devices connected to it running off of battery power, while the batteries are recharged by the normal electrical connection.
UPSes are sold in terms of their capacity, in terms of VA (voltage multiplied by amperage). This implies that devices connected to the UPS can draw a maximum of a lot amperage at a specific voltage. A run time after a power failure is also usually specified for a UPS based on a full load being placed on the tool.
Selecting a UPS needs to be based on the intended use... A smaller unit, such as the Fenton 600VA, would be adequate for powering a typical desktop computer, monitor, & smaller peripherals such as a printer & lighting for what they rate as 15-23 minutes at full load. If multiple systems need to be powered, or perhaps there is designs for future expansion that will add to the power demands, a bigger unit such as the Tripp Lite 1500VA may be more appropriate. The first units are intended to be set in close propinquity to the devices to be powered, perhaps on the floor behind a table, but in case you are seeking to add a UPS to a server, there is also rackmount solutions such as the Opti-UPS 1100VA.
No matter the application, sizing a UPS may appear overwhelming. manufacturer, APC, has created a handy UPS Selector Application which will take lots of the guess work out of choosing the right UPS for any particular application.
Final Words
A computer technique is only as strong as its weakest feature, and lots of times that distinction falls on the power supply and related parts. By choosing a quality power supply, surge protector, and possibly a UPS, can make positive that they have adequately strong and stable power to keep their technique walking now, as well as down the road when upgrades may increase the demand on their technique.
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