Power Supply Manufacturer: How to Buy a Power Supply

PSU’s Role for a Power Supply Manufacturer

The power supply unit (PSU) is one of the few items in an electrical device that will affect the performance and reliability of your entire system. Very often, it is the most undervalued, underappreciated component within any device, yet one of the first components to cause operation failure. The following tips will apply to how you will approach purchasing a power supply from a power supply manufacturer.

Power Supply Manufacturer: Steps for Buying a Power Supply

    1. Determine the wattage you need. Use a PSU calculator web page or software to help determine your requirements. Perhaps even more helpful, find a review of a similar system that measures power consumption. As that consumption is measured at the wall, multiply by the review system’s power supply’s efficiency to get the output. Don’t purchase a PSU just above your requirements unless you plan to upgrade the system. Also, consider the fact that PSUs age and subsequently lose power over time.

    2. Research which connectors you need. The power supply manufacturer can help you determine the appropriate connectors.

    3. Look for PSUs with high-efficiency ratings. As well as PSUs under load temperatures, not room temperatures. Anything 80% and above is good. At 83%, approximately 17% of the wattage is lost as heat. Therefore, a power supply manufacturer advertising a PSU at 500 W PSU, will actually be drawing almost 600W at the wall. Again, efficiency drops over time and during the life of the PSU. A year old PSU is most likely not capable of producing the same amount of energy it once did when it was new.

    4. Determine the robustness of the PSU. How well does the PSU handle changes in current? Although not a guarantee, there is a strong correlation between weight and quality: bigger components equate to a more tolerant, reliable PSU.

    5. Check the number of rails. Just as your house’s fuse box includes both a large main breaker and a smaller circuit breaker per circuit to ensure the smaller-branch circuit does not overheat, high-capacity PSUs divide their output into multiple ‘rails,’ each with a smaller current limit.

    6. Get a modular PSU. It will help to eliminate extra wires that may get in the way of cooling.

    7. Compare the amperage of each voltage. A PSU’s wattage rating isn’t conducive to determining the amperage at any specific voltage. All PSUs will have a sticker with their rated amperage at each voltage level. This information should be provided when purchasing a PSU from a power supply manufacturers and visible on the unit’s retail box.

Warnings

    -Never test a power supply with a paperclip – this is dangerous.

    -Never open a power supply. A power supply contains capacitors that hold a charge even when the device is off – a discharge can seriously injure.

    -Check the warranty.

    -High-volume, low quality power supply manufacturers often purchase designs from other companies for use in their own products. These ‘carbon-copies’ are often low quality. Keep this in mind a purchase from a reputable power supply manufacturer.