How to Choose PC Power Supplies

The power supply is one of the more important parts of a computer. Your personal computer’s power supply must be able to provide a reliable source of energy to every component. If the power supply fails to produce a steady energy source, you can be left with data corruption or physical damage to your PC. If you are building or upgrading your PC, take care in choosing a power supply.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Make sure the power supply will fit in the computer case. There is not a standard depth for power supplies which could result in an incapability issue. You don’t want to bring home a power supply that won’t fit!
2. Count your peripherals. Make sure the power supply has enough 12 volt connectors to power your hard drives, fans, heat sinks, compact disc (CD) and digital versatile disc (DVD) drives and burners.
3. Check for motherboard compatibility. The PC poser supply you choose must have connections that are compatible with your computer’s motherboard. Motherboards and power supplies can use either 20-pin or 24-pin connectors. Make sure your motherboard and power supply use the same size connector.
4. Double check that the power supply is compatible with the other technology you are using. Check for compatibility with peripheral component interconnect (PCI)-Express and scalable link interface (SLI) video cards. Also, check for compatibility with serial advanced technology attachment (SATA) hard drives.

Tips & Warnings

• Plan ahead and choose a power supply that will be able to stand up to future technology.
• Consider a silent power supply that does not use any fans if you want to eliminate noise.
• Consider buying a case with a built-in power supply.

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