The power supply is the main source of energy for the entire system. The power of the power supply for the computer is directly proportional to what components are installed on it. If the power is not large enough, the system simply will not start.
Power Supply Selection Criteria
First you need to review the installed equipment: motherboard, video card, processor, cooler for the processor, a hard disk (if it is one) and a disk drive. Next, measure the power consumption of each of them. How to calculate the power of the power supply if the video card and processor support overclocking? It's simple - you need to measure the power consumption of these components in a state of acceleration.
Of course, there is a more simplified option - this is an online calculator. To use it, you will need the Internet and knowledge of your own equipment. Component data is entered in the required fields, and the calculator calculates the power supply for the PC.
If the user intends to install additional equipment, for example, another cooler or hard drive, then the calculations will have to be done based on additional data.
The first step to how to calculate the power supply for the computer is to calculate the efficiency of the unit itself. Most often, a 500-watt unit can produce no more than 450 watts. In this case, you need to pay attention to the numbers on the block itself: the highest value indicates the total power. If you add the total load of the PC and the temperature, you get an approximate calculation of the power of the power supply for the computer.
Component Power Consumption
How to calculate the power supply for a computer with an overclocking processor? So, most modern processors consume no more than 100 watts, but there are exceptions - they also need to be considered when buying or measuring.
The second point is a cooler, a cooling processor. If the dissipated power does not exceed 45 watts, then such a cooler is suitable only for office computers. Multimedia PCs consume up to 65 watts, and an average gaming computer will require cooling, with power dissipation from 65 to 80 watts. Those who assemble the most powerful gaming computer or professional PC should rely on a cooler with a capacity of more than 120 watts.
The third point is the most unstable - this is a video card. Many GPUs are able to work without additional power, but such cards are not gaming. Modern graphics cards require additional power of at least 300 watts. How much power each video card has is indicated in the description of the GPU itself. You also need to consider the possibility of overclocking the graphics card - this is also an important variable.
Internal write drives consume, on average, no more than 30 watts, the same hard drive has the same power consumption.
The last item on the list is the motherboard, which consumes no more than 50 watts.
Knowing all the parameters of their components, the user will be able to decide how to calculate the power supply for the computer.
Which system is suitable for a 500 watt power supply?
It’s worth starting with the motherboard - a medium-sized board may come up. It can have up to four slots for RAM, one slot for a video card (or several - it depends only on the manufacturer), a socket for a processor no older than socket 1155, support for an internal hard drive (size does not matter - only speed), and a connector 4-pin for cooler.
The processor can be either dual-core or four, the main thing is the lack of overclocking (it is indicated by the letter "K" at the end of the processor model number).
The cooler for such a system should have four connectors, because only four contacts will provide control of the fan speed. The fewer revolutions - the less energy is consumed and less noise.
A video card, if it is NVIDIA, can be from GTS450 to GTS650, but not higher, since only these models can do without additional power and do not support overclocking.
Other components will not greatly affect the energy consumed. Now the user is more oriented in how to calculate the power supply for the PC.
Major manufacturers of 500-watt power supplies
Leaders in this area are EVGA, Zalman and Corsair. These manufacturers have established themselves as quality suppliers of not only power supplies, but also other components for the PC. AeroCool also boasts popularity in the market. There are other manufacturers of power supplies, but they are less well-known and may not have the necessary parameters.
Description of power supplies
Opens the list of power supply EVGA 500W. This company has long established itself as a quality manufacturer of PC components. So, this unit has a bronze certificate of 80 Plus - this is a special guarantee of quality, which means good stability of the unit against voltage surges. The size of the fan is 12 millimeters. All cables have a screen braid, and the plugs have labels where and to what. Warranty for use - 3 years.
The next representative is the AeroCool KCAS 500W. This manufacturer is exclusively engaged in cooling and powering the PC. This power supply can withstand input voltages of up to 240 volts. There is a certificate of bronze value 80 Plus. All cables have a screen braid.
The third manufacturer of a 500w computer power supply is the ZALMAN Dual Forward Power Supply ZM-500-XL. This company has also established itself as a manufacturer of quality PC products. The diameter of the fan is 12 centimeters, only the main cables have a screen braid - the rest are fastened with ties.
The following is a less well-known manufacturer of the power supply for a 500w computer - ExeGate ATX-500NPX. Of the 500 watts submitted, 130 goes to service equipment operating at a voltage of 3.3 Volts, and the remaining 370 watts are designed to operate with 12 V equipment. The fan, like the previous blocks, is 120 millimeters in diameter. Cables do not have a screen braid, but are fastened with ties.
Last but not the least is Enermax MAXPRO, which has a 80 Plus bronze certificate of quality. This power supply is designed for the motherboard, the size of which corresponds to the ATX marking. All cables have a screen braid.
Conclusion
This article described in detail how to calculate the power supply for a computer, what equipment is best suited for such purposes, a description of the blocks themselves from leading manufacturers and their photos.