Supply Sata Pcie

Power Supply Tips

When they run well, you won't even think about them, but when things go wrong, it can become very annoying.

The power supply doesn't just run the power to the different parts of the computer. It needs to run different voltages to different parts, and besides that, it has to deliver them within a very tight range set out in the ATX standard.

Power supplies went through a phase of being extremely unreliable. This is because the actual parts are very cheap and standard and the profit margin in the power supply business is higher than almost any other computer part. The flooding of the market with poor quality power supplies led to lots of failures and complaints.

More recently, the problems in that sector have decreased, the general quality and build of power supplies has increased to a level where nearly any power supply will deliver what it claims it will and within specs. Most, but not all.

As with computer monitors, power supplies are one part that does not need to be upgraded very often. The only additions have come from SATA specific power plugs and the additional P4 plug in recent years and even those are not always necessary.

So what do you actually need from a power supply?

The most basic requirement is that its power output can match the power needed by the components inside your computer. Each part has its own requirement and its own maximums and minimums on what it needs. The claimed maximum power for each voltage are added together to give the power rating for the power supply.

The main power user in the computer is the CPU. Some Pentium 4 processors are known to gobble lots of power. Hard drives use some power too, but no more than 10W each, optical drives even less. The motherboard itself uses some too. The other major user of power are graphics cards.

As graphics cards have become more powerful, and with the advent of Graphical Processing Units (GPUs), which are like CPUs which are dedicated to graphics work, and situated on the graphics card, they can now use more power than a CPU. If you are running a very fast PCIe graphics card or a pair of them, you will need more power.

At the most basic a 300W power supply will be more than enough for most day to day use desktop computers, even if they have a small AGP graphics card. Only get more than 300W if you know you need it, or expect you will need it in the future after upgrades. 500W will more than suffice for even the most demanding system with 2 graphics cards, but it needs to be a reputable brand.

Enermax, Antec, Fortron and Seasonic are good names in the power supply business, you will not go wrong with their products. Even though there is a small price premium, the security in knowing that nothing will go wrong is worth it. Another power supply I like is the X-connect from Ultra. Each of the cables that come from the power supply are removable, so only the ones you are using need to be in the box. Very convenient and neat, as long as I don't lose the cables.

Pre-assembled computers are known for having the cheapest power supplies in them. As no-one really checks the power supply when buying they just put the minimum inside. These are usually fine, but will often buckle under the load of extra upgrades you may make. Bear in mind that you might have to upgrade the power supply when installing those new, really cool graphics cards.

So, keep these things in mind...

• Stick to major brands
• 300W only unless particularly needed
• Functionality before looks

 

Peter Stewart is a computer enthusiast, his interest in computers and focus on practical down to earth advice inspired his two websites. http://www.computer-buying-guide.com - Practical buying tips http://www.computer-reviews.net - Fair and honest reviews and opinions

 

About the Author

A Power / A-Power 600W 20+4-pin Dual-Fan ATX Power Supply w/SATA & PCIe / APVA600 $32.33 A Power - A-Power 600W 20+4-pin Dual-Fan ATX Power Supply w/SATA & PCIe - APVA600

A Power / A-Power Ultra II 550W 20+4-pin ATX Power Supply w/SATA & PCIe / PSAP550U $29.89 A Power - A-Power Ultra II 550W 20+4-pin ATX Power Supply w/SATA & PCIe - PSAP550U

A Power / A-Power AK 750W 20+4-pin ATX Power Supply w/SATA & PCIe (Black) / AK750 $50.02 A Power - A-Power AK 750W 20+4-pin ATX Power Supply w/SATA & PCIe (Black) - AK750

Logisys / Logisys 575W 20+4-pin Dual-Fan ATX Power Supply w/SATA & PCIe / PS575XBK $39.65 Logisys - Logisys 575W 20+4-pin Dual-Fan ATX Power Supply w/SATA & PCIe - PS575XBK

Logisys / Logisys 600W 20+4-pin ATX Power Supply w/SATA & PCIe (Black) / PS600XBK12 $51.24 Logisys - Logisys 600W 20+4-pin ATX Power Supply w/SATA & PCIe (Black) - PS600XBK12

A Power / A-Power AK 680W 20+4-pin ATX Power Supply w/SATA & PCIe (Black) / AK680 $38.43 A Power - A-Power AK 680W 20+4-pin ATX Power Supply w/SATA & PCIe (Black) - AK680

PoWork / PoWork 650W 20+4-pin ATX Power Supply w/SATA & PCIe (Black) / BLK-PW-650 $31.11 PoWork - PoWork 650W 20+4-pin ATX Power Supply w/SATA & PCIe (Black) - BLK-PW-650

Blue Star / Blue Star 680W 20+4-pin ATX Power Supply w/SATA & PCIe / ES-680-12 $33.55 Blue Star - Blue Star 680W 20+4-pin ATX Power Supply w/SATA & PCIe - ES-680-12

APOWER / A-Power AK 800W 20+4-pin ATX Power Supply w/SATA & PCIe (Black) / AK800 $56.73 APOWER - A-Power AK 800W 20+4-pin ATX Power Supply w/SATA & PCIe (Black) - AK800

A Power / A-Power AK 850W 20+4-pin ATX Power Supply w/SATA & PCIe (Black) / AK850 $61.28 A Power - A-Power AK 850W 20+4-pin ATX Power Supply w/SATA & PCIe (Black) - AK850

PoWork / PoWork 650W 20+4-pin Dual-Fan ATX Power Supply w/SATA & PCIe (Black) / BLK-PW-650W-DF $31.11 PoWork - PoWork 650W 20+4-pin Dual-Fan ATX Power Supply w/SATA & PCIe (Black) - BLK-PW-650W-DF

Logisys / Logisys AT750BK 750W 20+4-pin ATX Power Supply w/SATA PCIe SLI-Ready (Black) / AT750BK $96.98 Logisys - Logisys AT750BK 750W 20+4-pin ATX Power Supply w/SATA PCIe SLI-Ready (Black) - AT750BK

Generic / A-Power 450W 20+4-pin Dual-Fan ATX Power Supply w/SATA & PCIe / APVA450 $29.89 Generic - A-Power 450W 20+4-pin Dual-Fan ATX Power Supply w/SATA & PCIe - APVA450

Professional 450 Watt ATX12V 2.01 Computer Power Supply w/ PCIe & SATA - power supply - 450 Watt $59.99 StarTech.com Professional 450 Watt ATX12V 2.01 Computer Power Supply w/ PCIe & SATA - Power supply ( internal ) - ATX12V 2.01 - AC 115/230 V - 450 Watt

Professional 400 Watt ATX12V 2.01 Computer Power Supply w/ PCIe & SATA - power supply - 400 Watt $53.99 StarTech.com Professional 400 Watt ATX12V 2.01 Computer Power Supply w/ PCIe & SATA - Power supply ( internal ) - ATX12V 2.01 - AC 115/230 V - 400 Watt - for StarTech.com Blac

Blue Star / Blue Star 680W 20+4-pin Blue LED Fan ATX Power Supply w/SATA & PCIe (Gold) / BL-680G-24PE $34.16 Blue Star - Blue Star 680W 20+4-pin Blue LED Fan ATX Power Supply w/SATA & PCIe (Gold) - BL-680G-24PE

Cool Power / Cool Power Performance CP-P600 600W 20+4-pin ATX Power Supply w/SATA PCIe & Dual 12V Rails (Black) / CP-P600 $37.21 Cool Power - Cool Power Performance CP-P600 600W 20+4-pin ATX Power Supply w/SATA PCIe & Dual 12V Rails (Black) - CP-P600

Blue Star / Blue Star 650W 20+4-pin Blue LED Fan ATX Power Supply w/SATA & PCIe (Black) / ES-650BLACK-12 $32.33 Blue Star - Blue Star 650W 20+4-pin Blue LED Fan ATX Power Supply w/SATA & PCIe (Black) - ES-650BLACK-12

Echo Star / Echo Star 680W 20+4-pin Blue LED Fan ATX Power Supply w/SATA & PCIe (Black) / ESTAR680XBK $33.55 Echo Star - Echo Star 680W 20+4-pin Blue LED Fan ATX Power Supply w/SATA & PCIe (Black) - ESTAR680XBK

A Power / A-Power AK 900W 20+4-pin ATX Power Supply w/SATA PCIe & 8-pin +12V Connector (Black) / AK900 $73.19 A Power - A-Power AK 900W 20+4-pin ATX Power Supply w/SATA PCIe & 8-pin +12V Connector (Black) - AK900

Echo Star / Echo Star 680W 20+4-pin Blue LED Fan ATX Power Supply w/SATA & PCIe (Gold) / ESTAR680XGD $33.55 Echo Star - Echo Star 680W 20+4-pin Blue LED Fan ATX Power Supply w/SATA & PCIe (Gold) - ESTAR680XGD

Cool Power / Cool Power Performance CP-P700 700W 20+4-pin ATX Power Supply w/SATA PCIe & Dual 12V Rails (Black) / CP-P700 $40.87 Cool Power - Cool Power Performance CP-P700 700W 20+4-pin ATX Power Supply w/SATA PCIe & Dual 12V Rails (Black) - CP-P700

StarTech.com 550W ATX Computer Power Supply/PCIe & SATA $60.99 1 x 100000 Hour 115 V AC to 230 V AC 12 A @110 V AC/6 A @220 V AC 2 x 230 V AC 3 Year 3.39" Height x 5.51" Width x 5.91" Depth 4.85 lb 550 W 550PRO 550W ATX Computer Power Supply/PCIe & SATA 6 x Intel Pentium II, III, 4 AMD K6 and Athlon processors (dual and single core) Single120mm Dual Ball Bearing Fan Dual 12V Power Rail Automatic temperature-controlled fan keeps the power supply quiet during low power demand TUV CB UL CSA FCC This 550 Watt ATX12V 2.01 power supply offers a professional-grade PC power solution, with support for modern Intel and AMD dual-core CPU designs as well as PCI Express and SATA device connections. Compliant with ATX12V 2.01 revision standards, the power supply offers dual 12V power rails and ensures broad compatibility with a 20/24 pin motherboard connection. Designed to provide dependable, long-lasting power to your hard working AMD or Intel CPU based system, the 550 Watt power supply features an 120mm dual ball bearing fan to help keep the PSU cool. To ensure stable power delivery to the most demanding devices, the power supply features Quad+1 protection against short-circuit, over-power, over-voltage and no-load situations. This high quality, professional-grade ATX12V 550W power supply is backed by StarTech.com's 3 year warranty and free lifetime technical support. ATX12V Power Supply ATX2PW ATX2PW550PRO No Load Over Power Over Voltage Professional Professional ATX2PW Short Circuit StarTech.com v2.01 www.startech.com

StarTech.com Professional Computer Power Supply with PCIe and SATA (Internal) $59.99 1 Year 1 x 24-pin ATX Motherboard 1 x 3-pin TX3 Fan Sensor 1 x 4-pin ATX12V 1 x 6-pin PCI-E 10 A @110 V AC/5.50 A @220 V AC 100000 Hour 115 V AC to 230 V AC 2 2 x 4-pin SP4 Floppy Drive 230 V AC 3.39" Height x 5.51" Width x 5.91" Depth 4 x Serial ATA 4.41 lb 450 W 450PRO 6 x 4-pin LP4 Peripheral Device Dual 12V Power Rail Automatic temperature-controlled fan keeps the power supply quiet during low power demand Intel Pentium II, III, 4 AMD K6 and Athlon processors (dual and single core) TUV UL CSA FCC This 450 Watt ATX12V 2.01 power supply offers a professional-grade PC power solution, with support for modern Intel and AMD dual-core CPU designs as well as PCI Express and SATA device connections. Compliant with ATX12V 2.01 revision standards, the power supply offers dual 12V power rails and ensures broad compatibility with a 20/24 pin motherboard connection. Designed to provide dependable, long-lasting power to your hard working AMD or Intel CPU based system, the 450 Watt power supply features an 80mm dual ball bearing fan to help keep the PSU cool. To ensure stable power delivery to the most demanding devices, the power supply features Quad+1 protection against short-circuit, over-power, over-voltage and no-load situations. This high quality, professional-grade ATX12V 450W power supply is backed by StarTech.com's 3 year warranty and free lifetime technical support. ATX12V ATX12V Power Supply ATX2PW ATX2PW450PRO No Load Over Power Over Voltage Professional Professional ATX2PW Professional Computer Power Supply with PCIe and SATA (Internal) Short Circuit StarTech.com www.startech.com

StarTech.com 400W ATX Computer Power Supply/PCIe & SATA $57.99 1 x 24-pin ATX Motherboard 1 x 3-pin TX3 Fan Sensor 1 x 4-pin ATX12V 1 x 6-pin PCI-E 10 A @110 V AC/5.50 A @220 V AC 100000 Hour 115 V AC to 230 V AC 2 2 x 4-pin SP4 Floppy Drive 230 V AC 3 Year 3.39" Height x 5.51" Width x 5.91" Depth 4 x 4-pin LP4 Peripheral Device 4 x Serial ATA 4.21 lb 400 W 400PRO 400W ATX Computer Power Supply/PCIe & SATA Dual 12V Power Rail Automatic temperature-controlled fan keeps the power supply quiet during low power demand Intel Pentium II, III, 4 AMD K6 and Athlon processors (dual and single core) TUV CB UL CSA FCC This 400 Watt ATX12V 2.01 power supply offers a professional-grade PC power solution, with support for modern AMD and Intel-based dual-core CPU designs as well as PCI Express and SATA device connections. Compliant with ATX12V 2.01 revision standards, the power supply offers dual 12V power rails and ensures broad compatibility with a 20/24 pin motherboard connection.Designed to provide dependable, long-lasting power to your hard working AMD or Intel CPU based system, the 400 Watt power supply features an 80mm dual ball bearing fan to help keep the PSU cool. To ensure stable power delivery to the most demanding devices, the power supply features Quad+1 protection against short-circuit, over-power, over-voltage and no-load situations. ATX12V ATX12V Power Supply ATX2PW ATX2PW400PRO No Load Over Power Over Voltage Professional Professional ATX2PW Short Circuit StarTech.com www.startech.com

StarTech.com 500W ATX Computer Power Supply/PCIe & SATA $52.99 1 x 24-pin ATX Motherboard 1 x 3-pin TX3 Fan Sensor 1 x 4-pin ATX12V 1 x 6-pin PCI-E 10 A @110 V AC/5.50 A @220 V AC 100000 Hour 115 V AC to 230 V AC 2 2 x 4-pin SP4 Floppy Drive 230 V AC 3 Year 3.39" Height x 5.51" Width x 5.91" Depth 4 x Serial ATA 4.41 lb 500 W 500PRO 500W ATX Computer Power Supply/PCIe & SATA 6 x 4-pin LP4 Peripheral Device Dual 12V Power Rail Automatic temperature-controlled fan keeps the power supply quiet during low power demand Intel Pentium II, III, 4 AMD K6 and Athlon processors (dual and single core) TUV UL CSA FCC This 500 Watt ATX12V 2.01 power supply offers a professional-grade PC power solution, with support for modern Intel and AMD dual-core CPU designs as well as PCI Express and SATA device connections. Compliant with ATX12V 2.01 revision standards, the power supply offers dual 12V power rails and ensures broad compatibility with a 20/24 pin motherboard connection. Designed to provide dependable, long-lasting power to your hard working AMD or Intel CPU based system, the 500 Watt power supply features an 80mm dual ball bearing fan to help keep the PSU cool. To ensure stable power delivery to the most demanding devices, the power supply features Quad+1 protection against short-circuit, over-power, over-voltage and no-load situations. ATX12V ATX12V Power Supply ATX2PW ATX2PW500PRO No Load Over Power Over Voltage Professional Professional ATX2PW Short Circuit StarTech.com www.startech.com

SATA II PCIe - storage controller - SATA-300 - PCIe $56.99 SIIG SATA II PCIe - Storage controller - 2 Channel - SATA-300 low profile - 300 MBps - PCIe

Atx2Pw400Pro - Startech.Com Professional 400 Watt Atx12V 2.01 Computer Power Supply W/ Pcie & Sata - 400W $65.78 this 400 Watt, Professional-grade Power Supply Is The Perfect Upgrade Or Replacement For Powering Your Pc. This Is The Perfect Solution For Delivering Stable Power To The Most Demanding Devices. High Performance Components And Connectors Are Designed For Extra Long Life And Provide Maximum System Performance. Premium Emi/rfi Power Filtration For Low Noise And Ripple, This Is The Perfect Solution For Delivering Stable Power To The Most Demanding Devices. [1113874] UPC: 065030817745 UNSPC: 39121004 9.4L x 8W x 3.9H 5 LB 0.17 Cubes

Atx2Pw450Pro - Startech.Com Professional 450 Watt Atx12V 2.01 Computer Power Supply W/ Pcie & Sata - 450W $58.96 this 450 Watt, Professional-grade Power Supply Is The Perfect Upgrade Or Replacement For Powering Your Pc. This Is The Perfect Solution For Delivering Stable Power To The Most Demanding Devices. High Performance Components And Connectors Are Designed For Extra Long Life And Provide Maximum System Performance. Premium Emi/rfi Power Filtration For Low Noise And Ripple, This Is The Perfect Solution For Delivering Stable Power To The Most Demanding Devices. [1113875] UPC: 065030817752 UNSPC: 39121004 8L x 9.3W x 3.9H 5 LB 0.19 Cubes

Max Group CM17M500B CoolMax 500W EPS Power Supply with PCIE and 5 Sata $53.3 Max Power: 500W. Fans: 120mm. PFC: No. NVIDIA SLI Certified: No. Input Voltages: 115v / 230v. Input Frequency: 50/60 Hz. Color: Black. Connections:. 1 20+4 Pin. 1 4+4 Pin. 5 Molex. 5 Sata. 1 PCIE.

9650SE-8LPML-SGL 8CH SATA II PCIE RAID CONTROLLER $503.99 9650SE-8LPML-SGL 8CH SATA II PCIE RAID CONTROLLER

Startech.com / 2PORT PCIE ESATA/SATA / PEXESATA2I $39.65 Startech.com - 2PORT PCIE ESATA/SATA - PEXESATA2I

Sc-Sa0L11-S1 - Siig Dp Sata 6Gb/S 2-Port Pcie - 2 X 7-Pin Serial Ata/600 Serial Ata Internal - Pci Express $45.41 SIIG's DP SATA 6Gb/s 2-Port PCIe is a high performance SATA host adapter designed to add two internal Serial ATA 6Gb/s channels to your PCIe-equipped computer for additional hard disk drive connections. It supports SATA hard disk drives up to 3TB, ATA/ATAPI-7 specification as well as port multiplier. This dual-profile host adapter can be installed in standard height or low profile chassis with the included bracket. It is the ideal solution to enable fast, large volume data transferring for your bandwidth-hungry applications. The DP SATA 6Gb/s 2-Port PCIe host adapter is fully compliant with PCI Express Base Specification Revision 2.0, Serial ATA specification revision 3.0 with FCC Class B (DoC) and CE regulatory approved and RoHS-compliant. It supports a wide variety of Windows operating systems and is backed by SIIG's limited 5-year warranty. [NC2851] Truck Delivery UPC: 662774014302 UNSPC: 43201407 1.5L x 8.66W x 6.18H 0.52 LB

SIIG INC / SATA 6GB/S 2 SATA 1 PATA PCIE / SC-SA0E12-S1 $61.88 SIIG INC - SATA 6GB/S 2 SATA 1 PATA PCIE - SC-SA0E12-S1

Cool Power / Cool Power Gamer Pro CP-GP975 975W 20+4-pin ATX Power Supply w/SATA PCIe & Dual 12V Rails (Titanium) / CP-GP975 $77.94 Cool Power - Cool Power Gamer Pro CP-GP975 975W 20+4-pin ATX Power Supply w/SATA PCIe & Dual 12V Rails (Titanium) - CP-GP975

Cool Power / Cool Power Gamer Series CP-G880 880W 20+4-pin Blue LED Fan ATX Power Supply w/SATA PCIe & Dual 12V Rails (Black) / CP-G880 $49.41 Cool Power - Cool Power Gamer Series CP-G880 880W 20+4-pin Blue LED Fan ATX Power Supply w/SATA PCIe & Dual 12V Rails (Black) - CP-G880

Coole Power / Cool Power Gamer CP-G1080 1080W 20+4-pin Blue LED Fan ATX Power Supply w/SATA PCIe & Dual 12V Rails (Black) / CP-G1080 $80.33 Coole Power - Cool Power Gamer CP-G1080 1080W 20+4-pin Blue LED Fan ATX Power Supply w/SATA PCIe & Dual 12V Rails (Black) - CP-G1080

Scsae412S3 - Siig 2 Port Esata Ii Pcie Pro - 2 X 7-Pin Serial Ata/300 External Sata $74.35 2-port External Sata II (esata) Pci Express x1 Card For External Drive Connections. [SCSAE412S3] UPC: 662774002415 UNSPC: 43201407 8.8L x 6.7W x 2.1H 0.45 LB 0.07 Cubes

SATA II PCIe i/e - storage controller - SATA-300 / eSATA-300 - PCIe $59.99 SIIG SATA II PCIe i/e - Storage controller - 2 Channel - SATA-300 / eSATA-300 low profile - 300 MBps - PCIe

SATA II PCIe RAID - storage controller (RAID) - SATA-300 - PCIe $66.99 SIIG SATA II PCIe RAID - Storage controller (RAID) - 2 Channel - SATA-300 low profile - 300 MBps - RAID 0 1 - PCIe

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