In this article, we will help you choose a Power Supply for your computer in order to properly manage your funds and not overpay for "unnecessary watts".
When buying a computer, many people pay little attention to choosing a power supply. They believe that any one that is installed in the purchased case will do.
But in vain. The power supply is one of the most important components your work, home or gaming computer.
Due to a cheap (bad, low-quality) power supply unit costing a couple of tens of dollars, equipment worth several hundred or even thousands of dollars can "go to the forefathers".
So don't skimp on your computer's power supply. This is a well-known fact, confirmed by regular failures of expensive components.
So, where should you start when choosing a power supply?
First thing
you need to roughly calculate the power consumption of all components of the system.
That is, we find out what kind of PSU power we need.
This can be done using the so-called "power supply calculator" (power supply calculator).
You need to select the components of your computer in each section: type of processor (CPU), motherboard, random access memory, video cards, hard drive and optical drive, as well as specify the number installed components. Then click the "Calculate" button.
The resulting number will be the required power for your system (and with a small margin), respectively, and we need to choose a PSU with a power as close as possible to our calculated value.
Power Supply Power Calculator
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Our calculator, when calculating, takes into account a small margin of power. Why this is necessary, you can read the article.
second step will select the type of power supply.
Power supplies are distinguished by the type of connection of outgoing lines: modular and standard.
To modular you can connect cables as needed, depending on the need. A very practical property - allows you to get rid of unused bundles of wires inside the system unit. Used mainly by enthusiasts.
In standard PSU all bundles of wires are made non-removable. This is a cheaper and simpler model.
Power supplies are also distinguished by type Power Factor Correction - Power Factor Correction(PFC): active and passive.
Passive PFC implemented in the form of a conventional inductor, smoothing the voltage ripple. But the efficiency of such a PFC is very low.
With passive system power corrections are produced by the most simple blocks power supplies that are installed in inexpensive budget cases.
AND active PFC implemented in the form additional fee and is another pulse source supply, and increasing the voltage. In addition to the fact that active PFC provides close to ideal power factor, unlike the passive one, it also improves the operation of the power supply - it additionally stabilizes the input voltage, and the unit becomes noticeably less sensitive to low voltage, and also "swallows" short-term (shares seconds) voltage dips.
With active system later models of high-quality power supplies are produced well-known manufacturers: Seasonic, Chieftec, HighPower, FSP, ASUS, CoolerMaster, Zalman.
Note: There have been occasional conflicts between PSUs and active PFC and some UPS (uninterruptible power supplies).
In addition, you need to pay attention to the power supply cable connectors that will be used to connect your components.
There is a so-called ATX standard power supplies. This standard determines the availability of the necessary connectors for connecting all equipment.
We recommend PSU standard at least ATX 2.3 for all modern gaming systems(where additional power is used for video cards), and at least ATX 2.2 for office multimedia systems. There should be enough connectors to connect your devices: graphics card 6+6 pin or 6+8pin, motherboard 24+4+4, SATA devices
etc.
Third paragraph there will be an overview of the specifications indicated by the manufacturer on the Power Supply label.
Important! When buying, always pay attention to nominal PSU power, not peak(PEAK) (peak is always greater).
PSU Rated Power is the power that the unit can deliver long time, constantly.
Peak Power- this is the power that the power supply can only deliver for a short time.
The most demanded parameter today is the PSU power through the + 12V channels.
The more channels the better. It happens from one channel + 12V to several: + 12V1, + 12V2, ..., + 12V4, + 12V5, etc.
In modern systems, the main load falls on these channels: processor, video cards, coolers, hard drives, etc.
Therefore, when choosing between several PSUs, the power that suits you, the decisive factor is the total power on the lines + 12V.
The greater this total power, the better the PSU components are implemented.
In other words, for example, if you have chosen three PSUs, say, with a total power of 500W, then among them you need to choose the one that has more total current (respectively, power) along the lines + 12V1 .. + 12V2, etc.
Let's look at examples of where to look for the information we need on the sticker.
The first will be the power supply from ZALMAN.
There is one line + 12V, only 18A and only 216W.
But it has active PFC, which is an indisputable plus.
Such a block is quite enough for an average budget system.
The second will be BP FSP.
In it we already see two lines + 12V (15A and 16A). Despite the fact that the marking indicates a power of 500 watts, in the "nominal" it is 460 watts.
This is a high-quality, but inexpensive PSU of the public sector. It is quite capable of providing a lightweight gaming system.
Unfortunately, there is no information about PFC on the label, you can get it on the website FSP.
Well, the third will be BP also from ZALMAN.
It has 6 (!) +12V lines with a total power of 960 watts. The table shows the connection diagram of devices by branches.
Such a power supply is suitable for the most demanding and "charged" gaming overclocking system.
Another very important parameter for the power supply is the coefficient useful action(efficiency).
Power supplies are distinguished mainly by the threshold value Efficiency, which is equal to 80%. All power supplies that have an efficiency below 80% are classified as simple-budget, which are used mainly in office systems.
And those PSUs whose efficiency is above 80% are classified as performance-gaming ones. Such PSUs have an international certificate 80PLUS.
In turn, the standard 80PLUS has categories BRONZE, SILVER, GOLD, PLATINUM:
The last feature
, which you should pay attention to when choosing a power supply, there will be a cooler or a fan.
Everything is simple here: the larger the cooler, the less noise from its operation.
Current PSUs come with 120mm or larger fans. Moreover, in good, branded power supplies, the fan changes the number of revolutions depending on the load. This helps to reduce noise.
I would not recommend purchasing a PSU with a single 80mm fan.
Now let's summarize what we learned.
To buy the best PSU you need:
- buy a high-quality PSU from a trusted/verified manufacturer with "honest watts";
- select a PSU with active PFC (APFC);
- determine the power supply unit with the maximum total current along the +12V lines;
- ATX 2.3 standard (in extreme cases ATX 2.2) with the maximum set of connectors for our devices, and also where the main power is transferred to + 12V branches;
- necessarily with an efficiency of at least 80%, one that has a certificate of 80PLUS;
- the fan (cooler) must be at least 120 mm.
So I think we've given you enough information to right choice power supply.
A reliable power supply is essential for stable operation systems. If there is not enough power, then the computer will start to freeze, show blue screen, and the computer components and the power supply itself will heat up.
Many often do not have enough power that can be obtained through the slot, for this you have to use additional power. The video card has 6-pin and 8-pin connectors. Connectors with this pinout can be found on new power supplies, which means it will be possible to connect wires without using adapters. If there are no connectors on the power supply, then you will have to use an adapter that will allow you to connect a 4-pin Molex connector.
For especially "gluttonous" video cards, you must use two power connectors at once, which means that you need a powerful power supply that can provide right nutrition for the video card. high-end already consume up to 400 V, and they need a power supply of 12-18 A per 12 V channel, and this is only for one video card. When choosing a power supply for a gaming computer, you need to look for a power supply that gives at least 25-30 A on the 12 V line.
Do not forget that many power supplies do not meet the declared characteristics! This was described in the article.
HD4770/4830/4850/4870/4890. Power supply requirements.
Radeon HD 4770. Power consumption (2D) = 152 W, with load in (3D) = 199 W.
Radeon HD 4830. Power consumption (2D) = 140 W, with load in (3D) = 244 W.
Requires a power supply over 450 W with one 6-pin connector and over 550 W in a CrossFire bundle.
Radeon HD 4850. Power consumption (2D) = 166 W, with load in (3D) = 270 W.
Requires a power supply over 450 W with one 6-pin connector and over 550 W in a CrossFire bundle.
Radeon HD 4870/4890. Requires a power supply with more than 500 W with one 6-pin connector and more than 650 W in a CrossFire bundle.
HD5750/5770/5850/5870. Power supply requirements
Radeon HD 5750. Power consumption (2D) = 16 W, with load in (3D) = 86 W.
Radeon HD 5770. Power consumption (2D) = 18 W, with load in (3D) = 109 W.
Requires a power supply of more than 450 W with one 6-pin connector and more than 600 W in a CrossFire bundle.
Radeon HD 5850. Power consumption (2D) = 27 W, with load in (3D) = 151 W.
Radeon HD 5870. Power consumption (2D) = 27 W, with load in (3D) = 188 W.
Requires a power supply of more than 500 W with one 6-pin connector and more than 600 W in a CrossFire bundle.
9800 GT. Power Supply Requirements
nVidia GeForce 9800GT. Requires a power supply unit with more than 400 W (per channel + 12V - 24A) and 550 W (per channel + 12V - 26A) in SLI bundle
nVidia GeForce GTX260/275/280/285/295. Power Supply Requirements
nVidia GeForce GTX260/275. You need a power supply unit with a power of more than 500 W (+12V channel - 38A) and 600 W (+12V channel - 42A) in a SLI bundle.
nVidia GeForce GTX280/285. You need a power supply with a power of more than 600 W (+12V channel - 40A) and 700 W (+12V channel - 46A) in a SLI bundle.
nVidia GeForce GTX295. You need a power supply unit with a power of more than 700 W (+12V channel - 40A) and 750 W (+12V channel - 46A) in a SLI bundle.
nVidia GeForce GTX465/470/480. Power Supply Requirements
nvidia geforce gtx465.
nvidia geforce gtx470. A power supply with a power of more than 550 W is required.
nvidia geforce gtx480. A power supply with a power of more than 600 W is required.
The recently introduced video card, having received an enviable price-performance ratio, has every chance of becoming another hit from NVIDIA. A reasonable price tag and decent performance are the most important components in the struggle for the attention of users who prefer a rational approach when choosing gaming video card. Explore the possibilities of new items, however, video card manufacturers in this segment are willing to offer alternatives with original printed circuit boards, cooling systems and increased frequencies. Get acquainted with the possibilities of exclusive models - Gigabyte GV-N760OC-2GD and MSI N760TF 2GD5/OC .
Gigabyte GV-N760OC-2GD
On this moment The company's assortment includes one GeForce GTX 760 model. Gigabyte GV-N760OC-2GD was initially noticeably boosted by the manufacturer. The base clock frequency of the processor has been increased from 980 to 1085 MHz. In this case, the average value of dynamic acceleration is 1150 MHz, while the memory runs at the recommended 6008 MHz.
The video card uses a proprietary cooling system WindForce 3X. This is a fairly large cooler with three 75 mm axial fans. The top protective casing is made of black plastic with a glossy finish.
The cooler is based on two radiator cassettes with aluminum plates, which are interconnected by three copper heat pipes. The latter are quite large (diameter 8 mm), while all three have direct contact with graphics chip which accelerates heat dissipation.
The special design of the trapezoidal core of the radiator block (Triangle Cool), according to the manufacturer, makes it possible to use air flows more efficiently, as well as get rid of the turbulence that occurs when several fans operate.
To cool the memory chips, a special plate is provided, on which two small segments are soldered, increasing the heat dissipation area. Note that eight microcircuits are located on the front side of the board, therefore heat removal is provided for all RAM chips.
Used for video card printed circuit board from the top GeForce GTX 680 adapters. The PCB is actually a copy of the one recommended by NVIDIA for the flagship of the previous line. In this case, the board is made of textolite of blue color, and in the configuration of the power subsystem to ensure stable GPU work five power phases are involved, and not four, typical for basic version. Power elements are covered with a separate aluminum radiator.
Given the reduction in the number of processors in the GK104 for the GTX 760, the power of the VRM unit will be quite enough, including for frequency experiments.
A compact metal corner is fixed on the upper edge of the PCB, which acts as an additional stiffening rib. It is noteworthy that here this is a separate detail, and not component designs. To connect additional power, two connectors are provided: eight- and six-pin. The recommended power supply for a system with a GeForce GTX 760 is 500W.
The video card is two-slot, its length is 275 mm. Not that quite overall model, but owners of compact cases still better make sure that there is enough space for installing the device in the case. A sample was used for testing, so we do not have information about the configuration boxed version video cards.
The development of the Gigabyte GV-N760OC-2GD was clearly not expensive for the manufacturer. In fact, we see a copy of Gigabyte's proprietary GeForce GTX 680 adapter, which uses a slightly simplified version of the GK104 GPU. Otherwise, the design and equipment of the adapter are identical, which is even surprising, given the noticeable difference in the cost of devices.
 | GIGABYTE GeForce GTX760 GV-N760OC-2GD |
| GPU | GK104 |
| Memory size, MB | 2048 |
| Memory type | GDDR5 |
| Interface | PCI Express 3.0 |
| Cooling system | active |
| GPU operating frequencies, MHz | 1085-1150 |
| Memory frequencies, MHz | 6008 |
| Memory bus, bit | 256 |
| Output connectors | |
| Dimensions, mm | 275×136.6×43 |
| low profile | — |
| Extra food | 1x6pin,1x8pin |
| DirectX support | +(DirectX 11.1) |
| Miscellaneous | NVIDIA support PhysX, NVIDIA SLI, NVIDIA GPU Boost 2.0, NVIDIA 3D Vision, NVIDIA Adaptive V-Sync |
Knowing what to expect from the GeForce GTX 760 in terms of performance, the greatest interest caused by the operation of the cooling system and the overclocking potential of the video card. WinForce 3X copes very well with heat dissipation. In rest mode, the chip warmed up to 30 degrees, and the fan speed increased to only 870–900 rpm.
Under load, the temperature of the GPU on the open stand rose to 64 degrees, while the fan speed increased to almost 2200 rpm. In our opinion, the manufacturer was clearly playing it safe with the initial factory overclocking. Given the dimensions and efficiency of the cooler, the fan operation algorithm could be made less aggressive. After self-limiting the rotation speed at 1500 rpm, the chip warmed up only 2 degrees higher - up to 66 C, but it worked noticeably quieter. Even in the nominal mode, the cooler cannot be called noisy, in this respect it is clearly preferable to the reference CO, but fans of silence will still look for ways to make it quieter.
Gigabyte GV-N760OC-2GD initially received a noticeable factory overclock. In particular, the base clock frequency of the GPU is increased by almost 11% - up to 1085 MHz. This is actually the level that we managed to achieve on the reference adapter after increasing the supply voltage. AT normal mode The GPU clock speed often spikes up to 1215 MHz and drops very rarely during normal gaming workload.
Given the technological backlog, we expected to get a little more extra megahertz. By increasing the core supply voltage by the available 12 mV, we managed to raise the base clock frequency of the GPU to 1170 MHz. In this case, GPU Boost 2.0 automatically accelerated the chip up to 1293 MHz. CO efficiency is sufficient for such a regime, therefore, at the indicated level GPU worked most of the time (under load).
MSI N760TF 2GD5/OC
Immediately after the announcement of the GeForce GTX 760, the manufacturer's assortment also includes one adapter model. MSI N760 TF 2GD5/OC belongs to the Gaming series of devices, and as you can guess from the name of the video card, it has an improved frequency formula. AT this case the base frequency of the processor is increased from 980 to 1020 MHz, and the average acceleration value is at the level of 1085 MHz. The memory runs at the recommended 6008 MHz.
To cool the video card, a modified Twin Frozr IV cooler is used, which is based on a large radiator block with a large heat dissipation area. To speed up the removal and efficient distribution of heat, the design uses four nickel-plated heat pipes. Three of them have a diameter of 6 mm, another one is 8 mm (SuperPipe). Note that the aluminum plates have special miniature deflectors, which, on the one hand, slightly increase the scattering area, and on the other hand, enhance air flow aimed at the heat pipes.
The MSI N760 TF 2GD5/OC uses an original PCB with improved components that comply with the new Military Class 4 classification. A 5-phase circuit is used to stabilize the GPU supply voltage, and two more phases are used for memory. Everybody power elements, as well as memory chips located on the front side of the PCB, are additionally cooled. For this, an anodized aluminum plate is used, which, being fixed on the fixing bar, also acts as an additional stiffener. Like the reference card, half of the memory chips are located on reverse side PCB and are cooled only by natural convection inside the case.
The radiator cassette is blown by two 100mm Propeller Blade fans. The upper protective casing of the cooler is made of black matte plastic with a color flat characteristic of the devices of the series. For the external decoration, a metal nameplate with a dragon, the logo of the Gaming line, is also used.
As in the case with the adapter from Gigabyte, for original model GeForce GTX 760, the manufacturer offers to connect additional power using an eight- and six-pin connector, which in total with PCI-Express slot capable of delivering up to 300 watts. As for the power requirements of the power supply, they have not changed - 500 watts. A slight inconvenience is caused by the proximity of the connectors and one of the heat pipes, which somewhat complicates the connection of the connectors. If you do not plan to remove the video card from your system often, this nuance is unlikely to become a significant problem.
The total length of the video card is 265 mm, while the adapter will take up two expansion slots without claiming more.
The MSI N760 TF 2GD5/OC comes with a manual, a CD with drivers and software, an adapter from DVI to VGA, as well as adapters for connecting power lines - from 6 to 8 pins and from a pair of Molex to one six-pin.
| MSI GeForce GTX760 Gaming N760TF 2GD5/OC Notify when available |
| GPU | GK104 |
| Memory size, MB | 2048 |
| Memory type | GDDR5 |
| Interface | PCI Express 3.0 |
| Cooling system | active |
| GPU operating frequencies, MHz | 1020-1085 (1085-1150, OC Mode) |
| Memory frequencies, MHz | 6008 |
| Memory bus, bit | 256 |
| Output connectors | 2xDVI Dual-link (1xDVI-I and 1xDVI-D), 1xHDMI, 1xDisplay Port |
| Dimensions, mm | 260x126x38 |
| low profile | — |
| Extra food | 1x6pin, 1x8pin |
| DirectX support | +(DirectX 11.1) |
| Miscellaneous | MILITARY CLASS 4 components; support for NVIDIA PhysX, NVIDIA SLI, NVIDIA GPU Boost 2.0, NVIDIA 3D Vision, NVIDIA Adaptive V-Sync; MSI Afterburner; |
A traditional test of the efficiency of the cooling system showed that the version of Twin Frozr IV used in an open bench at a speed of a pair of fans at 990 rpm can cool the GPU up to 28 degrees.
Checking the cooler's capabilities under gaming load showed that it is able to keep the chip temperature at 62 degrees. This fact is remarkable in itself, but what is more impressive is the way in which this result is achieved. The fact is that the peak fan speed was only 1200 rpm. At the same time, subjectively, the tonality of their work has not changed. The video card is very quiet. The noise level under load is probably lower than that of the reference GeForce GTX 760 operating in idle mode. In a closed case, the absolute values of GPU heating will probably be higher, however, the available safety margin of the cooler, as well as the speed control algorithm used, allow us to expect that in this situations modified version Twin Frozr IV will show good results.
As we have already noted, the base clock frequency of the chip in the MSI N760 TF 2GD5/OC is increased to 1020 MHz, while during a typical gaming load, the GPU accelerates up to 1150 MHz. Using manual method searching for the limiting megahertz, by adding the required 12 mV, in the test instance we managed to increase the base value to 1144 MHz. In this case, the GPU Boost 2.0 auto-overclocking mechanism raised the bar to 1280 MHz.
To simplify frequency experiments, MSI proposes to use special utility for video cards of the gaming series - Gaming App. The compact application is very easy to use. A small interface window contains three buttons that allow you to select various modes graphics adapter operation.
After choosing “OC Mode”, the base frequency of the GPU increases to 1085 MHz, the average auto-overclocking indicator to 1150 MHz, while in fact the GPU is switched to maximum acceleration mode and works stably at 1215 MHz without reducing the frequency.
In the "Gaming Mode" the base and middle frequencies of the chip retain their factory values - 1020 and 1085 MHz, respectively. In this case, the difference from normal mode is that the GPU always works with maximum acceleration(1150 MHz), under no circumstances reducing the frequency.
"Silent Mode" is nominally used for situations where there is a need to reduce the noise level of the video card's cooling system. The base frequency of the processor is reduced to 981 MHz, the average - to 1046 MHz, while GPU Boost 2.0 does not increase the frequency above 1110 MHz. At the same time, in this mode the standard power-saving technology is working, which reduces the clock speeds and voltage of the GPU in idle time. In the case of the MSI N760 TF 2GD5/OC, the Silent Mode is needed just for cases when the gaming session is over, and, accordingly, there is no need to heat the air.
Performance
performance tuned GeForce versions GTX 760 is quite predictable.
A model from Gigabyte with a higher base frequency GPU nominally has certain advantage above the reference adapter and device from MSI. At the same time, after additional overclocking, both video cards manage to outperform the GeForce GTX 670, and in some cases come close and even outperform the GeForce GTX 770. This means that video cards can achieve results similar to those obtained by the GeForce GTX 680. clock speeds The tested adapters from Gigabyte and MSI are very small, so in this mode the difference in the results barely exceeds the measurement error.
Price
In American online stores, both considered models are offered at the same price - $ 259. It is not worth expecting such optimistic figures in our retail, but after the sellers skim off the cream of the first sales, it is quite possible to count on $280-290.
Results
GeForce GTX 760 has a very interesting combination of price and performance, becoming a pleasant summer surprise from NVIDIA in the class graphics adapters middle level. If we talk about the reviewed models, then both video cards leave a very good impression.
Gigabyte GV-N760OC-2GD in basic version has a noticeably increased GPU frequency, which brings a few extra frames / s compared to the reference. The power block and the GeForce GTX 680 printed circuit board that the adapter got, allow you to boost the video card well, and the efficient cooler copes with the increased load without any problems.
Video card belonging to the Gaming series MSI N760TF 2GD5/OC also offers improved components and an excellent margin of safety. In the overall standings, we give the minimum advantage to the device from MSI, which receives the award " Editor's Choice". Highly silent system cooling is a rarity for video cards of this level, so the considered model will be an excellent option for demanding fans to play in silence.
video card Gigabyte GV-N760OC-2GD 
