How to identify the quality of PC power has always been a heart of many DIYer. Next PConline evaluation room will launch a series of mainstream power Hengping, to help everyone face up to understand the advantages and disadvantages of each power supply.
In this cross-review, I will select 450-550W different brands of power supply on the market for testing and analysis. As for why this interval is selected, everyone will continue to look down and know.
The connected power supply on the power meter is powering the host of a Core i7-8700K + VEGA56 graphics card. Let's take a look at the approximate operating power of this configuration (CPU multiplier is set to 45, the default core voltage).
Standby power
Under stand-by, the power of the whole host is about 74W. Due to the high frequency of CPU lock multiplier, plus some other power, this value is normal.
Single roasted FPU power
After turning on AIFA64's FPU single-bake feature, the overall power increased by nearly 150W, which is much higher than the Core i7-8700K's TDP.
Plus the power of the graphics card baking machine
On the basis of the FPU roasting machine, the Furmark was switched on and the power of the whole computer soared to 568 W. The full load power of the VEGA56 graphics card is also quite frightening. There are more than 300 W.
It is well known that AMD graphics cards have high power consumption, and NVIDIA's GTX 1080Ti peak power consumption is also 300W. It can be said that most of the host's power consumption will not exceed 550W.
This is also the reason why my current Hengping power supply range is 450W-550W. Each power supply will refer to a lot of relevant data in its box, product introduction, which makes people confused. Today I will talk about it first. Talk about the meaning of many parameters of the power supply.
rated power
As the name suggests, the rated power is the maximum power of the power supply for a long time. In order to ensure the stability and health of the power supply, the mid-to-low end power supply is also multiplied by 80% on the rated power basis as the true rated power.
The high-end power supply does not need to leave a 20% margin, what is the rated power.
In addition, the power supply also has a maximum power, which means the power that can be achieved in a short time, but this time is very short. Some unscrupulous manufacturers will use the maximum power value in the model or name to mislead consumers, and we need to pay attention to this situation.
Nameplate
The nameplate of the power supply will indicate the various power supply parameters of the power supply, the output voltage of each channel and the range of the input voltage, and the rated power will also be marked.
Like the nameplate of the Xingu GP600G this power supply, we can see a lot of information. The first line of the power input range is 100-240V, 47-63Hz, while the AC voltage in China is generally 220V 60Hz, visible voltage The input range is quite wide. We can also see the power supplied by each output of the power supply, as well as the rated power value.
In addition, we can analyze a lot of things from the nameplate. There are single-channel, dual-circuit and multi-channel solutions for +12V output lines. The design for dual and multiple output is because each current cannot be too large.
However, in a low wattage power supply, a slightly better quality power supply can achieve single output. Of course, there are good quality power supplies designed specifically for dual output, but the +12V single output hardware limit is less.
Delta NX Series Power Supply Outputs
The dual-output power supply will power the CPU, graphics card, and motherboard respectively. Both sides have a certain rated power. Take the Delta NX450 as an example. The maximum power of +12V1 is 192W, and the maximum power of +12V2 is 216W.
In recent years, CPU power has been controlled without worrying, but we can only use low-power graphics cards, and many AMD graphics peak power breaks through 200W minute by minute. This +12V dual-output power supply cannot meet the needs of high-power graphics cards.
Single output is not the same, CPU, graphics card, motherboard are all from a single +12V, we can fully use all the power of +12V, as long as their total power does not exceed the rated power of +12V.
In addition, we can infer the power supply's voltage regulation structure from the nameplate. Since the DC-DC structure principle is roughly +3.3V and +5V power supply is stepped down from the +12V supply, the rated power of +3.3V and +5V is Into the rated power of +12V.
In other words, when we see that the rated power of +12V on the nameplate is close to the rated power of the power supply, it means that this power supply adopts a DC-DC voltage stabilizing structure. It can be seen that the +12V maximum power of the Xingu GP600G reaches 492W close to the power supply rating. Power 500W, that is to say this power adopts DC-DC structure.
Output power line
Antec VP450 power supply line introduction
In general, the length and type of power cords can meet most of the computer hosts, but since the requirement of the 'back line' has been achieved, the length of the power cord has been increased. Especially for some special applications. On the case of the chassis, no more than 60cm of the power cord can not reach the CPU power supply interface.
In addition, the interface type is also the need to understand the aspects before buying power. The power supply CPU and motherboard power supply line are basically 4 + 4pin and 20 + 4pin, some low specification power supply of the graphics card power supply line may be only a single 6 + 2 pin, A 6+2pin and a 6pin or two 6pin, may not be able to adapt to high-power graphics card. Of course, as long as you buy a reasonable price, more than 500W power supply, will certainly have a dual 6+2pin graphics card power supply.
The power sata interface and the number of large 4D interfaces also need to be understood. For 'multiple hard drives' patients, the number of sata interfaces is very important. Some friends' computers will be equipped with 8 or more hard drives, while the normal 500W power supply is the most There are also six sata interfaces.
As for the large 4D interface, it is prepared for peripherals such as fans and light bars. You can connect multiple fans together to supply power through a large 4D interface. One power supply provides 3, 4 large 4D interfaces to satisfy most people's needs. Needed.
'80PLUS' Certification
The '80PLUS' certification states that the power conversion efficiency. For example, a power supply with 80% conversion efficiency, when the load is 400W, the power input of the mains is 400W ÷ 80% = 500W, and the highest rated power supply is used in the province. Electricity.
After getting a gold-certified power supply for a few years, the remaining electricity costs are more than the difference between buying a bronze power supply, and it also saves energy and protects the environment.
Module power supply
At present, more and more manufacturers are introducing their own module power supply or half module power supply. Compared with the traditional non-module power supply, the power supply line of the module and the half module power supply is separated from the power supply main body. The degree of freedom is quite high.
This type of power supply can greatly reduce the number of power cables in the chassis. It is more convenient to take the back line and the effect is more beautiful. However, the power conversion efficiency is reduced because the module line is connected to the power supply through the interface.
end
The power parameters we can see on the surface are only the above ones. These parameters are related to the experience and stability.
When selecting the power supply, first confirm the total power of the computer configuration and the graphics card and CPU power related to the +12V output. Then select the appropriate power supply, and the power of the graphics card and CPU can't exceed the +12V output power of the power supply.
In particular, the power supply with a +12V dual output design has a larger output power limit on the graphics card. At present, most of the +3.3V and +5V output power of the power supply greatly exceeds the normal use level.
In addition, the length of the output power supply line, the type of power supply interface will affect the experience to a certain extent. In a lower power supply chassis, CPU power supply line to cross the top of the motherboard interface, it is a test of its length.
The emergence of module power can solve this problem. In general, the module line is longer than the original wire. Even though the length is still not enough, we can also order the module line online. In addition, we mentioned that the host has multiple hard disks. , We can also solve by accessing multiple sata power lines.
