How to check the power supply of computer

How to check the power supply of computer

When building or upgrading a computer, power supply selection is a key issue. Insufficient power may cause system instability or even damage hardware; excessive power may cause waste. This article will introduce in detail how to view and calculate the power of your computer power supply, and attach relevant data tables to help you make a wise choice.

1. The importance of power supply

The power supply is the "heart" of the computer, providing stable power to all hardware. If the power supply is insufficient, it may cause the following problems:

1. The system frequently crashes or restarts.

2. The graphics card or other high-power-consuming hardware does not work properly.

3. If the power supply is overloaded for a long time, its lifespan will be shortened or even burned out.

Therefore, choosing the right power supply is crucial.

2. How to check the power supply

1.View power label: Most power supplies will have a label indicating the rated power (such as 500W, 750W, etc.). This is the most direct method.

2.Use software detection: Some hardware monitoring software (such as AIDA64, HWMonitor) can estimate power power, but the accuracy is limited.

3.Calculate hardware power consumption: By accumulating the power consumption of each hardware, the required power supply can be estimated. The following is a reference for power consumption of common hardware:

3. How to calculate the required power supply

1.Cumulative hardware power consumption: According to the above table, add the power consumption of the CPU, graphics card, motherboard and other hardware to get the total power consumption.

2.reserve margin: The power supply power should be 20%-30% higher than the total power consumption to cope with instantaneous peak power consumption and future upgrade needs.

3.Reference power efficiency: 80 PLUS certified power supply is more efficient and the actual output power is closer to the nominal value.

For example, the power consumption calculation of a mid-range game console:

4. Common misunderstandings in power supply selection

1.Only look at peak power: The rated power (continuous output power) of the power supply is the key, and the peak power can only be maintained for a short period of time.

2.Blind pursuit of high power: Unless it is a high configuration or plans to upgrade in the future, there is no need to choose a power supply with too high power.

3.Ignore the power supply brand and quality: Even if a low-quality power supply has a high nominal power, it may not be able to output stably.

5. Popular power supply recommendations (hot topics in the past 10 days)

According to recent discussions on e-commerce platforms and forums, the following power supplies have attracted much attention:

6. Summary

Choosing the appropriate power supply requires comprehensive consideration of hardware power consumption, future upgrade needs, and power quality. You can more accurately determine the power required by looking at the power supply label, calculating the hardware power consumption, or using an online calculation tool. Recently popular cost-effective power supplies (such as Haiyun, Cooler Master, etc.) deserve attention. Hope this article helps you make an informed choice!