Powering your gaming PC can be a challenge, especially if you plan to build a high-end system and upgrade it frequently. The amount of power demanded by today’s games has increased exponentially over the years, and most modern gaming PCs demand several hundred watts of continuous power—and often more than that under stress.
This means that you need a powerful electrical source for your new rig, and luckily for gamers, most gaming PCs today come standard with a power supply (also known as PSU). If you’re building an affordable custom gaming PC or upgrading an older model, it’s still a good idea to get a quality power supply as well. Even if your new PC will never have any upgrades or add-ons, its electrical components should still be protected against dust and other contamination. Read on to learn more about how different types of power supplies impact your gaming performance.
What is a Power Supply?
Power supplies convert electricity from the wall outlet into a form of moving electrons that your gaming rig can use for processing. This can be broken down into two categories: - Input: The AC power that your wall socket supplies to your rig. - Output: The electricity used by your system’s components—CPU, graphics card, RAM, and other devices.
Your power supply connects to the wall socket in your home and can be separated into two sections: the electrical circuit inside the wall and the exterior casing that protects it. The exterior casing is where the majority of the dust that accumulates inside a PC comes from. And if you’ve ever seen the inside of a PC that looks like it’s been through a bomb blast, you know that dust can cause serious issues for your computer’s components. It can cause system slowdown, short circuit, and even damage parts like the CPU, GPU, and other components.
How to choose the right power supply for your PC
Choosing a power supply is critical to the performance of your rig. The power supply is where the electricity from the wall socket gets converted into the electricity your computer needs. The type of power supply you get can make a difference in both performance and reliability.
There are many options to choose from, including: - External vs Internal: Most Gaming PCs come with an internal power supply. However, if you want the flexibility of being able to switch out your power supply if it’s ever damaged or you want to upgrade to a better one in the future, an external power supply is a good choice. - Wattage: Generally, the higher the wattage, the more power it can deliver to your system.
For example, a power supply that contains 850-watts of power can deliver enough power for a mid-range gaming rig compared to a 500-watt power supply that can only support a low-end rig. - Voltage: The voltage of a power supply is the same thing as the frequency that’s in your wall socket. The higher the voltage, the faster your system will run. However, the trade-off for a higher voltage is that it requires a higher wattage power supply, which means upgrading your power supply is usually necessary if you want to upgrade your rig.
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Why You Need to Upgrade Your Power Supply
If you’re building an affordable custom gaming PC or upgrading an older model, it’s still a good idea to get a quality power supply as well. Even if your new PC will never have any upgrades or add-ons, its electrical components should still be protected against dust and other contamination.
Many inexpensive power supplies don’t come with enough protection to keep the components safe. This is especially the case with today’s high-end gaming components that demand more power. Additionally, cheap power supplies often run at high frequencies and use high amounts of electricity—both of which can cause system slowdown and shorten the lifespan of your components.
Different Types of Power Supplies For Gaming PCs
Now that you have a better idea of what to look for, let’s take a closer look at the three main kinds of power supplies that you can find on the market today. Each is best suited for a specific type of gaming rig and has different pros and cons that you should keep in mind when choosing your new power supply. - Modular: The most popular type of power supply on the market today is the modular power supply.
This is because it allows you to swap out the power supply in your rig if it ever stops working or comes with a free upgrade. Modular power supplies are particularly useful for those who plan on upgrading their system often, like gamers who want to upgrade their components or buy a new rig for their eSports team. They’re also a great option for those who want to build their own rig from scratch and don’t want to spend extra money on a case that has room for internal power supplies. - Semi-Modular: Normally, a semi-modular power supply has both modular and non-modular cables.
This means you’re able to upgrade your rig by swapping out the cables, but it also means there are a few extra cables that you’ll need to keep track of. - Fully-Modular: The fully-modular power supply is completely non-modular and has no cables whatsoever. This means they’re the most powerful and efficient option out there, but they also require the most space and consume the most electricity, so they’re not exactly a fit for most cases.
Conclusion
Choosing the right power supply for your rig is critical to the performance of your rig. The power supply is where the electricity from the wall socket gets converted into the electricity your computer needs. The type of power supply you get can make a difference in both performance and reliability.
If you’re building an affordable custom gaming PC or upgrading an older model, it’s still a good idea to get a quality power supply as well. There are many options to choose from, including: - External vs Internal: Most Gaming PCs come with an internal power supply. However, if you want the flexibility of being able to switch out your power supply if it’s ever damaged or you want to upgrade to a better one in the future, an external power supply is a good choice. - Wattage: Generally, the higher the wattage,
the more power it can deliver to your system. For example, a power supply that contains 850-watts of power can deliver enough power for a mid-range gaming rig compared to a 500-watt power supply that can only support a low-end rig. - Voltage: The voltage of a power supply is the same thing as the frequency that’s in your wall socket. The higher the voltage, the faster your system will run. However, the trade-off for a higher voltage is that it requires a higher wattage power supply, which means upgrading your power supply is usually necessary if you want to upgrade your rig.
