Computer Power supply

Jyoti Raut February 15, 2012 0

Conclusion On Computer power supply - Switched Mode Power Supply (SMPS) is a unit that converts power from a battery source or electrical source to a load like personal computer or mainframes.In this section we will be looking at why Power Supply Units (PSU) of our computer fails,their reasons & the ways for overcoming these failures.

I have been using Intel desktop since 5 years.But, the machine locks up frequently during booting.When I run memory test program it is giving errors & not allowing me to enter a boot setup.But,after few seconds Windows starts booting.Is anything wrong with my Power Supply Unit?What should I do?

Computer Power supply

Computer Power supply Unit

  • Power supply of Computer is an electronic unit that supplies power by altering current & voltage characteristics form source form to destination form.
  • In technical terminology of computers, it is called Switched Mode Power Supply (SMPS) because it makes use of switching regulator.
  • Regulator is mainly used for switching,which occurs quickly between 50 KHz-1 MHz.
  • These regulators are highly efficient in functioning.They are of smaller size & are light weight.
  • However,switching regulators can cause electrical noise if not designed carefully.

Power supply for computer

  • Power supply of your desktop provides power needed by all the components of your computer to function properly.
  • Basically power supply operates on 3 voltage levels.They are -
    • 3.3 volts – Mainly used by digital circuits.
    • 5 volts – Used by VSB circuit for “standby voltage”.
    • 12 volts – Used for running fans & motors in disk drives .
  • The power supply is usually measured in Watts that is a unit of voltage.
  • Some power consumption values of different peripherals are -
    • Network interface card – 4W
    • Hard disk – 10W
    • 550 Hz Pentium III – 30W
    • RAM -10W
    • CD-ROM – 10-25W
    • Motherboard -20-30W

Best computer power supply

  • Power supply uses Switcher technology to convert AC voltage in DC voltage.Switchers or Switched regulators are replacement of linear regulators because they dissipate more power &hence waste energy.
  • Sometimes power supplies generates noise from fans used for cooling.To avoid this,you can use a large sized fans that run at slow speed without making noise.
  • Do not touch the power supply cables as they contain capacitors having electricity.This can cause electric shock.
  • Most common reason for power supply failure are lightning, dirty environment & overheating.

Power supply in computer

  • Modern computer power supply is a device with on & off switch that translates AC power from main supply into output DC voltages.
  • Power supplies can consists of magnetic amplifiers & converter circuit design.
  • Switched Power supply is more efficient then linear power supply because it uses small transformer that are of small size & are light weight.
  • In Switched power supply,there is very little loss between input & output load.It generates heat only in abnormal conditions.


Computer Power supply

Computer Power supply fan

  • Most predominant component of any Power supply unit (PSU) is power supply fan.It is the primitive source of cooling inside your cabinet.
  • In addition to power supply fan,some newer systems include auxiliary fans & special cooling devices.
  • These fans operate at +12 volts.
  • One significant factor to be considered for fans are the quality of construction of motors.Motors must be of good quality.
  • Another factor is how much air is fan throwing out.If this is more that means, fan is doing work nicely.

Replace computer Power supply

  • If your computer is overheating & overloaded,then its the time to replace a power supply.
  • Now,first check if your power supply is AT (Advanced Technology) or ATX (Advanced Technology Extended) style.
  • Check the output voltage in watts (for eg, ATX-350W). Be sure to buy a new power supply with same or higher wattage.The higher the wattage,the more energy your power supply will provide to your system.
  • Always use the proper power supply connectors.Some computer manufacturers like Dell provide their connectors with power supplies.











Incoming search terms:

  • power supply
  • computer power supply
  • power supply PC
  • power supply komputer
  • computer power supply unit
  • power supply computer
  • psu computer
  • kinds power supply and cases
  • why is a computer power supply fan partially blocked

Leave A Response »

*