The power supply of our PC is much more important than many think and here we will detail why it is importable to choose a quality one.
Choosing a bad power supply can cause you all kinds of problems: on the one hand, it won't supply clean energy to your components; which will result in bluescreens, reboots, and premature degradation of components connected to it. On the other hand, if the PSU does not have its protections well configured, or (if it does not even have such protections), as soon as an unwanted situation arises, (which may be due to user error, failure of a component within the PC or problems associated with your home's electrical supply), at least you'll have a burned-out PSU; but it is not uncommon for this to ruin other parts of your computer as well. There have even been cases where the PSU catches fire and causes a fire.
After reading this, you'll have realized that skimping too much on this component can lead to financial losses—or even loss of life! The truth is, most of the time we don't reach such catastrophic situations, but we shouldn't dismiss it with the idea that " it's no big deal, I've had a generic power supply for years and my computer still works ."
[amazon box=»B01N7ALVC9″ title=»BitFenix bp-wg650umag-9fm» star_rating=»none» template=»table»]Popular thinking about power supplies
As I've already explained, many people rely on their own experience to suggest that choosing a power supply doesn't require much time. In fact, some of you might even base your decision on reviews from retailers like Amazon, Newegg, PCComponentes, etc. Below, I'll explain why the "rule of experience" doesn't apply to buying PSUs.
Let us remember that the sources, unlike other components, are not pieces that can be compared so intuitively; things like texture, ergonomics, or even quantitative values like FPS, resolution, refresh rate, image quality are completely unrelated to the world of switched power supplies (the technical name for PSUs). I reiterate, the power supply has two main functions: to deliver the correct and stable power to the equipment; and protect the source, the equipment and yourself if something goes wrong.
You can use a generic power supply and, seeing that the PC turns on and works as if nothing is wrong, think that everything is fine, even though it isn't . But electrically, you don't perceive what's really happening, and that's how your power supply sees it:
Your components could well be receiving inadequate or unstable voltages; something that you will not perceive at first until your computer begins to give problems or directly stops working. Regarding the protections; We can use the analogy of a car seat belt: you can drive a car without it, but in the event of an accident the seat belt saves your life. Similarly, a power supply can function without safety protections; These save the life of the PSU itself as soon as there are problems; to the PC and to yourself too.
[amazon box=»B0775QFP8F» title=»BitFenix BP-FM450ULAG-9R» star_rating=»none» template=»table»Are user reviews really the best way to choose a power supply?
After telling you this, it's clear that we shouldn't rely on other people's "experience" to decide on our purchase. A true benchmark for quality is professional water source analysis ; these analyses are conducted using laboratory equipment (which is very expensive and requires expertise to operate effectively) to identify problems that most people overlook at first glance.
Consider that on sites like Amazon, Newegg, and PCComponentes, the vast majority of users are unfamiliar with the function and purpose of a power supply because they are retailers, not a site for hardware enthusiasts like Hardwaresfera . Furthermore, many of these comments come from users who have only had their power supply for 3, 6, 12, or at most 24 months. That's far from enough time, considering that the minimum acceptable warranty for a PSU is 3 years (because in the worst-case scenario, manufacturers expect it to last 3 years so they can avoid honoring warranties).
Not to mention that each buyer's reference only represents one of the thousands of units sold, so if you want to know the failure rate and/or RMAs, you need more than a couple of reviews; so unless you see that everyone is giving it 3 stars or less, the famous user reviews shouldn't worry you.
Conclusion
Of course, you shouldn't just go and buy the cheapest PC power supply you can find. With a good power supply, you have peace of mind knowing nothing will go wrong; and if it does fail, at least you can claim the warranty (although the problem might be your electrical wiring). Not to mention that a decent power supply often has one or more of the added benefits I'm about to mention: good technical support, superior efficiency, less electromagnetic interference, a longer warranty, modular cables, lower noise, good aesthetics, and even greater functionality through software.
[amazon box=»B0775QFP8F» title=» » star_rating=»none» template=»table»]