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Intel is credited with developing the ATX (Advanced Technology Extended) in 1995. It was the first change of this type that had been developed in several years. Before this development, AT power supplies were connected to the power button using either soldering or blade connectors. If soldering was the connection, it made replacing the power supply difficult.
The new ATX power supplies were not connected directly to the power button. This made turning the power supply off much easier using the computer’s software. Most of these power supplies have a button on the back to manually turn it off, making sure the power is truly off.
Turning the power supply off on the computer is not enough. The power is still being sent to the computer even though it may be in sleep mode or standby. By switching this button off on the ATX power supply, the power is truly off and no current is flowing to the computer.
Older connections of the power supply to the motherboard consisted of two connectors that were quite similar. These connectors could accidentally be switched causing a short circuit. In turn this could cause damage to the motherboard that could not be fixed. In answer to this problem, ATX uses one large connector which makes it almost impossible to have a reversed connection. New connectors used 3.3 volt sources, making the need for the motherboard to pull power from other sources obsolete.
Power supplies are one of the most important parts of your computer. Basically, they do exactly what the name implies. They supply power to the computer and when this part does not work neither does your computer. Malfunctioning power supplies can also damage other parts of your computer.
Due to computers today being used more and more for business and personal information, failure of a power supply can be a true computer emergency. The down time for computers in big business can cost a company hundreds of thousands of dollars. That is why the importance of a reliable power supply is essential.
The ATX power supply has a fan, as do most power supplies, to keep the system from overheating. If the fan does not work, damage can occur to important parts of the computer. The wattage of the power supply is normally on the back of the part. However some manufacturer’s are guilty of putting higher wattage stickers on lower wattage supplies.
There is an easy way to tell if your power supply is a higher wattage or lower. The weight of a higher wattage power supply is much more than that of a lower one. The heat sinks in a higher wattage power supply are much larger which add to the weight.
Leaving your computer powered on all the time can make the fan wear out quicker so it is a good idea to check these every 6 months or so to make sure they are still functioning. If they go out and the motherboard or power supply overheats, it could also damage other parts of the computer.
Before purchasing a power supply, check on which type is supported by your computer. Keeping your computer up and running is of the utmost importance to most people. Whether they use it for home or business, an ATX power supply may be the best choice.
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