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Your power supply is pretty much the most important part of your computer system. It needs to supply power in a reliable, steady way to all the other system components, and it needs to do its job without too much heat or a lot of noise. If there's not enough power coming from the power supply, not all your devices will run properly. Too much, and you could face a burnt out system. Because of this, it's vital to choose the right power supply, whether you're building your own system or just replacing the supply on an existing computer.
First, make sure that your power supply is compatible with your motherboard. Currently, there are two basic standards. Older motherboards use a twenty pin ATX connector. For motherboards that are newer, and have more features, a twenty-four pin ATX connector is required. It's possible to use a twenty-four pin power supply on a twenty pin motherboard if you have an adapter. You can also do things the other way round, but be aware that your computer power supply isn't designed to supply the power to all the motherboard's components.
In addition to the main motherboard connector, there are some other cables and connectors that need compatibility with your power supply. All power supplies come with twelve volt connectors, which are used to power fans, hard drives, and other peripherals. However, with the growing popularity of SATA hard drive, and PCI-express cards for video, you'll need to make sure that your computer power supply offers these cables, too.
For new systems, which need a lot of power, don't buy a supply rated under around 400 watts. Since some companies over rate their power supplies' wattage, you may need to buy an even larger supply. If you have other features, such as case lighting, optical drives or multiple hard drives, and overclocking, you'll definitely need more power. One good rule to follow is buying the best power supply you can afford. Remember – if your power supply stops working, so does everything else in the system.
For smaller computers, you may need a power supply that matches. If you're planning to build a mini system, a micro-ATX format power supply might help make more space in your case. Other options that can make things a bit easier include modular and sleeved computer power supplies. In the case of modular power supplies, the basic box comes with a number of ports, but no permanently attached wires. This means you can plug in and unplug cables as you choose. Sleeved power supplies offer plastic sleeving to cover the bundles of wires. This makes everything inside the case a lot neater and tidier. Worried about fan noise? You can get silent devices that don't use fans. They can't provide as much power as a conventional power supply, but if noise is a big problem, they can help you solve it.
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