Does the PSU you use matter?
Posted by hahamylifegobrr@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 13 comments
For a pc, can i use different psu’s on a motherboard or do motherboards only work with certain psu? In other words, are all psu cables the same?
SleepTokenDotJava@reddit
All PSUs will work with any motherboard. You don’t want to cheep out on the PSU because it’s a fire hazard, and you only reply need to be careful if you have a high end GPU and cpu to make sure you have enough wattage.
Most importantly, only use the cables that come with your PSU - don’t mix between models.
cillibowl7@reddit
There are different generations with different connectors.
angelvdpol@reddit
The wattage matter and the cables and the quality like bronze silver gold etc etc
No-Actuator-6245@reddit
Bronze, Silver, Gold is not a measure of quality. There are decent bronze units and terrible gold units.
angelvdpol@reddit
True but most say that the bronze once are the ones that usually break faster then the others
SleepTokenDotJava@reddit
Most are you regurgitating something they saw without knowing any better, brands have caught on that people blindly trust gold and higher efficiency ratings.
angelvdpol@reddit
Fair
nlflint@reddit
Besides technical reason mentioned by other users, a PSU matters to me for other reasons. I want one:
* With silent mode up to \~200watts.
* That minimizes coil whine with my GPU.
* That is modular, or semi-modular to reduce cable mess.
Niwrats@reddit
No, I'm sure there are prebuilt PCs where the cables don't follow common standards.
But other than that, the mobo end of the cables is the same. However, the PSU end of the cables can vary. This means that a cable from PSU 1 put to PSU 2 may connect wrong wires to wrong places and explode everything.
evilmousse@reddit
most important: wattage. you need enough. big gpus need the most, big cpus need a fair amount too.
metal-named ratings have to do with money savings over time. higher quality means your electric bill should be lower, and therefore is a cost/benefit balance, in a nutshell anyway.
every so often the connectors change. a 2005 psu with enough wattage and rating still won't do. we're not amidst any big changes right now, so this is unlikely to be an issue. there's some unessential but quality of life things, like whether the cables are always there, or you can detach the ones you're not using.
FalloutFan05@reddit
Yes, the PSU does matter cause for one you have to make sure it has enough wattage for your system two you have to make sure it won’t explode so I would avoid any no-name brand. Generally most motherboard support most PSU’s but there are a few such as most Dell prebuilts are proprietary but most motherboards are good to go. While most motherboards are compatible with most power supplies that cannot be said about power supply cables usually the same brand can be interchange, but they cannot be changed from different brands so I would generally avoid swapping cables at all, but if you must, I would search it up if they’re compatible or not.
LordAnubis85@reddit
Assuming you are talking about ATX form factor, yes all ATX PSUs are compatible with all ATX form factor motherboards. The cable that powers the motherboard is the same. HOWEVER, not all PSUs are built to the same standards and of all the components you do NOT want to cheap out on, it's the power supply. Generally speaking, if you are using your computer for demanding gaming or video editing, etc, you wait to aim for a power supply wattage that is about double the draw of all the components. So if all your components together draw 500w, you want a 1000w PSU.
carlbandit@reddit
Any after market PSU will work with any after market motherboard, as long as it provides sufficient power. The only time you might have an issue is if you have a pre-build that uses propriety components.
If you do replace a PSU, you MUST only use the cables provided with the new PSU. Cables aren't always wired the same, so if you use the cables from 1 PSU with another, it can send power to the wrong places and fry your components.