ATX Power Supply Selection

You should definetly have a look at some computer power supply reviews and how powerful of a power supply you'll need to run your components, before you purchase a power supply for your computer.

When you are ready, I recommend that you purchase computer power supplies here. Computer power supplies are often over-looked when it comes to diagnosing computer problems, slow start ups, and sluggish programs. If you have the latest wiz-bang components, then you'll need a hefty power supply to give them all the juice they'll need!

When looking at computer power supply reviews, have these key features in mind:

• Maximum Output - This is the number of Watts that the power supply is advertised to reach. Keep in mind, the higher wattage you go the more power you'll have, but when you start going above 400-450 Watts then you are buying more power than you'll likely ever need.
• Efficiency Rating - When you're looking at reviews for a computer power supply, check its efficiency percentage. Most power supplies manufactured today have a 70% or above efficiency rating at full load.
• Cooling - The more watts that a computer power supply puts out, the more that its components will heat up. The power supply that you review should have at least one 80 mm fan. If you start getting into the more powerful computer power supplies ( 400 W + ), you should look for one that has atleast two 80 mm fans OR one 120 mm fan.
• Power Connectors - The final factor you should consider when looking at computer power supply reviews is the number and type of power connectors that it comes with. At a minimum, your power supply should have: 1 ATX-2.03 Connector, 1 ATX-12V Connector, 1 Floppy 4 Pin Connector, and 4 CD-Rom 4 Pin connectors. Keep in mind these are minimums and you can always buy adaptors to get more connections out of your current power supply