Quote:
Originally Posted by Plaid13
How does less rails mean better efficiency? I have just been looking at the amps per rail and the efficiency they rate. I prefer more then 1-2 12v rails because of the way my case is laid out its fairly large and everything is kind of spread out. And i like it that way because it means i can keep it running real cool. Never seen the temp of the processor or MB go over 34C even with a absurd amount of dust in it from being kept on the floor and not cleaned out nearly often enough. I am real picky about being able to keep the cables out of the airflow and dont want to have to have them stretched across the middle if possible just to get power to everything.
I do know that the thermaltake 430 watt is high quality it just dosnt have what i need/want in a power supply.
|
"Rails" refers to the number of transformers inside the PSU, not the number of power leads that come out of the PSU case, or the length of said leads.
A bunch of puny transformers means poor design. Sometimes these are combined in a solder block inside to create high available current across all plugs, and sometime they are divided physically, with one going to the ATX plug, one going to the PCI-E plugs, two going to the molex/sata plugs, etc. This is a bad design as well, as they can be overloaded more easily.
So the less transformers you have (rails) the better. 2 large ones are better than 4 smaller ones, and 1 huge transformer is always best. In my experience this is also related to the weight of the supply. Cheaper designs always have several rails, and thus they use the puny transformers. 3 puny transformers does not equal the weight of a large one, so that makes the unit lighter. Likewise, cooling is usually skimped on as well in cheaper models, so the heatsinks are flimsy and lighter. In a more expensive model, you have the massive block of steel transformer and heavier heatsinks to cool the FETs that are moving serious current (current = amperage) through the unit. Combine those facts and the unit will feel like a solid metal brick. For me, if that is not what the unit feels like, it will not work for my rig. It's a generalization, but one that has stood up to all current designs.