Jump to content

single vs multiple rail psu


Recommended Posts

What exactly is the question?

What is the difference between these two? What is the benefits of either?

 

It really depends on your system and what you plan to do with it.

If your wanting help on your particular system then it would be awesome if you could post your full system specs and explain exactly what is it you are asking.

If it is not related to your system - then you can always use google :)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

As long as it is a quality PSU it doesn't matter if it is single rail of multi-rail.

I wouldn't say single rail units are generally the highest quality either.. it really doesn't matter.

Now, I can see manufacturers opting to set up a single rail because some perceive that as somehow better (largely because of certain companies harping on about it in their marketing); doesn't mean it is.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

As long as it is a quality PSU it doesn't matter if it is single rail of multi-rail.

I wouldn't say single rail units are generally the highest quality either.. it really doesn't matter.

Now, I can see manufacturers opting to set up a single rail because some perceive that as somehow better (largely because of certain companies harping on about it in their marketing); doesn't mean it is.

I know but typically whenever I sort higher wattage units for just single rails, it gives me nothing but the good stuff

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I do think that single rail PSUs tend to be be better, but not because having a single rail makes them better. Rather, I think the companies that make higher quality PSUs regardless tend to use single rails, if that makes any sense.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Like everyone its stating a big single 12v rail its always a good sign. Though is nice cause typically in the psu's I have got thete are more pci-e connectors available but as alexandre said it all matters in the application of the psu.

Lets say for instance you wanted to sli a trio of gtx460's. One large 12v rail will do this just fine so long as thr proper power is available. I.E. the max output of the 12v rail is greater then the.max consumption of the three 460's. the only other requirment is plenty of 6 pin pci connectors are there, you would need 6. Now lets make that complicated. Lets say I have 2 gtx480's and I want to use a psu with 4 seperate 30 amp rails. Now nvidia wants at least 40 amps per card (this is just an example). You would have to make sure that the card had 40 amps to each. So you would have to use 2 seperate 12v rail connectors (as they are marked) just to power one the cards. Not only is that a waste but it makes wiring a bit of a pain. But its going to render the extra power of the rails useless as you will run out of connectors.

 

for your own ease of assembly and to create less headaches I would recommend a single 12v rail psu. Depending what kind of computer you have our are building will determine the wattage, connector count, and 12v rail amperage that its going to need.

 

Good luck amd let us know what system this its going in and wer will be able to lead you to your psu better.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Most power supplies are single rail units anyway with a few exceptions. I think the move to single rail units could be partly driven in an attempt to reduce RMA's? It is possible to hit the current limits on multi 12V rail power supplies if care isn't taken at the installation stage and I'm sure the manufacturers must have a lot of "faulty" units returned because people think it's the power supply at fault.

 

I worry sometimes about how big power supplies are actually getting, especially with a single rail. An advantage of the multi-rail units is the current limit on the 12V rail at anything up to 40A which becomes 120A on high power single rail units. That's enough current to start some cars and a worrying amount should something go wrong!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

That's enough current to start some cars and a worrying amount should something go wrong!

The exploded MOSFETs on my last motherboard agree. :lol: There was essentially a dead short on the 12v rail and my power supply just went "huh? A short? LET ME BURN THAT FOR YOU!" :lol:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The exploded MOSFETs on my last motherboard agree. :lol: There was essentially a dead short on the 12v rail and my power supply just went "huh? A short? LET ME BURN THAT FOR YOU!" :lol:

Fortunately most high quality PSUs come with Short Circuit Protection which should, in theory, stop such things from happening.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Fortunately most high quality PSUs come with Short Circuit Protection which should, in theory, stop such things from happening.

It doesn't kick in till over 100 amps on my PSU - and 100 amps is MORE than enough to disintegrate the traces on my motherboard.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...