P1 - PSU

The purpose of a power supply is to provide the hardware with the required power. Sever factors need to be considered when purchasing a power supply:


Wattage - You need to get the right wattage power supply for your hardware, for example a low      end system may only need 300 / 400 watts of power to run, where as as super high end system with multiple graphics cards may need upwards of 1000 watts.

Efficiency - Power supplies come with various efficiency ratings, bronze, silver, gold and platinum. 


Cables - When you buy your PSU you need to think about the cables that come with the supply, and the cables that you will require to run your system.  You should also think about whether the PSU is modular or not. Modular means that all the cables can be removed from the unit and you only attach the ones that are needed. Non-modular means that all the cables are attached to the Supply. The advantage of Modular is that cables are much neater which results in better looks and better airflow.