WEBVTT

00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:07.680
Single versus multi-rail PC power supplies. In truth, it's actually pretty

00:00:05.680 --> 00:00:11.120
simple. Don't worry about it. It doesn't matter. If that explanation is good

00:00:09.760 --> 00:00:15.200
enough for you, click here to watch videos of my cats instead. If you'd like

00:00:13.519 --> 00:00:18.880
to know why it doesn't matter, then you can keep watching this video. At the

00:00:17.279 --> 00:00:22.960
most basic level, a power supply converts AC current from the wall to DC

00:00:21.439 --> 00:00:27.599
current that your CPU and other components can use. And then that

00:00:24.960 --> 00:00:32.640
octopus of wires carries 12volt, 5volt, and 3.3 volt current to your graphics

00:00:29.920 --> 00:00:36.960
card, motherboard, and etc. Cool, Linus, but how do rails enter into it? Good

00:00:34.719 --> 00:00:42.239
question. A rail is just a fancy name for a PCB trace inside your power supply

00:00:39.920 --> 00:00:46.480
that the octopus wires are soldered to. A single rail power supply has all of

00:00:44.399 --> 00:00:51.280
those external connectors essentially coming off of the same output. While a

00:00:48.879 --> 00:00:55.440
multi-rail power supply has some, let's say a couple of your PCI Express

00:00:53.280 --> 00:01:00.239
connectors running off of one and some others, let's say your EPS CPU connector

00:00:57.920 --> 00:01:04.799
or your SATA connectors running off of other ones. Okay, so why would having

00:01:02.960 --> 00:01:09.760
everything plugged into one spot be considered good? Great question again.

00:01:07.040 --> 00:01:14.560
Basically, multirail power supplies had the misfortune of showing up at a time

00:01:12.240 --> 00:01:18.560
when NVIDIA and ATI were both having like a, you know, junkwaving competition

00:01:16.880 --> 00:01:22.560
to see who could build the fastest graphics card without much regard for

00:01:20.560 --> 00:01:26.880
power consumption. And these early multi-rail units were sometimes designed

00:01:24.479 --> 00:01:31.439
with an underpowered rail for the graphics cards or not enough PCI Express

00:01:29.360 --> 00:01:35.680
connectors, which forced the user to use Molex adapters that were sharing with a

00:01:33.680 --> 00:01:39.119
bunch of other stuff. either of which meant that the power supply would

00:01:36.880 --> 00:01:42.960
overload a rail and simply shut off in the middle of an intense gaming session.

00:01:40.799 --> 00:01:47.680
Lionus, that sounds terrible. I want a single rail power supply. Whoa, don't

00:01:45.119 --> 00:01:52.320
get too amped up there, Whiz Kid. Good power supplies are all about going fast,

00:01:50.640 --> 00:01:57.119
lasting a long time, improving efficiency, and looking good while doing

00:01:54.640 --> 00:02:01.759
it right. Well, sure, but none of that stuff would matter one lick if they

00:01:58.880 --> 00:02:06.079
weren't first and foremost about safety. Any power supply that you should be

00:02:03.920 --> 00:02:10.560
using in a computer includes a variety of safety cutoffs that will detect

00:02:08.080 --> 00:02:15.760
dangerous operating conditions and force a shutdown to protect the PSU, the rest

00:02:13.120 --> 00:02:19.599
of your PC, and even your house. The main ones we're concerned with here are

00:02:17.440 --> 00:02:23.760
shortcircuit protection and overcurren protection. The issue is that if a power

00:02:21.760 --> 00:02:28.239
supply fails in some way that your shortcircuit protection doesn't catch,

00:02:26.319 --> 00:02:33.120
overcurren protection is what will trigger your power supply to turn off. A

00:02:31.360 --> 00:02:36.640
high-capacity power supply designed to deliver all of its power over a single

00:02:34.640 --> 00:02:41.280
rail could melt away the insulation on its wires and cause a fire. Yeah, that's

00:02:38.959 --> 00:02:46.239
tasteless, but deal with it before its overcurren protection was triggered. But

00:02:43.920 --> 00:02:51.040
don't go throwing away your single rail power supply just yet. The chances of

00:02:49.200 --> 00:02:55.440
all of that happening are really very small and funny story, but especially

00:02:53.280 --> 00:03:00.400
nowadays, many power supplies marketed as single rail are multi-rail internally

00:02:58.080 --> 00:03:04.879
anyway. So, it all comes back to what I said before. Don't shop based on how

00:03:02.640 --> 00:03:08.480
many rails a power supply has because it doesn't really matter these days. The

00:03:06.720 --> 00:03:13.040
way you should shop for a power supply is by reading a credible review site

00:03:10.560 --> 00:03:17.120
like johnnyguru.com and finding a unit that meets your needs and performs well

00:03:15.280 --> 00:03:21.200
with the features that you want. The number of rails doesn't make your PC run

00:03:19.120 --> 00:03:25.120
cooler. It doesn't make it faster. And even if it did do any of those things,

00:03:22.879 --> 00:03:29.280
many manufacturers are just making this all up as they go along. Anyway,

00:03:27.680 --> 00:03:32.879
speaking of making it up as I go along, I've been doing sponsor spots for

00:03:30.799 --> 00:03:35.920
audible.com for a long time now. They're the longest running sponsor of

00:03:34.400 --> 00:03:39.680
Techquiki, and for that, I'm extremely grateful. But aside from the bullet

00:03:37.920 --> 00:03:43.560
points that I have to hit for dimm sponsorship bucks, I want to address the

00:03:41.680 --> 00:03:48.319
most common complaint I hear about audiobooks. I'd rather just read it. I

00:03:46.000 --> 00:03:52.159
can do it faster that way. That's a very valid point, but Audible has some

00:03:50.159 --> 00:03:57.120
experiences that simply aren't the same in book form. Billy Crystal's own

00:03:54.560 --> 00:04:03.120
reading of his still fool in a memoir about his career and aging just isn't

00:03:59.840 --> 00:04:05.760
the same as lifeless text on pages. Now

00:04:03.120 --> 00:04:11.680
that I'm 65, I think in the year 2038 I'll be mostly

00:04:09.080 --> 00:04:17.120
dead or as Miracle Max and a Princess Bride would say, slightly

00:04:14.680 --> 00:04:21.199
alive. And it's content like that that makes Audible great. You don't have to

00:04:19.040 --> 00:04:25.199
choose reading or listening. There are certain things that work better on one

00:04:22.960 --> 00:04:28.720
versus the other, and you can enjoy both. But I guess I better do the bullet

00:04:27.199 --> 00:04:31.759
points anyway. Audible.com is the place to go for audiobooks. They've got over

00:04:30.479 --> 00:04:35.919
150,000 to choose from. With their monthly membership, you can have something to listen to on your commute

00:04:34.560 --> 00:04:41.360
every month or wherever else you listen to audiobooks. Not to mention the other member benefits like discounts on more

00:04:39.360 --> 00:04:44.199
audiobooks. If you try it out today, you can get your first one for free. So,

00:04:43.120 --> 00:04:47.520
head on over to audible.com/techwiggy to learn more.

00:04:46.320 --> 00:04:52.080
It's also linked in the video description. Guys, like this video if you liked it. Dislike it if you disliked

00:04:50.800 --> 00:04:56.720
it. Share it if you thought it was somehow useful or someone should benefit

00:04:54.320 --> 00:05:00.479
from it somehow. Please share the video. And as always, don't forget to subscribe

00:04:58.639 --> 00:05:02.639
to Techlookie for more videos just like this