With the advent of high-speed CPUs and high-resolution
GPUs, computers are in dire need of a massive 1000W power supply, especially in
the case of a gaming PC assembly. On the other hand, we find that power
supplies get expensive the higher their power, so some have resorted to
considering adding a "secondary" power supply with moderate power
(and therefore less price than the mega power) to the main power supply in the
computer instead of buying a Power supply with a huge capacity as a basic unit,
the question here is will this trick work?
Why would you use two power supply units together?
Initially, let us clarify an important point, which is
that there are already computers qualified to use two power supplies, such as
servers or servers that operate with a redundant power supply, so that if the
primary power supply fails for any reason, the power will not be cut off from
the server, and the secondary power supply will take over The mission is to
power the server components and keep them running smoothly. However, what we
are referring to in this article is the use of two power supplies at the same
time, i.e. working jointly to power the components of a normal computer.
There are a few reasons why you should use two power
supplies simultaneously. The computer may be equipped with high-performance
components and therefore using a single power supply may not meet its power
consumption needs. There is indeed an opportunity to confront this situation,
for example, if you are trying to create a cryptocurrency mining platform, with
a large amount of graphics cards, you will not be able to be satisfied with
using one power supply with a power capacity that may exceed 1200 watts, but
then you will need to allocate a power supply responsible for extending the
electricity For graphics cards, while another power supply is used to deal with
the rest of the computer.
Another reason has to do with the cost, instead of
replacing the existing power supply in your device, and buying one with a
higher power that is enough to power the whole computer, you can buy another
power supply with a lower power that can work with the existing one because the
price of the power supply is high Too high, buying another one with less power
is more money-saving.
Good trick, but...
Installing two power supplies for one computer can be
an attractive solution, so you might ask: Why aren't so many turning to it? The
answer is simply; Because computers are usually not designed to operate with
two power supplies, so due to the most important part of the computer, which is
the motherboard, we find that it is primarily designed to operate only one
power supply unit. It is true that this problem can be overcome by resorting to
one of the solutions that we will discuss later, but also do not forget that
"space" is also a problem, if you overcome the first problem, where
will the second power supply be placed? Most computer cases are designed to
accommodate only one Power Supply unit.
You may find someone who tells you that the solution
in this case lies in buying a huge bag, designed for data centers and
professional “gaming” devices, since its area already allows the presence of
two power supply units, but this solution is inconsistent with the budget
requirement that we discussed in the previous paragraph, so resorting to buying
a unit Another power supply was mainly to escape from buying a more capable and
expensive replacement unit, who could buy a huge computer case, the first was
to buy a high power power supply.
Even if we ignore the previous problems, you will
encounter another problem, which is that the power between the power supply
units is not isolated, which may constitute a major problem in the electrical
circuits in the computer when performing heavy tasks that consume the maximum
amount of power provided by the power supply. So, the solution is neither easy,
nor practical, nor safe, but it is a temporary ploy to be able to buy another
power supply unit with high power and high price
Install and run two power supplies on the same device
We mentioned above that the motherboard is designed to
power one power supply unit at a time because it tells the power supply to
start or stop via the ATX cable, which is a 24-pin connector that is connected
directly to the motherboard. Therefore, if you bring another power supply unit
and try to connect it to the graphics card, the power supply will not work,
even if it is connected to electricity, since this is not the way it was
designed to work, as the ATX cable must be connected first to organize the
power distribution process.
However, there is more than one way that you can run
the second power supply and use it at the same time on the computer. The first
method is to use the PSU Tester to help you turn on the power supply as if it
was connected to the motherboard, and keep it turned on, but keep in mind that
these devices are also not designed to run the power supply for long periods,
but rather turn off after a specified period of time, Which is not a permanent
solution.
The second method is to use a double ATX cable, which
is designed to allow the motherboard to control the power on and off of two
power supply units, by connecting each unit to the cable and plugging its other
end into the motherboard. This solution is cheap and simple, but reviews about
these cables indicate that they can melt or cause your computer to catch fire
with overload.
.webp "Install and run two power supplies on the same device")
The third method, it is by purchasing a Power Supply
Adapter Sync Starter, which draws power from one of the SATA or Molex
connectors and uses it as a signal to start the second power supply. That is,
this synchronization unit works by connecting to the SATA port on the main
power supply, and when it senses the presence of power, it conducts electricity
in the second power supply unit. This method is considered the safest among the
mentioned methods according to users' experiences.
In conclusion, there is no doubt that it is great to be able to use more than one power supply in one computer, but it is better not to resort to this trick unless you need it urgently, such as working in currency mining, or being a “professional gamer”, as well as it requires Great professionalism during delivery to avoid risks.