Powering Up Your PC in Style

PC power supplies control and maintain the workings inside a computer.  This is the most important aspect of a computer’s hardware because you will not be able to turn it on without it.  When this piece of equipment becomes damaged, it could possibly ruin your other components.  This is why you must take excellent care of your supply.  You must also become knowledgeable in the working of your PC to understand how vital the power supply is.There are basically two types of PC power supplies.  Socket A motherboards and Pentium motherboards require different equipment to run.  The pins on the motherboards are fairly different, so you must know exactly what your motherboard is.  Some power supplies have an extra pin for the processor.  Your motherboard and your power supply must coincide.  Some of these pieces have a pin for the processor.  If this is not hooked up, the processor will not have any power.  When this happens, the computer may or may not even turn on.  If it does turn on, you will not be able to get past anything except the bios screen.Maintaining the power supply is a large part of the functions of a computer.  If the power supply is failing, you computer may run sluggish, slow or turn off when you least expect it.  The box can be seen from outside the computer while all the wires are hooked up on the inside.  Cleaning of the fan and components is vital to keep this piece running.  If you see dirt, hair or dust accumulating on the fan or the power box, it needs to be cleaned immediately.Installation of a power supply can be tricky.  There are certain wires that need to be connected to different aspects of the computer components.  If this is your first time hooking up a power supply, you may want to refer to your motherboard manual.  Pieces of equipment are different and they can be setup in various methods.  Most power supplies are interchangeable.  However, you may want to double check your manual just to be safe.  The power supply has several wires protruding out of the box.  The longest and thickest connection is the motherboard connector.  This piece controls the power to your main board.  There may or may not be a pin connection near your processor.  The processor is either a square component or a box fan in the middle of your motherboard.  If there is, you will need a supply that has this connection.  It is called the J-pin.  That needs to be connected next.  There are around 4 or 5 connectors that are rectangle.  These need to be attached to the hard drives or CD Rom drives.  It is fairly simple to setup your power supply for any type of PC, as long as you have the correct information about your hardware.  Faulty connections or mismatched power supplies can cause fire or shortage of the main board or other mechanisms.