Learn what a PSU rail is and what it provides to your computer.
Episode #13-15 released on December 27, 2022
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Computers and just about everything we have use DC power, and because of this we are able to use processors that run data in a single direction, something only possible with direct current. AC current, or alternating current, cannot be used for processors. The power supply first takes the AC power and converts that into DC power.
From that point, the power supply using several power rails creates the different kinds of voltages our devices need to run hardware properly. These rails are of the 3.3 Volt, 5 Volt and 12 Volt variety. Each of the rails are used to power differing kinds of hardware that have very different power requirements.
Some high-end power supplies may have multiple 12V rails to distribute the load more evenly, which is great for graphics cards, hard drives and other components with high power demands or needs. That being said, A power supply will have as many rails as it has different kinds of voltages. And, with the possibility of mainboards creating the 3.3-volt and 5-volt power themselves, we can see power supplies with as few as a single rail of power, 3 rails, or even more power rails, too.
Host : Steve Smith | Music : | Editor : Steve Smith | Producer : Zed Axis Dot Net