How To Determine Whether You Need A New Power Supply (Guide For 2023)

The power supply unit (PSU) is the brain of a computer since it provides the electrical power that all components require. A computer without a power supply unit can be compared to a corpse with no life.
While PSU failures are devastating, they can completely wreck your system. Your PC may experience hundreds of issues as a result of a bad PSU. You must assure its safety so that it endures for a long time in order to avoid any unanticipated accident.
If your PC starts acting strangely, you might need to swap out the power supply. But if you’re not sure whether you need a new power supply or not, consult this guide.
How to Determine whether a New Power Supply Is Necessary
PSU is one of many parts of a computer that are essential for offering the best performance. You cannot operate your system without the PSU.
Your PC may exhibit strange behavior as a result of a bad power supply, including random crashes, blue screen crashes, component failure, noise coming from the PC casing, and more. There is a possibility that your power supply unit will fail soon if you are experiencing these problems.
A few indications or signals might assist you determine the performance capacity and efficiency of your power supply unit. You can also decide whether to replace your PSU using these useful indications.
Continue reading and carefully observe the symptoms to determine whether you require a new power supply and the state of your PSU.
Here are some indicators that you might want a new power supply:
1. PSU Age
The most important factor in determining a Power Supply Unit’s (PSU) efficiency is its age. You can easily determine whether or not you need to replace your present power supply based on how old it is.
A solid power supply typically lasts five years. Depending on how the PSU is used, it can last up to seven years, perhaps even longer.
It’s interesting to note that several well-known PSU manufacturer brands provide a 10-year warranty or longer on their premium PSUs. These power supply devices are more resilient than others.
But if your PSU is more than five years old, it’s time to get a new one. Because all electrical components have a finite lifespan to maintain their effectiveness, even if a PSU works continuously for five years or longer, its efficiency declines everyday.
2. Program Crush Problem
Suddenly you may face programs that crash while you are using them, but your system is capable enough to handle the softwares easily. In this case, faulty PSU power usage may be to blame.
Random program crashes, not just software problems. Software can’t acquire enough power to run the program and procedure smoothly due to the inefficient system power supply.
Any program that encounters software problems will display error codes on the screen. But, the PSU is to blame if you don’t get any error messages when the computer crashes. To fix the problem, you must replace the power supply unit.
3. Blue Screen Errors
The Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) is one of the annoying and aggravating problems on a Windows PC. The issue develops owing to a fatal system breakdown that stops users from running the system effectively.
You must first identify the problem’s origin if you are encountering blue screen crashes. Check to see if the crashes are caused by hardware failure or operating system activity.
The failure of your operating system or any hardware could be the cause of the BSOD. However, if the blue screen freezes and no error message appears, the problem is with your power source.
4. System Power Shut Off
When a system’s power is interrupted during startup, your current power supply needs to be replaced.
The system failed to start up properly because your power supply unit is ineffective in supplying the system with the necessary power. There is no way to operate the system without providing enough power.
Not just the PSU experiences the system power cut-off. That could happen because the PSU power cord is damaged or loose. Make sure your power cord is connected properly.
But, if you don’t discover any problems with the power supply cord, it’s possible that your PSU has failed and you need to replace it.
5. Sounds from Computer Case
Your computer case may occasionally make strange hissing or crackling noises. Noise can be made in your case by PC case fans, power wires, and other accessories.
If you hear hissing or crackling coming from your case, locate the source. You open the case and examine each component to find the cause of the noise. To prevent any accidents, be careful not to open the PSU.
Your power supply unit may make hissing or cracking noises if it is damaged. The noise is brought on by internal PSU component damage. For instance, you need to replace your power supply unit.
6. Running Problems with GPU-Intensive Applications
Another sign that your power supply unit is having problems is that games and applications related to the GPU are not operating properly. Your PSU may not be as powerful as necessary if your GPU constantly has trouble running games or programs.
When your PSU cannot reliably supply power, your system’s performance can suffer, and you may experience difficulties like shuttering, lagging, or flickering. To fix this problem, you must switch to a good power supply unit.
How to Determine the Appropriate PSU Power for Your System
Every electronic item, not only computers, requires the proper power delivery system to function properly.
Utilizing a PSU that is not up to par can cause your system to experience a number of problems since it cannot deliver precise power reliably and effectively. Your entire system could be damaged at any time by a weak PSU. As a result, you must utilize the power supply unit that is best for your system.
To determine the appropriate power for your system, use the power consumption calculator. On the internet, you can find a variety of power consumption calculators.
Choose each component based on your system in each area to estimate the proper PSU power for your system. You must choose your CPU model, motherboard type, total amount of RAM, GPU model, monitor type, total quantity and types of storage, etc.
To determine the precise PSU power, choose every component as carefully as possible, including the quantity of fans, DVD disks, total USB ports, etc. Then, click the calculate option to determine the PSU watts that are best for your system.
Thoughts to End
One of the most crucial parts of every computer is the power supply. Depending on your system, power supply difficulties might be expensive and inconvenient.
Check the warning signs or symptoms listed in this page if your system exhibits odd behavior to make sure the problem is with your PSU. If necessary, replace your power supply unit to remedy the problems.
That’s all, folks. I hope you found this content interesting. You can distribute it to your friends who experience the same issue.