[hess89]

Putting my Pc together on Build Your box and ive got to the psu section and there is two 600 watt psus but one is more expensive sayng its modular what does that even mean?

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Hihess89.


Info, > http://en.wikipedia....wer_supply_unit

[iammykyl]

Hihess89.


Info, > http://en.wikipedia....wer_supply_unit

[Digerati]

I don't like modulars myself. They have only two advantages from my viewpoint and that is the extra cables are not in the way of good air flow, and they make the interior of the case look tidy.

Well, a tidy interior is nice, but who cares? Proper front-to-back air flow is critical, but that's where doing your homework on your case is important because a good case will have good cable management options to route and hide the extra cables out of the way - often behind the motherboard - and out of sight too.

From a technician's viewpoint, the disadvantages are plenty. As noted, any connection adds resistance. Connectors can come loose, get damaged, or (even from the best makers) have manufacturing defects.

But also, open exposed connections (where the cables are not use) expose the PSU's, and the cable connector contacts to dirt, dust, skin oils and other contaminants that have the potential to degrade the continuity through the connection.

There is no industry standard for the connectors used on the PSU side of these modular cables. That means if you have multiple computers and several modular PSUs, you have to keep track of which cables go with which PSU.

Finally, where are you going to store the unused cables for the next 6 or 7 YEARS, or even longer? Toss them a drawer where the contacts can collect dust, or get damaged? What if you lose track of the extra cables and need to add more hardware?

So where's the best place for the unused cables? In a sealed zip-lock bag, stuffed in the bottom of the case - which hardly looks tidy.

Oh, and modulars cost more but provide ABSOLUTELY NOTHING in terms of performance or better power for your computer.