Single VS multi 12v rails

[red1776]

This question has been bandied about here on TS for years. here is a supposedly definitive answer. keep in mid it was authored by Antec, but it is the concept I have been operating under. would like to hear some feedback by othet electrically inclined here.

http://www.tomshardware.com/us/press/OCP-Power-Safety-26

 

[hellokitty[hk]]

Are you really sure you want to install an unsafe power supply like this?

Yeah sure I guess.
No technical reason why though .

 

[dividebyzero]

Sorry, red...I got one sentence in before I had to post...

Single-rail power supplies do not come with the over current protection (OCP) safety function on their +12V rail

Silverstone Olimpia -one of the oldest single-12v rail PSU series around
Silverstone Decathlon -likewise
The venerable Corsair HX1000...
I skipped the rest of the article. If it's all up to that standard it might be worth a laugh.

 

[red1776]

Sorry, red...I got one sentence in before I had to post...

Not at all Chef, that's why I posted it. I read the whole article (illustrations and all) like a dog seeing a ceiling fan for the first time. i thought, gee, there are a whole ****load of quality PSU makers with "about to explode' PSU's out there. I was genuinely surprised no-one at Tom's took exception, or even responded to it.

 

[LinkedKube]

It was an entertaining article at least. I just looked up the specs of my psu earlier today after responding to a thread about a psu. 1080 watts max supplies just on my 12v rails. This a marketing ploy for antec or something?

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

Some single rail PSUs do have OCP but they don't necessarily kick in when short-circuit happens because of a very high trip-point (say, a 70A TP on a 52A rail), and the same applies to multi-rail PSUs with a TP as high as 30A per rail.

Bottom-line: OCP is a good thing to have, but for most people it's a moot point. Also, where it should be set is something most engineers really don't have an answer to with variables like the resistance of the short, melting point of the insulation used on the wiring, the length and gauge of the wiring used etc.

This article is marketing spin, and shouldn't be taken at face value.

 

[captaincranky]

Momma.....I'm a skeerd....really, reeally skeerd

From Antec..."A single-rail power supply unfortunately does not provide this safety feature, due to its high current rails with up to 100A (100A x 12V = 1200 watts!). In the event of a short circuit or other failure of hardware, current flows unhindered into the system and damages everything in its path. If the user is unlucky and acts as grounding at that exact moment it could be even life-threatening. Are you really sure you want to install an unsafe power supply like this?........."

This really shocked me, (if you'll pardon the really bad, and opportunistic pun).

Once I read this I firmly vowed never to hook up a power supply to my genitals again, especially if my feet were soaking in a bucket of water. I'll just stick with the old "safe" method of a 12 volt car battery and a pair of jumper cables.

 

[Leeky]

This really shocked me, (if you'll pardon the really bad, and opportunistic pun).

Once I read this I firmly vowed never to hook up a power supply to my genitals again, especially if my feet were soaking in a bucket of water. I'll just stick with the old "safe" method of a 12 volt car battery and a pair of jumper cables.

The old tried and tested method; handy as there is always a farmers jeep/tractor in the countryside.

I don't see what they're getting at, at all. as it makes no odds in most situations. Even with OCP on a multi rail setup, its unlikely your using 90+% of it anyway, so your going to do fatal damage before the PSU hits trip point.

Besides which, if your motherboard shorts, and the psu doesn't trip in time, its not the PSUs fault anyway, and the motherboard would be covered under warranty as its a failure of the motherboard, not the PSU.

I view it more as marketing spin....

 

[hypaspid]

It was an entertaining article at least. I just looked up the specs of my psu earlier today after responding to a thread about a psu. 1080 watts max supplies just on my 12v rails. This a marketing ploy for antec or something