1 OR 2 Rails?

[zantaff]

Looking at 2 PSUs the Rosewill HIVE has 1 - 12V rail, but supplies 650W

The OCZ ModXStream Pro has 2- 12V rails, but supplies 500W

Which would perform better?

 

[Darren]

OCZ is a better brand. What are you going to power with the PSU?

As for the rails, I've always been under the impression one stronger rail is better but I don't know much about the actual workings of Power Supplies so hopefully somebody else can weigh in.

 

[zantaff]

OCZ is a better brand. What are you going to power with the PSU?

As for the rails, I've always been under the impression one stronger rail is better but I don't know much about the actual workings of Power Supplies so hopefully somebody else can weigh in.

Here's what I'm planning.
I've already purchased my i5-3570K & ASUS P8Z77-V PRO
I am probably going to OC the i5 from 34000 to 44000. (Air cooled)
Use 4 sticks of RAM
SSD (boot)
2 ~ 7200rpm HDDs
2 ~ 120mm fans
2 ~ 80mm fans

Uncertain what GPU I'm going to get, but have been looking at <$200 cards:
Radeon HD 7850 2 GB
Radeon HD 7770
GeForce GTX 650 Ti

 

[wolfeking]

Not really. Of those 2, the OCZ is slightly better quality. However neither is a "good" supply.

Rails are not really that important. 1 strong rail is better for managing power, but multiple rails makes it easier to manage surge situations. Neither is better in a since. Just look at the output of your supply, and not the number of rails when buying.

 

[zantaff]

Thanks!

 

[Okedokey]

Neither of those two power supplies are sufficient for your build.

In terms of rails, almost all PC PSUs are acutally a single rail, why? they have one transformer output coil. The various 'rail's' are achieved by voltage dividers (electronics). Single rail PSUs are better by far as you don't 'lose' power via these dividers and 240AC safety ATX standards. This can prevent some amperage being trapped on a given rail.