Notes from the workshop / 9 September 2026
Why the power supply is named on every specification
The one part almost nobody asks about, and the one most likely to take the rest of the machine with it. What we write on the specification, and why.
Most specifications at this price point list a wattage and stop. "750 W" tells you how much the unit is rated to deliver. It tells you nothing about how it behaves when it fails, and every power supply fails eventually.
What we write instead
Brand, model, wattage, on the line item. The brands are public: Seasonic, be quiet!, Corsair, Cooler Master, Antec. The model goes on your specification next to the wattage, so you can look it up, and so we can be held to it.
Why it matters over ten years
- A cheap unit that dies quietly is a repair.
- A cheap unit that dies loudly can take the board, the drives and the card with it.
- The difference in price between the two is smaller than the cheapest of those parts.
If a builder will not tell you which power supply is in the machine, ask why. The answer is usually the reason.