Need help with PSU advice

[dirtyferret]

The G6/P6 did not (those were Seasonic OEM).

that was interesting and I wonder if it was cost cutting, my Seasonic Focus Plus predates those units and does have in-line caps (I think I got it in 2018)
*edit; you got me thinking so I looked it up, G6 was the focus plus platform with a better micro controller for fan profile & protection. More than likely the removal of in-line caps was a cost cutting move and further proves you don't need them as the G6 line had some top performance reviews.

The G7 was probably the first FSP supply I saw that had good reviews lol (the G5 did not...).

they are an interesting OEM, fully capable of quality builds but usually just a notch or two below the competition at similar price points.

 

[qxp]

So one possible advantage to having capacitors closer to connectors is reducing EMI. In the old days a card would just be on or off, and consume mostly the same current all the time. Nowadays we have power saving circuitry which can change current by amperes in a very short time. A regular cable is long enough to serve as an antenna, especially if the current is not perfectly balanced - some goes into PCIE connector and some into cable. I wonder, if one can get a GPU to work as long-wave transmitter with a special load. Maybe would need to separate cable wires to make it more of a loop.

 

[Bill_Bright]

So one possible advantage to having capacitors closer to connectors is reducing EMI.

Again true. But again, is this needed? No. There already are all sorts of EMI/RFI suppression devices and circuits throughout the computer (and nearby surrounding electronic devices too). These are already required by law in almost every jurisdiction across the globe and already effectively suppress EMI/RFI being generated by and emitting from our computers. And these devices already effectively suppress EMI/RFI from surrounding devices from interfering with our computers.

If your computer is interfering with your TV, or your TV is interfering with your computer, it is NOT because there is insufficient EMI/RFI suppression in your computer. It is because there is a fault somewhere that is causing or resulting in excessive amounts of EMI/RFI. And that fault is most likely due to a damaged or failed component or bad grounding or some combination thereof.

Even if your next door neighbor is an amateur radio operator, his equipment is required to suppress superfluous signals that might interfere with other nearby electronics. Your microwave oven is required to suppress EMI/RFI.

Even your computer case, most likely a metal box, is designed to suppress EMI/RFI.

This is like some marketing weenie telling you you need to add their fancy deadbolt lock to your front door because it will add another layer of protection over the 3 other deadbolt locks, the regular doorknob lock, your Ring doorbell, your security alarm system, your two Rottweilers and your Glock 17.

Does it technically add another layer of protection? Yes. Do you need it? No. Might it hinder your escape if your house catches fire? Yes.

 

[qxp]

Again true. But again, is this needed? No. There already are all sorts of EMI/RFI suppression devices and circuits throughout the computer (and nearby surrounding electronic devices too). These are already required by law in almost every jurisdiction across the globe and already effectively suppress EMI/RFI being generated by and emitting from our computers. And these devices already effectively suppress EMI/RFI from surrounding devices from interfering with our computers.

But then you don't need extra tin foil to prevent your password leaking away

If your computer is interfering with your TV, or your TV is interfering with your computer, it is NOT because there is insufficient EMI/RFI suppression in your computer. It is because there is a fault somewhere that is causing or resulting in excessive amounts of EMI/RFI. And that fault is most likely due to a damaged or failed component or bad grounding or some combination thereof.

Even if your next door neighbor is an amateur radio operator, his equipment is required to suppress superfluous signals that might interfere with other nearby electronics. Your microwave oven is required to suppress EMI/RFI.

Even your computer case, most likely a metal box, is designed to suppress EMI/RFI.

That's putting a lot of trust into the system - you would need to be sure the cards are tested properly to the level you want in a configuration you have. For all you know the card you just bought was tested against power supply using those fancy capacitor cables. Also a lot of cases I see at Microcenter have glass to let you see inside, which does nothing for EMI.

I would not worry about TVs - they are connected to the internet. The EMI/RFI to think about is the one that interferes with your Wifi or your garage door opener.

Here are some links:

https://www.redca.eu/EUANB%20Documents/EUANB%20TGN%201%20on%20testing%20of%20plugin%20cards%20for%20PCs.pdf

Clarification on PCIe add-in card test set-up

We have designed a PCIe add-in card and we plan to do the EMI/EMC test as per the CISPR 32 / EN55032 standard. As we know, the PCIe add-in card will be inserted into the motherboard inside the cabi...

electronics.stackexchange.com

Between "testing in a representative PC" and "self-certification" there is not a lot of room for trust.

This is like some marketing weenie telling you you need to add their fancy deadbolt lock to your front door because it will add another layer of protection over the 3 other deadbolt locks, the regular doorknob lock, your Ring doorbell, your security alarm system, your two Rottweilers and your Glock 17.

Does it technically add another layer of protection? Yes. Do you need it? No. Might it hinder your escape if your house catches fire? Yes.

Hmm.. A computer big enough to live in. Nice ! I would bypass Rottweilers and the Glock - might not be compatible with cables and other sensitive components. Hope the fridge is bigger than in a Cray.

 

[Bill_Bright]

That's putting a lot of trust into the system

What? Nonsense!

you would need to be sure the cards are tested properly to the level you want in a configuration you have.

What? No you don't. And besides the fact this thread is not about cards, there is no way for any normal user to ensure their electronics has been tested.

Do you know what EMI/RFI is? Ever heard of the IEC, formed in Paris in the early 1930s to address EMI issues? Do you not understand that we have known about such issues since the mid 1800s?

Do you not understand that the FCC in the US, Ofcom in the UK, EECC across all of EU, and essentially every other country in the world that uses electronic devices for any reason has stipulated and mandated control, mitigation, suppression, and elimination of EMI/RFI with any device used in their jurisdiction for decades?

Do you not understand what the FCC logo on essentially every electronics sold in the US means?

And btw, your links have absolutely nothing to do with the subject of this thread.

I would not worry about TVs - they are connected to the internet

Huh? You really don't understand things. Sure, some "smart" TVs may be connected to the Internet - but many TVs are not. I have 5 TVs in this house. Only one is connected to the Internet - when I want it to be. But whether connected to the internet or not has absolutely NOTHING to do with them emitting EMI/RFI. Nor does it have anything to do with them being subjected to EMI/RFI from outside sources.

Do you not understand that the inside of a computer case behaves much like a screen room?

The EMI/RFI to think about is the one that interferes with your Wifi or your garage door opener.

Again, you really don't understand things as those two issues are not even half the potential problems with EMI/RFI.

 

[qxp]

What? No you don't. And besides the fact this thread is not about cards, there is no way for any normal user to ensure their electronics has been tested.

Do you know what EMI/RFI is? Ever heard of the IEC, formed in Paris in the early 1930s to address EMI issues? Do you not understand that we have known about such issues since the mid 1800s?

Actually yes.

Do you not understand that the FCC in the US, Ofcom in the UK, EECC across all of EU, and essentially every other country in the world that uses electronic devices for any reason has stipulated and mandated control, mitigation, suppression, and elimination of EMI/RFI with any device used in their jurisdiction for decades?

You can stipulate all you want, what you actually get in the field needs to be measured. And also often what you care about is different from what the standard cared about.

Do you not understand what the FCC logo on essentially every electronics sold in the US means?

It links the device with the manufacturer FCC filings.

And btw, your links have absolutely nothing to do with the subject of this thread.

If you actually read those links you would have learned that certification process has been substantially relaxed, and for computer cards, in particular, does not provide any hard guarantees.

Huh? You really don't understand things. Sure, some "smart" TVs may be connected to the Internet - but many TVs are not. I have 5 TVs in this house. Only one is connected to the Internet - when I want it to be. But whether connected to the internet or not has absolutely NOTHING to do with them emitting EMI/RFI. Nor does it have anything to do with them being subjected to EMI/RFI from outside sources.

The old analog TVs would be receiving its programming via radio and you could have interference disrupting it. Internet connected TVs, or TVs used as a monitor for a DVD player are not susceptible to EMI in this fashion.

Do you not understand that the inside of a computer case behaves much like a screen room?

Well, allow me to explain - a carefully designed Faraday cage for scientific applications will give you a reduction of signal by a factor of around 100. Anything more you need to work hard for every order of magnitude. At microwave frequencies this becomes harder as even a slit can be an effective radiator. A good technique is to not just wrap you cage in metal but also have an absorber, so you don't have resonances feeding through. A fully metal computer case with metal fingers everywhere will give a reduction in EMI. A regular full metal case will only give reduction at some frequencies. A case with a glass door will likely work as an antenna and amplify transmission in some directions.

 

[Bill_Bright]

Dude, you are really making yourself look ignorant here.

This thread is about the capacitors some PSU makers are putting in their cables. Nothing else you spewed is applicable.

 

[docnorth]

I agree with @Bill_Bright, although not a huge fan of Corsair PSUs either.
1)RMx series are reliable and have good reviews (not only from Aris).
2)Pure power stands below straight power I think and the m version has 2 12v rails, pure power without m has 1. So you may pay more for a feature you don’t need or want.
3)Personally I wouldn’t buy a PSU from Adata, of course I might be wrong, but it took them years to improve their SSDs and SD cards.