Dual 12 volt rail is unnecessary

[erwin1978]

So, it's official. Dual 12 volt rail power supplies that have become common these days are really unnecessary. You know what this means, right?... I can still use my $250 watt ps for my new rig. Hurray!

I do have one question for those suckers who have one. How do you differentiate which 12V rail is connected to a particular PC component? Are the plugs labeled 12v1 or 12v2?

[Yawgm0th]

Re: Dual 12 volt rail is unnecessary

They aren't entirely unnecessary seeing as it's a required spec for ATX 12v 2.0. Granted, a PSU with a good rating on its single 12v rating will run just about any system fine, so for the most part you won't NEED one.

I don't think you can differentiate which rail powers one, but I'm not saying anything for sure.

[Darthtanion]

Re: Dual 12 volt rail is unnecessary

No there are no markings to differentiate the rails because the first rail is used for the 20 or 24-pin connector as this gives the mainboard (and hence the processor) a cleaner flow of power. This is the theory of how it works, so I won't quote schematics.

Besides, there are some newer multi-rail power supplies coming out (one from Thermaltake that I recall offhand) that are now offering more than 50A of power flow.

[Yawgm0th]

Re: Dual 12 volt rail is unnecessary

Besides, there are some newer multi-rail power supplies coming out (one from Thermaltake that I recall offhand) that are now offering more than 50A of power flow.

That are claiming 50A. Many PSU manfucaturers (though none of the good ones AFAIK) are getting to be like LCD manufacturers in the specs they claim their units can handle.

[Adionik]

Re: Dual 12 volt rail is unnecessary

I have Dual 12V rails.

That is all.