Single Rails VS Multiple Rails Power Supplies - With Jonny Guru | Corsair PSUs | Tek Syndicate

Level1Techs
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We check the science behind the single vs multiple rails argument. Does it really matter? Check out the video.





We spoke to Jonny from Corsair regarding this argument: Is it better to have a strong single 12 volt rail or should you have multiple 12 volt rails. Check out the video for the science behind the reasoning. Let us know what you think in the comments.


Products used for demonstration: Corsair CX series Power Supplies: http://amzn.to/1UGHqt7



This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://teksyndicate.com/videos/single-rails-vs-multiple-rails-power-supplies-jonny-guru-corsair-psus
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Awesome. I didnt know johnny guru from johnnyguru.com was a corsair employee.

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Sometimes watching Tek videos feels like I'm learning things on PBS,

Will I remember everything that was talked about? No

Was it interesting as fuck and informative? Yes

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Loved this video. Also, i would love to thank JohnnyGuru for his website. Because of the tests and the review of the EVGA G2 750W (done by OklahomaWolf), i chose it as my PSU. I love it. Funny enough, even though i bough/paid for the 750W, and the box says 750W, there was an 850W inside. I am not complaining :)

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=380

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Nice to see that you guys are finally addressing this. I hope that means we'll stop hearing the phrase "one nice and strong single rail" whenever this comes up. Fact of the matter is, a multi-rail PSU that is well designed and offers enough power on every single connector has zero disadvantages over a single-rail one.

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I wonder how the RMA process would work :)

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Actually, after receiving it, i immediately contacted EVGA. It was a pleasure. They were fast, nice, and funny. One guy goes "It looks like you got a great upgrade there. I'd praise GabeN for your good fortune!" LOL

He had me take pictures of it and he posted them to my account. It is now under full warranty because it has been documented. :)

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I personaly prefer single 12V rail units wenn it comes to lower wattage psu's.
upto 650W.
But of course it highly depends on the build quality of the unit.

Wenn it comes to higher wattage psu's 750W and up,
it doesnt matter that much to me if they are single or "multi" rail.

i personaly use a 750W dual rail psu, with 35A on each cirquit.

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In the last month or so, I have been visiting his site to read up on PSUs. Good stuff.

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is this not a digital psu? how can you 'flick a switch' and get multi rail? i remember doing a bit of research when i got my psu years ago, when the single/multi hype was in full swing, and having an electronics engineering background i was curious. we built a power supply first semester lab. and taking apart my fancy new 'multi-rail' antec i noticed it wasn't. it was single rail with breakouts. do actual multi rail psu's exist? say for gpu farms, im thinking weta..pixar..nVidia grid..?

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It's not a digital PSU. There are actually two supervisor ICs in place to monitor all of the +12V rails. But there is an MCU in place that does monitor and control how much current is going to each connector and this is what allows you to "turn off" the multiple +12V rail capability.

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All good and well for a ($230+) 1000w unit like Corsair was showcasing. But compare that to a yumcha design multi rail psu that a lot of budget conscience pc builders consider thats around the 600w mark and get it to power say a r9 290x.
There are a lot of other things to consider ~ OEM design. More than a <10min could ever cover.
This Guru3d FAQ on PSU's covers a lot of ground.
http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=287485
In all honesty whilst I respect JGuru, his over positive review of the Thortech Thunderbolt 1200w a few years back has me more than a little concerned.
his review http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=222
and then what oc3d came up with https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCuKM6Ux4B4

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Master Control Program: [keyboard clacks as Flynn gains access to the system] You shouldn't have come back, Flynn.
Kevin Flynn: Hey, hey, hey, it's the big Master Control Program everybody's been talking about.
Master Control Program: [calmly] Sit right there; make yourself comfortable. Remember the time we used to spend     playing chess together?
Master Control Program: [Flynn continues typing] That isn't going to do you any good, Flynn.
[Flynn launches a compute-intensive program]
Master Control Program: I'm afraid... Stop! Please! You realize I cannot allow this!
Kevin Flynn: How are you going to run the universe if you can't answer a few unsolvable problems, huh? Come on, big fella, let's see what you got.
Master Control Program: I'd like to go against you and see what your made of.
Kevin Flynn: You know, you look nothing like your pictures.
Master Control Program: I'm warning you. You're entering a big error, Flynn.
[manipulates dematerialization laser and targets Flynn]
Master Control Program: I'm going to have to put you on the game grid.
Kevin Flynn: Games? You want games? I'll give you games...

MCU flashback. so it's still technically analogue. neat. hey! its you! thanks

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Corsair sends the greatest reps to expos.

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Tom and I talked about the different outcomes of that Thortech review and the fact that he had excessive ripple from his unit. Bottom line is he had a defective unit. Given the topology, design, layout, what have you or that particular platform, there was no reason for it to have so much ripple noise unless it was defective.

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I just love these indepth video's!! Pleaeaeaese keep them coming :-D ;-)

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Helpful and informative; I quite enjoyed this one. @jonnyguru, I admire your hard work and am grateful to have found reviews before purchasing a PSU. I went with a Seasonic SS-1200 XP3 for an X99 audio workstation, for the same reasons @wendell described in the video (underutilized for silence). No problems thusfar. Thank you all.
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