Topic: What PSU you use for your antminer S3? - page 3. (Read 9442 times)

Get a 1500 watt psu and hook like 4 to it... Save a lot of space and trouble..

If it needs 340W I would recommend a PSU capable of putting out 400W on a single rail or if you're running 2, you would need 800-850 depending on manufacturer.  If it's a Seasonic Platinum you could get away with a 750 and probably be OK for a year or 2.

Dogie's PSU guide is your friend:
https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/guide-dogies-comprehensive-power-supply-analysis-486121

That's kind of why most here would state it's better to use a single rail PSU.  Let me give you a couple examples:

The Cooler Master Elite V2 550W PSU is a multi-rail unit (2 12V rails) that has 2 6+2 PCI-e connectors.
The EVGA 500B 500W PSU is a single-rail unit (1 12V rail) that also has 2 6+2 PCI-e connectors.

Just from what I wrote, you would think the Cooler Master is the better PSU... higher wattage, multi-rails.  You'd be incorrect.  That Cooler Master can only draw a max of 384W and 23A from rail 1, OR 384W and 20A from rail 2.  That's right.  You've got 384W of useable power.

The EVGA 500B on the other hand gives you a full 480W and 40A off that single rail.  All of that is useable.

So... which would you choose now?  The one that will give you 480W of useable power at 40A... or the other one?

By the way, did I mention that the EVGA is also $15 cheaper on newegg.com (after rebate), and it's bronze-rated (higher efficiency)?

That's was great explanation, thank you for that!

I wasn't aware that I have to consider how much power actually goes to the pci-e as well.
Is there a way to check if it has that dynamic management or if not how much goes to the pci-e?
I mean what's the point of having 1000W PSU if only 200W go to the pci-e i'm gonna use right?

A rail in this context is really the distribution of power and over current protection in a PSU.  Literally, a single rail means there is effectively 1 copper trace that handles all of the power requirements to all connectors (PCI-e, ATX, Molex, etc).  Therefore, in a single rail system, the entirety of the power and amperage is drawn through that one rail.  Now, while this may not be beneficial when powering a CPU - you might want to have separate rails to ensure your PSU shuts down should one particular component be causing problems - it is really effective for mining applications.  You want all of the amperage/power down that 12V path to your PCI-e connectors.

Truth be told, most modern power supplies (i.e. those made after like 2009 or so) can effectively manage the power distribution across multiple rails; however, what's the point in this application?  You're only dealing with the 12V PCI-e connectors, so there's no need to have multiple rails controlling the 12V, 5V, 3V, etc.

You have a 630W PSU and you're asking if it's OK to pull 680W through it.  Let me ask you a question.  I'm going to give you a gallon jug and I want you to put 1.5 gallons of water into it.  What happens when the gallon jug gets filled and you still have half a gallon to go?  Here's another fun analogy for you.  A balloon will hold 10 in³ of air.  Put in 20.  What happens?

The short answer is don't do it.  While the PSU *might* be able to actually handle the load, you're just asking for trouble.  The components are rated for a given load.  When you go over that rating, you get lots of extra heat that the components were never designed to handle.  This leads to nasty things like fires.

sorry I don't know what single rail means here?

Any chance I could fit 2 on a quality 630W one that I have laying around?

Most would recommend using at least an 80+ rated, single rail PSU with at least 500W deliverable to that rail.  Obviously at least 2 PCI-e connectors are necessary.  As for the PSUs I use for mine?  I have an EVGA 1300 G2 that drives 3, and a Corsair HX1050 that drives 2.

It says it needs 340W at the wall, so what PSU we should use at least to be safe?

Also seems like a lot of manufacturers are setting their W rates really freely. I see chinese 500W PSUs for $15 and other more brand ones for like $70?!