The SilverStone GM series consists of two models, the GM 600 Silver and the GM 800 Silver, with respective powers of 600 and 800 watts and both, as the name suggests, with Silver efficiency certification, in this case from Cybernetics and not the usual 80 Plus, and the interesting thing about these sources is that they consist of two subunits in the same case which are hot-swappablewhich means that if one unit fails, the computer can continue to work with the other without problems, and we could even replace the failed unit without having to turn off the computer.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of a redundant source?
As we mentioned at the beginning, the use of a redundant power supply is generally associated with servers, high-powered equipment that normally provides services that must be available 24×7 (for example, to host a web page, a database, a server file, etc.), which is why it is very important that even when a piece of hardware fails, we can replace it without having to shut down the system.
This is precisely the main advantage of using a redundant power supply, since by definition it has at least two subunits able to operate autonomously, resulting in its operation. This means that, in the event that one of the two units stops working for any reason, the system will not stop because it will continue to work with the second subunit, even allowing you to change the damaged unit without having to turn off the equipment. .
Beyond that, a redundant source actually has more disadvantages than advantages, starting with its the price; To put you on the map, the GM series PSUs that SilverStone has introduced now cost $599.99 for the 600 watt model, while the 800 watt unit will cost $699.99, prices that logically don’t make much sense on a personal computer.
On the other hand, and since these power supplies are integrated in small sub-assemblies, they are generally cooled by small fans which rotate at high speed, which is synonymous with a lot of noise. Continuing with these models that SilverStone presented as an example, they incorporate two 40 mm diameter fans that emit a whopping 51 dBA of maximum noise, a sound level more or less equivalent to that of two people having a loud conversation, which implies quite a big problem if we are talking about a home PC.
Finally, we have to talk about other factors such as the wiring, which in this type of power supply – at least until now – is not modular but all the cables are fixed; however, if at some point a manufacturer decides to release a redundant power supply for home PCs (in fact, the FPS manufacturer already has a model, the PRO Series Twins
What is the point of using them on a home PC?
Really, and unless we’re talking about a home server, a professional workstation, or even a cryptocurrency mining farm, it doesn’t make much sense to invest in a redundant power supply. for PC, because as we have explained only there is a great advantage and the rest are almost all disadvantages.
In a home PC, if the power supply fails, the computer will shut down (or won’t turn on, etc., there are several potential symptoms we can find when this happens) and we should deal with it. pass until we change the faulty unit for a new one. brand new, with the inconvenience that we will have to dismantle the damaged unit and mount the new one. However, and in the case of a home PC, it is not the end of the world, especially if we take into account all the advantages that a PC source gives us compared to this type of device we are talking about today.
