Power Supplies
A computer power supply unit (PSU) is the component which AC electrical power into DC power of various voltages used inside the PC. The PSU converts 100-120V American AC power or 220-240 European AC power into low voltage DC power. Some power supplies automatically sense and convert between European and American voltage, some have manual switches, so do not work with different power sources.
Figure 12: PSU with covering off, retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_power_supply
Power supplies are rated by their maximum power – generally from 200 watt to 500 watt. Workstations and high end gaming PCs have power supplies near the upper end of the range, while small form factor and inexpensive PCs are down towards the lower end.
Installing a Power Supply
A power supply should not be disassembled – the components on the inside produce too great a chance of electrocution – it should always be replaced. Do not remove the case from the power supply – change out the entire power supply.
Follow these directions to replace a power supply: http://www.fonerbooks.com/r_power.htm
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