Select the Right Power Supplies for Your Servers

By David Gilbert

December 11, 2006

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Here's a modest proposal: System builders should know which power supply to specify for their small-business servers.

Most system builders don't know how to do this, and it's a shame. They're leaving money on the table, wasting time, and possibly building servers that are less reliable than they could be.

Sure, you can simply call a systems engineer at your distributor and ask them to make the calculations. But why depend on them when you can do it yourself? Instead of leaving a message and waiting for someone to call back, spend your time more wisely, and be more productive in the process.

In this article, I will attempt to demystify the method of calculating power requirements. You will learn the ability to discern which power supply is the best one for your server. By going through this process, you will be sure you are spending your customers' money where it counts. You'll also learn how to create a more-reliable server. The benefits should include increased customer satisfaction at a variety of levels, and fewer support calls for power problems -- which are among the most difficult to troubleshoot.

For system builders seeking to make their mark in the white-box server market, there are tools that can help. One of the best tools out there is Intel's Power Budget Analysis Tool, which is available as a free download from Intel's Web site. This tool is basically a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, customized with built-in calculations. I'll explain how to understand and use this tool as part of this article.

Getting Started

When selecting a power supply for your server system, be sure to choose a unit with enough capacity to keep your utilization rate low. In other words, you need output above your actual system requirements. As the load on the power supply is decreased, the system's longevity is increased.

Calculating the system's power requirements is fairly straightforward. First, look at the manufacturer's datasheet for each component installed, and find the power consumption specs.

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