Target PSUs

Target power supplies are compact, low-wattage units aimed at small office and basic home builds — the kind of machine that runs integrated graphics, a couple of drives and nothing demanding.

Where that is a sensible purchase: an office desktop, a thin client, a point-of-sale terminal, a media PC, or a straightforward replacement for a failed unit in a machine that does not draw much power.

The most important check is physical format. Compact supplies come in several sizes — standard ATX, the smaller SFX, and the narrow TFX used by slim horizontal desktops — and they are not interchangeable. Measure the old unit or check the case specification before ordering; the mounting holes and depth differ.

Where to spend more, plainly: any build with a current discrete graphics card. Modern GPUs draw brief spikes far above their rated power, and a basic supply can read those as a fault and shut the machine down under load despite adequate wattage on paper. Those builds want an ATX 3.0 or 3.1 unit at a suitable wattage.

See all power supplies.