Multi-rail VS Single-rail PSU?

[Actual_Criminal]

I have watched Linus' old video about the difference and he said don't buy a PSU based on which rail it has.

 

However, my last supposedly high-tier Corsair HX850i killed my last PC. (connected to a high-end surge protector too.)

 

What is the basic difference between the rails and which one is safer?

 

-Also, unrelated question but does anyone know what iCUE Compatibility is?

[mariushm]

They're all equally safer.

 

The limits on rails are high enough even on multi rail power supplies that they could burn cables and connectors before protections kick it - they have to be because video cards nowadays consume a lot of power.

 

For example, a video card could have peaks of 350 watts or so, so if one user puts two pci-e 8 pin connectors from same cable into a single video card, that cable has to be able to give at least 300 watts, so the "rail" of that cable needs to supply at least 300 / 12 = 25A

You can have components die shorted in such a way that they have enough resistance to not hit this threshold of 25A so they'll continue to burn through a circuit board or strip copper traces and do damage.

 

Some multi rail power supplies were made that way due to design ... they had to use 2 or more switching transformers because one would have been too big (due to capabilities of that time) so each "rail" was connected to one of those transformers and therefore had a maximum limit.

 

 

icue compatibility is ability of that power supply to "talk" to icue and so on ..  icue is a software that lets you control fans, rgb lightning etc  my guess icue compatibility means the psu has a usb connector on it so you can connect a usb cable from psu to a usb 2 header on your motherboard, and this way the psu can report fan speed and maybe turn on/off or set rgb lights on the fans and maybe report voltages to software through the usb. 

 

so again there's no version that's safer, in your case it was just bad luck that the psu failed in such a way as to damage your pc. Sending higher voltages than normal is really an unlikely failure mode, quite rare,  it's higher chances for a  psu to fail in lots of other ways first... so bad luck.

[SavageNeo]

28 minutes ago, Actual_Criminal said:

What is the basic difference between the rails and which one is safer?

you mean multirail and single rail? Multirail is little bit better than single (usually) since it can shutdown the psu earlier than single rail in order to protect itself.

 

29 minutes ago, Actual_Criminal said:

However, my last supposedly high-tier Corsair HX850i killed my last PC.

Seems unlikely. Mayby huge voltagespkie/storm or something

29 minutes ago, Actual_Criminal said:

Also, unrelated question but does anyone know what iCUE Compatibility is?

With corsair psus with "I" i nthe end you can measure psu temps etc.

 

And to end this, AMD is not pathetic by any means.

[GoldenLag]

1 hour ago, Actual_Criminal said:

he said don't buy a PSU based on which rail it has.

well if you are going for higher wattage units (in the 850+ region). Multirail would be prefferable. 

 

tho for the sane wattage regions, singlerail is just fine.