What are recommended PSUs for Antminer S3 to buy - in Europe/US?
I don't know much about PSUs, so a link to a PSU 101 article (at least as it relates to bitcoin mining) would be welcome as well.
I read:
http://www.reddit.com/r/BitcoinMining/comments/24intr/best_corsair_psu_for_my_antminer_s1/ch7mntp"Efficiency ratings describe the amount of electricity that the PSU loses as heat while powering the unit. Because miners are always on and consume a lot of power, more efficient units generally recover their higher purchase cost in less than a year. In nearly 100% of cases you'll save money by buying a platinum (or gold) rated PSU."
Sorry for quoting myself, but any help with this? From a total beginner level, like understanding power draw on the PSU. Thank you.
Something to remember, when you select a power supply(s) keep in mind that even if you select the best 80 Plus Platinum supply, you'll want to get one rated at about twice (optimum/peak efficiency of most power supplies is around 50-60% of rated power) of what you'll be pulling through it. So if you have 2 S3's and they're overclocked and pulling 374w each, then that's about 750w, so you should be looking for something in the range of 1200-1500w in platinum or gold rated. (also keep in mind that some power supplies have multiple +12v rails that usually max. out at 30A each, which might not be enough for a overclocked S3, so a single +12v rail might be a better choice)
Also, if you want optimum efficiency, use a 240v source if available (some houses have a 220-240v line for washing/dryer, be sure to switch the selector on the power supply to the correct voltage before you plug it in) which should add about 2% addition efficiency.
Sorry to say this but you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.
There is some inefficiency to account for in most PSUs but certainly not close to 50% on current PSUs. Most PSUs will happily run 24/7 at 80% (or more) of their rated watts. Some good quality PSUs will run 100%+.
Poor example: Bitmain used cheap 1000w Gold Enermax PSUs in their S2s. And those miners use 1000w pretty consistently. Mine pooped-out after two or three weeks but many others are still using them many months later.