The idea for a stress test for power supply units emerged during different comparative tests during which instability in the power supply was observed. In particular, this was seen in systems with dual-core processors and SLI graphics, which draw immense amounts of power and drive up loads to extreme limits of a supply's capabilities.

Although most manufacturers of adapters advertise them with high power ratings, most customers can't test these claims. One step towards self-help is the voltage displayed in the BIOS or via the software of the motherboard, but even professionals fail to obtain exact measurements under maximum load.

Your PC's power supply is the hidden component that can make your computing life miserable. Sometimes it will be working well for a while, only to then start to experience frequent or irregular crashes. A similar situation may appear when a PC is equipped with a more powerful graphics card or processor - suddenly it is no longer stable.

In these situations, the user usually concentrates on addressing components such as the memory, processor and cooling. When that doesn't help, the usual next step is to update the BIOS and drivers. Those who can afford it simply buy new components to replace the alleged source of the problem.

The result is that the system displays the same symptoms as before.

The reason is that these problems are often a sign of an overloaded power supply unit. Yet most people do not ensure that this essential component is working properly, even though without it, achieving a stable PC is impossible.