PSU inrush current?

[0nRay]

As the title states, what is inrush current? I'm in the market for a good quality psu around 400W and was looking at toms charts for psus when I came across this.

http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/120v-desktop-power-supplies/Inrush-Current,2565.html

Is it better to have a psu with high or low inrush current?

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inrush_current

Inrush current, input surge current or switch-on surge refers to the maximum, instantaneous input current drawn by an electrical device when first turned on. For example, incandescent light bulbs have high inrush currents until their filaments warm up and their resistance increases. Alternating current electric motors and transformers may draw several times their normal full-load current when first energized, for a few cycles of the input waveform. Power converters also often have inrush currents much higher than their steady state currents, due to the charging current of the input capacitance. The selection of overcurrent protection devices such as fuses and circuit breakers is made more complicated when high inrush currents must be tolerated. The overcurrent protection must react quickly to overload or short circuit but must not interrupt the circuit when the (usually harmless) inrush current flows.

Inrush Current ^



Great deal on this Seasonic made power supply.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $49.99
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-13 19:39 EDT-0400)


XFX 550W 80 Plus Bronze Core Edition PSU
Form Factor: ATX

Wattage: 550W




Special Features: Active PFC

Energy Efficiency: 80 PLUS Bronze

Fan: 135 mm

Input Voltage: 100 ~ 240 VAC

+3.3V: 24 A

+5V: 24 A

+12V 1: 44 A

+12V Rails: 1

-12V: 0.5 A

+5VSB: 2.5 A

Motherboard Connector: 20+4 Pin

4-Pin P4: 1

6-Pin PCI-Express Connector: 1

6-Pin/8-Pin PCI-Express Connector: 1

4-Pin Floppy Connector: 2

4-Pin Peripheral Connector: 2

SATA Power Connector: 3

 

[ko888]

Inrush current or switch-on surge refers to the maximum, instantaneous input-current drawn by an electrical device right as it is turned on. PSUs produce large inrush current right as they are turned on because of the charging current of the APFC capacitor(s). Large inrush current can cause the tripping of circuit breakers and fuses and may also damage switches or relays. The lower the inrush current of a PSU at turn-on, the better.