It can be easy to forget how important the power adapter is to your external drive. The idea of using an OWC external drive to improve your computer’s performance is pretty exciting, so we’ll forgive you if the power source doesn’t immediately cross your mind. But high-quality power adapters are a big part of what make our external drives special. We work very hard to deliver the best power adapters possible to our customers.
If you compare OWC’s and NewerTech’s power adapters with what others bundle with their external drives, you’ll see our adapters offer 50 to 75 percent greater sustained power output capability. This has a huge impact on the performance of your entire system. It’s important that your drives not only have enough power for typical use, but that they also have plenty of “headroom” to ensure the power adapter isn’t maxed or overtaxed during times of heavy usage. After all, aren’t those the times you need your system at its best?
We build our drives to provide the best performance, and including a heavy-duty rated power adapter with our external drives is an important part of the equation. Ensuring clean and stable power benefits the longevity and performance of your new drive. It costs us 2 to 3X that compared with most other external drive makers for these heavy-duty power supplies, but it’s the right thing to do.
Sure, we could cut costs by bundling a lower rate power adapter that has to “peak” to support certain drive operations. But the cost would be reduced power supply efficiency, possibly a higher power draw, higher operating temperatures and potentially a shorter lifespan. There is also a greater chance for unexpected failure with a lower grade power adapter. Nobody wants that.
Many manufacturers use only the bare-minimum power supply needed in their adapters. OWC adapters provide a higher-than-industry-standard power supply, and we also make it easy to find our specs online along with our products.
It’s just another way OWC makes sure our customers get the most out of their computers!
