If the laces of you sports shoes broke down, would you replace them with some ordinary piece of thread? Most probably you would not, since the common thread does not have the same strength that a proper shoelace has. Similarly, you cannot replace your gardens hosepipe with any ordinary plastic or rubber pipe, since it does not have the capacity to contain the powerful surge of water through it. It is exactly the same with the power cord of your computer.

The main part of you computer… let the geeks holler in protest… is the SMPS (switch mode power supply).

This is the heart of your computer and supplies power to all other peripherals of the same. Without a properly functioning SMPS, your computer will not work and in order to ensure that the SMPS works properly, it should be hooked to a proper power cord whose task in to connect the SMPS with the power outlet in your home or office. The amount of power required by the SMPS of your PC depends upon it wattage rating and the higher the wattage, the higher the amount of current it requires. In case the power cord of your PC gets damaged, you should replace it with a correctly rated one.

If you are unsure, you can check up the rating of your computer’s SMPS and use that information to purchase the correct power cord. There are many cheap imports available and you should be careful of them. Though their cheap prices might look attractive, they might cost you lots more in the long run. An improper power cord might even end up damaging your computer. Apart from the power carrying capacity, the connectors on both ends of the power cord should fit smugly on the PC and on the power outlet. Even a slightly ill fitting power cord will result in sparks flashing at the joints and this is what finally leads to power spikes that can damage your PC.