A list of recommended PSUs

[JohnnyLucky]

HIYA GANG!

We're rapidly approaching the end of the year. This morning I updated the Power Supply Recommendations List I maintain:

http://www.johnnylucky.org/power-supplies/psu-recommendations.html

I deleted a few lesser known brands that are no longer offering psu's. I also deleted discontinued models even though some of them are still in online vendor inventories. I also took a second look and decided to toughen things up a bit. That resulted in a few more deletions. It was a matter of keeping the list manageable. There are still quite a few psu's to choose from.

It looks like there is a major change at Corsair. They've discontinued just about all of their older model lines with the exception of the Enthusiast / TX models. The TX naming scheme is still confusing but it looks like Corsair has or is about to have 4 new TX models manufactured by Chicony Power instead of Channel Well. I'll try and track down the information.

 

[Proximon]

The Platinum rated 650W Rosewill Fortress
(review) http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Rosewill-FORTRESS-650-Power-Supply-Review/1597

is $90 before a $20 rebate, today only
http://www.newegg.com/Special/ShellShocker.aspx?cm_sp=ShellShocker-_-17-182-083-_-12162012_2

 

[Onus]

Kind of a shame not to see the lower-powered Earthwatts units there any more. One notable feature the EA-380D has over the Seasonic G-360 is an additional SATA connector. There aren't too many lower powered units on that list.
I also found another possible source of PSU reviews. The guy who does them, "c. hegge," is a frequent poster on the HardwareSecrets forum. AFAIK he is based in Australia: http://****/wp/category/power-supply-reviews/
Edit...hmmm, the site name is being blocked; not sure why. Will I hack off a mod by naming it another way?

 

[Proximon]

No, that's OK. We have several sites that are blocked that shouldn't be... some mod got a little too eager adding to the list at some point.

 

[Onus]

No, that's OK. We have several sites that are blocked that shouldn't be... some mod got a little too eager adding to the list at some point.

Ok then, concatenate "Hardware" and "insights" in place of the asterisks, and you'll have it.

 

[delluser1]

Kind of a shame not to see the lower-powered Earthwatts units there any more. One notable feature the EA-380D has over the Seasonic G-360 is an additional SATA connector. There aren't too many lower powered units on that list.
I also found another possible source of PSU reviews. The guy who does them, "c. hegge," is a frequent poster on the HardwareSecrets forum. AFAIK he is based in Australia: http://****/wp/category/power-supply-reviews/
Edit...hmmm, the site name is being blocked; not sure why. Will I hack off a mod by naming it another way?

Newegg has had the NeoEco 400 for $5 less than the 380D for a while, better in my opinion
Hardware Insights was at one time run by "shovenose"

 

[Onus]

Newegg has had the NeoEco 400 for $5 less than the 380D for a while, better in my opinion

I'm not sure which I'd choose over those two.

Hardware Insights was at one time run by "shovenose"

I did see his name on some other reviews there. Is that a problem? Other than iirc he was just a kid.

 

[delluser1]

I'm not sure which I'd choose over those two.

Neo is S12 based, like the original Earthwatts

I did see his name on some other reviews there. Is that a problem? Other than iirc he was just a kid.

Not a problem
I don't recall if he just stopped posting here, or if he got banned

 

[JTF2]

Question - How important is efficiency (the 80 Plus standard)? And what about noise?

For example, the Antec HGC M 620W is 80 plus bronze and meets the certification, and also has extremely low noise/ripple.

The Rosewill Hive 650W is also 80 plus bronze, with higher noise/ripple (but still below the maximum ripple).

Compared to the Rosewill Fortress 650, which meets it 80 plus platinum certification, and has noise/ripple above the Antec HGC, but below the Hive's.

I've been reading up on PSUs, johnnyguru, hardwaresecrets, this site, and feel like I have a lot of "data" but not a ton of "information" - I can't value what is most important. Obviously, in my example, the Fortress is more expensive, but I might be willing to pay for the increased efficiency. I'm also aware that modularity affects price. Would definitely appreciate some insight here.

Apologies if this isn't the right thread to ask, didn't want to start a new thread when this one already has many informed posters.

 

[Onus]

I'm inclined to think that the question deserves its own thread. Here, it may be off-topic, but that seems a decision for Proximon to make.

 

[Proximon]

The 80Plus standard, in a broad sense, is the best thing to happen to PC power supplies ever. This is because the actual TEST includes basic voltage regulation and other tests, at various loads.

The difference in efficiency of various PSUs is never going to add up to much money, for the average gamer. If your computer is under load all the time, say for some type of distributed computing, you can realize some power savings, especially in areas where power costs are high.

There are good reasons to have an efficient PSU though. YOUR savings may not be much but added together with the increased efficiency worldwide and you start to have an environmental impact. Generally, the more efficient a PSU the less energy is being lost to the room in the form of heat.

Is it possible to have an OK PSU that is not 80plus certified? Maybe, but not likely any more.

Does a higher 80Plus rating automatically make a PSU better? NO, because there are important things the program does NOT test. There are some units that pass 80Plus certification that would never be recommended.

There are some companies that lie about 80Plus certification as well.

 

[Proximon]

That's a start anyway There is a link to this article in my guide, and I'll integrate what I just wrote into the guide later

 

[kammak743]

What is wrong with the Corsair CX430 as every review I have read says it is very good for its price

 

[Onus]

I would not hesitate to use a CX-430 in a light duty office build, but I would not put one in a gamer. That's because they were made using some inferior Samxon capacitors that do not like heat and are known to fail early. The Modular versions (e.g. CX-600M) of this line apparently use all Japanese capacitors, but the non-modular ones do not.

 

[Proximon]

I need to do some updating... sigh.

 

[mray]

Should I consider a 850w psu if I intend to have two gpus in the future. This may or not happen. But currently my built is i7-4770k, asus maximus hero vi. The problem is I don't know if I'm going for the right psu.

 

[Proximon]

Without more info we can't say. If you have a look at the PSU guide you should have an easier time figuring it out:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/324368-28-computer-power-supplies-guide

 

[de5_Roy]

about the antec vp 450 psus:
it has a non pfc version and a pfc version with 80+ rating and a "P" suffix (vp 450P). apparently both units are made by fsp.
according to a wccftech review, the vp450p has two versions with different primary capacitors.

The main capacitor (coded green, figure 1 & 2) on the unit is from Matsushita and has a rating of 270uf at 105C and 450 Volts. If you look around the web you will find that there are VP450s with Capxon capacitors which has a similar rating but at 95C and 420 Volts. As there is no way to know what lurks inside the power supply you might get either, though you’d be better off with the Matsushita capacitor.

actually, there's a way as long as the container box isn't sealed. just look through the exhaust vent.
mine has a capxon cap and it's +12v rail rating is 12.384v (according to software).
even though it's active pfc, it works with u.p.s. may be because the psu's minimum current rating is 50Hz, matched the ups' minimum 50hz on battery power (output).

edit: found xbitlabs' review with capxon cap:
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cases/display/psu-400w-520w_5.html#sect0

 

[ismebrandon]

What about the Silverstone Strider Gold ST85F-GS 850W PSU? It has a 80+ Gold Efficiency with 12V+ Single rail?

 

[MasterMace]

Curious if ThermalTake TR2 430W is going to get recommended? A Channel Well PSU with a lot of good reviews from buyers.

 

[Onus]

Absolutely not. It's an older, inefficient, obsolete design.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

HIYA GANG!

The year is almost over. Yesterday morning I updated the Power Supply Recommendations List I maintain:

http://www.johnnylucky.org/power-supplies/psu-recommendations.html

I deleted a few brands that are no longer offering psu's. I also deleted discontinued models even though some of them are still in online vendor inventories. I also took a second look and decided to toughen things up a bit. That resulted in a few more deletions. It was a matter of keeping the list manageable. There are still quite a few psu's to choose from.

We have a new player. EVGA has introduced a new line of power supplies. In addition, Seasonic has introduced a new line of S12 G Series power supplies. Preliminary reviews were very favorable.

The PSU Lemon List has also been updated:

http://www.johnnylucky.org/power-supplies/psu-lemon-list.html

I also modified a gpu power requirements list. It was pointed out to me that I only listed system power requirements for AMD and Nvidia reference cards. I decided to add all the retail brands and models. It is a work in progress. Here is the link:

http://www.johnnylucky.org/power-supplies/gpu-power-requirements.html

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Thanks johhny.

 

[cinnamon cider]

I'm currently eyeing for Seasonic P760 or P860. Do you think they're good?

 

[Onus]

Well, I'm not sure Seasonic knows how to make a bad PSU. Assuming it's got some level of 80+ certification (meaning it's relatively new, if nothing else), I'd probably trust it.