News Asus shows off GaN PSUs at Gamescom 2024, touts benefits of increased efficiency, cooler and quieter operation

[Admin]

Asus showed off its ROG THOR and ROG STRIX PSUs that use GaN technology to deliver better cooled and more power efficient PSUs.

Asus shows off GaN PSUs at Gamescom 2024, touts benefits of increased efficiency, cooler and quieter operation : Read more

 

[bit_user]

Does anyone know of power brick style external PSUs, between 12 and 24 VDC, with this technology? I'd be interested in upgrading to something with efficiency well into mid 90% range, if it existed. From what I've seen, the best power bricks are barely scratching 90% efficiency.

 

[Alvar "Miles" Udell]

We’re also looking forward to seeing other brands like Seasonic, Corsair, NZXT, and more start using these as well, for a more efficient power solution to our desktop PC needs.

SeaSonic, who probably makes these ASUS units, already make 115v PSUs that nudge 96% efficiency and are whisper quiet (using their TX-1300 as an example), so there's not exactly a great need for them to switch to GaN, whose biggest strengths are compact dimensions and high switching frequencies (wall adapters and wireless chargers), though they're likely found in their new flagship, the 230v PX-2200.

PRIME PX ATX 3 (2024)

Seasonic PRIME PX ATX 3.1 PSU designed for Professionals and AI systems. This PSU offers advanced ATX 3.1 compatibility, superb efficiency, stable power output.

seasonic.com

Seasonic Prime Titanium TX-1300 (1300W PSU) review

Today we’re putting the new Seasonic Prime Titanium TX-1300 power supply on our test bench. The company is mainly known for its PSUs (like Connect or Focus SGX), but we also already checked their two chassis (Q704 and Q503). Still, the high-end offer in the power supply range is the Prime...

www.guru3d.com

 

[bit_user]

SeaSonic, who probably makes these ASUS units,

I know some of the better brand name PSUs have previously been Seasonic rebadges, but I haven't seen much of that, lately. Is Seasonic known to be developing GaN, or what reason do you have for assuming Seasonic is the manufacturer?

already make 115v PSUs that nudge 96% efficiency and are whisper quiet (using their TX-1300 as an example), so there's not exactly a great need for them to switch to GaN, whose biggest strengths are compact dimensions and high switching frequencies (wall adapters and wireless chargers), though they're likely found in their new flagship, the 230v PX-2200.

PRIME PX ATX 3 (2024)

Seasonic PRIME PX ATX 3.1 PSU designed for Professionals and AI systems. This PSU offers advanced ATX 3.1 compatibility, superb efficiency, stable power output.

seasonic.com

Seasonic Prime Titanium TX-1300 (1300W PSU) review

Today we’re putting the new Seasonic Prime Titanium TX-1300 power supply on our test bench. The company is mainly known for its PSUs (like Connect or Focus SGX), but we also already checked their two chassis (Q704 and Q503). Still, the high-end offer in the power supply range is the Prime...

www.guru3d.com

Thanks for including a source link. As I expected:

"Measurements are taken only using 230 V input voltage."
​

FYI, 230V measurements are usually a few % higher in efficiency. Most of us are probably used to looking at the 115V efficiency metrics, which is certainly what I was talking about.

 

[Notton]

Does anyone know of power brick style external PSUs, between 12 and 24 VDC, with this technology? I'd be interested in upgrading to something with efficiency well into mid 90% range, if it existed. From what I've seen, the best power bricks are barely scratching 90% efficiency.

Use a USB-C PD GaN charger with one of these PD to barrel jack adapters.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CNXHHCNB (20V/3A 60W)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C6DSS97R/ (20V/5A 100W)

For the power brick, Anker, UGreen, random-string-of-letters-brand-on-amazon, in that order.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09J1XTLJ6

 

[ezst036]

Titanium schmitanium. Need to go to the next level and create a new classification with 80 Plus PLUTONIUM which can do 96% stable everywhere and push 97/98%.

 

[bit_user]

Titanium schmitanium. Need to go to the next level and create a new classification with 80 Plus PLUTONIUM which can do 96% stable everywhere and push 97/98%.

The tier after that could be Adamantium. Then, the 99.9% tier could be called Unobtanium!
: D

 

[watzupken]

Titanium schmitanium. Need to go to the next level and create a new classification with 80 Plus PLUTONIUM which can do 96% stable everywhere and push 97/98%.

Plutonium? Then it must be nuclear self powered in a PSU. Nice.

Jokes aside, Asus as usual will charge an arm and a leg for their products. So I am not expecting adoption rate to be meaningful

 

[DavidLejdar]

"as CPUs and GPUs get more power-hungry with each generation, the demand for high-output PSUs is slowly growing, too."

Yeah... 1000W PSU here. I don't need as much at the moment. But when going 4K, (80% of a) 800W PSU seems hardly enough. And that includes power need for cooling, where it roughly takes a 140mm fan for dissipation of 100W - meaning easily 240mm AIO for CPU (in my case then at the top of the case, output), plus intake triple-fan at the front, output fan at the rear, and possibly also small intake fan at the bottom, which all easily adds up to around 30W needed. And then additional W, such as for NVMe 5.0 SSD, and possibly active cooling to go along with that, and occasionally used speakers drawing power via USB, ...

 

[Heiro78]

Missing a U in Gallium in the first paragraph.

 

[jp7189]

Does anyone know of power brick style external PSUs, between 12 and 24 VDC, with this technology? I'd be interested in upgrading to something with efficiency well into mid 90% range, if it existed. From what I've seen, the best power bricks are barely scratching 90% efficiency.

There's a Dell Precision laptop PS that's 240W 19v, gan, uses a simple barrel connector, and it's easy to just lop that off and use the bare wires. There are usbc equivalents, but I'm not clear on how the voltage is negotiated on those so I stick with the simple barrel style one.

 

[devbiker]

We’re also looking forward to seeing other brands like Seasonic, Corsair, NZXT, and more start using these as well, for a more efficient power solution to our desktop PC needs.

From the Corsair AX1600i review right here on Tom's Hardware:

Corsair's big milestone with the AX1600i is switching from silicon to gallium nitride FETs. Due to their extremely low gate charge and output capacitance, GaN FETs can be switched at extremely high speeds with reduced switching losses and improved efficiency compared to silicon ones. Moreover, GaN FETs offer up to 40% more power density than their silicon counterparts, and their faster switching speeds help minimize the dimensions of other components, especially transformers.

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/corsair-ax1600i-psu,5406.html
🤔

 

[bit_user]

From the Corsair AX1600i review right here on Tom's Hardware:

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/corsair-ax1600i-psu,5406.html
🤔

"published January 8, 2018" !!

 

[DSzymborski]

Titanium schmitanium. Need to go to the next level and create a new classification with 80 Plus PLUTONIUM which can do 96% stable everywhere and push 97/98%.

Would they go with plutonium? I'm not sure it's the best option given, as far as I remember, that all isotopes of plutonium are radioactive. Certainly that would not suggest stability! It hasn't been a perfect pattern - silver and gold are of similar hardness and bronze isn't an element -- but I would think the best option would be to go with a harder metal than titanium. Maybe rhodium or tungsten?

 

[jp7189]

From the Corsair AX1600i review right here on Tom's Hardware:

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/corsair-ax1600i-psu,5406.html
🤔

Chuckle.. it was that review which convinced me to get a 1600i even though I didn't need that much juice. The lesser models didn't use the same tech. Though I've upgraded the computer several times, that PSU is still the same.

 

[jp7189]

Would they go with plutonium? I'm not sure it's the best option given, as far as I remember, that all isotopes of plutonium are radioactive. Certainly that would not suggest stability! It hasn't been a perfect pattern - silver and gold are of similar hardness and bronze isn't an element -- but I would think the best option would be to go with a harder metal than titanium. Maybe rhodium or tungsten?

My money is on diamond.

 

[t3t4]

Does anyone use a GAN charger? I have 2 of them each rated @ 100 w. These are the hottest running little chargers ever, I mean they get surprisingly hot for doing very little actual work. I can certainly understand the smaller chip bigger heat sink approach here, but I know how hot these little chips want to run and heat is wasted energy in a PC, or any electrical circuit. Unless you have one of those Space heater PC combo units like I do 😁. Point is, I would highly question these efficiency numbers with some heavy duty 3rd party verification.

 

[bit_user]

My money is on diamond.

Eh, diamond is ultimately just carbon. The main things separating it from coal are a bit of heat and pressure (over time). I'm reading they will eventually degrade to another form of carbon, although the half life of this process is extremely long (a billion years?)

 

[bit_user]

Does anyone use a GAN charger? I have 2 of them each rated @ 100 w. These are the hottest running little chargers ever, I mean they get surprisingly hot for doing very little actual work.

How sure are you they're really GAN?

 

[jp7189]

Does anyone use a GAN charger? I have 2 of them each rated @ 100 w. These are the hottest running little chargers ever, I mean they get surprisingly hot for doing very little actual work. I can certainly understand the smaller chip bigger heat sink approach here, but I know how hot these little chips want to run and heat is wasted energy in a PC, or any electrical circuit. Unless you have one of those Space heater PC combo units like I do 😁. Point is, I would highly question these efficiency numbers with some heavy duty 3rd party verification.

My laptop uses a 240w gan charger that's significantly smaller than the previous non-gan version. I never noticed that it gets overly warm.

 

[jp7189]

N

Eh, diamond is ultimately just carbon. The main things separating it from coal are a bit of heat and pressure (over time). I'm reading they will eventually degrade to another form of carbon, although the half life of this process is extremely long (a billion years?)

Not that it makes any intellilectual sense, but it is not the established presedent to move from titanium to diamond before adding ultra and super.

 

[DSzymborski]

N

Not that it makes any intellilectual sense, but it is not the established presedent to move from titanium to diamond before adding ultra and super.

Given how fast the quality of those Ultra PSUs went downhill, naming an 80 Plus tier "Ultra" is something I'd avoid. It'd be like an auto manufacturer re-using the Trabant name!