Part 1: Four Cheap 80 PLUS Bronze Power Supplies, Reviewed

[smeezekitty]

But most uncertified PSUs are poor quality. Almost all decent PSUs are certified

 

[shanren1233]

Have you ever heard a power supply named red star............if you own one it could be very dangerous............... boom boom boom boom booom ....................

 

[Someone Somewhere]

Yes, but my point is that it's not certification that makes it a good PSU, and it does not need to be certified (highly) to be good.

 

[InvalidError]

Yes, but my point is that it's not certification that makes it a good PSU, and it does not need to be certified (highly) to be good.

But meeting higher standards probably increases the chances of better overall build quality.

And about achieving 80+ Gold with bad caps, that could be difficult since under-rated caps (the main reason they go bad) would have higher losses under load. When you are trying to reach 90% efficiency, every little bit counts and trying to make up the increased losses from under-rated caps elsewhere would likely be more expensive.

 

[smeezekitty]

Yes, but my point is that it's not certification that makes it a good PSU, and it does not need to be certified (highly) to be good.

But meeting higher standards probably increases the chances of better overall build quality.

My point exactly.

 

[buzznut]

That's cool, nice to know what to buy for less demanding clients on a budget. Where quality and reliability is still a concern, but you want to ensure they are getting a great value.

I'd really like to see some nice midrange PSUs compared-modular only. Why? Because modders/enthusiasts can mod the cables without voiding the warranty.

More recently, (say over the last year) many fully modular power supplies have come to market for just this reason. This includes non-modular stalwarts like Corsair. This meets a lot of folks needs in regards to cable management, visual flair, and cool, quiet computing.

Of course this could lead to quite an array of units, so perhaps one could break it down to 500-650 W comparison, followed by 700-850W, then the big boys for those monster builds we all dream about.

 

[luhai]

How did you get Antec HCG-400 for $45 as stated in the article. I was exited, looked for one. And it's $79 on amazon and 74 from the antec site, out of stock pretty much everywhere. Did they raise the price as soon as this article came out?