[PSU] Does Gold/Bronze/etc certification matter?

[wimbledon]

I don't know much about buying PSUs but from a lot of builds I read, people seem happy with regular 80 Plus or Bronze certification? Does this really matter that much?

I'm also confused because I'm seeing for instance, the SeaSonic G Series (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151119&Tpk=seasonic g series) is 550W and 80 PLUS GOLD cert for $70, yet the SeaSonic M12II 520 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151093) is 520W and 80 PLUS BRONZE but the same price?

I was thinking about going for the G Series to be safe since PCPARTPICKER estimates about 326W for my build (below), but I'm just wondering, why are they the same price???


My build
CPU: i5-3570K | CPU Cooler: CM Hyper 212 Evo | Mobo: Asus P8Z77-V PRO | RAM: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2x4GB) | Storage: WD Caviar Blue 1TB | GPU: Gigabyte GTX660

 

[manofchalk]

Whether the level of certification matters depends if you care about the energy being saved. The difference between Bronze and Gold is something like 5%, so most don't pay the premium to get the slightly better efficiency.

Pricings are probably not representative of actual values right now, still in the middle of Black Friday.
I suspect the G-Series is a lower binned (ie quality) unit than the MS12 series. So it costs less despite the better efficiency.

EDIT: You definitely want a unit that is atleast 80+ certified. As the certification covers more than just efficiency of converting AC to DC current. It also covers how strict the voltage control on the rails are, 80+ spec states that it has to be within 5% of its rated voltage. If it strays outside this it can lead to the degradation of components.

 

[Nedal0]

The PSU certifications do matter if you are energy conscious. Anything 80plus certified is a GOOD product to start with.

Power drawn from the wall:

Platinum - 271.7 W
Gold - 277.8 W
Silver - 294.1 W
Bronze - 304.9 W
Basic - 312.5 W

So Basically :

GOLD - Very Energy Efficient
SILVER - Slightly Less than the GOLD
BRONZE - Less Energy Efficient

Find more info here

http://www.plugloadsolutions.com/About.aspx

http://www.plugloadsolutions.com/80PlusPowerSupplies.aspx

In a nutshell, anything certified 80plus is better than anything out there with no certification

 

[bigcyco1]

The SeaSonic G Series is on sale right now that's why it's same price.I would jump on it before the sale ends if i were you.The G-Series is higher quality.Check this link it explains everything
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/343495-28-power-supply-efficiency-myths#