PSU Roundup: Performance, Price, Efficiency

[randomizer]

[citation][nom]hmmm..[/nom]wow. . somebody trying to speaks as if they are pro of the pro by saying the hardwaresecret is wrong .. . wow .. wat a pros[/citation]
Does having a website make them always right?

 

[photographer]

Would have liked to have seen an Enermax in here as well. The Enermax MODU82+ 625w is very highly regarded.

 

[optik]

[citation][nom]photographer[/nom]Would have liked to have seen an Enermax in here as well. The Enermax MODU82+ 625w is very highly regarded.[/citation]

According to the testlist, Enermax Modu 82+ is being tested on part 2 of the review..

 

[rocky1234]

Very good article as it will give most people a good idea of where to look for a good power for their mainstream gaming rigs. The only thing I find funny here & it has nothing to do with the article itself is how people today seem to always nit pick about other peoples spelling or typo's. People just enjoy the articles already leave the nit picking at home for family & friends. If you have something to say about these articles that pertains to the articles them selves then say it but to just make a post because someone forgot a "s" here & there is just a waste of mine & everyone's time.

I most like made typo's in this post but you know what who cares I am sure that everyone here will be able to read & understand both this post & the article just fine even with the miss spellings & typo's.
I only posted this to make a point I see these type of post about spelling on so many comments sections on the net & it just makes me laugh.

 

[bf2gameplaya]

[citation][nom]demonhorde665[/nom]o 80% efficent PSu that uses modular cabling is actualkly about 75% efficent due to power loss between the modular cables plug ins.[/citation]

Your assertions are false as benchmarks would show the loss of efficiency as the test equipment uses the same modular connectors the end user and gear uses.

Also, the motherboard main power and CPU aux power ARE hard-wired (At least in the Enermax Modu82+ 625W model) to the inner circuits. Only the 12v and 5v are clippable.

While there are concerns with modulars PSUs (RF leakage, wear over time), including potential loss of efficiency...proper testing will show any flaws and they haven't as yet of all the reviews already published. Let's see what's Part 2 has to say.

 

[chromaone]

Why no measures of fan noise?

 

[seatrotter]

Silverstone SST-ST70F Strider would work well for non-primary power supply, to power other devices/peripherals since the ATX cable can be removed completely (just fasten a manual switch to short the PINs for powering-on the PSU). Heck, if only I have excessive cash lying around, I'd use it for non-PC setup (overkill for some setup, but who cares? [IF] I'm rich).

 

[Guest]

In my opinion, the no1 flaw of the comparison is, that it completely neglects noise levels. Or is it just me who cares how noisy my computer is?

 

[Zorg]

If you are going to give noise levels then you need a hot box test. Sadly some of the "quiet" PSUs just have the fans turned down. People buy them for the noise level not understanding that they run hot. I would rather have the noise than the heat.

It's a lot like the asinine stock fan speeds on the HD48XX cards. I guess too many people are whining about noise.

 

[Guest]

has anyone apart from me noticed that on page 17 it says "Higher sfficiency" instead of efficiency..

 

[Tanquen]

I have a number of the ST Silverstone power supplies and the fact that all of the cables can be removed is very cool. They sell or sold a short cable kit with all the cables in a shorter length. I’ve used these in each of my builds to get the best length and number of connections needed. I also have an ST75 and ST70 in my main system using a jumper cable that allows the motherboard to turn both power supplies on.
Some pics: http://www.hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1030571591&postcount=67

 

[Daniel_THG]

Hi there,

As author of the German article I would like to point out something.

[citation][nom]Proximon[/nom]Without voltage ripple and heat tests you can't properly evaluate a power supply.[/citation]
As in the past we're looking all the time at the ripple voltages. They're noted only if they are out of the spec. A heat test is a very difficult thing, especially if it should have reproducible results.

[citation][nom]sandmanwn[/nom]Been in the industry for a while and I've never seen or heard of Dragon Force psu's. Do they manufacture themselves or re brand another tier 1 manufacturers product? [/citation]
They’re branding, but most of the companys do that, it’s nothing special.

[citation][nom]Jobo_696[/nom]Hi,I have a question, how come on your PSU reviews, why haven't you tested or made reviews on probably, what are the best PSU's in the market....PC Power & Cooling...???[/citation]
It follows in part 2 of the review.

Best regards,
Daniel

 

[travischen]

About that ToughPower QFan 650W's +5V voltage issue:
This happens on rails with independent voltage regulation(aka Mag-Amp). If the load on main output, which is +12V rails in this case, is too low, and the output current of Mag-Amp rails is high, the Mag-Amp circuitry malfunctions, delivering an unstable or out-of-spec output.
You can try loading +12V very low while +3.3V very high, the same thing will happen when +12V load is lower than 0.5A. Some other units like Tagan BZ1100W shows similar light-load syndrome on +3.3V outputs.
In fact the spec of this ToughPower tells that the minimum load of +12V is 1A. Any load lower than 1A on +12V is out of spec.

 

[cangelini]

[citation][nom]ilovebarny[/nom]page two had a misspelling. it said thinker instead of thicker, more rounded cable.[/citation]

Fixed, thanks for the catch.

 

[cangelini]

[citation][nom]v_enus[/nom]has anyone apart from me noticed that on page 17 it says "Higher sfficiency" instead of efficiency.. [/citation]

Fixed as well. Thanks =)

 

[mafj]

I can see a few bits missing in this article the most important is resistance for external failures:
1 overcurrent, overheat protections testing (also relating to mains problems)
2 rails stability when some rails are under very low/high load
3 no noise/temperature testing at low and full load
ad 1)
There is a lot of stories that 'my PSU burnt with my mobo and drives'
* Is the Power supply resistant for mains spikes
* Is the power supply resistant for mains breaks (negative spikes)
In my office there used to be short mains power breaks

 

[mafj]

To continue my post:
In my office there used to be short mains power breaks some PC survived others get reset. Couldn't be the test how long break PC will stand at half load?
Often the story is: CD Drive burns in result +5V and +12V line gets short. If power supply won't shut off on time. The rest of components gets burnt. Could you test for that?

 

[Guest]

I recently purchased a HP m9402f that has a 300W PSU. I want to upgrade the graphics with an ATI 4850, but I see it recommends a 450W PSU. Any recommendations on which one to buy? Or, can the HP run the 4850 just fine?

 

[fureon]

Can the 450W version of this product power a SINGLE geforce gtx260?

 

[micthetic]

With the Dragon Force supply, when you fire it up it makes really fast, crappy guitar noises.