PSU tier list 2.0

[tiny voices]

So, would you recommend not buying ARC or Glacier before tests come out? And a Photon would be a good buy? I have no issues voiding the warranty to swap the fan. I have done it many times.

 

[orionfotl]

So, would you recommend not buying ARC or Glacier before tests come out? And a Photon would be a good buy? I have no issues voiding the warranty to swap the fan. I have done it many times.

I wouldn't recommend the 450-650W ARCs at all, because they are group regulated.
The lower wattage Glaciers are group regulated too, but if you'd like to buy one of them anyway just to pop up the cover and be the first person to post the internals online, that would sure be cool 😉

What is your limit excluding mail in rebates, actually?

 

[tiny voices]

I mean no limit in reality, but I want to be under $70 no rebates if possible. I know I should just grab a Seasonic but I want something different.

The Valens 600w is $60.
The Glacier 600w semi-modular is $60 as well. Is this one group regulated?

 

[tiny voices]

Hmm seems the Andyson built Glacier 600w only makes 540w on the 12v rail. Not promising.

 

[CTurbo]

You could probably find a Super Flower built Rosewill Capstone or Sentey Golden Steel Power. Personally, I would not buy anything that wasn't made by Seasonic, Super Flower, or Delta.

 

[tiny voices]

Unfortunately there are no Sentey Golden Steel units left.

 

[Onus]

The original Capstone seems to be gone from Newegg also. They have the Capstone-G, which is not Super Flower.

 

[tiny voices]

Yeah I don;t think I want a Capstone G.

 

[Deleted member 217926]

AZZA, be Quiet, Cyonic, Fractal Design, Kingwin, NZXT, Sentey.......a few ideas of brands that aren't super well known but that have quality units in their lineups.

Or you could be a real rebel and use a Sunbeam! 😉

 

[CTurbo]

$79 is a bit high but it's a great unit

http://www.outletpc.com/mu3793-rosewill-capstone-750w-atx-80-plus-gold-psu.html?utm_source=mu3793-rosewill-capstone-750w-atx-80-plus-gold-psu&utm_medium=shopping%2Bengine&utm_campaign=pcpartpicker&utm_content=Rosewill%2B-%2BPower%20Supplies%20%3E%20ATX%20Power%20Supply%20-%20600W%20%26%20Over

 

[tiny voices]

New info.

I connected the junk OEM FSP 300w to the motherboard and CPU (24/8) and left the Antec powering the GPU and HDDs. When running all types of benchmarks, the voltage stayed at 12v (11.986) and only went as high as 12.056v. When I use just the Antec and run a CPU only benchmark it stays at 12v, but when running a GPU heavy benchmark it drops into the 11.75v range. Time to replace?

This unit was bought new in 2011 and used to power a Phenom 2 x4 B50 (145w) and an HD 6870 until I picked up that PC on craigslist for free because dead (just bad motherboard) and put the PSU to work in my PC. So I guess the capacitors could be aged?

 

[turkey3_scratch]

I know the Nightjar is based on the Seasonic Fanless V2, but it's still better. It has very minor differences. The Nightjar has about 10mv better ripple on the 12V rail, and it also uses all Chemi-Con. The Seasonic throws in some Enesol, which also are good, but not as good. But I'm basically comparing a rock to a stone.

I like the Rosewill Photon. It's a better performer than the EVGA GS series.

 

[Darkbreeze]

New info.

I connected the junk OEM FSP 300w to the motherboard and CPU (24/8) and left the Antec powering the GPU and HDDs. When running all types of benchmarks, the voltage stayed at 12v (11.986) and only went as high as 12.056v. When I use just the Antec and run a CPU only benchmark it stays at 12v, but when running a GPU heavy benchmark it drops into the 11.75v range. Time to replace?

This unit was bought new in 2011 and used to power a Phenom 2 x4 B50 (145w) and an HD 6870 until I picked up that PC on craigslist for free because dead (just bad motherboard) and put the PSU to work in my PC. So I guess the capacitors could be aged?

I dunno. I usually don't replace a unit until it's down to like 11.6 under load. Even then I like to verify with a volt meter. My current G2 was sometimes showing 11.8 under load when it was connected to my previous 990fx chipset but now on my Z170 chipset the same unit shows no lower than 12.01v regardless of load so I think SOME amount of variance can be considered as possibly a result of erroneous sensor tables.

 

[tiny voices]

I'll whip out the volt meter and try again.

 

[tiny voices]

Ok measured at the modular connector the lowest I saw in any stress test was 11.91 and when measured at the 24-pin the lowest I saw was 11.87. The highest I saw anywhere was 12.09.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

1.5% regulation sounds solid to me. That's a major difference from the software readings that read 11.75V-12.15V.

 

[tiny voices]

Nice. Looks like I won't need a new PSU. I should have used the multi-meter form the start.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Yessir. I think it's probably fine which is why I always do that if I'm in doubt.

 

[tiny voices]

Nice. Good to go then. I got all excited looking at new units. :lol:

 

[Darkbreeze]

Well, that doesn't mean you can't get one if you want, but it does allow you a bit more breathing room in selecting one, as far as the timeframe goes.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

Would anyone know why someone's USB devices wouldn't work until the PSU switch is turned off then back on? Something to do with the 5VSB rail? I'm stumped. If anyone wants to help this person: http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2956534/usb-consistently-fails-work-power-supply-turned.html#17417379

 

[tiny voices]

Isn't there like a BIOS setting on some boards to allow USB power for charging things while the PC is off? My MSI has it I believe as the USB ports work even with the PC off.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

Perhaps there is... I know my USB DVD drive works when the PC is off, which is nice because I can get the disk out without turning on the PC (yes I use discs daily). As for a setting I guess there is one, but this person's problem was the USB ports weren't even working when the PC was on.

 

[stavrosmast]

My dvd doesnt work when pc is off but the usb ports work

Also many people start to say that DVD drives are getting obsolete and people will stop using them, but for gamers who dont have VDSL or dont want to purchase games online a dvd drive is essential

 

[turkey3_scratch]

My dvd doesnt work when pc is off but the usb ports work

Also many people start to say that DVD drives are getting obsolete and people will stop using them, but for gamers who dont have VDSL or dont want to purchase games online a dvd drive is essential

Your DVD player is probably powered by a molex or SATA power cable and not by the 5VSB rail I'm guessing. USB ports I think primarily use the 5VSB rail. The way I see it is, games are getting huge on storage, and Internet speeds are still very slow these days. My area's had the same speeds for like a decade. This is why I prefer my games on a disc. I'm not spending one day downloading a game.