PSU tier list 2.0

[pianoplayer88key]

I've been wanting to know something about the tier list... What exactly determines how a particular PSU gets placed?

For example, do only units that get a 9.9 or better score from JonnyGuru, or equivalent from other sites, make it on Tier 1? Or, units that have rock-solid stable voltage regulation (like the one on JG that had 5.01V on the 5V on all tests in the hot box), have less than 10 mV ripple on all rails (like another JG-reviewed unit), and have good enough efficiency, like yet another review on JG, to clear the next higher certification from what it is assigned, make it onto Tier 1?

Or at the other end, units that explode while testing, don't meet ATX spec, etc, are put in the lowest tier?

What is the criteria for how a unit gets put in whatever tier it gets put in?

 

[turkey3_scratch]

Jonnyguru scores should be totally ignored. It is just incredible how much they give anything a "9" for performance when it has ripple and voltage regulation out the wazoo. I've learned to ignore anything they say, as I've seen times where they don't even do the calculations properly, and say load regulation on the 3.3V rail is just within spec, but if I plug in the numbers it's slightly out of spec (that was before they started doing the actual % calculations and putting them after the tables).

I would only assume everything is looked at. I know in the Tier List I'm developing, if anything is out of spec in terms of voltage regulation or ripple, it's going to be found in the lower tiers. Capacitor quality is another factor. if you see Trek capacitors, you know it's going way down there. But units that have regulation very close to 1% on all rails, ripple extremely minimal, good transient response tests, and quality Japanese capacitors, you can be sure they get Tier 1.

 

[kwa-e]

Ugh, FSP's pretty hit and miss with their units.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

Ugh, FSP's pretty hit and miss with their units.

The thing is, though, they design what the company wants. They can do high quality, they can do low, unlike other OEMs that are one or the other. The FPS Hydro F is very recent and is very high quality. Would they match Seasonic though? I think not.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

No, but then again the Pro series hardly matches Seasonic's top end either. I'm sure FSP could put out something vastly superior if they wanted/were paid enough.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

True, FSP's quality units if anything matches the Pro series. You know, I think it was the XFX Pro series that has very weird voltages that actually increased on the 12V rail as load increased rather than decreased.

 

[logainofhades]

FSP is the OEM for the Evga GQ series too. IIRC, those were reviewed as being decent, better than G1 units were.

 

[kwa-e]

Maybe the engineers took the saying "Better too much than too little" too literally.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

FSP is the OEM for the Evga GQ series too. IIRC, those were reviewed as being decent, better than G1 units were.

Except the 750W one with out-of-spec ripple on the 5V and 3.3V rails.

 

[CTurbo]

"better than G1 units" is hardly bragging rights lol

 

[logainofhades]

They are probably about as good as a B2 unit, though.

 

[kwa-e]

FSP is the OEM for the Evga GQ series too. IIRC, those were reviewed as being decent, better than G1 units were.

Except the 750W one with out-of-spec ripple on the 5V and 3.3V rails.

Reminds me of their Raider 750W unit

 

[Brandon G]

I recieved my XFX XT 500 yesterday and just wanted to share the photos. I know they are not anything that we haven't seen on this forum already but I'm anxiously waiting the OEM reveal and a test hopefully!

 

[Someone Somewhere]

Awful lot of zeroes in that serial number.

Any UL number?

 

[Brandon G]

Awful lot of zeroes in that serial number.

Any UL number?

Hmmm... I didn't notice one. Doesn't look like there is even a "UR" on the outside of the unit.

Is that odd? I'm new to PSU's.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

Yeah, that's pretty unusual for decent PSUs.

 

[toyftw]

I recieved my XFX XT 500 yesterday and just wanted to share the photos. I know they are not anything that we haven't seen on this forum already but I'm anxiously waiting the OEM reveal and a test hopefully!

The tipoff that this is a new lower price (& prob step down in quality) is the even wattage #'s,
ie 400,500,600. Almost all the current PSU suppliers use the 50's (550,650, etc) for their better
quality units and the even #'s for prom/step down units. There are exceptions, of course

I wouldn't be too concerned yet, as XFX might be doing what the rest do in some form already,
ie, the old "good, better, best" approach.

As we've seen from a couple suppliers they've expanded on that theme (think Corsair); something along the
line of "crappy, fair, pretty good, good, better, even better" etc.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

I think that might be an example of 'correlation does not imply causation'...

 

[okcnaline]

I put my bets on Sirfa. Looks a bit close to the innards of the FirePower Fatal1ty.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Not having seen the internals in detail, going strictly off the even capacity specs, I'm guessing maybe CWT like the Corsair CX series units.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Seems those units only have a 2 year warranty as well, and from the one JG thread I could find on them, use low end caps. This may be something similar to the EVGA B series units using HEC. Either way, it doesn't bode well for these units and seems to likely be a poor quality release. This may end up being a sad smear on the XFX scoresheet.

 

[okcnaline]

HEC units look so different though.

 

[orionfotl]

Here is the news: http://www.orionpsudb.com/news/the-mystery-of-xfx-budget-xt-line-solved-oem-and-platform-discovered

Not FSP, not HEC, and not Sirfa - it's manufactured by Shenzhen Rui Sheng Yuan Technology. The platform is designed by Seasonic, and outsourced to RSY to take the load off their own factory.
RSY is the factory that used to make units for Rasurbo, Ultra or old Topower, and now is being used as one of Super Flower's outsourcing partners for some of their low end units.
It's the same platform as Hydance CT series. There are some good photos of the internals. Hydance is a brand by Energy Power Enterprise, which in turn is a subsidiary of Seasonic created to target lower end markets.
Uses CS capacitors and makes an amusing mess out of the power label (explanation inside). It can be a fine PSU, just wait for tests.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

Well, looks quite barebones for a Seasonic designed unit. We'll see how it does on the regulation and scope measurements. And, pardon my French, but when you say CS capacitors, are you talking about the Nichicon CS series, or a brand CS?

 

[orionfotl]

CS is the brand. I can't recall seeing them in any power supply from the major brands.