PSU tier list 2.0

[turkey3_scratch]

Really? The brand? Even a Google search does not show any sign of a CS brand. Very peculiar and very worrisome. I'm not buying a power supply with 85C rated caps by the "CS" brand. This is a disappointment from a build perspective. I also would have liked to see more amps on the 12V rail, these days it's nice to have rated wattage alone on that rail. How much were these costing on Newegg?

 

[Brandon G]

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.

Really? The brand? Even a Google search does not show any sign of a CS brand. Very peculiar and very worrisome. I'm not buying a power supply with 85C rated caps by the "CS" brand. This is a disappointment from a build perspective. I also would have liked to see more amps on the 12V rail, these days it's nice to have rated wattage alone on that rail. How much were these costing on Newegg?

$45, $55, & $65

 

[Darkbreeze]

Sigh.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

So those prices make it pointless with the XFX 550W Pro for $55.

 

[CTurbo]

 

[turkey3_scratch]

To me, there really should be no such thing called a "budget" power supply past 450W, because by time you have a system that will actual require 450W on the 12V rail, you're looking at a system with probably a $300 graphics card, in which "budget" should be totally excluded from the PSU. Heck, I've seen "budget" 1000W units. It's just foolish. Any system requiring a good 1000W would be probably $2000+, so budget PSUs are totally pointless.

Even if I was building a cheap $400 system, I'd make sure to account for a high quality power supply, even then I won't use a budget one. It's just not worth it in the long run.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

'High quality' and 'budget' do not have to be mutually exclusive.

The G2 850W is a budget power supply compared to something like an AX860i, for example.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

'High quality' and 'budget' do not have to be mutually exclusive.

The G2 850W is a budget power supply compared to something like an AX860i, for example.

Yes but the G2 is certainly not marketed as a budget unit, and when you see units like the 600B, the White series, it's clear to me that "budget" refers to the latter more than the former. There are always over-the-top units pricewise, but that doesn't mean reasonably priced quality units like the G2 are budget.

 

[pianoplayer88key]

"there really should be no such thing called a "budget" power supply past 450W"

I'd like to know where are the tier-1-quality ATX PSUs in the 150 to 350-watt range? I'm thinking for more mainstream / lower usage systems that don't have discrete graphics, have mid-range non-overclockable CPUs at most, are used for typical home office tasks, web browsing, some photo editing, etc. What is there from brands like Corsair, EVGA, SeaSonic, etc?

Or what about "ultra-budget" Tier 2 units of that wattage range? Like, maybe $30-50 or so? I'd guess the SeaSonic OEM Bronze units, like the SSP-???ET series would be a candidate, but they're not in the tier list at all. Also I'd be concerned about their cable length for routing in a medium size case like the Corsair 300R, NZXT Source 220, etc.

 

[kwa-e]

I think whether or not a unit is a "Budget" unit depends on how you define it

 

[turkey3_scratch]

I think whether or not a unit is a "Budget" unit depends on how you define it

Yes, it's subjective, but I think we can all agree that there are budget PSUs out there. Debating over what is and isn't a budget PSU doesn't change the fact that there are cheaper PSUs that stink.

In the 150W-350W range, most of those are OEM units which stink. Seasonic makes some in that range, but they seem more tier 2 to me.

Actually, there are some exceptions. Like this:

The Seasonic SS-400H1U has absolutely outstanding performance, it's simply incredible for such a small 1U form factor unit. Its voltage regulation and ripple are just so superb. All Japanese quality caps. It is 400W, but it's incredible, I'm serious.

Seasonic also has a TFX PSU model SS-300TFX but I consider it Tier 2. There is also the SS-350TGM, also a Tier 2 in my eyes.

 

[Turb0Yoda]

I have that SS-300TFX in my machine, replaced the HP OEM one. Solid unit imo... Don't have any tools to test anything though... besides the 24 pin being a large pain to get out....

 

[Someone Somewhere]

That looks more like a server unit to me.

Tier two is IMHO perfectly fine. Unless you're OCing seriously, the extra reduction in ripple or better regulation will make absolutely zero difference. And you're not likely to be doing any of that on a <300W machine, plus the PSU is likely to be a much larger portion of the price on a <300W machine.

 

[kwa-e]

"there really should be no such thing called a "budget" power supply past 450W"

I'd like to know where are the tier-1-quality ATX PSUs in the 150 to 350-watt range? I'm thinking for more mainstream / lower usage systems that don't have discrete graphics, have mid-range non-overclockable CPUs at most, are used for typical home office tasks, web browsing, some photo editing, etc. What is there from brands like Corsair, EVGA, SeaSonic, etc?

How about this?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151148&cm_re=seasonic-_-17-151-148-_-Product

Doesn't come with a power cord though, which you need to purchase seperately in bulk if you're building systems.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

Haha how ironic XXdeathXX, you happen to own it :lol:

Yes the 1U is a server unit, and a darn good one. I wouldn't recommend any other power supply for a rack server. Servers need reliability.

@kwa-e: I am unsure about that one.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

I think that would still likely fall into tier 2.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

That looks more like a server unit to me.

Tier two is IMHO perfectly fine. Unless you're OCing seriously, the extra reduction in ripple or better regulation will make absolutely zero difference. And you're not likely to be doing any of that on a <300W machine, plus the PSU is likely to be a much larger portion of the price on a <300W machine.

Indeed, Tier 2 are great, but it's also nice to have that distinction between the great Tier 2 units and the "ultra-licious superb" Tier 1 units.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

I think that would still likely fall into tier 2.

How so?

 

[Someone Somewhere]

Call it a guess based on price point, corner cutting (at least relative to other models), and target market. OEM units is definitely where 'good enough' comes into effect.

Weren't we talking about moving the XFX Core units down to T2? Seasonic isn't this magic company that can produce perfect products all the time for free.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

Call it a guess based on price point, corner cutting (at least relative to other models), and target market. OEM units is definitely where 'good enough' comes into effect.

Weren't we talking about moving the XFX Core units down to T2? Seasonic isn't this magic company that can produce perfect products all the time for free.

Check out the Jonnyguru review of it: http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=131

The closest thing I see to Tier 2 quality would be the 40mv of ripple on the 12V rail, but even that is fine and the other rails are under 10mv. Regulation is always under 1%. Caps are all Chemi-Con and Rubycon.

 

[DiegoD]

I figured this would be a good place to ask considering all of the knowledge of power supplies that is here. I found this Evga psu http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K85X2AW/ref=twister_B00NAQB7S0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1, and was wondering if it was good quality and or if there was a better psu to go for.

I'm looking for more of a "future proof" power supply so that I can continue to use it through upgrades and even new builds.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

Yes the 650GQ is a very good quality unit. A solid choice.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

I was talking about the 300W OEM one linked at Newegg. The SFF one is probably a tier one job, though 40mV is well into tier 2 IMHO. Tier 1 is for the 'beyond excellent' PSUs.

 

[DiegoD]

Is it worth the extra for the G1? http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K85X2AW/ref=twister_B00NAQB7S0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 

[turkey3_scratch]

I was talking about the 300W OEM one linked at Newegg. The SFF one is probably a tier one job, though 40mV is well into tier 2 IMHO. Tier 1 is for the 'beyond excellent' PSUs.

The Supernova GS is Tier 1 and has 60mv of ripple on the 12V rail.