PSU tier list 2.0

[Onus]

If the OCP is set right, multi-rail doesn't cause any issues.
I'm not sure this is really an Aurum, or something else. There is no 500W Aurum+.

 

[toyftw]

What do you think? Decent unit? Unknown caps probably not worth risking it?

I'd take the gamble, majority of FSP units have 3yr warranties, these have 5yr. Not a tell all for sure, but probably
worth the gamble. Doesn't seem mainstream enough to be getting reviewed (by a trustworthy site) anytime
soon.

 

[orionfotl]

What do you think? Decent unit? Unknown caps probably not worth risking it?

The primary capacitor is Nippon Chemi-Con (you can see that through the grille); the secondary ones are mostly obstructed.

The most common reason for PSU failures is the fan anyway - it's usually the first component to die. The FSP branded version is an FDB and the Antec Earthwatts Platinum version is ball bearing, perhaps the Sparkle uses one of these two.

I'm not sure this is really an Aurum, or something else. There is no 500W Aurum+.

Of course there is. The normal, gold Aurum (designated EGN) is specified for between 350 and 750 watts, with 50W intervals; while the ETN (Aurum 92+ in retail) is specified for between 400W and 750W with 50W intervals.

 

[Onus]

If I didn't already have 3-4 PSUs on a shelf (or the floor), I'd probably risk one, except that they're not modular, and I really prefer that.

Edit: Looking at http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/FSP.htm , there is NO 500W Platinum Aurum+ PSU listed; Gold, but not Platinum. Down in the "ETN" models this specific 500W Platinum model number is listed.

 

[orionfotl]

If you're looking at RealHardTechX, then it is listed as "PT-500". Like I said, FSP specified the ETN platform from 400W to 750W, with 50W intervals; this does not mean they have to put every variant on the market. Similarly, Super Flower does have things like a Leadex Gold 900W.

Don't confuse the names, by the way - there's no such series as Aurum+; the retail arm of the ETN platform is called specifically Aurum 92+.

ETN = Aurum 92+, PT-400 to PT-700 and PT-450M to PT-650M.
EGN = Aurum, AU-400 to AU-700 and AU-550M to AU-750M.

 

[ikissfutebol]

So in an i5 6500 mITX build using bus-powered graphics, is this a viable PSU? Sounds like it's either on tier 1 or 3.

 

[CTurbo]

If I didn't already have 3-4 PSUs on a shelf (or the floor), I'd probably risk one, except that they're not modular, and I really prefer that.

lol I'm glad I'm not the only one who has a surplus of psus laying around.

 

[orionfotl]

So in an i5 6500 mITX build using bus-powered graphics, is this a viable PSU? Sounds like it's either on tier 1 or 3.

It's viable for anything up to 500 watts, since it stays inside specifications on the whole load range; unless your graphics card draws more than 216W from the PCIe cables, since their rail's overcurrent protection is rated at 18A (216W). Graphics card also take power form the PCIe motherboard connector (specified for 75W, but can go higher) which is on a separate rail.

 

[ikissfutebol]

So in an i5 6500 mITX build using bus-powered graphics, is this a viable PSU? Sounds like it's either on tier 1 or 3.

It's viable for anything up to 500 watts, since it stays inside specifications on the whole load range; unless your graphics card draws more than 216W from the PCIe cables, since their rail's overcurrent protection is rated at 18A (216W). Graphics card also take power form the PCIe motherboard connector (specified for 75W, but can go higher) which is on a separate rail.

By viable I mean something you'd actually use on your own system. I'm debating between SeaSonic SSR-360GP 360W ATX12V v2.31 80 PLUS GOLD and the FSP/Sparkle. I would estimate 75%+ of the time my computer is on, it's used for Office/browsing and that's about it. I would be hard pressed to likely push a 360W PSU to optimal efficiency. That would be my reason for wanting a platinum...and it costs $20 less, too!

 

[Darkbreeze]

If you're not running a gaming card, or a high end workstation card, then that Seasonic 360w unit is more than enough and is probably a good choice.

 

[ikissfutebol]

If you're not running a gaming card, or a high end workstation card, then that Seasonic 360w unit is more than enough and is probably a good choice.

So pay $20 more for a 360W gold PSU vs pay less for a 500W platinum? I would if there was that much difference in quality. I would like to run either the ASUS GTX 950 that doesn't require a 6/8 pin PCI-E connector or see what comes from Pascal/Polaris. I currently have a Radeon HD 7750. My wife is very eco-friendly so I like the idea of the platinum. I understand the Seasonic is a higher quality, but is tier 3 really that much worse? Or does the ETN line fall on tier 1?

 

[Darkbreeze]

Actually, I thought you were indicating the Seasonic was the less expensive unit. If you're running any kind of discreet card higher than a GT 730 or R7 250, then you definitely want a unit with more than 360w capacity. For the GTX 950 a good 450w unit should be fine.

What country are you in and is there a reason you are limited to only choosing between those two models?

 

[superninja12]

is the super flower silver green 500w a safe pwoersupply to use for gaming up to a gtx 970?
with an intel core i5

 

[RCFProd]

is the super flower silver green 500w a safe pwoersupply to use for gaming up to a gtx 970?
with an intel core i5

I think that one uses kinda cheap capacitors. Will it run a GTX 970? I think it should do without any hassle.

 

[ikissfutebol]

Actually, I thought you were indicating the Seasonic was the less expensive unit. If you're running any kind of discreet card higher than a GT 730 or R7 250, then you definitely want a unit with more than 360w capacity. For the GTX 950 a good 450w unit should be fine.

What country are you in and is there a reason you are limited to only choosing between those two models?

I'm in the US. FSP is $49.99 at Newegg and Seasonic is $69.99. I'm looking for something super efficient for a super low power build that's still capable of gaming - hence Skylake + best bus-powered GPU option. I wouldn't have any intentions on upgrading beyond that as I never have and never will spend beyond ~$150 for a GPU. When I can play games, I don't play anything that's super demanding or necessarily need to push an FPS number - 24+ FPS is fine with me. When I've used PSU calculators, I keep getting under max load (100% TDP), I'm at 229 if I picked the GTX 950 that required additional power, not the bus-powered one. It recommends 279 W. With my case, I'll only be able to have 2 drives (likely 1 SSD and 1 HDD) once I upgrade my GPU from the 7750...right now I have a 2nd HDD since my cards single slot. I have a self-powered USB hub that pretty much every USB things gets plugged into, too.

So I have/will have one 140 mm case fan, i5 6500, <=75 W GPU, 2x4 gig RAM sticks, stock CPU cooler, 1 SSD, 1 HDD (WD Blue or Green since I'll need a bigger one - currently a blue though). I don't think I'm really pushing the PSU much. As I mentioned before, my wife is super eco-friendly, so one of my goals is to minimize my carbon foot print. I'm trying to spend under $70, since my original plan was to buy the 360 W Seasonic gold. If there's something else out there for under $70, at least gold rated and fits properly in a Cooler Master Elite 110 case, I'm happy to consider it I know the difference in efficiency between bronze and gold is potentially planting one tree per year, from a carbon foot print perspective.

 

[Darkbreeze]

If you want a QUALITY low powered unit, with at least gold efficiency, and are concerned with the budget, then I think that this is probably your best option:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Power Supply: SeaSonic 450W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.16 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $59.16
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-25 13:26 EDT-0400

 

[prince_13]

how bout my seasonic m12ii 620w non evo ? what tier is this ?

 

[Darkbreeze]

What about it?

 

[kwa-e]

Guys, apparently guys at BaPC says that Corsair CX's are great (even at full price) due to the great Vreg, Ripple and and says the S12II series aren't "anything special"

And they fail to adress the fact that the CX's and B1's have bad capacitors, whenever I mention the capacitors they just change the subjet.

Eh, I feel like I'm losing braincells every second blergh.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

Never heard of BaPC, but if it's a forum I can understand, I've gotten really frustrated at other forums, especially LTT.

 

[kwa-e]

Well it's in an IRC chatroom of a subreddit called BuildaPC.

Might want to keep a tab open here, so you can budge in when it comes to PSU discussions. It's a pretty fun IRC channel though but it can get stressful at times.

https://kiwiirc.com/client/irc.freenode.net/?#reddit-buildapc

 

[turkey3_scratch]

Well it's in an IRC chatroom of a subreddit called BuildaPC.

Might want to keep a tab open here, so you can budge in when it comes to PSU discussions. It's a pretty fun IRC channel though but it can get stressful at times.

https://kiwiirc.com/client/irc.freenode.net/?#reddit-buildapc

I'm on it now 😉 ready to rumble.

 

[kwa-e]

Kuai's my name in there- let's do this haha.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Just be sure to keep all the "stupid" on that side of the fence, and don't be baiting the trolls to come stumbling over here from under their bridges. We've got enough of that already.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

I actually informed a lot of people on stuff. One dude eventually got frustrated when I was talking about the downfalls of the EVGA 550 G2 AC_LOSS to PWR_OK hold-up time as well as when the UVP decides to actually turn it off, 10.8V. They kept saying, "It got a 10/10". This is why I think PSU reviewers should not score units, people start using those numbers as gold in stone.