PSU tier list 2.0

[Someone Somewhere]

More silicon full stop, better manufacturing process, better binned, they used a thicker insulator which means more voltage but less current... all sorts of things.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

If it's more voltage but less current, then wouldn't that be more resistance from increased insulation? Also, I thought insulation was only on wires, are you talking about insulation on wires or in something like an IC?

 

[Someone Somewhere]

Two main numbers that matter: Voltage. This is what the transistor can withstand when it's off, and no current is flowing.

Current: This is how much current it can pass when it's turned on.

A transistor is used to switch electricity. To block the electricity flowing, you need an insulator. More voltage? Thicker layer of insulator.

When you do want it to conduct, that insulator becomes a (kinda poor) conductor, and that thicker layer means more resistance (called RDS(on) in FETs). Want more current? Need to go sideways, and use more silicon.

Read wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field-effect_transistor

 

[MadmanRB]

Why is tier 1 filled with PSU's over 1000W?
Plus is overpriced really the sign of quality?

Is there something in the $100 range that is any of good quality?
Do I need a overpiced PSU?
Because this is just a middle end gaming rig, I dont have $200 to throw away on a so called good PSU that could also fail as much as something that only costs $60

 

[Someone Somewhere]

Anything 'could' fail, but it may be significantly less likely.

Nonetheless, many of these are <$70, and can be found <600W:

EVGA
SuperNova G2 / P2 / T2 Super Flower
Supernova GS Seasonic
Supernova GQ FSP

XFX
Pro series Black edition Seasonic
Pro series Black edition Limited Edition 1000w Seasonic
Pro series XXX / Semi-Modular Seasonic

FSP
Aurum PT FSP
Hydro G FSP

Tier 2 is also perfectly good - tier 1 is not going to make any difference; it's more of an "I want the best possible" thing.

 

[MadmanRB]

Well I am thinking of breaking even with one of the tier 2 PSU's
I do have money, its not the issue.
Its how its resourced and seeing how good something in a reasonable $60 to $100 range

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207031

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151118

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817438028

I am currently eyeing those up

 

[kwa-e]

I'd go for a hydro G personally.

 

[pianoplayer88key]

Okay I was wondering about something re: old PSUs.

So let's say you have a really old PSU that was really good quality in its day. (One that if the tier list was around back then would have easily been Tier 1.) I'm talking about PSUs before the original tier list on xtremesystems.org from 2006.
You've been taking good care of it, not abusing it, been keeping it as cool as reasonably possible, not overloading, keeping it clean of dust, etc. It hasn't given you any problems that lesser-quality PSUs might give you - for example if JonnyGuru tested it now, he wouldn't have to pull any points for ripple, voltage regulation, capacitor aging, etc.

Now, you're building a new system based on Skylake (or if we look into the future, maybe Kaby, Cannon, Ice or Tiger Lake.)

So ... even if the PSU is good quality, has stood the test of time, been babied, etc ...

How old is too old to use an older PSU in a new build? For example I'm aware that few-year-old non-Haswell-compatible PSUs can be used in Haswell or newer Intel builds if you disable C6 and C7 in Bios. But ... if your PSU was, say, originally used with a Pentium III, or even a 486 ... well, at what point is the PSU designed for too-old technology and not usable in a modern system?

And, based on past history (for example the change to ATX 12V, or even father back, from AT to ATX), looking forward, what might be some examples of changes that would render current Tier 1 PSUs unsuitable for a future system, even if the PSU is still in excellent condition and the new system would be drawing nowhere near its capacity?

 

[Someone Somewhere]

Very old systems had lots of load on the 3.3V and [strike]12V[/strike] 5V rails, and only really fans and HDD motors on 12V. In newer PCs, this has changed massively - everything runs off 12V except for some peripheral stuff - USB connectors, SSDs, and that's about it. I think Pentium 4 was when this really started happening. So the old PSU might have enough watts, but on the wrong rails.

Connectors is the other issue - SATA didn't exist, go back a bit further and the CPU power connector didn't exist. Same goes for the PCIe GPU connector.

 

[toyftw]

Very old systems had lots of load on the 3.3V and 12V rails, and only really fans and HDD motors on 12V. In newer PCs, this has changed massively - everything runs off 12V except for some peripheral stuff - USB connectors, SSDs, and that's about it. I think Pentium 4 was when this really started happening. So the old PSU might have enough watts, but on the wrong rails.

Connectors is the other issue - SATA didn't exist, go back a bit further and the CPU power connector didn't exist. Same goes for the PCIe GPU connector.

Did you mean 5v?

 

[Onus]

Yes, I think he meant 5v.
I just had a H170 board on my test bench that only uses a 20-pin ATX power connector.
My SG-650 must be 8-10 years old now. It's currently not in use, but I would not hesitate to use it again.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

Doh!

 

[DiegoD]

Does anyone have any suggestions for a fanless power supply that's equivalent to the EVGA 605 GQ?

 

[Karadjgne]

I'm not trusting of any fanless power supply,or even the idea if one. Best bet is a semi fanless that has an eco switch (or equivalent) that will turn on the fan when a specified temp is reached. A little noise is a much more desirable result than an overheated psu. As it stands, many psus are getting to the point of being super quiet, additionally a little over sizing on wattage will reduce stress on the rails leaving them running much cooler, so the fan spins much slower, if at all.

https://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-220g20650y1
https://pcpartpicker.com/part/seasonic-power-supply-ssr650rm

 

[okcnaline]

Does anyone have any suggestions for a fanless power supply that's equivalent to the EVGA 605 GQ?

I think there's only SeaSonic X Fanless and Silverstone Nightjar. All are under 520W, so no.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

Yeah Nightjar is one of the best you can get.

 

[Darkbreeze]

I don't know where they came up with that name, Nightjar, sounds like something they used to use for "night soil" back in the old days. In other words, an old school port a potty.

 

[volkerball3011]

I'm considering an upgrade of some components in my CPU, and as I am on a budget, one of the key processors I'm considering is the AMD FX-8350, but I'm concerned about the 125W TDP. I'm currently using a Corsair CX750m with my system's Athlon II X4 640 and Radeon R9 380. If I upgrade to the 8350(or any other 125W CPU0, will the CX750m be good enough/safe to use? Or should I look into something a bit higher quality?

 

[Onus]

The need is not at all dire, but likely none of us like the CX750. It should be enough, and won't kill your parts, but historically a lot of them die early due to heat-related capacitor failures. Just anticipate needing to replace it at some point; if you see a deal on a good 550W unit, jump on it, but it's safe to wait. Under heavy load, you may hit 400W.

 

[Onus]

I don't know where they came up with that name, Nightjar, sounds like something they used to use for "night soil" back in the old days. In other words, an old school port a potty.

I'm pretty sure it's a nocturnal bug of some kind. For example, "jar fly" is another name for the big black and green annual cicadas common in many parts of the US.

 

[kwa-e]

It's been a while and still no reviews for the new CX450/550/650 units :I

 

[turkey3_scratch]

It's been a while and still no reviews for the new CX450/550/650 units :I

I don't think pcpartpicker even lists it yet, and not sure if Corsair's website even updated to it yet., so it'll be a while. They are still priced too high, though.

 

[kwa-e]

I'd be surprised if they actually perform well AND contains good capacitors.

And PCPP is mostly just manual data entry with a mix of a little bit of auto- the unit has to be requested quite a few times for it it appear it seems.

Any thoughts on the quark plat 750w reviewed by anandtech? Seems like a good unit with the main panasonic cap and chemicon secondaries.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

It does contain all Japanese. And it's DC-DC so crossloading will be good.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

When speaking of peak vs continuous power, why do these two discrepancies exist? As long as the components are rated to handle the current and voltage, why would it matter if they are under that strain for a continuous or brief period of time?