PSU tier list 2.0

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I'm just trying to get proof out there that these cheap units are crappy. We all know they are, except of course those people who buy them, and are like, "give me proof this unit sucks?" and then we have none. As many crap units I can get my hands on, the better.
 
The first thing to note is that this unit is not the same as it appears on the box. On the box, it shows the power supply with two AC receptacles - one for America, 115V, and one for Europe, 230V. The actual unit has just a red voltage selection switch.
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If it looks like it has two power sockets on it, it won't be 115 vs 230 - both are going to use a standard IEC C13/C14.

Older PSUs had a switched output, so you could daisy-chain your monitor off it, in the days before they powered themselves off.

Cable gauge is usually printed on them.

For a dummy load, I'd suggest lighting. Particularly car headlight bulbs, or MR16 halogens. Make sure they're not touching anything flammable.

You'll also want some way of measuring current - probably some nice big 0.1Ω resistors and measure the voltage across them. Multimeters rarely do more than 10A, and DC clampmeters have a hard time at low currents, and are expensive.
 


It's not a question of the validity of the review itself. It's the site and it's editorial/administrative question marks. I know Aris is doing the reviews. But just like Joe Trott (Onus) does reviews of motherboards here, and Tradesman did some memory articles, what happens to the data and how the site itself is conducted, are entirely different matters. Editorial tends to put submitted reviews through a meatgrinder before they are published, and generally handle the arrangement of the data for charts and benchmarks, including artwork. I'm quite sure Aris didn't confuse Cooler Master and Corsair, but it happened nonetheless.
 
@turkey. You can get a decent AC/DC voltmeter at Lowes for around 40.00. Even a cheaper but still usable one for about twenty bucks.

This one will do


AC Voltage 600V 1mV ±1.2%
DC Voltage 600V 0.1mV ±0.5%
NCV (non-contact AC Voltage) 100 to 600V
AC Current 10A 1mA ±3.0%
DC Current 10A 1mA ±2.5%
Resistance 60MΩ 0.1 ohm ±1.0%
Capacitance 1000µF 10pF ±3.0%
Frequency 10MHz 0.001Hz ±1.2%
Duty Cycle 99.9% 0.1% ±1.2%
Temperature -4 to 1400°F (-20 to 760°C) 0.1° ±3.0%
Continuity Audible threshold approx. 30 ohms
Diode Test Yes


http://www.lowes.com/pd_464293-295-11050N___?Ntt=11050n&UserSearch=11050n&productId=50125841



Or you can get an entry level Fluke for about 110.00, but it won't have near as many features as this Southwire. It will however be much higher quality.

You can also get a very basic hand held lab scope for about 260.00 that should be capable of doing most basic testing on primary and secondary circuits for just about anything. Likely, if you want to just get one tool and have a really decent multimeter WITH a lab scope feature, you can get one of those for about three fifty. Sometimes less if you catch a sale. Something like this would probably work. It wouldn't put you where the big boys are, but I can almost guarantee some of these websites doing PSU reviews aren't even using any equipment, much less anything as sophisticated as even this.

https://www.circuitspecialists.com/handheld-oscilloscope-multimeter-dso1060.html
 
I wouldn't buy a fluke; they've become Apple. Plenty of very good other brands that are much cheaper. Make sure it's at least Cat III 600V and from a reputable manufacturer, and you'll be sweet. Anything less is probably going to blow up on you if you accidentally use it on amps in the wrong place - glass fuses have a fault current rating around 30A...

Also, you probably want True RMS, given you're dealing with stuff that's not perfect sine waves.

Oscilloscopes? Ebay, second hand.
 
I had an older Flukescope combo unit and it got stolen out of my shop about a year ago. I would've put that thing up against just about anything on the market. There was almost nothing that thing couldn't do. I agree there are some very decent less known brands now though that have features for hundreds that you used to have to pay thousands for though. I'm currently using an off branded unit that's pretty much limited to about what you see on that unit I listed above, although it a better quality meter than that. I think I paid two hundred for it. I'm planning to get another unit soon with all the bells and whistles.

Too had to do advanced diagnostics on most vehicles these days without more than basic functions. Be nice to also be able to do some other testing like what we've been discussing as well.
 
I use a Cat IV 1000A fluke with all the bells. It's over 10 yrs old. I had a Sperry 400A which was great, until stolen. I even tried a Southwind Cat III 600A which lasted 4 days until it was dropped and shattered like a porcelain vase..

Lesson of the day: Don't skimp on quality, it only ends up costing you more in the long run. Hmm, where have I heard that before.....
 
I don't believe fluke makes any Cat IV 1000V meters, but that's beside the point...

I'm not in the US, but I'm pretty sure Southwire isn't known for their meters. Metrix/AEMC, Amprobe, and a few others are ones I'd consider up there with Fluke.

I'm pretty sure Fluke's stuff at the same price point will break just as easily.
 
Connect a load from the voltage rail you're interested in to ground. Short the PWR_ON to ground to turn the PSU on. Done.

For 'low-budget', I'd suggest something like car headlight bulbs, or MR16 halogen. Both are cheap, found in a bunch of wattages, and run off 12V. Connect a bunch in parallel if you want more load. Note that they've got a lot of inrush current (until the filament heats up), so you might want to connect them in stages.

3.3V and 5V are a bit harder; I'd guess just use 12V lamps and see how much current they draw.
 
I've thought of getting an oscilloscope from time to time, but I don't do as much with electronics as I did during my teens (Forrest Mims III FTW!) so I haven't been able to justify the expense. I ought to be able to scrounge $400 or so by delaying upgrades and other "experiments" I really don't need. Hmmm....
 


They make many. Here's one.

http://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/88354519
 
Hey guys Torrent here.

I wanna sincerely apologize for not updating the list at all for the past 4 months. I've been working seriously hard on some projects and have lost complete focus on the tier list.

I see the community is still supporting the tier list and offering advice to the new guys of the PC building community. Thank you so much for this, as without you guys and your help to the community while I was gone, this tier list would cease to exist.

There will be a massive update come Post-Computex (May 31st - June 4th) and a PSU cleanup will follow around a few weeks later. 2 months the most.

Again, thank you all for keeping faith in the list while I was gone and I'll see you Post-Computex.

Torrent.
 
Mines a clamp meter. I work mainly on 400A or 600A but the largest I've worked on was a 2000A open buss so I needed a rather expensive meter for that. Luckily, I didn't have to pay the $600+ for it.

It is Cat IV 600v/Cat III 1000v. I'd give the model # but it's no longer there lol, case is so scratched I can't read much of anything on it anymore.
 
I can't do junk, anything. Tools are top quality (yes and overpriced hah) even my pcs were overpaid for performance, Seasonic, Evga G2, Samsung, Fractal Design, WD Black, Patriot Intel Masters etc. Buying cheap quality simply isn't worth it.

I see too many buying a psu with 3 yr warranty for $15-$20 less than same size with a 10 yr warranty. So I spent $80 for 1 psu and in 10 years they've spent $200. I just don't get the math. Lol
 
I will "occasionally", and by that, I mean maybe two or three times a year out of the fifty or more tool purchases per year I make, buy a cheap tool if it's something I'm fairly certain I'm only going to use one time, but even then, by cheap, I mean Craftsman or Kobalt, Porter Cable or Ryobi, and very rarely, in a serious pinch, something from Harbor freight. Usually it's Stihl, Milwaukee, Snap on, Mac, Matco, some DeWalt stuff (But not as much as I used to. Too many DeWalt cordless tools have died on jobs.), Fluke, Makita, Ridgid, Jet, Festool, Klein and occasionally Bosch.

I simply can't tolerate it when a tool breaks or fails to do what it's supposed to do, while doing it.
 
Anybody have any idea who Luay is that keeps injecting snarky little comments in Aris PSU reviews and some other hardware reviews as well? What site is he from, as he has several times referenced other writers "borrowing" data from his reviews?
 
Even if you get a EVGA 500B or a CX500, which are pretty cheap, they are so much better than this unit probably that you'd be stupid not to spend that bit of extra money
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You didn't quite call him stupid, but yeah you might want to soften it just a little, perhaps with passive voice, e.g. "it would be foolish not to spend such a small amount more." That's just my $0.02.
 
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