PSU tier list 2.0

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Because tiers are not about getting a better unit. They're about being able to quickly and easily tell, in one list, if the unit is adequate.

If you want to spend time getting the best possible unit, taking into account price, components, your thermal situation, need for modular/certain connectors... you're going to need to read reviews.

If you're some random person building a PC, either will be fine and you'll never know the difference (other than being out tens of dollars), and IIRC neither is significantly more likely to fail.
 
"The two lists I have are not "tiers". It is just one list of recommended power supplies and one list of psu's to avoid. Both are based on competent technical reviews. Links are provided to the technical reviews. That's all. It is up to the consumer to do research and make an informed purchasing decision."

This what works ^​

Well put Johnny.​
 


Not really, that's why people ask "what PSU should I buy" and they get an answer on one that is fit for them. They don't need to go digging through reviews, instead they just ask the question of people who have dug through reviews.

I think saying Tier 3 and below units are a waste of money is sort of not justifiable. The majority of the Tier 1 and Tier 2 units on this list are a waste of money, because only a select few units out of them in general are greater value. Most of them are just overpriced honestly. Telling people to just "Buy a tier 1 or tier 2 unit" will often end up with them losing a lot of money if they just pick a random one.

Obviously it is quite safe to say that something like a Corsair RMx is better than a Logisys piece of crap. I don't care what the situation is, nobody will be in a situation where a Logisys is better than the RMx. But once there are more tiers, things get complicated. Let's say Bob is a gamer who plays competitively and values a very quiet power supply. His GPU is an R9 390, so power requirements can be a bit steep and so can power spikes for that matter. In addition, Bob has very frequent brownouts since he lives in India. Bob is looking at the tier list.

He sees a tier 1 unit. Wow, all Japanese caps, fantastic ripple performance, solid voltage regulation, good crossload performance. He doesn't know all that though. However, what Bob doesn't know, is that that tier 1 unit drops the PWR_OK signal at an unsafe voltage, it has poor 12V transient response performance, and it is also a very noisy PSU. On the other hand, there is a tier 2 unit that Bob thinks must be worse. It doesn't have as nice ripple or as sharp voltage regulation, but it is extremely quiet even under high loads, transient response performance excels, and it drops the PWR_OK signal at a safe voltage in terms of a brownout.

Which power supply in this case is a better power supply for Bob? The Tier 2 one indeed.
 

This. The purpose of any list, regardless of # of tiers, should be to simplify the PSU selection process.

Yep, that's why this works so well; it quickly and efficiently answers the question.
 
Hi, are these PSUs good for budget gaming PC?

SILVERSTONE STRIDER ESSENTIAL 500W
80+ BRONZE NON MODULAR (SST-ST50F-ES230)

SEASONIC ECO 500W 80+(SS-500BT)

Which one would you recommend? Thanks..
 
Tier lists don't simplify the selection process, they make it over complicated by indulging people with dozens upon dozens of PSU options. Blackbird said it best, they can just ask on a forum for advise. Plus tier lists like this are outdated so you have perfectly viable units to purchase like the FSP Hydro X or Enermax Revolution X'T II not even on the list. Johnny's list just narrows it down to hundreds of units, too; not very ideal for finding the right one. Buying a PS shouldn't just be a "meh, it's good enough" process. The PSU should be ideal for that specific user, and if somebody is stuck with a tier list it doesn't supply them with the ideal PSU.

Why do you think none of the PSU reviewers or experts care for tier lists? Besides firmly disagreeing with the placement of many units, they also just plain-out disagree with the concept of a tier list in the first place. I feel like the majority of tier lists out there are made just because the creator wants the fame and to be known as the tier list creator. It's a great symbol of authority, is it not? Even Jonnyguru was creating a tier list and it got bashed, so it has now just turned into a data table which is actually quite useful for anyone who wants a solid reference. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qaSSCWjC11ArO8WyBb_wTvFU_Ez9488F6ARkbag1e14/edit

I always see posts where somebody says, "Pick a tier 1 or 2 PSU". I don't think I've ever seen the OP go, "Hey thanks! I found the perfect PSU thanks to you." If people are not educated enough to look through the gigantic pool of power supplies and pick the right one, then how would they be educated enough to look through a smaller pool of power supplies in a tier or two to find the right one? Researching the PSU requires more research than any other component because what makes one good or bad is primarily rooted in electrical concepts whereas other computer hardware affects the performance of software and can be easily benchmarked and compared.

Saying that a tier list removes the need to do research is not true. There are tons of variations in quality and performance of the units within the same tier, and it would only require the consumer to do more research to find the right unit within that tier. That's why it is best for them to just ask on a forum. Most people just go, "Hey, EVGA! That's a reputable brand" and just grab one with a much higher rated wattage than they need. There are way too many factors to generalize PSUs into tiers.
 


That depends on your PC, what you do with your PC, your budget, your country, and what sites you buy from. Particularly, the prices of each one.

The Strider Essential has nice voltage rgeulation and ripple, except it is group regulated and has a sleeve bearing fan.

As for the Seasonic ECO, it seems like an OEM unit, so it probably won't come with screws or a power cord and such things. Can't find a review on it, so it's hard to say. There may even be a better option than these two in your price range. The Silverstone is also very noisy, getting as loud as 50dB.
 


Just like politics :lol:

It's because there are no standards for "good" or "bad" with power supplies, nor would those "good"s and "bad"s apply to everybody. If there were, making a tier list would be such a breeze.
 


Quote of the month. Made my day..............
 
I generally recommend tier 1 and 2, due the numerous non US members, that we have. Gives them the ability to look for something, in their area, that matches their budget, and won't set their system on fire. Not everyone has access to some of our favorite recommendations, in the US. India for example, has very few quality brands, to look at. Seasonic, and seasonic built Antecs usually being the best available. Other countries is a bit lesser known, availability wise.
 
I always see posts where somebody says, "Pick a tier 1 or 2 PSU". I don't think I've ever seen the OP go, "Hey thanks! I found the perfect PSU thanks to you."
Click to expand...

That's because anybody who has enough intellect and common sense to see what's there and then go research which of those units is the best fit, or "perfect" unit for them as you put it, doesn't need to have their hand held while they do so. They simply don't know where to start when it comes to power supplies, or how they match up against each other.

People who need to have a unit hand selected for THEM, are usually not people who can look at the list and say "ok, I have ten really good units and ten great units to whittle down now, so let me go and start looking at prices and availability in my area."

Wanting to hear "Thanks, I found the perfect PSU THANKS TO YOU", seems more like something somebody looking for ego bolstering would do than being the creator of a tier list that gives you a fundamental grouping of quality units but requires you to go narrow that down to the "perfect" unit for you yourself would do.

If I recall correctly, seems you had or have a tier list as well, so, glass houses and all that.

I guess places like JD Power and Associates or Car and Driver should stop providing rankings of cars based on criteria as well, and just start listing "good" cars and "bad" cars, because ranking them according to features, quality and performance is a waste of time, right?
 
If ppl bothered to ask. I don't. I'm intelligent enough to go find answers for myself, by readings reviews etc instead of just taking ppl word for things like some of the 'star lists' on newegg or Amazon. Instead, I can come here, look at tiers 1 and 2, make note of those units, go find prices, read the reviews to narrow down choices etc. It's a long process, not just listening to someone preach the virtues of SuperFlower or Seasonic.

There are some ppl here who are like God's with what they know about psus, but many more who just wanna be. How can any stranger logging on for the first time tell the difference, who is realistic, who is just spouting and who is FOS.

And to top all that, you have ppl who just like to answer questions, make up builds of decent components etc who quite often are dealing with max performance for min budget and when the favorite psus are not on sale, is there an option of equitable ability? Dunno, look at the list real quick, yep.

Get rid of the list and all you've succeeded in doing is killing a source of information and regulating answers to the 1/2 dozen who live for psus while leaving the rest of us mortals in the dark needing to beg for an answer.
 


And I am a much smarter man now. Having made one before, it only makes me realize even moreso that tier lists are not good.

@Karadjgne: I wouldn't call a tier list a source of information. It is someone's opinion.
 

...and, if the person is knowledgeable, and the list is peer-reviewed as this one definitely is, it is an EXCELLENT source of information, at the very least as a starting point. I've never called such lists (of any parts, not just PSUs) a be-all, end-all on the subject, but they are valid and useful data points.

 
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