PSU tier list 2.0

[i7Baby]

Indians use CRTs and DOS powered PCs with home repaired mobos. They resist anything better because of the costs. They often revere authority - the written word.

 

[Darkbreeze]

I'm going to have to agree with i7 on this one. I know it's a PITA to do, but considering the very high number of members and visitors that we get from India and that region who do in fact still have availability of many units that have been dead here for some time or that still use units that have been discontinued, it would be helpful to have them listed in the "please kill me if I ever have to use one of these" listings.

I've mentioned before in the past that a lot of the units that are "discontinued" on paper, are still being sold in large amounts in some markets. Just because they're not being made anymore doesn't mean that there isn't stockpiles of them. There are tons of the old version Ultra and TR2 units being sold by Newegg and Tiger in those markets along with a whole bunch of other shady models. Whether you have any inclination to include those or not is of course up to you but I have to agree that the list shouldn't be strictly for guiding those who are intending to make a purchase of a new unit, but also as a guide to the quality of what's already installed in order to help eliminate problems not related to inclusion of parts in new builds.

I've seen plenty of folks argue about this or that unit that's been in their rig for years, working just fine, but then they install newer, more demanding hardware, but refuse to accept that the unit is a POS because it's not listed as such. Perhaps one of us might need to create a list of otherwise retired or even just plain, "if it's on this list, it's crap" models.

 

[MeteorsRaining]

I agree with the above.

Many people from India will just not buy a good PSU, simply because some brands (like iBall and Zebronics) are more heard-of here, than EVGA, Antec and so-on. Don't get me wrong, people aren't stupid, they just tend to believe in the product popular in their region, that's human nature. Some wise folks need to correct that mindset, though.

I like the 'crap PSU list' idea, just put all the absolute junks in it and link that to the main list, meaning if the PSU in question appears on that list, reserve it for your New Year fireworks.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Yeeeaaaahhhhhhh, fireworks. I like fireworks. Just not under the desk.

 

[Ubrales]

I suggest a "not recommended" group rather than saying words to the effect of "crap" because of the legal issues that we may be wide open to.

 

[bobybrown123]

Maybe an extra tier? Like say tier 1A and tier 1B? Like say in tier one the AX1500i which is a extremely good PSU (probably the best PSU on the market) And then tier 1B With maybe the seasonic AX760 and AX860, which is slightly lower quality but still extremely good.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Dottorent just did away with the extra tiers. They were apparently confusing for some. I for one don't suggest going back to it. Given too many choices people will often just avoid making a choice based on actual criteria and go with a name they know, which as we all know often leads to a bad choice.

As far as calling anything "crap", that was just a metaphor. I wouldn't suggest actually calling anything crap, in any official capacity, ever. Maybe just "Not worth rating", "Paperweights" or " Units that stink up the room". Heh.

 

[cst1992]

http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page625.htm says Pro series XXX / Semi-Modular is from Seasonic

I get a lot of Indian OPs with iball and Zebronics. I used to point to this thread to get them to see how bad they are. I can't now.
It's hard to convince them if the brand isn't listed here at all. Same with old Raidmax.

Don't forget Odyssey, that's also one of the premier el cheapo Indian PSU brands. Many others have also cropped up, Circle and LiveTech to name a few.

 

[cst1992]

Anyone heard of the Seasonic ECO series? Seems similar to the Antec VP series, but I heard they're not available outside of India. Also heard they're 240V only, so it cuts down on the cost of making them.

 

[dottorrent]

This definition blows for the reasons below (mainly the other definitions deal with facts and this one has too many opinions that can vary)

Tier Three
Some Haswell compatible, some not (maybe unconfirmed). Still safe to use and stable, just lower quality components. Some capacitors maybe Japanese, but can include the Taiwanese capacitors. Not really ideal in serious overclocking or super-high load situations, such as a Bitcoin mining rig or a high end gaming system.

1. what is serious over clocking? If my system draws 325w even when OC, it won't work on a tier 3 PSU?

2. what is a high load situation? 50, 60, 70%? I have this dude telling me a need a 750w PSU to run a single GTX770 so should I then go one tier down for a 750w since that is all I can afford!

The definition should simply state

Tier Three
Some Haswell compatible, some not (maybe unconfirmed), still safe to use. Some capacitors maybe Japanese, but can include the Taiwanese capacitors. Not really ideal in overclocking, Bitcoin mining rig, or a gaming system that will constantly push power requirements towards the top end of the PSU’s ability.

Serious overclocking as in -

SLi / Crossfire overclocking, high end CPU overclocking w/ extreme high end hardware + memory overclocking.

A decent overclock is fine for tier 3 units, but I would only suggest overclocking the CPU.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Personally, I would not ever make a recommendation to anybody that would infer they are ok to overclock or run gaming cards of any type that requires supplemental PCI power connections on a Tier 3 unit for the simple fact that the highest number of failures I see with those units listed on tier 3 are on systems where either of those configurations are present. But that's just me.

Honestly, if it were up to me, the units on that tier would specify "ok for mainstream units and not much else", so I guess it's a good thing it's not up to me, or I'd probably have reps from Corsair, Cooler Master and EVGA up in arms.

 

[bobybrown123]

Are tier 2 units good for over clocking

 

[Novuake]

Are tier 2 units good for over clocking

Perfectly fine.

 

[MasterMace]

Should add the SuperFlower Leadex Titanium to the list now (platinum and gold on it atm)

http://www.kitguru.net/components/power-supplies/zardon/superflower-leadex-titanium-1600w-review/

 

[Darkbreeze]

Another Tier 2 unit to sit beside the Thermaltake Toughpower Grand 850w, this time at 1200w?:

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2015/02/26/thermaltake_toughpower_grand_platinum_1200w_review/9#.VPA-x-ktFhE

 

[dottorrent]

Should add the SuperFlower Leadex Titanium to the list now (platinum and gold on it atm)

http://www.kitguru.net/components/power-supplies/zardon/superflower-leadex-titanium-1600w-review/

Kitguru don't test in detail. They have decent hardware to test their units, but they're not like TechPowerUp, JonnyGuru, HardOCP, etc.

 

[Novuake]

Should add the SuperFlower Leadex Titanium to the list now (platinum and gold on it atm)

http://www.kitguru.net/components/power-supplies/zardon/superflower-leadex-titanium-1600w-review/

Kitguru don't test in detail. They have decent hardware to test their units, but they're not like TechPowerUp, JonnyGuru, HardOCP, etc.

Yes, most reviews only look at features, temps, sound testing and efficiency.
Nothing more. Those are not good enough for a proper quality rating.

 

[jnsamuel]

I reckon XFX XTR should be Tier 1 (the newest BEFX models) correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[dottorrent]

I reckon XFX XTR should be Tier 1 (the newest BEFX models) correct me if I'm wrong.

The XTR models are based on the Seasonic G platform.

 

[jnsamuel]

That was the older 2013 models, The recent ones are built off of the X series.

 

[jnsamuel]

It seems they've discontinued their PRO line too according to their website and they've changed the lines to XTS/XTR/TS, new versions released in January all based off of the X platform.

 

[The newguy]

Why is seasonic word written after many psu models and why seasonic is mentioned twice tier one and two.
Anyways a very good list.

 

[MeteorsRaining]

Why is seasonic word written after many psu models and why seasonic is mentioned twice tier one and two.
Anyways a very good list.

SeaSonic is the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) of many PSU Models. That is, SeaSonic actually makes the unit, and other brands put their label on it. For eg, "Supernova GS 850 Seasonic" means the EVGA Supernova GS 850W model is made by SeaSonic.

 

[Novuake]

Why is seasonic word written after many psu models and why seasonic is mentioned twice tier one and two.
Anyways a very good list.

Because not all models are the same. The rating isn't based on branding or manufacturer, its based on individual unit quality.

 

[dottorrent]

Why is seasonic word written after many psu models and why seasonic is mentioned twice tier one and two.
Anyways a very good list.

It's who the OEM provided their platform.