PSU tier list 2.0

[Karadjgne]

That would mean basically a list a hundred pages long. Even as connected as some of these ppl are, like Aris and the Jonny Guru team are, even they can have issues when it comes to specifics like mfg date, or even which actual plant was responsible for build etc. That's not exactly readily available or accessible info.

And then, of course, there's discrepancies in opinion. JG takes value into consideration, which when comparing several different units, all around the same abilities, makes certain sense. I'd rather pay less for an equitable psu than more. On the other hand, scoring on price inside a performance review on a single unit, makes little sense. So what's the bottom line? Is it a 10 because it really is, or is it a 9.5 because its price puts it in a higher tier bracket being $40 over equitable units. Who makes that decision? Who has your back when ppl complain that they've had a supposedly crap unit running just fine in their pc for the last 7 years. So you must be wrong.

Having been around since before the days of the original newegg list, to the last efforts of Torrent, to the attempt by Turkey_Scratch, to visits to every website available on info about totally alien name brand psus, gotta say, authoring a reliable list is absolutely a thankless job. For every 1 person who gets decent usage from it, there's a hundred or more whose first post is 'you're wrong, on X website it's tier2, you have it listed as tier4 and it's been in my pc for 7 years and no problems. Who made you God to decide its junk?' And of course you are knee deep in websites and up to your eyes in reviews and paperwork and real life concerns, so that post never gets answered or explained.. So now you are elitist snob and this site sucks. Go back any amount of pages, you'll find a few just like that, and answers from ppl like darkbreeze, myself, turkey_scratch, and any number of others explaining to them the line is junk, the majority are junk, they got the lemon that actually works.

I've not done the actual math, that's daunting enough, but suffice to say there's pretty much an equitable amount of list defense compared to actual useful info.

As darkbreeze mentioned, this was the best list available. To the public at large. It was exceeded only by private databases, such as the one at JG or realhardX etc. And those ppl have a reasonable expectation that you'll purchase your psu based on their review, not from a 3rd party list.

So now it's gone, and the masses can go back to their ignorant bliss, so sorry to those who just wanted more.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

Perhaps some able body person(s) could think about creating a new list/grouping with descriptions of what it takes for a power supply to be included in that list. Grouped by Wattage, efficiency, protections, warranty, MFG date, etc. What would the best approach to making list and categories be? We do have a power supply discussion thread with good list of links to find information: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-3612443/power-supply-discussion-thread.html

What would be ideal but undoubtedly nobody would want to do would be this:

You create a database of data on every power supply you want. Each power supply will have data associated with it in this database: noisiness, ripple, vreg, solder quality, fan quality, etc. Rather than putting the power supply into a tier from 1-5, instead these particular qualities are put into tiers from 1-5 for each power supply.

Then, there would be a website called psutierlist.com (or whatever you want to name it) that has a bunch of sliders pertaining to each quality. For example, there will be a slider for noisiness, ripple, vreg, solder quality, etc. If you slide the slider to the right more, then that particular feature of a power supply will be more important to you. If you slide it to the left, you don't care about it. So if you blast rock music all day and don't give a care about noise, you just slide it to the left.

You adjust the sliders for each quality, then at the bottom there will be a button that says "generate". If you click this button, it'll use a mathematical algorithm to instantly create a tier list to your exact specifications.

You may say "what about people who don't know what any of this stuff is?" By default all the sliders would be in the middle, so if you take everything into account fairly evenly the algorithm would create a tier list probably similar to how this one was. But this, to me, would be an absolutely ideal approach. It is something I am capable of making but don't really have the time nor inspiration to do it, but it's just a thought.

 

[Darkbreeze]

That has problems too turkey. Problem is, the exact people who don't know much about power supplies will decide that they aren't terribly concerned with noise, thinking that you're talking about audible noise, rather than electrical noise, or that solder quality isn't really a concern to them, so long as the unit works and is ten bucks cheaper than the one that does have good solder quality which allows them to fit it into their budget.

So then they slide those sliders to the left, end up with a lower quality PSU that either fails (As a review of that unit would likely have foretold), kills other hardware or just plain doesn't last very long, and then once again they are back at your door bashing your efforts because they used your site and ended up with a PSU shaped object when they could have had a very good one for ten bucks more, or for less money by catching a good unit on sale.

If you don't "force" those who don't understand the role that is played by the power supply, to buy a GOOD unit, they won't. Period. We know this. So giving them the option of removing or reducing critical features to filter down to units that would have ended up being tier 4 or maybe 3 on any other list, is just an exercise in futility.

 

[USAFRet]

"My DiabloTek has worked FINE for 3 years! What's wrong with them?"
(he got this because it was $5 cheaper than a reasonable one, of slightly less wattage)

We see this here every day.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Multiple times per day in fact.

 

[jankerson]

Yeah, all day everyday.

 

[woahwoahwilly]

When I said I was having no issues with my mediocre PSU:

Correction, I'm having issues.

THE IRONY

 

[USAFRet]

When I said I was having no issues with my mediocre PSU:

Correction, I'm having issues.

THE IRONY

Funny how that happens, isn't it?

 

[Darkbreeze]

Wow. I'm really surpris......well, no, not really. LOL.

 

[Karadjgne]

Jinxed it...

 

[woahwoahwilly]

It's why I've told Dad to never get a PSU like that again.

There will be no fire; I'm taking the trash out tomorrow.

Worked while it lasted.

 

[Karadjgne]

Hope that's the only issue.

 

[woahwoahwilly]

Especially when it comes to PSU's as it seems MOST people think that is the place to cut costs so they buy the cheapest thing they can get.

I cut costs on RAM and the GPU. I can live with a 1030 for 100 (or however much it costs; know it's less than a 1050 which is 200) USD and use Intel HD Graphics if it fails (used it before, wasn't as good but not that bad on the games I play) or 2GB DDR3 for a bit; I'd rather die in a fire than get some basement PSU from I brand I don't know of or don't trust.

 

[jimmysmitty]

Especially when it comes to PSU's as it seems MOST people think that is the place to cut costs so they buy the cheapest thing they can get.

I cut costs on RAM and the GPU. I can live with a 1030 for 100 (or however much it costs; know it's less than a 1050 which is 200) USD and use Intel HD Graphics if it fails (used it before, wasn't as good but not that bad on the games I play) or 2GB DDR3 for a bit; I'd rather die in a fire than get some basement PSU from I brand I don't know of or don't trust.

My girl always gives me crap for what I buy saying I just buy the "expensive" stuff. I tell her I buy quality that I know is good. Have a 5 year old AX860i and don't plan to replace it for another 5 years.

 

[woahwoahwilly]

Stepdad turns on the system today, and guess what, no fire. I was wrong about what was going on.

"If it catches on fire, I will carry it outside and let it burn."

You sure you can carry a burning computer?

 

[ritvarsdavis]

^^Sure you can, just need a suit and gloves. 😀

 

[USAFRet]

Stepdad turns on the system today, and guess what, no fire. I was wrong about what was going on.

"If it catches on fire, I will carry it outside and let it burn."

You sure you can carry a burning computer?

EOD was an offshoot of my job in a previous life....so, yeah.

 

[woahwoahwilly]

Mine.
Yours.
The guy with the burned down man cave.

Plus it is very unlikely that you'll find substantial protections in any Rocketfish unit, of the sort you'd find in higher quality units.

Yours.
My grandma's.
Mine.

 

[woahwoahwilly]

^^Sure you can, just need a suit and gloves. 😀

"Hey, before you power that on, let's go shopping for some!"

 

[MemphisRaine]

I wish that someone can have the PSU tier list updated or just have the old one reposted with a disclaimer when it was last updated. It was a very helpful list.

 

[woahwoahwilly]

I wish that someone can have the PSU tier list updated or just have the old one reposted with a disclaimer when it was last updated. It was a very helpful list.

Heck yeah, could help me with upgrading my PC.

 

[alainch]

thanks, but where is the List?

cannot find it anywhere!

Alain

 

[jimmysmitty]

I wish that someone can have the PSU tier list updated or just have the old one reposted with a disclaimer when it was last updated. It was a very helpful list.

The issue with the tier list was that it was never accurate and was being used in ways it shoudln't. For example the current Corsair CX series has gotten vastly better than the original ones were where before wouldn't be recommended.

There is also the upkeep. Someone has to keep updating it constantly and problem is there are not always reviews out there for a PSU line. And while we can get an idea based on the manufacture of the PSU, the OEM, its not always a 100% that that's true. Yes we can always say Seasonic makes good PSUs. They almost never have a bad one. However sometimes a better unit is available for the money.

I am sure if you Google it though you can find the list somewhere.

 

[Darkbreeze]

That was the issue with the list from one perspective. From another perspective, the person who created and maintained the list simply lost interest in doing so, and with being a member here, and was too busy with other aspects of his life to want to spend the gross amount of time that was necessary to research, read reviews, categorize, post, make changes, remove antiquated listings, answer questions and respond to criticism, all of which are necessary in order to maintain the list.

 

[jankerson]

That was the issue with the list from one perspective. From another perspective, the person who created and maintained the list simply lost interest in doing so, and with being a member here, and was too busy with other aspects of his life to want to spend the gross amount of time that was necessary to research, read reviews, categorize, post, make changes, remove antiquated listings, answer questions and respond to criticism, all of which are necessary in order to maintain the list.

We do have Linus's list to go by as a reference, it's not that bad.