Question PSU tier list just got updated

[alceryes]

PSU Tier List rev. 17.0g - Cultists Network

PSU Tier List will help you to choose the best PSU out of hundreds of models on the market. From budget to the highest end Power Supplies.

cultists.network

Some people love it. Some people hate it. Many won't deny that it can be a useful tool for making an informed decision regarding what PSU to not buy.

Also, here is a great Gamers Nexus video detailing some of the limitations of PSU tier lists along with other great info on PSUs -

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keMS-4SYGNU

 

[Rogue Leader]

Yes they no longer post the list here (or anywhere else for that matter) and have decided to build their own site to host it.

I was supportive of it being here, but I don't like it. Its used as a crutch by people who don't want to bother actually helping someone select a PSU, and instead try to get an easy Best Answer. And for someone who is either completely naive to PSUs or someone who is in a country where a lot of those options aren't available its confusing. Walk into a store and sit there looking through the 100+ PSUs they have in stock and then try to navigate through that list to match up with what you can actually buy is downright frustrating.

If you post here asking about a PSU for a build, someone should help you pick one out from a store you can get it from. Anyone who just posts "Go to this link and pick something from Tier A or B" has no business answering PSU questions.

 

[alceryes]

And for someone who is either completely naive to PSUs or someone who is in a country where a lot of those options aren't available its confusing. Walk into a store and sit there looking through the 100+ PSUs they have in stock and then try to navigate through that list to match up with what you can actually buy is downright frustrating.

Agreed. Especially when PSU mfgs. seemingly use these lists to their advantage by creating substandard PSUs that have one 'extra letter' in the name just to piggyback on their top quality units.

However, I still think it can be used as a tool to make an informed decision. If you go through the spreadsheet of testing info they really do a lot to test each PSU.

 

[Rogue Leader]

Agreed. Especially when PSU mfgs. seemingly use these lists to their advantage by creating substandard PSUs that have one 'extra letter' in the name just to piggyback on their top quality units.

However, I still think it can be used as a tool to make an informed decision. If you go through the spreadsheet of testing info they really do a lot to test each PSU.

Its a good resource for an informed person to find reviews. The list builders themselves do no testing they just compile and judge the testing to drop PSUs into Tiers.

 

[hotaru.hino]

If you post here asking about a PSU for a build, someone should help you pick one out from a store you can get it from. Anyone who just posts "Go to this link and pick something from Tier A or B" has no business answering PSU questions.

I feel like this is going to be a hot take but another thing about tier lists in general that I don't like is it ends to skew the viewpoint of the masses in a such a way that they can't or won't consider edge cases that come up.

What if someone is from an area that doesn't have a reliable source of high-tier PSUs? Are you going to tell them they need to go out of their way to get one or they'll have a computer that'll explode? Should someone never use a PSU below B-Tier in any situation?

I'm under the impression that as long as you make reasonable assumptions about the equipment you're using, use it. Just understand what you shouldn't do with it.

 

[Rogue Leader]

I feel like this is going to be a hot take but another thing about tier lists in general that I don't like is it ends to skew the viewpoint of the masses in a such a way that they can't or won't consider edge cases that come up.

What if someone is from an area that doesn't have a reliable source of high-tier PSUs? Are you going to tell them they need to go out of their way to get one or they'll have a computer that'll explode? Should someone never use a PSU below B-Tier in any situation?

I'm under the impression that as long as you make reasonable assumptions about the equipment you're using, use it. Just understand what you shouldn't do with it.

This is exactly what I am referring to. Here at TH we get users from every corner of the world. We have had people whose options are literally just used PSUs from some local Craigslist type places. Not every country gets every brand, and some get very limited brands. Sometimes you just need to pick the least bad.

Telling that person to "pick something from the list" is the most useless advice possible. And shaming them for not being able to buy/afford a Seasonic (which also happens) is that much worse.

 

[rolli59]

List is simply missing definition of what is useable on a budget without being a fire starter. There is plenty of PSU's in tier C for example that do have all required protection and if you over provision a bit they will run fine for a long time.

 

[gendalf]

What would make it more practical is if they've added prices to it.

 

[Karadjgne]

Prices in general aren't practical as they change daily and don't apply anywhere else. Corsair and Seasonic are prevalent in EU and Asian markets, as is Thermaltake and CoolerMaster, but having an NZXT price being lower than those is misleading since they cost far more in those markets due to import taxes and customs etc than in the US.

What's budget in any one market isn't necessarily so in another.