Question PSU Tiers

[mahin1384]

Hey fellow PC builders,

I wanted to ask: what do you think about categorizing PSUs into tiers? I've heard of the Cultists Tier List and also psu prices to go alongside it. Has anyone else used this site or similar tier lists for PSU shopping?

Also, for those who have used tier lists, how much do you factor them into your final decision vs. other criteria like specific features or brand preferences?

 

[Lutfij]

We had a PSU tier list on our forums, too though not with prices since prices can and will vary with regards to availability and regions. The best thing to do is to cross-reference with info found off the web, you can use Hardware Busters' reviews on PSU's as well.

 

[geofelt]

Power supply tier lists are very useful for those with little direct psu experience.
That includes most of us, including me.
I like the detail found on the cultists list mentioned above.

But, I might have issue with the assignment of tiers which has some subjectivity to it.

Not knowing anything else, I suggest people look at the warranty and select candidates with longer 7 years of warranty or more.
Then check on reviews from a reputable site.
I miss the jonnyguru reviews.

 

[mahin1384]

Power supply tier lists are very useful for those with little direct psu experience.
That includes most of us, including me.
I like the detail found on the cultists list mentioned above.

But, I might have issue with the assignment of tiers which has some subjectivity to it.

Not knowing anything else, I suggest people look at the warranty and select candidates with longer 7 years of warranty or more.
Then check on reviews from a reputable site.
I miss the jonnyguru reviews.

Warranty information sounds good. Why 7 years?

 

[geofelt]

Warranty information sounds good. Why 7 years?

An arbitrary number.
Some budget units are ok at 5 years.
Less than 5 years, stay away.
A power supply, particularly for a gamer can be a a relatively long lived purchase.
Spending $100 for a higher powered psu with a 10 year warranty will allow for a graphics card upgrade.

 

[Eximo]

I've been hitting up Cybenetics recently, but they don't have a very comprehensive list. But a few of the newer ATX 3.0 and 3.1 PSUs are in their lists, and as long as they pass Cybenetics gold, should be pretty decent. It would be nice if 80 Plus was more than a set of specs to hit and actually a measure of quality.

Actually kind of hoping LTT Labs PSU testing division gets a large enough dataset to be useful.

Gamer's Nexus also went down that path, but it seems they've shifted directions.

What most find out is that there is little return for doing a lot of PSU reviews. Most people don't buy PSUs with any real thought behind it, but they will look up articles on CPUs and GPUs.

What I can say is, that since I started paying attention to PSUs, I haven't had an unstable system in many years.

 

[mahin1384]

I've been hitting up Cybenetics recently, but they don't have a very comprehensive list. But a few of the newer ATX 3.0 and 3.1 PSUs are in their lists, and as long as they pass Cybenetics gold, should be pretty decent. It would be nice if 80 Plus was more than a set of specs to hit and actually a measure of quality.

Actually kind of hoping LTT Labs PSU testing division gets a large enough dataset to be useful.

Gamer's Nexus also went down that path, but it seems they've shifted directions.

What most find out is that there is little return for doing a lot of PSU reviews. Most people don't buy PSUs with any real thought behind it, but they will look up articles on CPUs and GPUs.

What I can say is, that since I started paying attention to PSUs, I haven't had an unstable system in many years.

I know, PSUs aren't discussed much, or atleast less than they should be. Unfortunate.

 

[mahin1384]

An arbitrary number.
Some budget units are ok at 5 years.
Less than 5 years, stay away.
A power supply, particularly for a gamer can be a a relatively long lived purchase.
Spending $100 for a higher powered psu with a 10 year warranty will allow for a graphics card upgrade.

For the 10 years, question is, would it actually be usable after 10 years, in terms of wattage? But yeah I get the point, 5+ years minimum.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

I'd agree with others above. Tier lists are very useful in getting a good idea of brand and model. I then research each model I'm interested in by reading comprehensive reviews. The PSU is very important, and also as suggested above, most people have no idea about them, or how they power the system. It's perhaps the singular most important component in a PC build.

Tom's do quite a few reviews of PSUs along with a few others.

There are also a few very knowledgeable mods/ambassadors who have some expertise here.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

For the 10 years, question is, would it actually be usable after 10 years, in terms of wattage? But yeah I get the point, 5+ years minimum.

The min warranty level I'd go with is 7 years. 10 years preferably. Any good PSU worth it's salt, will have a 10 year warranty. With that you get peace of mind that it's made with quality components, and has robust over/under protections.

 

[shADy81]

For the 10 years, question is, would it actually be usable after 10 years, in terms of wattage? But yeah I get the point, 5+ years minimum.

My current PSU is almost 10 years old and came with a 10 year warranty. I have a replacement ready, just havent had time to take everything apart yet.

 

[mahin1384]

My current PSU is almost 10 years old and came with a 10 year warranty. I have a replacement ready, just havent had time to take everything apart yet.

Which PSU was it and what's your replacement? Do you have to replace it after that long, or can you let it run?

 

[shADy81]

EVGA G2 750w. OEM is Superflower, its a Leadex internally.

Things age for sure, but this one hasnt even been run much over half capacity for most of its lifetime. Had a 980TI which was pulling 250W and various Intel and AMD CPUs running on it none of which pulled more than 100W. All of which means it hasnt been pushed hard, it'll probably be OK long past warranty but why take the risk.

I have a Superflower Leadex VII 850 W to replace it. 850W just because Nvidia is getting silly with power requirements these days and I want the option to go high end without replacing the PSU for a long time.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

Warranty information sounds good. Why 7 years?

you should consider this the amount of confidence the manufacturer has in the unit.

if they are sure it can last that period of time without malfunction, then it is a good sign they have put higher quality materials and design into that unit.

if they know it is built with subpar materials and using subpar design, they know they will be replacing those models more often so they give them a shorter warranty/lifespan to avoid it.