The Power Supply Unit tier list Discussion thread

[jimthenagual]

All three are made by Seasonic and good quality. I'd pick the one with the best deal.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

http://www.amazon.com/XFX-ATX-550-Power-Supply/dp/B004RJ8EKI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406098642&sr=8-1&keywords=xfx550

This one.

 

[SamiSC]

what about this PSU, Cougar A760W.

which tier would it be

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817553010

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

It's made by HEC who produce poor power supplies.

 

[damric]

HEC is like Channel Well. They specialize in cost cutting mass production.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Here it is Damric: P2 1000w installed.

 

[ko888]

HEC is like Channel Well. They specialize in cost cutting mass production.

HEC is not like CWT (Channel Well Technology). HEC's PSU designs are generally inferior resulting in poorer electrical performance and hence the reputation that it has earned.

CWT has some excellent PSU designs on their high end series models. Corsair is going to be using CWT on their new HXi Series 80 PLUS PLATINUM models.

HEC/Cougar doesn't have any 80 PLUS PLATINUM models.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

HEC= Garbage , better used as a paperweight.

 

[DHFF]

Blackbird, you have to tell me...how did you ever manage to convince that pilot to park his jumbo jet inside you case? 😀

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Bribes.

 

[damric]

HEC is like Channel Well. They specialize in cost cutting mass production.

HEC is not like CWT (Channel Well Technology). HEC's PSU designs are generally inferior resulting in poorer electrical performance and hence the reputation that it has earned.

CWT has some excellent PSU designs on their high end series models. Corsair is going to be using CWT on their new HXi Series 80 PLUS PLATINUM models.

HEC/Cougar doesn't have any 80 PLUS PLATINUM models.

I've yet to see a high end CWT unit yet. You may be right, but all I have seen is junkers. I gave them the benefit of the doubt when I bought a CTW made OCZ 700W PSU that had a curiously large rebate. Ripple filtration was inferior and it ran hot. It bypassed my case flow and still exhausted enormous amount of heat when any load was put on the GPU. Running hot like that is a sign of cheap inductors.

I'd rate ATNG much higher than CWT for budget PSUs.

 

[damric]

Here it is Damric: P2 1000w installed.

My SF Golden Green is jealous.

 

[Taafe]

Confused how the Antec HGC PSUs are in tier two while the Seasonic M12II they're based on is in tier one.

This is a quote from someone I know.

 

[ko888]

Confused how the Antec HGC PSUs are in tier two while the Seasonic M12II they're based on is in tier one.

This is a quote from someone I know.

The Antec HCG-400, HCG-520 and HCG-620, that are made by Seasonic, are discontinued models. The Antec HCG-750 and HCG-900, that are made by Delta Electronics, are still available.

 

[Zircoben]

I have a question... I have a Corsair CS450 which is tier three...


"Corsair
CS series (High inrush current and +12V ripple levels, only on high levels of load)"

That freaks me out. I have a pretty low wattage system with an i3 and an R9 270 coming in the mail. Is this anything I should worry about?

Will this "High Inrush Current" damage my components?

Thank you!

 

[Deleted member 217926]

I noticed the Silverstone NightJar 520w Fanless is untiered. Based on the reviews I would say tier 1.

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story6&reid=388

http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Cases-and-Cooling/SilverStone-Nightjar-520W-Fanless-Power-Supply-Review/Final-Thoughts-and-C

 

[Zircoben]

I noticed the Silverstone NightJar 520w Fanless is untiered. Based on the reviews I would say tier 1.

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story6&reid=388

http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Cases-and-Cooling/SilverStone-Nightjar-520W-Fanless-Power-Supply-Review/Final-Thoughts-and-C

Yep, a PSU without a fan has to have very reliable and high quality components to endure the heat.

 

[DHFF]

@Zircoben: I have lots of personal experience with this model, I use it in many of the systems I have built, probably about 12 currently in use with many iffernt builds an configurations. some very low powered and none of them have ever had an issue.

 

[Zircoben]

@Zircoben: I have lots of personal experience with this model, I use it in many of the systems I have built, probably about 12 currently in use with many different builds an configurations. some very low powered and none of them have ever had an issue.

Cool, thank you! That "Inrush Current" thing sounds scary, but I guess it's okay!

 

[ko888]

Inrush current, or switch-on surge, refers to the maximum instantaneous input-current drawn by an electrical device when it is first turned on. Because of the charging current of the APFC capacitor(s), PSUs produce a large inrush-current right as they are turned on. If the inrush current is large enough it can cause the tripping of circuit breakers and fuses and may also damage switches, relays, and bridge rectifiers; as a result, the lower the inrush current of a PSU, right as it is turned on, the better.

 

[Zircoben]

Inrush current, or switch-on surge, refers to the maximum instantaneous input-current drawn by an electrical device when it is first turned on. Because of the charging current of the APFC capacitor(s), PSUs produce a large inrush-current right as they are turned on. If the inrush current is large enough it can cause the tripping of circuit breakers and fuses and may also damage switches, relays, and bridge rectifiers; as a result, the lower the inrush current of a PSU, right as it is turned on, the better.

Awesome, thank you for that explanation. Is there any way I can monitor this on my power supply to see if it is getting anywhere that could damage my components?

 

[ko888]

Awesome, thank you for that explanation. Is there any way I can monitor this on my power supply to see if it is getting anywhere that could damage my components?

Do you have an oscilloscope?

 

[Zircoben]

Awesome, thank you for that explanation. Is there any way I can monitor this on my power supply to see if it is getting anywhere that could damage my components?

Do you have an oscilloscope?

No, and crap, those are expensive.

But in general, do I have anything I should worry about? I will never go above 50% of the power supplies load, I just wish there was some tool to monitor how bad it is.

 

[Deleted member 217926]

There are lists like this to help you buy a quality unit to begin with so you don't have to worry. 😉

Can anyone say nothing will ever go wrong? No. But I would say it's pretty unlikely. The truth is the unit is decent but it's not as good as what most people expected from a new 80 Plus Gold certified Corsair line. You could have done better and likely for cheaper.

 

[DHFF]

As Anort3 says, there is no way to say never. I had good branded items go bad on day one and I have had "replace immediately" power supplies going strong for years before I became the tech at my job.

Personally I dont have issues, but if its something that's troubling, It might be worth it to spend $100 and get a Kingwin laser platinum. Then you can keep the other supply as an emergency backup or use it if you build a test rig.