- Oct 30, 2004
- 32,252
- 14
- 99,960
Buying by brand name is a mistake because each makes several different lines and each line is geared toward a different demographic. OCZ for example has some very good PSU's but that also have a few bombs (GameXstream 700 for example) . Corsair's, Antec's, Seasonic, Enermax's, Silverstone's quality is usually high in their upper tier lines....but even they make a few bombs. Corsair's HX series is their top of the line ..... the TX line a notch down in quality. Seasonic has its MD12 line at the top the S12 is a couple of notches down. Antec generally tops the field w/ its SG & CP series, the TP / TPX / Earthwatts series a notch down and the Neopower a drop down from there.
Most of the "cream of the crop" can be found on the site johhnylucky listed. I always get a 2nd opinion by visiting www.jonnyguru.com
The top tier (Editor's Choice) in the 650 - 850 range according to the silentpcreview folks is as follows: (Note jonnyguru performance ratings in ( )
Enermax Modu82+ 625W (NR)
Antec Signature 650 (10.0)
Antec Signature 850 (10.0)
Seasonic X-650 (10.0)
Seasonic M12D 850W (9.5)
Antec CP-850 (10.0)
The 2nd tier (Recommended List) is a notch down
Corsair HX520 (9.0)
Corsair HX620 (9.5)
Nexus NX-8060 (NR)
Corsair TX650W (TX750 - 8.5)
SilverStone Decathlon DA700 (DA850 - 7.5)
Coolermaster Silent Pro M700W (M600 - 10.0)
Chill Innovation CP-700M (NR)
Nexus RX-8500 (NR)
Note also that some PSU's miss the EC list at silentpcreview.com because to make the list the must be extremely good electrically AND be extremely quiet. For that reason, you'll find some 10's over at jonnyguru (i.e Corsair HX-850) because while they are great perofrmers electrically, they make a bit more noise than the others. More than likely, most of the (gaming) audience here won't notice the difference because, they prolly have their 7.1 surround sound rendering even their twin 2000 rpm CPU HS fans inaudible
In short, do your research....the silentpcreview site is a great starting point but it shouldn't be relied on by itself. Some PSU's really stand out....the CP-850 for example has a 10.0 performance rating on jonnyguru, makes the EC list at silentpcreview and costs only $109. Again, to stress the point about carrying one review over to a sibling unit from the same manufacturer, Antec's follow up unit, the CP-1000 only offered 6 more amps at 12V and is not as quiet resulting in a 9.5 rating instead of its sibling's 10.0 Similarly, where the Corsair HX grabs a 10.0 rating in the 850 watt model, this drops to a 9.5 in the 620 watt model and a 9.0 with the 520 and the 1,000 watt model. In general.....
With twin big GPU's and serious OC....I look for a 10.0 rating at 850 watts
With one GPU and serious OC....I look for a 10.0 rating at 620-650 watts
With twin GPU's and moderate OC....I look for a 9.5 rating at 850 watts
With one GPU and serious OC....I look for a 9.5 rating at 620-650 watts
With twin GPU's and no OC....I look for a 9.0 rating at 850 watts
With one GPU and no OC....I look for a 8.5 rating at 620-650 watts
Most of the "cream of the crop" can be found on the site johhnylucky listed. I always get a 2nd opinion by visiting www.jonnyguru.com
The top tier (Editor's Choice) in the 650 - 850 range according to the silentpcreview folks is as follows: (Note jonnyguru performance ratings in ( )
Enermax Modu82+ 625W (NR)
Antec Signature 650 (10.0)
Antec Signature 850 (10.0)
Seasonic X-650 (10.0)
Seasonic M12D 850W (9.5)
Antec CP-850 (10.0)
The 2nd tier (Recommended List) is a notch down
Corsair HX520 (9.0)
Corsair HX620 (9.5)
Nexus NX-8060 (NR)
Corsair TX650W (TX750 - 8.5)
SilverStone Decathlon DA700 (DA850 - 7.5)
Coolermaster Silent Pro M700W (M600 - 10.0)
Chill Innovation CP-700M (NR)
Nexus RX-8500 (NR)
Note also that some PSU's miss the EC list at silentpcreview.com because to make the list the must be extremely good electrically AND be extremely quiet. For that reason, you'll find some 10's over at jonnyguru (i.e Corsair HX-850) because while they are great perofrmers electrically, they make a bit more noise than the others. More than likely, most of the (gaming) audience here won't notice the difference because, they prolly have their 7.1 surround sound rendering even their twin 2000 rpm CPU HS fans inaudible
In short, do your research....the silentpcreview site is a great starting point but it shouldn't be relied on by itself. Some PSU's really stand out....the CP-850 for example has a 10.0 performance rating on jonnyguru, makes the EC list at silentpcreview and costs only $109. Again, to stress the point about carrying one review over to a sibling unit from the same manufacturer, Antec's follow up unit, the CP-1000 only offered 6 more amps at 12V and is not as quiet resulting in a 9.5 rating instead of its sibling's 10.0 Similarly, where the Corsair HX grabs a 10.0 rating in the 850 watt model, this drops to a 9.5 in the 620 watt model and a 9.0 with the 520 and the 1,000 watt model. In general.....
With twin big GPU's and serious OC....I look for a 10.0 rating at 850 watts
With one GPU and serious OC....I look for a 10.0 rating at 620-650 watts
With twin GPU's and moderate OC....I look for a 9.5 rating at 850 watts
With one GPU and serious OC....I look for a 9.5 rating at 620-650 watts
With twin GPU's and no OC....I look for a 9.0 rating at 850 watts
With one GPU and no OC....I look for a 8.5 rating at 620-650 watts
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