Curse

Lord Sojar · Sep 03, 2010, 03:26 PM // 15:26

Excerpts in this guide taken from:
Computer Shopper's Ultimate 2010 Power Supply Shopping Guide
written by: Denny Atkin

You can find the full guide here, and we greatly encourage you to read through all of it! Ultimate Guide: How to buy a PC Power Supply

INTRODUCTION:

When it comes to building or upgrading a PC, the power supply is the least exciting piece of the puzzle. Oftentimes, it's just an afterthought. A bigger power supply doesn't make your PC run any faster, and it labors away day after day, hidden inside the case. Yet the power supply is actually one of the most important parts in any PC, considering that every component relies on it...Investing in a well-built power supply that can handle your computer's power needs—whether you’re replacing a failed supply or building a PC—can save you from migraine-grade headaches down the road.

WATTAGE, VOLTAGE & RAILS:

The next consideration is choosing a supply with enough wattage to power all the components in your computer. Looking at individual components can give you a general idea how much power you need. For example, if your video card (often the most demanding component in a high-performance PC) specifies that it requires a 400-watt power supply, but you also have a demanding CPU (such as an older high-end Phenom or Core 2 Quad chip) and multiple hard drives, you'll want to go with a higher wattage rating. But assessing your needs that way is an inexact science.
Another method: You can comb the support Web sites for the major components in your PCs; gather the individual power demands of the main parts, including your CPU, processor, and hard drives; and add those together to get a rough idea of how high a wattage your system requires.

You can also checkout Newegg.com's Power Supply Calculator to give you another estimate (DO NOT RELY ON THIS EXCLUSIVELY)

http://educations.newegg.com/tool/psucalc/index.html

With one of the calculators, getting a ballpark wattage number is easy. But in addition, you'll want to take a look at the number of “rails” in a given supply, and—more crucially—the amperage ratings of those rails. A “rail,” simply put, is an internal power path within a supply that provides a single voltage. A modern PC power supply will typically have a 3.3-volt rail, a 5-volt rail, and one or more 12-volt rails. The 12-volt rail is the critical one nowadays, as it's used by the most-demanding components of your PC: the processor and the graphics card. It basically boils down to a simple fact: Each device that plugs into a 12-volt connector requires a certain amount of amperage. A power supply with a single rail will have a single amperage rating, while a multi-rail power supply will break down the amperage available on each rail.

ON MULTIPLE RAILS, ETC:

Are multiple rails better than one high-amperage rail? Not necessarily. The ATX specification used to limit each individual 12-volt rail to 20 amps for safety purposes. However, when higher amperages turned out not to be a cause for concern, this limitation was dropped from the ATX spec. The number of rails mattered more when individual rails carried less power, as you could max out the available amperage on a single-rail system by connecting too many demanding components. Now that many single-rail power supplies have over 60 amps available on that one rail, that's much less of a concern.
The total amps available for 12-volt devices, whether they're all on one rail or split between multiple rails, is what really matters. You need to understand the rails concept, however, to make sense of the specifications that power-supply vendors use when expressing amperage. On the packaging or specification sheets for most power supplies, you'll find a chart that breaks down the amperage available on each rail.

EFFICIENCY:

The efficiency rating indicates how much energy a power supply delivers (in watts) divided by how much energy is fed into it. A 420W power supply with a 70% efficiency rating would consume 600W from the wall, giving off 180W of heat, and the 420W would be what the PC is actually able to use. (The higher the efficiency number, the less wastage.)

What should be immediately clear: All else being equal, a more efficient power supply not only wastes less energy, but it will run cooler and help keep system heat and fan noise down. As a result, in addition to the electricity and cost savings, higher efficiency ratings are desirable in power supplies intended for PCs with a crowded interior (such as small-form-factor or minitower models) or models used in a home-theater environment, where the drone of a fan would be a distraction.

The easiest way to find an efficient supply is to look for one with the 80 Plus logo on it. The 80 Plus program mandates that a computer power supply be 80 percent efficient or better at 20 percent, 50 percent, and 100 percent of rated load, with a power factor of 0.9. (“Power factor” is an advanced concept that’s part of the 80 Plus spec, but we’ll spare you the details—it’s well beyond the scope of this article.) The program was later expanded to include three additional ratings—80 Plus Bronze, 80 Plus Silver, and 80 Plus Gold—that indicate even greater efficiency.

HERE'S A CHART FOR ALL YOU GUYS!

It's always great to look for the 80+ seal on a PSU you are buying, but it's not the end of the world if it doesn't have it, especially when it comes to 80+ Silver and Gold ratings. Sometimes, the price just isn't worth the slight increase in efficiency.

Again, you can read all of this guide here: Ultimate Guide: How to buy a PC Power Supply

Any questions, feel free to post below!

Undead Cheese · Sep 03, 2010, 03:33 PM // 15:33

When buying a Powersupply, you should always be prepared to invest a reasonable amount of money into one, afterall it's powering your whole system. You can consider it the most important component inside a PC.

Too many times I have seen people go the cheap route for a Powersupply, even with a high end/power hungry computer. This is both unhealthy and dangerous for your system because for starters, these kind of PSU's are cheap for a reason.

Most of the time they are incapable of actually delivering their rated wattage, and burn up whenever you try to fully load it. If this was to happen, it has the potential to kill your whole system as the PSU would not have the required protection. Further into the point, they usually have a very unhealthy (and out of ATX spec) amount of ripple, noise suppression, and stability, though as I'm trying to keep this as simple as possible, I won't go into huge detail.

Here is a list of PSU's that I have put together, they are of high quality and you should keep these in mind when you're in the market for a new PSU.

Here is a list of PSU's that I have put together, they are of high quality and you should keep these in mind when you're in the market for a new PSU.

300-450w

Seasonic S12II 430B
Antec HCG-400
Antec Neo ECO-400
Antec Earthwatts 380/430D
Seasonic X-400/460
OCZ SxS/SxSII 400
Corsair CX400
Seasonic s12II-330/380
Corsair VX/HX450
Rosewill Green Series 430
XFX Pro 450

500-550w

Antec HCG-520
Antec TruePower New 550
Antec EA-500D
Seasonic S/M12II-520
Seasonic X-560
Antec Neo ECO 520
Corsair VX550
Thermaltake ToughpowerXT 575
Rosewill Green Series RG530
NZXT HALE90 550
OCZ StealthXStream 2 500
Enermax Pro87+ 500
Kingwin Lazer Platinum 550
XFX Pro 550

600-700w

Seasonic X-650
Seasonic S/M12II 620
Antec HCG-620
Antec Neo ECO 620
Antec Truepower New 650
Corsair HX650
Corsair TX650 V2
XFX Pro/Core 650
Enermax Modu87+ 600/700
Thermaltake ToughpowerXT 675
NZXT HALE90 650
OCZ StealthXStream 2 600/700
Rosewill Green Series 630

750-800w

Antec High Current Pro 850
Seasonic X-750
Seasonic M12D 750
Silverstone Strider Plus 750
Antec Truepower New 750
TT Toughpower XT 775
Corsair AX750
Corsair HX750
Corsair TX750 V2
XFX Pro/Core 750
NZXT HALE90 750
Kingwin Lazer Gold 850

850-950w

Seasonic X-850
Seasonic M12D 850
Silverstone Strider Plus 850
Antec Signature 850
Corsair TX950
Corsair TX850 V2
Corsair HX850
Corsair AX850
Enermax Revolution 85+ 850/950
Antec CP-850
XFX Pro/Core 850
Thermaltake ToughpowerXT 875
CM Silent Pro M 850
NZXT HALE90 850
LEPA G900
OCZ ZX850

1000w+

Silverstone Strider Plus 1000/1500
Silverstone OP1000-P
Antec High Current Pro 1200
Corsair AX1200
Enermax Revolution 85+ 1050/1250
ABS SL series SL1050
NZXT HALE90 1000
Sparkle Gold Class 1000/1250
Rosewill LIGHTNING 1000
Seasonic X-1000/1200
Kingwin Lazer Gold 1000
OCZ ZX1000/1250

--------------------------------------------------------------

Useful links:

On Generic Powersupplies.

On PSU reviewers

Single vs Multi Rail

Quaker · Sep 04, 2010, 07:20 PM // 19:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lord Sojar

The efficiency rating indicates how much energy a power supply delivers (in watts) divided by how much energy is fed into it. A 600-watt power supply with 70 percent efficiency, for example, would supply 420 watts of power to the computer, with 180 watts given off as heat. (The higher the efficiency number, the less wastage.)

It's a minor point, but, this could give readers the wrong impression. It would be more accurate to say that a 420 watt power supply with 70% efficiency would consume 600watts of power from the "mains". The wattage rating of a power supply is the available output power, after any losses.

Elder III · Sep 04, 2010, 09:37 PM // 21:37

That's a pretty extensive list, but out of curiosity, I was wondering if you omitted PC Power & Cooling for a reason?

Undead Cheese · Sep 05, 2010, 06:00 PM // 18:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elder III

That's a pretty extensive list, but out of curiosity, I was wondering if you omitted PC Power & Cooling for a reason?

I have mixed feelings about PC P&C, most of their good units are older designs/highly priced and their new MK-II series well.... the only thing they have going for them is quieter fans.

Lord Sojar · Sep 06, 2010, 05:08 AM // 05:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quaker

It's a minor point, but, this could give readers the wrong impression. It would be more accurate to say that a 420 watt power supply with 70% efficiency would consume 600watts of power from the "mains". The wattage rating of a power supply is the available output power, after any losses.

Indeed, I copy pasted those excerpts from the review/guide. I went ahead and fixed that, because the wording was very misleading (it wasn't incorrect, just worded poorly)

Undead, you probably should add CoolerMaster to your listing, at least their Silent Pro series, which are very reasonably priced and have excellent reviews. As a matter of fact, Anandtech just reviewed their 1000W Silent Pro, and found it to be great, minus a few little tiny complaints here and there (they though it was a bit loud at 10-50% load since the fan runs the same spead there... but that complaint might have been a bit much considering it was still only 20-22dB)

Here is an example product from Newegg.com

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817171057

Fantastic power supply above. 80+ gold rating and rock solid voltages. It's a keeper, as they say.

Undead Cheese · Sep 07, 2010, 01:30 AM // 01:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lord Sojar

Indeed, I copy pasted those excerpts from the review/guide. I went ahead and fixed that, because the wording was very misleading (it wasn't incorrect, just worded poorly)

Undead, you probably should add CoolerMaster to your listing, at least their Silent Pro series, which are very reasonably priced and have excellent reviews. As a matter of fact, Anandtech just reviewed their 1000W Silent Pro, and found it to be great, minus a few little tiny complaints here and there (they though it was a bit loud at 10-50% load since the fan runs the same spead there... but that complaint might have been a bit much considering it was still only 20-22dB)

Here is an example product from Newegg.com

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817171057

Fantastic power supply above. 80+ gold rating and rock solid voltages. It's a keeper, as they say.

The Silent Pro M1000W is quite good, the voltage regulation seems quite average to be honest but the ripple/noise supression is very good, I'll add that in. I haven't found any worthwhile reviews for the other wattage Silent Pro series though.

On the other hand, I'm not so sure about the Silent Pro Golds, hardwaresecrets reviewed their 800w version and the ripple on the 12v was close to 100mV, which is quite bad to be honest, I think I'll pass on those.

Edit: Jonnyguru also reviewed the 1200w Gold, had the same high ripple issues.

Edit 2: Added the Silent Pro M 850W aswell. The other units seem to have really weak 12v rails which is a shame.

Lord Sojar · Sep 07, 2010, 07:00 AM // 07:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Undead Cheese

The Silent Pro M1000W is quite good, the voltage regulation seems quite average to be honest but the ripple/noise supression is very good, I'll add that in. I haven't found any worthwhile reviews for the other wattage Silent Pro series though.

On the other hand, I'm not so sure about the Silent Pro Golds, hardwaresecrets reviewed their 800w version and the ripple on the 12v was close to 100mV, which is quite bad to be honest, I think I'll pass on those.

Edit: Jonnyguru also reviewed the 1200w Gold, had the same high ripple issues.

Edit 2: Added the Silent Pro M 850W aswell. The other units seem to have really weak 12v rails which is a shame.

Indeed. I just ordered the M 850W, and my rails are actually the best I've ever seen of any PSU. My 12v rail is actually 12.001V, not even 1 >5mV variance.

Also, yes, it appears that Coolermaster is hit or miss... but I'm glad that 2 of their series are excellent or above average. I've always liked CM, and it's a shame to see that the 1200W and 800W aren't all that great.

PS: I fixed a couple typos in your post, hope ya don't mind. Minor technicalities.

Quaker · Sep 07, 2010, 04:12 PM // 16:12

It's really only useful to present a list of actual models of PSUs if you intend to keep it up-to-date on a frequent basis.

Undead Cheese · Sep 07, 2010, 10:30 PM // 22:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quaker

It's really only useful to present a list of actual models of PSUs if you intend to keep it up-to-date on a frequent basis.

Not quite sure I get what you mean, there's many ''series'' of PSU's,that don't have linear performance figures as the rest of the wattage units.

Quaker · Sep 08, 2010, 03:10 PM // 15:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Undead Cheese

Not quite sure I get what you mean, there's many ''series'' of PSU's,that don't have linear performance figures as the rest of the wattage units.

What? Huh? Not only do I not see how you could not understand what I meant, I can't understand your reply!

So let me restate it this way: Like every other part of a computer, power supplies are constantly changing. Models, wattages, and efficiencies come and go. Manufacturers come and go. Any list you make now would be completely obsolete in 6 months or so. So, the question is - do you intend to update your list on a regular basis? If not, there's not much point in having it as part of a Sticky.

Snograt · Sep 08, 2010, 03:20 PM // 15:20

It would be nice if you did. One of the biggest problems on this forum is getting people devoted enough to keep guides constantly updated - and I'm guilty of not updating stuff myself!

Undead Cheese · Sep 09, 2010, 08:15 AM // 08:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quaker

do you intend to update your list on a regular basis? If not, there's not much point in having it as part of a Sticky.

Makes more sense, yes I do intend to keep it updated.

gascash · Feb 05, 2013, 09:38 AM // 09:38

It would be nice ì you did. If you omitted PC Power & Cooling.