Legit Reviews

Behind Closed Doors: Power Supply Pricing Guide

Today Legit Reviews goes beyond a typical review and jumps head first into how power supplies are priced and what you need to look for when it comes to buying a top end power supply. We go over a number of issues ranging from the temperature ratings on capacitors to how the total power is figured out. Save some money by buying the right power supply the first time!

If you are an enthusiast that is looking to purchase a power supply we wish you the best of luck, because it's a pain in the ass digging through the marketing fluff and getting the information you need. If you are making a feature shopping list as you are looking for the ultimate power supply these need to be on your list.

* Active PFC
* 105°C Capacitors
* Make sure the total wattage rating is done at 50°C
* Quality Capacitors like Nippon Chemi-Cons and not Fuhjyyu
* a 120mm (12cm) or 140mm (14cm) cooling fan

Right now only two of the nine power supplies we have recently reviewed fit that bill and they are the Corsair HX620W and the Thermaltake Toughpower 750W. If you have the money and are looking for a great power supply start with those two!

Article Title: Behind Closed Doors: Power Supply Pricing Guide
Article URL: http://www.legitreviews.com/article/372/1/

Have you had the chance to review the Silverstone Power Supplies?

Not yet, but am trying to get in touch with someone there to send one out.

I found a typo in my article! The Mushkin XP-650 does not use all 105C capacitors like I said in the conclusion and I have updated it to note this.

The two main 200V Teapo capacitors are only rated at 85C.



All of the other secondary Teapo SEK capacitors are rated at 105C. I can also see a couple ASIA X Capacitors, but don't know their rating.



Sorry for the typo, but it's been fixed... i'm not sure why Mushkin has both 105C and 85C capacitors on the unit.

85's are the norm. Higher temp rated caps are used to ensure long life and can be used in positions of poor ventilation. I still don't think the inside of the PSU would ever get over 85C even in spots with no air cooling, covered with wires, etc. but it's good peace of mind.

The primary caps are the caps one should probably worry the least about. The purpose they serve is completely different than the purpose of any other cap. They're alway out in the open and hardly ever fail. And when they do fail, the fail because something else failed so failure is inevitable. Unfortunately, they're also the caps that people focus on because they're the big ones that everyone sees!

Once upon a time, Antec announced that they were switching over to Japanese caps. This was back when they switched out the primary caps from Fuhjyyu to Matsushita. Everyone could clearly see the big black caps with the [M] logo on them. Unfortunately, open one up, and the secondaries that always buldge and fail were still Fuhjyyu.

Ok. Today's another day and I had a chance to really read the article.

I loved the part where you questioned why you were even doing all of this in the first place.

I think it's a great little article myself.

So many PSU reviewers don't take price and "value" into consideration. Primarily because a PSU is typically GIVEN to them to review!

Seriously, if I only have $100 in my pocket and everyone is telling me why I should buy a $150 power supply, it's about time someone tells me why I SHOULDN'T buy a $100 power supply! Is it due to lack of PFC? Lack of 80+ efficiency? Am I paying more for bells, horns and whistles?

Good stuff. I give it a thumbs up. :D

Thanks Jonny! It means a bunch coming from you!

I know its a bit late now, but I saw a site comparing PSU's wieghts to price. Did you try that one? Stands to reason that the better a PSU is the more stuffs it has in it. Or maybe not.

Dan

weight has nothing to do with a power supply performance in todays market. I've seen reviews on power supplies that showed weight versus performance way back in the 1990's, but it's not a fail safe method. Does weight matter? Sure... Active PFC will add weight and so will having a daughter board to split the rails... When I pick up a power supply I think in the back of my head... "oh this one is light it must suck". An example of a light power supply that does really good is the OCZ GameXstream series... They are uber light, but are very good power supplies for what they are... a little ripple, but nothing to cause a concern.

Great article I wish I had read it before hunting out an new PSU to replace my Ageing Hiper TypeR-580 black ed , I ended up purchasing an Silverstone Strider Plus ST75F 80+ silver so all's good