Real Quick Question.....

[lasoski311]

Should i concern myself with 80 Plus Certification when choosing a power supply? If so, does Standard, Bronze, or Silver make that much of a difference?

Also, what about the SLI/Crossfire Certification vs. SLI/Crossfire Ready?

 

[photonboy]

The 80 Plus rating is about efficiency. If your PSU is 80% efficient then 20% of the power drawn from the wall is used by the PSU.

Being more efficient also means less heat for the PSU to dissipate, which combined with a good fan control system makes a big difference in noise.

SLI/Crossfire certification/ready. Same thing. Just make sure you have the correct number of connectors (6-pin, 8-pin etc).

Standard/Bronze/Gold. All above 80%. You can Google the exact values but don't worry about these really.

Here's an example of two good PSU's.

PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750
or
Corsair TX750W

 

[misry]

While it means little to me if Joe Blow Power Co. claims it, 80+ certification is a good inducator of a certain quality level from a trusted company.

 

[lasoski311]

thanks for the explanations but should i buy a power supply based on what certifications it has or does it not really matter?

 

[misry]

Essentially every PSU is certified in some way, UL if nothing else. My basic rule of thumb for retail customers is to spend as much on the PSU as you do on the CPU. That assumes you won't, for example, be strapping a 4890x2 to a 4400+. Determine what size you will need in watts, there are many online wattage calculators to do that. Add 25% for growth. Read reviews to determine a good brand in the range you need and look for one at a good price.

 

[mamw93]

The 80 plus certification is an efficiency rating. SLI and Crossfire ready is just a certification done by companies and has no real meaning to the PSU.