PSU brands to look for and brands to avoid

Ive been looking around google checking reviews on psu brands and quite a lot of brands seem to have a lot lower wattage than the manufacturer states, as well as people stating they arent reliable.

I know a lot of people are corsair fans but what other psu brands are generally okay?

My current psu is a sumvision which i know is poor, and even though its supposed to be 500 watt, i bet it isnt. it was bought because of my lack of budget a couple of years ago, still i am on a low budget, but its higher than before. (although it has lasted without blowing my shít up.

Antec is another good brand.

If you post the specs you plan to be using this new PSU on then it will make it help people make a good recommendation for you

Generally, Antec, Corsair, SeaSonic etc. are held with highest regard on these boards.

Yea OCZ usually make good PSUs. That one would will be fine for your system.

May be. But I personally had Antec Smartpower 2.0 that failed on me. I might have been just unlucky though.

Forget brands.....buying by brand name is a sure fire way to disaster.

PSU manufacturers are like car manufacturers......I'm a Porsche kinda guy myself but I will use Ford for this example since I have never owned one.....if you're in a sports car club, could you say "the Ford is a good performing car" ?

You might say for example ..... "The Ford Mustang is a decent performing little sports car for the price" and some will argue but some will agree......but would anyone agree with you if you said "The Ford Escort is a decent performing little sports car for the price" ....same thing.

PSU manufacturer's make PSU's to meet market segments. Just because Ford makes the Escort, doesn't in and of itself make the Mustang a bad car. (Let's please avoid the Mustang's worthiness and stick to the point plz).

Let's use Silverstone as our example .....

Does Silverstone make great power supplies ? Yes
Does Silverstone make crappy power supplies ? Yes


Silverstone Element ST85EF 6.0 Performance Rating
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.p [...] 5&reid=164

Silverstone Zeus ST85ZF 9.5 Performance Rating
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.p [...] ry3&reid=5

If I said go out and buy a 850 watta PSU from Silverstone and you came home w/ a ST85ZF, you'd probably be happy w/ that 9.5 rating.....but if you came home w/ the ST85EF (only 1 letter different in model no.)\, you'd probably never talk to me again.

Same is true for most manufacturers....and while you might assume that buying within the same line is "safe" , this is something that can not be guaranteed. Silentpcreview.com writes:

When it comes to the noise they make [or build quality], PSUs of the same brand, even of the same series, are not that closely related sometimes. While some PSU brands are pretty consistently quiet (Seasonic is a good example), individual models still vary. Some brands are less consistent. This is especially true of brands whose power supplies are made for them by OEMs, often more than one at the same time, for the same or similar series. Which brands have their PSUs made by other companies? Why almost all of them — all but three names on our recommended lists: Seasonic and Fortron-Source / Sparkle (closely related), who actually manufacture their own products. Enermax used to, but some of their products are now subcontracted out; we don't know what percentage or to who.

So be warned. Don't assume that since Super Quiet 500 received an Editor's Choice award, the same brand's Ultra Silent 1000 must be very quiet [or equal in build quality] too. If we have not reviewed it, if it's not on these lists, it's best not to assume. At least inquire in the forums. SPCR does not make assessments of products without examining them, and we generally choose not to review products that don't meet our minimum requirements for "quiet". The reviews take a great deal of time and effort, and we prefer to save it for better products. So... sometimes "holes" in our recommendations of products in a series may exist because those models simply did not make the grade.

In short, read the reviews. I start here:

http://www.silentpcreview.com/Recommended_PSUs

as SPCR does a through analysis of both build quality / electrical performance and acoustical performance. After that I go and look for another review here:

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=Search

If I am happy with both, and the pricing, I've got my purchase settled.

My "short list" for readily available, and affordable units (alphabetical by category).

Outstanding for Electrical and Acoustical Performance

Antec CP Series
Antec SG Series
Seasonic MD12 Series
Seasonic X Series


Outstanding for Electrical Performance

Corsair HX Series
Silverstone Zeus Series


Very Good Electrical Performance
Antec Earthwatts
Antec TP / TPQ Series (some are / some aren't)
Corsair TX
Corsair VX

For what it is worth, here are a couple of somewhat outdated lists:

http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/323050.aspx

http://www.overclock.net/power-sup [...] dated.html

Your maximum power should be 50 to 60% (depending on whether you'll upgrade soon).

It's common to buy a Power Supply that's overkill. Most computers spend their time idling. For example, many people buy 850Watt Power Supplies and Idle about 200Watts which is under 25% load.

Check out the Efficiency curves for PSU's (they all have one).

Some efficient systems with i5-750's even Idle at about 80Watts which is 10% of 800Watts!

If I knew I wouldn't be upgrading I'd look carefully at my Idle and Max System Power and my Efficiency Curve for the PSU. For example, Idle should be say, 40% of the PSU's max, and my maximum output would be 75%. As long as I wasn't WAY off and getting 60% efficiency instead of 80% I'm happy.

You should be staying within 5% of your Maximum efficiency at all times.

Concur with above 2 posts and should be in tier 2, or 1 (prefer tier 1 if cost is not to high).
I usually apply 20% at min and 50 -> 60% at max. (75% @ max load but excepable)
My system approx 100 watts Idle = 500Watt PSU, approx 300 watts @ max = 500 Watts. Have a igreen 600 watt (what I had laying arround for new build).

When min and max do not match, go for the higher wattage. Normally for the Max load and take what you get for Idle.

The 50 to 60% improves life expectancy and also voltage regulation at max load. Interms of % effiency Voltage regulation trumps as long as effiency is => 80%.

Cool PSU video:
http://www.corsair.com/products/hx750/default.aspx

There are modular and non-modular Corsair models. "Modular" for those that don't know means the cables are detachable which is great.

Two examples of Corsair PSU's that might be ideal for your situation:

1) HX750 Corsair (modular)
2) TX750 Corsair (non-modular)

Look around for sales too. Add in shipping costs. All things being equal I prefer the modular. I have one and it's awesome in every way.

Other:
HX model is modular but more expensive; I wouldn't pay a lot more for that luxury (got mine on sale). HX Warranty is 7 years instead of 5 which may seem like it doesn't matter but a quality PSU can easily last 10+ years, but, again not worth a significantly larger price.

Other PSU's are modular or seem similar at lower prices. Some cost a lot more. My research indicates that the Corsair TX750 is probably the best deal for the price.

Do NOT skimp on the PSU. The minimum problems are higher noise. Other issues include damaging other equipment or just causing intermittent, annoying problems which mimic other hardware or software issues. A more inefficient PSU will likely eat up any price difference over time in electricity costs. A really bad PSU can even burn down your house. Considering how much you spend on a computer over 5+ years is it worth it to get a cheap PSU just to save $50?

Summary:
It's good to look at websites, read reviews and more. At the end of the day, the TX750 is a great PSU which is hard to beat. Your only decision should be what power size to get. For that, Google some reviews and find ones that show the Maximum power. Pay particular attention if you may add a second graphics card and/or overclock. As a rough rule, aim for 65% to 75% too avoid going too low or too high.

Modular can be nice, but not really needed. I wouldn't pay more for one. With even a half way decent case and a bit of work you can route your cables in a good way. I also wouldn't buy a PSU because of the warranty. What good is a 7-10yo PSU? You can't even use my 4yo Antec SP 450W in a machine of today because it lacks the 8 pin mobo plug that they need. You should certainly buy a quality board, but as long as you get a 3-5yo warranty I wouldn't pay extra for longer.