Once again we take a look at the initial question: can gaming-oriented power supplies live up to the promises made by marketing departments? The answer is: not always, but there is more to the story than that.
Some of the tested PSUs fail at one or more tests, such as specific energy efficiency requirements or the newly introduced ripple and noise measurements--and that simply must not happen. Sometimes-significant differences in the energy efficiency curves are also striking. Some PSUs live up to their 80 PLUS certifications, but show sharp efficiency drops at low loads. Others shine under low loads, but show weaknesses at full load.
All of the tested PSUs are intended for use in high-performance gaming computers. However, the manufacturers sometimes interpret the gaming theme very differently. Many of them try to gain the consumer's confidence by showing off certifications, such as 80 PLUS Gold or Nvidia SLI-ready, while others focus on a reasonable price/performance ratio. This is primarily achieved by getting a lower 80 PLUS classification and cutting some corners when it comes to equipment. Pointing out winners and losers in this roundup is hard, due to the large number of products. Depending on your individual needs and preferences, quite a lot of them could be a viable choice.
The NZXT HALE90-750M and Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold 700 are two of the best PSUs tested in this roundup, while Antec's TP-750 and be quiet! Straight Power E8 have great price/performance ratios. However, there are a few power supplies that we can recommend regardless of their price, the intended application or personal preferences. The following products went through our testing suite without any glitches, which means that we can approve them from a technical standpoint:





- New Tests: Ripple And Noise
- Antec TP-750
- Antec TP-750: Results
- be quiet! Straight Power E8
- be quiet! Straight Power E8: Results
- Chieftec BPS-750C
- Chieftec BPS-750C: Results
- Cooler Master GX 750
- Cooler Master GX 750: Results
- Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold 700
- Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold 700: Results
- Corsair CMPSU-AX850
- Corsair CMPSU-AX850: Results
- Cougar SX700
- Cougar SX700: Results
- Enermax Modu 87+ 700 W
- Enermax Modu 87+ 700 W: Results
- NZXT HALE90-750M
- NZXT HALE90-750M: Results
- OCZ Fatal1ty 750 W
- OCZ Fatal1ty 750 W: Results
- Seasonic X-750
- Seasonic X-750: Results
- Sparkle SCC-750AF
- Sparkle SCC-750AF: Results
- Test Configuration, Hold-Up Time, Inrush Current, Peak, And Short Circuit Tests
- Efficiency According To 80 PLUS, Temperature, And Standby Overview
- Efficiency Under Different Load Profiles
- Conclusion And Recommendation
The article doesn't appear to measure noise from during switching and how much noise is introduced to the CPU and bus.
Anyway, it will be a cold day in hell before anyone gets me to switch out my Silverstone 1500 Watt PSU.
You are either lying or very unlucky (got a bad PSU)......I have crossfire 5870s and an i7 965 and all stock cannot exceed 650W at the wall (about 550W actually used) no matter what I try.
I call BS. I could run your setup with my PC power & cooling 750w unit.
http://www.techspot.com/review/289-geforce-gtx-480-sli-versus-radeon-5870-crossfire/page9.html
My next build will be in an NZXT full tower, and I am particularly interested in the Antec 850W, which I believe is the same line as the 750 tested. The report mentioned something about the cables being a bit short for full towers, I'd like to know exact cable lengths, and does anyone know if the 850W model cables may be a little longer?
You're kidding right? You mention the NZXT power supply as "being one of the best", but no mention or recommendation for the Seasonic (even tough according to your own tests the Seasonic handily beats the NZXT)?
Seasonic is one of the, if not thee, best power supply houses in the land. Most of the times if you see a real good power supply from another brand, it turns out it was a Seasonic unit. I'm not saying there are no other good manufacturers out there... But, to not even to get a nod or anything in the conclusion??
Review fail.
So, essentially it will pick away at your RAM. No thanks.
"...its single +12 V rail (preferable to all of the units with dinkier +12 V output spread over multiple rails)..."
I call BS. I'd much rather have multiple +12V rails. With OCP set appropriately, there's no issue of power being "trapped" anywhere, yet it will be safer in the event of near short-circuit conditions.
I'll be building either a SB or BD rig for myself in late Spring or early Summer, and I already picked up the 560W model of the Seasonic "X" line for it ($71 for the one HardwareSecrets reviewed).
Remember too, that 80+ tests at the absurdly low ambient temperature of 23C. While I think their tests are still generally valid, and will certainly clear out the liar-labeled units, for a certified unit to fail by a couple percent under real world conditions is not too unusual.