Roundup: 12 Gaming Power Supplies Compared

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Gamers demand a lot from their computers, starting with the PSU. Therefore, almost every PSU manufacturer sells products optimized for gaming PCs. We introduce ripple and noise testing in this roundup to further improve our power supply evaluations.

Test Configuration, Hold-Up Time, Inrush Current, Peak, And Short Circuit Tests

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Test Hardware
AC SourceChroma Programmable AC Source 6530
Power MeterYokogawa WT210 Digital Power Meter
Loads4 x 600 W Chroma 63306 for 12 V testing 4 x 300 W Chroma 63303 for 5 and 3.3 V testing using Chroma HighSpeed- DC Load Mainframes 6334
OscilloscopeTektronix DPO3034 Digital Phosphore Oscilloscope (300 MHz)
Test Procedure
Voltages110 and 230 V
Standby Power0.25 A fixed current to simulate PC standby power on 5 Vsb
80 PLUS Efficiency Testing100/50/20% load, relative to specified total output Load distribution across 12/5/3.3V rails at the same proportion as specified for 100% testing at 110 V according to ATX 2.3 specification
Efficiency at Fixed Loads25, 50, 85, 300, 500 W loads Load distribution across 12/5/3.3 V rails at the same proportion as specified for 100%
Peak Load Test110% Overload Testing at maximum combined 12 V
Temperature TestAir intake vs. Outtake temperature delta tracking highest delta during all tests

Hold-Up Time, Inrush Current, Peak, and Short Circuit Tests:

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Short Circuit Protection Test (12 V)
ModelTest Passed
Antec True Power New 750 W (115 V)yes
Antec True Power New 750 W (230 V)yes
BeQuiet StraighPower 580 W (115 V)yes
BeQuiet StraighPower 580 W (230 V)yes
Chieftec NTRO 85 (115 V)yes
Chieftec NTRO 85 (230 V)yes
Cooler Master GX 750 (115 V)yes
Cooler Master GX 750 (230 V)yes
Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold 700 (115 V)yes
Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold 700 (230 V)yes
Corsair AX850 (115 V)yes
Corsair AX850 (230 V)yes
Cougar SX S700 (115 V)yes
Cougar SX S700  (230 V)yes
Enermax Modu 87+ 700 W (115 V)yes
Enermax Modu 87+ 700 W (230 V)yes
NZXT HALE90-750M 115 V)yes
NZXT HALE90-750M (230 V)yes
OCZ Fatality Champ 750 W (115 V)yes
OCZ Fatality Champ 750 W (230 V)yes
Seasonic X-Series 750 W (115 V)yes
Seasonic X-Series 750 W (230 V)yes
Sparkle SCC-750AF (115 V)yes
Sparkle SCC-750AF (230 V)yes
TG Publishing Team
103 Comments Comment from the forums
  • FLanighan
    Why not Corsair? I jizz at my tx850w :)
    Reply
  • xxsk8er101xx
    Because it failed a few of the tests.

    FLanighanWhy not Corsair? I jizz at my tx850w
    Reply
  • p1n3apqlexpr3ss
    Corsair has a gamer series... whyd they test one of the units from the top line aimed more at enthusiasts?
    Reply
  • V8VENOM
    Odd, why isn't Silverstone reviewed at all? Most of the power supplies they looked at are junk for anyone with more than one GPU and overclocking. I dumped my PC Power & Cooling 1000 Watt PSU because it couldn't handle two ATI 5870's and overclocked CPU to 4Ghz with 1600 FSB. I put in a Silverstone 1500Watt PSU and my system has been rock solid ever since.

    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.
    Reply
  • scook9
    V8VENOMOdd, why isn't Silverstone reviewed at all? Most of the power supplies they looked at are junk for anyone with more than one GPU and overclocking. I dumped my PC Power & Cooling 1000 Watt PSU because it couldn't handle two ATI 5870's and overclocked CPU to 4Ghz with 1600 FSB. I put in a Silverstone 1500Watt PSU and my system has been rock solid ever since.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.
    Reply
  • JamesSneed
    Nice tests but I came to a different conclusion. The seasonic X-750 is close to the most effiecent in the bunch and did you see that voltage ripple it looked like it was flat lining.
    Reply
  • boiler1990
    For the ~$20 price difference between the Corsair 850HX and the AX850, I think I'll get the AX. It never hurts to invest in a great PSU :)
    Reply
  • juuh
    V8VENOMOdd, why isn't Silverstone reviewed at all? Most of the power supplies they looked at are junk for anyone with more than one GPU and overclocking. I dumped my PC Power & Cooling 1000 Watt PSU because it couldn't handle two ATI 5870's and overclocked CPU to 4Ghz with 1600 FSB. I put in a Silverstone 1500Watt PSU and my system has been rock solid ever since.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.
    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
    Reply
  • vanhalen
    No recommendation for the Seasonic? Am I missing something?
    Reply
  • random1283
    agreed no reccomendation for an x series seasonic, you guys must be mssing something, every other review of the x series said that they are simply amazing much better then any nxzt or anything.
    Reply