Conclusion And Recommendation
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:
- Antec TP750
- be Quiet! Straight Power E8 580 W
- Chieftec BPS-750C
- Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold 700
- NZTX HALE90-750M
