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Lian Li PE-750 SFX-L 750W PSU Review

Lian Li enters the PSU market again with two new SFX-L models featuring 550 W and 750 W capacities. The PE-750 is under the microscope today. It features modular cabling, a single +12V rail, and a semi-passive fan.

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Pros, Cons And Final Verdict

Despite its compact dimensions, the PE-750 achieves amazing efficiency, registering among the highest levels we've seen from an 80 PLUS Platinum power supply (even the ones based on an ATX form factor). Additionally, the critical +12V rail performs well. If the 3.3V rail was just a bit better, we would be completely satisfied by the PE-750's performance. Fortunately, the 3.3V and 5V rails are only lightly used in modern systems, which is why they're considered minor. More important are the +12V and 5VSB rails, and in this PSU both perform well. The cherry on top is quiet operation up to around 500 W of load. Moreover, the semi-passive mode lasts quite a while for a high-capacity PSU with restricted dimensions and an overpopulated PCB.

The PE-750 has a number of strengths. But it also suffers some major shortcomings. A high price and short warranty are two of the most problematic. In the space where Lian Li wants to compete, two-year coverage is absurd. You also wouldn't expect to find a sleeve-bearing fan in a $160 PSU. Those fans are only suitable for entry-level power supplies, which the PE-750 is not. The expected lifetime of a sleeve bearing is much shorter than double-ball or fluid dynamic bearings. And taking into account the 85 °C bulk caps, we start to understand why Lian Li is reluctant to provide more than two years of warranty coverage. This is especially true in markets with 115 V mains, where the PSU's internal temperature will be higher due to lower efficiency.

In any case, it is a great shame to see a high-end PSU with silly weaknesses that could have easily been avoided. Both problems are easy to fix. Lian Li just needs to replace its fan and bulk caps with beefier hardware. Larger caps would facilitate a hold-up time that satisfies the ATX spec's requirement, and it wouldn't be difficult for Enhance to properly tune the power-good signal from there. Unfortunately, an inaccurate power-good signal is becoming common in high-end PSUs, and we can only hope that after heavy criticism, manufacturers stop trying to pull this nasty stunt. Power-good is there for a reason, and it has to be de-asserted before the rails drop below their corresponding levels.

With a longer warranty, a better fan, a higher temperature rating, and larger bulk caps, the PE-750 could easily earn recognition from us, despite its lofty price tag. But it seems like we'll have to wait for a revision at least before those items are addressed.

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Aris Mpitziopoulos
Aris Mpitziopoulos
Aris Mpitziopoulos is a Contributing Editor at Tom's Hardware US, covering PSUs.
9 Comments Comment from the forums
  • blazorthon
    That's an embarrassing showing from Lian-Li.
    Reply
  • Aris_Mp
    For the SFX-L standards actually it is quite good. There is next to zero competition in this field. With a few part changes this platform has potential, however I don't know if it could keep efficiency at the same high levels.
    Reply
  • shrapnel_indie
    Lian Li is supposed to be a premium brand. Just look how expensive (and the usual quality of) their cases are when you can find them. By the numbers and its internals, this doesn't look like a premium brand product, regardless of how much or how little competition they got in a given market.

    Lian Li, have you decided to no longer be a true premium brand?
    Reply
  • Valantar
    Definitely disappointing. Looks like Lian Li is going for the "money to burn, don't care" market. This PSU had amazing promise, but the choice of fan, the too-small caps and the short warranty make this unbuyable. Now, I don't have empirical data to base this on, but I'd guess most people springing $160 on a PSU - SFX or not - want it to last more than 2-3 years. And using a fan that's both short-lived _and_ unsuitable for horizontal mounting? That's just idiotic.
    Reply
  • Virtual_Singularity
    Solid review, as always, great job Aris. Even if this isn't an ideal psu, Lian Li is a quality brand, a quality case brand. However, its worth noting that of the ample (edit: particularly sfx/sfxl) PSU's Enhance has OEM'd for various brands, this one has to be among the best of them. Even if Lian Li introduced an absolutely horrible psu, wouldn't matter much to their fans, its the quality they put into many of their cases that's most important. Even if they cave more than they already have to the recent case trends, I hope they still keep producing no nonsense cases for that niche market that still values them.
    Reply
  • Valantar
    18666014 said:
    Solid review, as always, great job Aris. Even if this isn't an ideal psu, Lian Li is a quality brand, a quality case brand. However, its worth noting that of the ample PSU's Enhance has OEM'd for various brands, this one has to be among the best of them. Even if Lian Li introduced an absolutely horrible psu, wouldn't matter much to their fans, its the quality they put into many of their cases that's most important. Even if they cave more than they already have to the recent case trends, I hope they still keep producing no nonsense cases for that niche market that still values them.

    Sure, Lian Li makes great cases (although IMHO they too often screw up their nice minimalist looks with unnecessary clutter, and they're way behind the times in a few usability/ease of build areas today). But how does this relate to this PSU? In no way at all. Lian Li might be "a quality brand, a quality case brand", but that does nothing to change the fact that this is a premium priced PSU built with mind-boggling cost cutting in key areas, making its lifetime radically shorter than it should be. This would barely be okay for a $60 PSU. For a $160 unit, it's not only a deal breaker, it's about on the same level as the engineers shouting "F*ck you!" to every individual buyer.
    Reply
  • Virtual_Singularity
    18670375 said:
    18666014 said:
    Solid review, as always, great job Aris. Even if this isn't an ideal psu, Lian Li is a quality brand, a quality case brand. However, its worth noting that of the ample PSU's Enhance has OEM'd for various brands, this one has to be among the best of them. Even if Lian Li introduced an absolutely horrible psu, wouldn't matter much to their fans, its the quality they put into many of their cases that's most important. Even if they cave more than they already have to the recent case trends, I hope they still keep producing no nonsense cases for that niche market that still values them.

    Sure, Lian Li makes great cases (although IMHO they too often screw up their nice minimalist looks with unnecessary clutter, and they're way behind the times in a few usability/ease of build areas today). But how does this relate to this PSU? In no way at all. Lian Li might be "a quality brand, a quality case brand", but that does nothing to change the fact that this is a premium priced PSU built with mind-boggling cost cutting in key areas, making its lifetime radically shorter than it should be. This would barely be okay for a $60 PSU. For a $160 unit, it's not only a deal breaker, it's about on the same level as the engineers shouting "F*ck you!" to every individual buyer.

    Fwiw, I've no need of this form factor in a psu, so I'm really not bothered by it so much. But take the comment Aris made above into account. TBH, it'd be very easy to come to your conclusion if not for this psu being in the SFXL category. It really is one of the better ones I've seen reviewed, despite the short warranty. A shorter warranty is typical of the latest comparable units, (Silverstone, for example, has 2-3 years depending on location) the exception being Corsair, possibly. I say possibly because I don't know how their latest sfx units, despite having a longer warranty, compare with this one in overall efficiency, performance. and size.

    The latest platinum/titanium rated SFX/SFX-L units carry a price premium. For those demanding a sfx-l unit, the one reviewed above is among the best performers, regardless of it's short warranty.
    Reply
  • blazorthon
    Problem is that it has multiple issues that are not inherent of being a smaller form factor such as SFX. Lian Li could have simply used a better, same-sized fan. There is also enough room for better caps. Being expensive just because of its efficiency with no regard for long-term reliability is idiotic and contradictory to being a high-end PSU in the first place.
    Reply
  • gadgety
    Great to highlight the weaknesses of this PSU. How does it compare to the Silverstone SX700-LPT? Which one is best. Do a shootout, or do an comparison piece.
    Reply