Patrick Afschar

Articles by: Patrick Afschar

SeaSonic Platinum-760 Power Supply Review

By Patrick Afschar

SeaSonic's Platinum-760 is the third 80 PLUS Platinum-rated power supply in our round-up. Does a higher sustained output rating help in any way? We run it through our benchmark suite and compare the SS-760XP2 against two strong competitors.

FSP Aurum 92+ 650W 80 PLUS Platinum PSU Review

By Patrick Afschar

In our ongoing exploration of mid-range power supplies with 80 PLUS Platinum efficiency ratings, FSP's Aurum 92+ is forced to stand up against the Corsair PSU we already reviewed. Can you expect great things from a 650W unit with a beefy spec sheet?

Corsair HX750i 80 PLUS Platinum PSU Review

By Patrick Afschar

When enthusiasts talk about high-efficiency power supplies, they're often referring to PSUs with big output ratings. We wanted to round up a handful of more mainstream units with claimed 80 PLUS Platinum certs to compare. First up: Corsair's HX750i.

Five Highly Efficient Power Supplies: 1200 W and Up

By Patrick Afschar

Until recently, buying a PSU with a four-digit wattage was perhaps most useful for boasting among fellow hardware enthusiasts – there was barely any real need for such high wattages. However, Bitcoin mining and Altcoin mining have changed that.

Four 80 PLUS Gold Power Supplies Under 450 W, Reviewed

By Patrick Afschar

Although high-wattage power supplies get most of the glory, we take our hats off to small, efficient solutions offering more practical output. We take four sub-450 W PSUs and run them through our benchmark suite to see if we can determine a winner.

Part 2: Four Cheap 80 PLUS Bronze Power Supplies, Reviewed

By Patrick Afschar

Ready for part two of our low-cost power supply round-up? Here are four more products, including Seasonic's SSR-360GP, which is 80 PLUS Gold-certified. Is this little 360 W PSU the bargain of the century, or is its Gold label simply pyrite?

Part 1: Four Cheap 80 PLUS Bronze Power Supplies, Reviewed

By Patrick Afschar

Power supply manufacturers condition us to think that efficiency is the one variable you need to pay the most attention to. But we have a suite of tests that more thoroughly taxes PSUs. Can these four inexpensive units under $70 make it through unscathed?

Five 550 And 600 W 80 PLUS Platinum Power Supplies, Tested

By Patrick Afschar

A good power supply doesn't just provide you with ample output. Increasingly, vendors have put a bigger emphasis on delivering power more efficiently, too. We're testing five 80 PLUS Platinum-rated power supplies in the 550- to 600-watt range.

Three Down-Draft Heat Sinks: The Last Of A Dying Breed?

By Patrick Afschar

There’s an enormous amount of aftermarket coolers available to those wanting more performance or lower temperatures. The market’s currently dominated by tower coolers, and top coolers have fallen out of favor. Rightfully so? We find out.

Silent Running: Two Fanless Power Supplies And A Quiet One, Tested

By Patrick Afschar

The power supply typically isn't the noisiest component in a high-end PC. Nevertheless, many folks are serious about cutting noise, and go the extra mile for a quiet system. We step in with a comparison of two silent models against one low-noise PSU.

80 PLUS Gold: Four Efficient 700-850 W Power Supplies

By TG Publishing Team, Patrick Afschar

Gamers and enthusiasts are always on the lookout for crème de la crème hardware. It's easy to pick winning CPUs and graphics cards; less so for PSUs. We put four 80 PLUS Gold devices from Antec, FSP, Seasonic, and SilverStone under the magnifying glass.

Don't Be Surprised When Your Cheap PSU Blows Up

By TG Publishing Team, Patrick Afschar

We purchased a few interesting PSUs through a few dubious online vendors, among then an "extremely quiet" 500 W model for less than $30. That’s a tempting offer, but our test of three different units proves you should stay away from cheapo power supplies.

Three 1000 W 80 PLUS Gold-Certified Power Supplies Tested

By TG Publishing Team, Patrick Afschar

We received a trio of 1000 W power supplies priced between $200 and $300, so we ran them through our usual suite of tests to see if they really live up to their 80 PLUS Gold certifications. Surprisingly, all three hiccuped during efficiency testing.

Roundup: 12 Gaming Power Supplies Compared

By TG Publishing Team, Patrick Afschar

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.

Sub-$75 Mainstream Power Supply Roundup

By TG Publishing Team, Patrick Afschar

In our last power supply article, we reviewed several relatively expensive, high-performance products suitable for powerful gaming PCs and workstations. This time around, we're looking at something a little bit more affordable for the mainstream crowd.

Bang For Your Buck: Four 500 W Power Supplies Reviewed

By TG Publishing Team, Patrick Afschar

Enthusiasts often say that you can never have too much performance. However, a 500W power supply is perfectly ample for a majority of mid-range PCs. This is one of those cases where a solid ratio of performance to price is preferable to gross excess.

Soon At Tom's Hardware: Full-Scale Power Supply Testing

By TG Publishing Team, Patrick Afschar

Often overlooked, the power supply plays a crucial role in supplying the PC with stable and sufficient power. Unfortunately, not all PSUs on the market meet expectations. This is why Tom's Hardware will now regularly be testing power supplies.

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