PSU Tier List [OLD]

[comicsansms]

The GX Storm edition is only sold in Asia and Australasia. It is a rebrand of the Coolermaster GM because the Ecos ID is the same. - Tier 4

http://www.plugloadsolutions.com/psu_reports/COOLER MASTER_RS-550-ACAA-B3_550W_ECOS 3673.1_Report.pdf

http://www.plugloadsolutions.com/psu_reports/COOLER MASTER_RS-550-AMAA-B1_550W_ECOS 3673_Report.pdf

[STRMfrmXMN]

6 hours ago, Comic_Sans_MS said:

The GX Storm edition is only sold in Asia and Australasia. It is a rebrand of the Coolermaster GM because the Ecos ID is the same. - Tier 4

http://www.plugloadsolutions.com/psu_reports/COOLER MASTER_RS-550-ACAA-B3_550W_ECOS 3673.1_Report.pdf

http://www.plugloadsolutions.com/psu_reports/COOLER MASTER_RS-550-AMAA-B1_550W_ECOS 3673_Report.pdf

Is this GX rev 2 or 1? Or completely different in every way?

[Limecat86]

Nice work for making this list! Very glad to see that I can settle down with my Seasonic Snow Silent. 

[STRMfrmXMN]

On 7/22/2016 at 8:01 PM, valdyrgramr said:

Ya, I have the Azza Titan 1K watter. 

I know you made this post over a week ago but I can't find too much about the Titan series. It's made by Super Flower and is a 1000W PSU, but I can't actually guarantee that's it's good as I don't know if it's based on any particular units. It may be based off this guy here http://www.super-flower.com.tw/products_detail.php?class=2&sn=6&ID=20&lang=

[comicsansms]

7 hours ago, STRMfrmXMN said:

Is this GX rev 2 or 1? Or completely different in every way?

It is different in every way.

 

[STRMfrmXMN]

32 minutes ago, Comic_Sans_MS said:

It is different in every way.

 

Hmm ok

[STRMfrmXMN]

1 hour ago, valdyrgramr said:

From what I've seen the Titan line was discontinued, but one of their best.  I know Azza only uses Superflower as an OEM and just paints and brands them as their own.

One PSU of theirs is from Andyson but that's the only exception. There used to be a time when Super Flower wasn't as good as they are now, far from a Seasonic competitor so some older units may be really bad.

[xDanielxOossiex]

I just got a new be quiet! Pure Power 600 watt, model: L9-CM-600w. Anything wrong with that one?

[MoonlightSylv]

5 hours ago, xDanielxOossiex said:

I just got a new be quiet! Pure Power 600 watt, model: L9-CM-600w. Anything wrong with that one?

No, BeQuiet makes good power supplies.

[xDanielxOossiex]

6 minutes ago, ShadowTechXTS said:

No, BeQuiet makes good power supplies.

Ok, good 

How much power (approximately) do these components use under full load?

GTX1070, i7 4790K @ stock speeds, 2HHD, 1 SSD and 2x 4GB RAM sticks

[MoonlightSylv]

5 hours ago, xDanielxOossiex said:

Ok, nice

How much power (approximately) do these components use under full load?

GTX1070, i7 4790K @ stock speeds, 2HHD, 1 SSand 2 4GB RAM sticks

About 300w, I wouldn't get anything less than a 500w though because that's just what PCPartPicker says

[Starelementpoke]

2 hours ago, xDanielxOossiex said:

I just got a new be quiet! Pure Power 600 watt, model: L9-CM-600w. Anything wrong with that one?

Eh. I'd pin it at tier 4. Some of the caps are rather poor, and falters when the +12v and 5v rails have unbalanced loads. But Silver efficiency, and like the name says, it's rather quiet.

[AlTech]

9 hours ago, xDanielxOossiex said:

Ok, good 

How much power (approximately) do these components use under full load?

GTX1070, i7 4790K @ stock speeds, 2HHD, 1 SSD and 2x 4GB RAM sticks

The MoBo and chipset consume around an extra 30-50w

 

9 hours ago, ShadowTechXTS said:

About 300w, I wouldn't get anything less than a 500w though because that's just what PCPartPicker says

Yeah. PSUs aren';t 100% efficient. Most are between 80-90% efficient under full load. so buy more power than you need.

 

I'd say he should go for a 600w PSU

[STRMfrmXMN]

2 hours ago, AluminiumTech said:

The MoBo and chipset consume around an extra 30-50w

 

Yeah. PSUs aren';t 100% efficient. Most are between 80-90% efficient under full load. so buy more power than you need.

 

I'd say he should go for a 600w PSU

Motherboards rarely consume any measurable amount of power unless they have some sort of LED that draws a watt or so. PCI power draw isn't included here.

 

Not sure what you mean with that. You don't need to buy more power than you need due to PSU efficiency, check out the link in my sig about 80 PLUS efficiency.

 

He'll never see more than 350W so nah, although his PSU already outputs 600W so eh.

[Energycore]

Jesus the romanian market is full with fire bombs

 

http://www.pcgarage.ro/surse/
 

With brands such as Floston and Segotep

[STRMfrmXMN]

1 hour ago, Energycore said:

Jesus the romanian market is full with fire bombs

 

http://www.pcgarage.ro/surse/
 

With brands such as Floston and Segotep

omg wow kill me pls

[Energycore]

2 minutes ago, STRMfrmXMN said:

omg wow kill me pls

I will if I give you one of these to use

[turkey3_scratch]

How do you tier the NEX B when it's never been reviewed? Let alone the Rosewill Arc series? Tier lists should all end. Tier lists only make things worse. Not only does every PSU tier list out there have so many problems, they don't take into account an end user and his or her specific needs. This is completely biased, tiering units that have never been reviewed.

 

First off, what is good or not depends on an end user and his specific needs. Take into consideration a person who has frequent brownouts. In that case, they probably don't want a power supply that drops the PWR_OK signal at a really low voltage. But units on the list may not be tiered or weighed in accordance with that specific person's needs. Another example is someone who likes a quiet PSU. You may have a tier 3 unit that is quieter than a tier 2 unit, and in that case it is more ideal for that person's specific needs. But if people shout "tiers, tiers, tiers!" The person ends up with a unit that is worse for his needs. What if someone lives in a cold environment with no AC. In that case cap quality is a lot less important. Or maybe someone lives in a hot environment where OTP is really important. Or gamers, for gaming transient response is extremely important, depending on what GPU you own and how power fluctuates. You just cannot generalize power supplies into tiers. "Quality" depends on the exact factors being taken into consideration, and those factors and their weight varies for everybody who is shopping for a power supply.

 

How do you tier the EVGA 450B without it having been reviewed? How do you know it is based on the same platform as the EVGA 500B? People need to stop it with stupid tiers and start getting an idea about the pros/cons of each units so they can judge them from an unbiased standpoint and make recommendations that legitimately address an end user's needs. Think I'm nuts? Look at it this way. Jonnyguru.com is filled with PSU reviewers and experts from around the world. They hate all these tier lists. The reasons I listed are only some of them why.

 

I'm not bashing you STRMfrm but tier lists in general. They need to stop. They do not help anything at all.  People say, "well, it helps people find a power supply" - no it does not. For one thing, dozens of units are missing from it, so there may be a perfect unit within that person's budget, ideal for him, but since he doesn't see it on the list he doesn't end up buying it. Or how can people say, "Buy a Tier 1 or 2 unit". Do you honestly expect the guy to search every single unit top to bottom in those tiers on Amazon/Newegg? Plus that person may end up with an overpriced unit, let alone one that is not ideal for his or her needs.

 

The best way of recommending power supplies is to address that person's needs and point them to some options that are good for them. A list like this with 7 tiers especially is flawed; the more tiers, the more flaws, because it gets down to such nitty gritty details that distinguish units, and sometimes some of those details are more important to one person than the next. It's just not right. Tier lists should be gone, people should do PSU research, or ask the experts for advise.

 

I deleted my tier list I uploaded on here a long time ago; why? Because I was such a fool then. It was idiotic that I even thought of doing that. I am such a wiser, smarter person now. And having made a tier list myself before, I know how bad they are. I have first-hand experience.

 

Also, FYI, Thermaltake's revised TR2 units are not bad. http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/thermaltake-tr2-700-w-power-supply-review/ and this Smart Bronze seemed to do well, yet that is Tier 7? http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/5613/thermaltake-smart-750-watt-80-plus-bronze-power-supply-review/index5.html And also, an entire series should not be generalized because different models within a series can be based on different platforms.

[MoonlightSylv]

25 minutes ago, turkey3_scratch said:

-snip-

(Don't bash me for saying this, I'm 13)
I don't think tier lists are made for recommending PSUs or even rating them (in a way), for instance, in the original post he never said that lower tier PSUs are bad (except for tier 7 which could be justified) I think what it should be used for is a buying guide type thing, ex:

 

Tier 1: Extremely high power PCs

Tier 2: High power PCs

Tier 3: Almost high power PCs

 

something like that, and I think that's somewhat of the purpose of this post, for instance, he did a thread on CX PSUs where there was a build where he recommended one, that's a lower tier PSU.

https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/434993-the-corsair-cx-series/

Edited August 11, 2016 by ShadowTechXTS

[STRMfrmXMN]

2 minutes ago, turkey3_scratch said:

How do you tier the NEX B when it's never been reviewed? Let alone the Rosewill Arc series? Tier lists should all end. Tier lists only make things worse. Not only does every PSU tier list out there have so many problems, they don't take into account an end user and his or her specific needs. This is completely biased, tiering units that have never been reviewed.

 

 

The NEX B is an FSP Raider. The Arc series is based off an ATNG platform that is used in the Nexus RX 6500. This does take into account what placements in terms of performance and quality a power supply meets and the responsibility of the user is to find a power supply that fits their needs according to what they are powering. None of these have literally no factual documentation about them. Not one.

 

8 minutes ago, turkey3_scratch said:

 

First off, what is good or not depends on an end user and his specific needs. Take into consideration a person who has frequent brownouts. In that case, they probably don't want a power supply that drops the PWR_OK signal at a really low voltage. But units on the list may not be tiered or weighed in accordance with that specific person's needs. Another example is someone who likes a quiet PSU. You may have a tier 3 unit that is quieter than a tier 2 unit, and in that case it is more ideal for that person's specific needs. But if people shout "tiers, tiers, tiers!" The person ends up with a unit that is worse for his needs. WHat if someone lives in a cold environment with no AC. In that case cap quality is a lot less important. Or maybe someone lives in a hot environment where OTP is really important. Or gamers, for gaming transient response is extremely important, depending on what GPU you own and how power fluctuates. You just cannot generalize power supplies into tiers. "Quality" depends on the exact factors being taken into consideration, and those factors and their weight varies for everybody who is shopping for a power supply.

 

Yes, because they are the exception, not the rule. These are tiered based on performance and quality, not value nor quietness, nothing of the sort. This list is quite unbiased in that way. Nothing that's above tier 4 cannot handle high temperatures. That's accounted for. Quality is based on a huge number of things like hold-up time, voltage regulation, passing their rated 80 PLUS standard, etc. 

 

10 minutes ago, turkey3_scratch said:

 

How do you tier the EVGA 450B without it having been reviewed? How do you know it is based on the same platform as the EVGA 500B? People need to stop it with stupid tiers and start getting an idea about the pros/cons of each units so they can judge them from an unbiased standpoint and make recommendations that legitimately address an end user's needs. Think I'm nuts? Look at it this way. Jonnyguru.com is filled with PSU reviewers and experts from around the world. They hate all these tier lists. The reasons I listed are only some of them why.

 

Because it's nearly the same as all the rest of the other units? There's the bit of difference between the 600B and 500B that puts it above the 500B but the 450B isn't some sort of unicorn, it goes where it goes. It's for the same sort of consumer as the rest of the HEC lineup that it comes from. It's going to perform and be of quality generally similar. Same goes with a Corsair RM750i vs an RM650i, neither is drastically different than the other. I'm sure plenty of people hate tier lists because they don't list ripple in millivolts or what bearing the fan has, but this isn't for them. 

 

14 minutes ago, turkey3_scratch said:

 

I'm not bashing you STRMfrm but tier lists in general. They need to stop. They do not help anything at all.  People say, "well, it helps people find a power supply" - no it does not. For one thing, dozens of units are missing from it, so there may be a perfect unit within that person's budget, ideal for him, but since he doesn't see it on the list he doesn't end up buying it. Or how can people say, "Buy a Tier 1 or 2 unit". Do you honestly expect the guy to search every single unit top to bottom in those tiers on Amazon/Newegg? Plus that person may end up with an overpriced unit, let alone one that is not ideal for his or her needs.

 

I'm sure you don't mean to but your last paragraph comes off as really snobbish. You also can't delete posts here so I'm not sure what you're on about there. What this list does is help someone put perspective into mind when shopping for power supplies, either in choosing between a few or in realizing that the current one in their system is awful. If they end up with an overpriced unit then that's their own fault for not doing research. The way this is set up is if they are looking for something from, say tier 3, and they end up with the EVGA NEX G, well it's their own fault for not looking through other units of that tier and realizing the the Seasonic M12 is better value - a rough example but you get my point.

 

17 minutes ago, turkey3_scratch said:

 

The best way of recommending power supplies is to address that person's needs and point them to some options that are good for them. A list like this with 7 tiers especially is flawed; the more tiers, the more flaws, because it gets down to such nitty gritty details that distinguishes units, and sometimes some of those details are important to one person than the next. It's just not right. Tier lists should be gone, people should do PSU research, or ask the experts for advise.

 

Nobody using this list is looking for nitty-gritty details about how close one unit came to failing the rated 80 PLUS efficiency or how ripple was just below "good" or whatever. They're looking for a double-check to make sure they aren't buying something dangerous or just generally awful. It also puts someone recommending a PSU into perspective when the user lists their specs. Say they have a GTX 1080 and an i7 6700. Probably best to put at least a tier 2 unit in right? You let them know to get something tier two or above on this list. If they can't afford it then that's a sign that they need to re-balance their system budget or need to save up more.

20 minutes ago, turkey3_scratch said:

 

I deleted my tier list I uploaded on here a long time ago; why? Because I was such a fool then. It was idiotic that I even thought of doing that. I am such a wiser, smarter person now. And having made a tier list myself before, I know how bad they are. I have first-hand experience.

This piece right here is the snobbish "I'm a teenager and I know more than you" attitude that I'm glad to see leave people once they're about 25 as they've come to realize that there are different people in the world who see things differently or people who genuinely know more about something than they do. This list isn't hurting anyone and I get private messages or comments on these sorts of guides from people telling me it helped them. It also guides them in the right direction when they ask for help from me directly. It's done it's job well, whether it alleviates your want to help every person on a person basis down to the very letter or for me to get people headed in the right direction in not buying explosives.

[turkey3_scratch]

1 minute ago, ShadowTechXTS said:

(Don't bash me for saying this, I'm 13)
I don't think tier lists are made for recommending PSUs or even rating them (in a way), for instance, in the original post he never said that lower tier PSUs are bad (except for tier 7 which could be justified) I think what it should be used for is a buying guide type thing, ex:

 

Tier 1: Extremely high power PCs

Tier 2: High power PCs

Tier 3: Almost high power PCs

 

something like that, and I think that's somewhat of the purpose of this post, for instance, he did a thread on CX PSUs where there was a build where he recommended one, that's a lower tier PSU.

https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/434993-the-corsair-cx-series/

Also, FYI, Thermaltake's revised TR2 units are not bad. http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/thermaltake-tr2-700-w-power-supply-review/ and this Smart Bronze seemed to do well, yet that is Tier 7? http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/5613/thermaltake-smart-750-watt-80-plus-bronze-power-supply-review/index5.html

 

Even the tier 7 ones aren't that bad. For one thing, the Thermaltake TR2 units have been revised and are quite better than the old ones (and when I say revised they were revised like 5 years ago). Even the Smart aren't probably worthy of some bottom rung thing.

 

According to your tier setup, 3 tiers, it still is too flawed. What if somebody has an extremely high power PC, yet they really need a quiet PSU because they do competitive gaming, yet a PSU on there is really noisy? Or just other things. If you live in a humid environment, gold plated connectors on the cables can be more important. Another problem is you can have a PS that is meant for an "almost high power PC" and is great quality, like the FSP Hydro X 450, yet it'd be stuck in tier 3. In the end, it doesn't address a specific person.

 

I already said why it does not work as a buying guide.

 

1) It does not address an end user's needs. A Tier 3 unit can certainly be better than a tier 2 unit. How so? Because what is "good" or "bad" is not set it stone; rather, what is "good" or "bad" relates to the context in which that power supply will be used.

2) The list itself is missing a lot of great units on the market.

3) The list has a bunch of units on it that have never even been reviewed. It is too problematic to be even close to a "buying guide".

4) Who the heck wants to go down and search every single unit within a tier on Amazon/Newegg?

 

A tier list is just an opinion-based generalization that fails to address a more complex phenomena which is picking the right power supply for a person or comparing units and seeing how they would fare against each other for a specific user and him and his computer's needs. Just as rocket science cannot be summed up in one page, neither can the complex topic of picking a power supply, or comparing power supplies.

[Marinatall_Ironside]

33 minutes ago, turkey3_scratch said:

-snip-

To address one's needs is good, but I also see an issue there too: It would only lead to one getting a fishy, cheap-ass PSU that only outputs poor-quality power with ripple all over the place and/or voltages going out of the ATX specification allowance of +/- 5%. I have a CoolMax PSU that I never use anymore after reading reviews of CoolMax units that are of poor quality.

 

Proper PSU reviews are objective, unbiased, and involves a gauntlet of brutal load tests that puts a PSU to its paces (I hope you're aware of that). Also most reviewers I've seen have electrical backgrounds, meaning they can name each and every component of a PSU and describe how it works and why it's good or bad. The tests involves ATE load testers, power draw meters that can accurately display wattage, voltage, and PFC, oscilloscopes, thermometers, and, ideally, a hot box to test hot loads and 80 Plus efficiency compliance when subjected to real-world usage.

 

You never test a PSU by hooking it up to an actual system because they are not very consistent, and the software isn't that accurate at all. You want the results to be repeatable, consistent, and accurate.

 

If you're going to do what you said to do to help out people on deciding on a PSU, you end up with people buying these instead. This is a perfect example of a shitty PSU, regardless of total capacity.

The tier list doesn't list out every single model. They list out the series of said PSU because generally, the units that belong in that series score much the same, similar to be the least.

 

For most people though, they can get away with a 430-watt to a 520-watt model that's non-modular and has 80 Plus Bronze efficiency, and I would personally reccommend Seasonic's S12II line of PSU's any day of the week, as they are cost-friendly and are of high quality for the price. They're better than the fishy, cheap-ass PSUs that are made by Chinese companies. You ever heard of the term "cost-downing" in electronics? I'll quote you the definition from JohnnyGURU:

Quote

In electronics, they use that term whenever they want to come up with a way to make something as cheaply as possible. You come up with a nice, decent power supply design first. Then, you start removing and/or replacing components with cheaper stuff as needed until the thing stops working. Then, you undo the last thing you did and sell it to the public.

Your safety and your computer's safety is waaay more important than trying to save a buck for better savings. I just hope that same CoolMax PSU actually takes out my dad's system because that's exactly why he bought a Chinese-made model; because he wanted to save a buck with no regards to electrical safety and component longevity. And my mom also bought a LEPA N500, which I can't find proper reviews of, but the story's the same.

Edited August 11, 2016 by JurunceNK

[turkey3_scratch]

4 minutes ago, STRMfrmXMN said:

The NEX B is an FSP Raider. The Arc series is based off an ATNG platform that is used in the Nexus RX 6500. This does take into account what placements in terms of performance and quality a power supply meets and the responsibility of the user is to find a power supply that fits their needs according to what they are powering. None of these have literally no factual documentation about them. Not one.

 

Yes, because they are the exception, not the rule. These are tiered based on performance and quality, not value nor quietness, nothing of the sort. This list is quite unbiased in that way. Nothing that's above tier 4 cannot handle high temperatures. That's accounted for. Quality is based on a huge number of things like hold-up time, voltage regulation, passing their rated 80 PLUS standard, etc. 

 

Because it's nearly the same as all the rest of the other units? There's the bit of difference between the 600B and 500B that puts it above the 500B but the 450B isn't some sort of unicorn, it goes where it goes. It's for the same sort of consumer as the rest of the HEC lineup that it comes from. It's going to perform and be of quality generally similar. Same goes with a Corsair RM750i vs an RM650i, neither is drastically different than the other. I'm sure plenty of people hate tier lists because they don't list ripple in millivolts or what bearing the fan has, but this isn't for them. 

 

I'm sure you don't mean to but your last paragraph comes off as really snobbish. You also can't delete posts here so I'm not sure what you're on about there. What this list does is help someone put perspective into mind when shopping for power supplies, either in choosing between a few or in realizing that the current one in their system is awful. If they end up with an overpriced unit then that's their own fault for not doing research. The way this is set up is if they are looking for something from, say tier 3, and they end up with the EVGA NEX G, well it's their own fault for not looking through other units of that tier and realizing the the Seasonic M12 is better value - a rough example but you get my point.

 

Nobody using this list is looking for nitty-gritty details about how close one unit came to failing the rated 80 PLUS efficiency or how ripple was just below "good" or whatever. They're looking for a double-check to make sure they aren't buying something dangerous or just generally awful. It also puts someone recommending a PSU into perspective when the user lists their specs. Say they have a GTX 1080 and an i7 6700. Probably best to put at least a tier 2 unit in right? You let them know to get something tier two or above on this list. If they can't afford it then that's a sign that they need to re-balance their system budget or need to save up more.

This piece right here is the snobbish "I'm a teenager and I know more than you" attitude that I'm glad to see leave people once they're about 25 as they've come to realize that there are different people in the world who see things differently or people who genuinely know more about something than they do. This list isn't hurting anyone and I get private messages or comments on these sorts of guides from people telling me it helped them. It also guides them in the right direction when they ask for help from me directly. It's done it's job well, whether it alleviates your want to help every person on a person basis down to the very letter or for me to get people headed in the right direction in not buying explosives.

Let me just ask you one question. Jonnyguru.com. Filled with PSU experts who are not teenagers but have been in the industry for decades. Why do you think they don't like tier lists?

 

Your statement that "if they are looking for something from, say tier 3, and they end up with the EVGA NEX G, well it's their own fault for not looking through other units of that tier and realizing the the Seasonic M12 is better value - a rough example but you get my point." fails to understand that there are probably options outside of that tier that are meant for that person.

 

Nobody hates tier lists because they don't list ripple in millivolts. What the heck would that have to do with anything? They don't like them because it doesn't address a person's needs and frankly very often some of the tiers units are in seem just outrageously off.

 

Your statement again about people trying to make sure their not buying something dangerous. I suppose "dangerous and awful" would be your tier 7 units. None of those seem extremely dangerous to me, especially the revised TR2 units, along with the Smart Bronze which doesn't seem dangerous.

 

I would like to have a civil conversation about this matter.

[MoonlightSylv]

9 minutes ago, turkey3_scratch said:

According to your tier setup, 3 tiers, it still is too flawed. What if somebody has an extremely high power PC, yet they really need a quiet PSU because they do competitive gaming, yet a PSU on there is really noisy? Or just other things. If you live in a humid environment, gold plated connectors on the cables can be more important. Another problem is you can have a PS that is meant for an "almost high power PC" and is great quality, like the FSP Hydro X 450, yet it'd be stuck in tier 3. In the end, it doesn't address a specific person.

It was an example.

9 minutes ago, turkey3_scratch said:

I already said why it does not work as a buying guide.

It's at least useful for looking at which one's work the best.

9 minutes ago, turkey3_scratch said:

1) It does not address an end user's needs. A Tier 3 unit can certainly be better than a tier 2 unit. How so? Because what is "good" or "bad" is not set it stone; rather, what is "good" or "bad" relates to the context in which that power supply will be used.

2) The list itself is missing a lot of great units on the market.

3) The list has a bunch of units on it that have never even been reviewed. It is too problematic to be even close to a "buying guide".

4) Who the heck wants to go down and search every single unit within a tier on Amazon/Newegg?

1) I don't think it's supposed to be a set good or bad for your specific PC PSU table. More of a general "best to worst" list, doesn't mean the tier 7 PSUs are bad, just that tier 1 PSUs are a hell of a lot better.

2) That could be improved.

3)

4) People who want to make sure they're getting the best price:performance idk.

9 minutes ago, turkey3_scratch said:

A tier list is just an opinion-based generalization that fails to address a more complex phenomena which is picking the right power supply for a person or comparing units and seeing how they would fare against each other for a specific user and him and his computer's needs. Just as rocket science cannot be summed up in one page, neither can the complex topic of picking a power supply, or comparing power supplies.

The key word here is general, it's a list to help you pick the most important part of your build so your PC won't catch fire, so I think it's useful.

 

As for the TR2/Smart series, I do agree that those should be moved if those reviews are reliable.

[turkey3_scratch]

4 minutes ago, JurunceNK said:

To address one's needs is good, but I also see an issue there too: It would only lead to one getting a fishy, cheap-ass PSU that only outputs poor-quality power with ripple all over the place and/or voltages going out of the ATX specification allowance of +/- 5%. I have a CoolMax PSU that I never use anymore after reading reviews of CoolMax units that are of poor quality.

 

Proper PSU reviews are objective, unbiased, and involves a gauntlet of brutal load tests that puts a PSU to its paces (I hope you're aware of that). Also most reviewers I've seen have electrical backgrounds, meaning they can name each and every component of a PSU and describe how it works and why it's good or bad. The tests involves ATE load testers, power draw meters that can accurately display wattage, voltage, and PFC, oscilloscopes, thermometers, and, ideally, a hot box to test hot loads and 80 Plus efficiency compliance when subjected to real-world usage.

 

You never test a PSU by hooking it up to an actual system because they are not very consistent, and the software isn't that accurate at all. You want the results to be repeatable, consistent, and accurate.

 

If you're going to do what you said to do to help out people on deciding on a PSU, you end up with people buying these instead. This is a perfect example of a shitty PSU, regardless of total capacity.

The tier list doesn't list out every single model. They list out the series of said PSU because generally, the units that belong in that series score much the same, similar to be the least.

 

For most people though, they can get away with a 430-watt to a 520-watt model that's non-modular and has 80 Plus Bronze efficiency, and I would personally reccommend Seasonic's S12II line of PSU's any day of the week, as they are cost-friendly and are of high quality for the price. They're better than the fishy, cheap-ass PSUs that are made by Chinese companies. You ever heard of the term "cost-downing" in electronics? I'll quote you the definition from JohnnyGURU:

Your safety and your computer's safety is waaay more important than trying to save a buck for better savings. I just hope that same CoolMax PSU actually takes out my dad's system because that's exactly why he bought a Chinese-made model; because he wanted to save a buck with no regards to electrical safety and component longevity. And my mom also bought a LEPA N500, which I can't find proper reviews of, but the story's the same.

Nothing you said here really addressed the arguments I made. You're basically telling me how PSU reviews which I already know. There is so much more to PSUs than ripple, voltage regulation, though. Heat sinks, layout, airflow, transient response (the most important for any gaming system), cap quality (and not country or brand, the exact series and the specs of those caps), efficiency (less waste heat can be a huge benefit), the type of fan used, the cable quality, PWR_OK signal and holdup time, protection circuitry, etc.