[OLD] PSU Tier List 3.0 (Legacy)

[LienusLateTips]

Note: The PSU Tier List has been migrated to a new thread: https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/1116640-psu-tier-list-40-rev-10/

 

 

***

 

Welcome to the brand new PSU Tier List! Worked on, by @Stefan Payne, @LukeSavenije, and myself. This is a complete overhaul.

 

We'd recommend that if you have a gaming system, to not have a unit below Tier B.

 

All information below is opinion based on fact. Units may be bumped down due to the following: missing protections, group regulation, bad electrical performance and catching fire.

List is subject to change at any time, due to change in sources available.

Single rail units exceeding 650W will not be placed above Tier A.

Sleeve bearing fans will not be placed above Tier B. Group regulated units will not be placed above Tier C.

 

Last updated 22 August, 108, revision r1.43.

 

 

Tier A+ (Ultra High-end)

• Aerocool - Project 7 650W
• Antec - High Current Pro, High Current Platinum
• Be Quiet! - Straight Power 11, Dark Power Pro P10, Dark Power Pro 11
• Bitfenix - Whisper, Formula Gold
• Cooler Master - old V series 550/650, MasterWatt Maker, MasterWatt Maker MiJ, new V Platinum 550/650
• Corsair - AXi, RMi, RMx 550/650W, SF, HX 2017, HXi, RM (2019) 550/650
• Enermax - Platimax, Platimax Digifanless 
• FSP - Hydro PTM 550/650W
• Mistel - MX650 
• NZXT - E-series 550/650W
• Seasonic - PRIME/PRIME Ultra 550W/600W/650W
• Super Flower - Leadex Gold II 550/650, Leadex Gold III 550/650
• XFX - XTS 460/520W

 

Tier A (High-end)  

• Aerocool - Project 7 750W+
• Antec - Earthwatts Pro Gold, HCG Gold
• Asus - ROG Thor
• Be Quiet! - Straight Power E10, Pure Power 10/11 =>400W, SFX-L
• Cooler Master - VSM-series =>550W,  MWE Gold, V Series 750W+
• Cougar - GX-F
• Corsair - Vengeance Silver, AX760/860, HX gold, RM, TXM 2017, AX850/AX1000, RMx 750W+, RM (2019) 750W+
• Enermax - RG, GX
• EVGA - 1000G, G1+, GQ, GD, P2, T2, G2, PS
• FSP - Hydro G, Dagger SFX, Hydro X, Aurum PT, Hydro PTM 750W
• Gigabyte - AP850GM, XP1200M 
• Kolink - Continuum
• NZXT - E-series 750W+
• Riotoro - Onyx, Enigma, Enigma G2  
• Rosewill - Quark, Fortress, Capstone, Lightning, Silent Night, Tachyon, Photon
• SAMA - Armor Gold, Forza Titanium
• SeaSonic - Focus Plus Platinum, Platinum (XP/XP2/XP3), Focus Gold, Focus Plus Gold, X, Snow Silent, non-PRIME Fanless, PRIME/PRIME Ultra 750W+
• Silverstone - Gold Evolution, Strider Gold, Nightjar, Strider Titanium
• Super Flower - Golden Green, Platinum King, Leadex I, Leadex Gold II 750W+, Leadex Gold III 750W+
• Thermaltake - Toughpower Grand Platinum, Toughpower Grand/RGB 1200W, Toughpower iRGB Plus, DPS G RGB
• XFX - Pro Black Edition Limited, XTS 1000W

 

Tier B (Budget)

• Antec - EDGE, TruePower Classic
• be Quiet! - Power Zone, System Power 9 =>400 watts
• Corsair - Vengeance Bronze, CX* (2017), CXM* (2015),  CXM (2012)*=>750w
• Cooler Master - MWE Bronze =>600w
• Cougar - GX-S, LX
• Deepcool - DQ-ST
• EVGA - B2, BQ =>750, B3, G3
• Fractal Design - Integra M
• FSP - Aurum Pro
• Lian Li - SFX-L
• LEPA - G600
• Riotoro - Onyx
• Rosewill - Capstone G
• SeaSonic - M12II >=750W
• Silverstone - Bronze SFX V3.0, Strider GS
• Super Flower - Leadex Silver
• Thermaltake - Toughpower Grand/RGB, Toughpower DPS DPS Gold/RGB, London, BlueEvo 2.0, Smart Pro RGB, Smart series =>750W,
• Vivo - 24K 650W
• XFX -  Pro XXX, Pro XTR, Pro Black, Pro Black FM, TS Gold
• Xilence - Performance A+, Performance X
• Zalman - EBT 

 

Tier C (Prebuilt Replacement)

• Antec - EarthWatts/EA Green, High Current Gamer, NEO ECO, Earthwatts Platinum
• be Quiet! -  Pure Power 10 <=350 watts, Pure Power 11 <=350 watts, Pure Power L9, System Power 9 <=350, Straight Power E9, Pure Power L8
• Bitfenix - Fury
• Cooler Master - GM, GX Storm, MasterWatt Lite, mwe bronze <=500 watt
• Corsair - CX* 2012*, CXM 2012*, GS-series, VS grey
• Cougar - STX, VTX
• Enermax - Revolution X't
• EVGA - BQ <=650W, NEX Gold
• Fractal Design - Tesla R2 500W
• FSP - Aurum, Hydro GE, Aurum CM
• Inwin - Classic Series
• Seasonic - SS, SSP, S12II/M12II <=620W, ECO 430W
• Silverstone - Strider Plus, Bronze SFX (except 450W V3)
• Thermaltake - Toughpower Gold, Paris
• XFX - TS <650W, ProSeries Bronze <650W, Core >650W

 

Tier D (just don’t buy…)

• Antec - Basiq VP-F, Basiq BP, Basiq VP
• Bitfenix - BPA
• Cooler Master - B2, Elite
• Corsair - VS orange
• Diablotek - all units
• EVGA - 80 PLUS, Non Certified
• Enermax - NaXn 82+, Revolution SFX
• FSP - Raider Silver, Hexa
• Fractal Design - Integra R2
• Gamdias - All units
• LEPA - MX-F1
• MS-Tech - all units
• Raidmax - all units
• Rosewill - Hive-S, ARC (M)
• Silverstone - Strider Essential
• Tacens - all units
• Thermaltake - LitePower, ToughPower, Smart series <750W, TR2
• XFX - XT
• Xilence - Performance C
• Zalman - GS/GT

 

I don't see my unit here. Where does it rank?

You may find it in the legacy list, here

 

Why is FOCUS so low?

You can find more on this here.

 

 

Notes:

Spoiler

 

How can I see the difference between a 2012 CX/CXM and a 2015 CXM/2017 CX?

Wattages of 400W, 430W, 500W, and 600W have a 3 year warranty and a green label= CX(M) 2012. Wattages of 450W, 550W, 650W, 750W, and 850W have a 5 year warranty and a gray label=CX 2015/CXM 2017

 

But I don't like Tier Lists!!!!111!!!! They're too flawed!!11!!!!11!

Well I've got news for you! Plenty of people don't like them, but yet this list has helped thousands choose a power supply in an effort to avoid a housefire or awful purchase decision! Since most people do not frequent JonnyGuru forums, do not know what topology means, what ripple is, OEMs, what a primary or secondary is and most don't even realize how much power their components actually consume, this list is quite helpful to those who want peace of mind knowing their selection is not terrible, whether it's better or worse than another unit, and whether they should pull the trigger on a unit they're buying. So, as a snob, you are free to dislike this list all you like and comment on it, but understand that most people do not know as much as you and would rather have a cookie-cutter platform to observe rather than spend hours Googling mysterious and unapproachable things like "Double-forward" or "Schottky barrier rectifier" that, in the end, haven't helped them make a purchasing decision.

-STRMfrmXMN, 2016

 

To-Do List 

S12III units - final placement

many many EVGA units - r1.5

 

Changelog r1.1

Fixed many many many errors

Aurum issues resolved

Bolded things

 

Changelog r.1.12

LTT list photo

 

Changelog r.1.2

System Power 9 is back up to Tier B

added G750H

added S12III preliminary

 

changelog r.1.21

System Power U9 added

System Power 9 more info

Raidmax 700AT added

 

changelog r1.22

we forgot the masterwatt

whoops

also corrected system power 9

 

changelog r1.23

fixed XFX units

 

changelog r1.3

fixed XFX units

single rail units above 650w sent down to below Tier A

fixed some random Antec/Silverstone units

EVGA x2 and Leadex series sent down to Tier A, no OTP

conquered the people's republic

 

changelog r1.4

evga! no sorry not yet

cooler master new v series is out

we got rid of tier s

new vengeance is now in tier a

defended hainan

 

changelog r1.41

added corsair rm(2019)

recaptured nanjing

 

changelog r1.42

fixed leadex units

defended the yellow river delta from communist invasion

 

changelog r1.43

focus info added

raised the national flag

 

[dizmo]

I still think it's stupid to have S above A.

[dgsddfgdfhgs]

3 minutes ago, dizmo said:

I still think it's stupid to have S above A.

why not? "S" is always above "A", and there should also be SS & SSS

 

okay, I assume any brand not listed is considered explosives like "GTR"

[LienusLateTips]

Just now, dgsddfgdfhgs said:

why not? "S" is always above "A", and there should also be SS & SSS

 

okay, I assume any brand not listed is considered explosives like "GTR"

Either that or there aren't reviews for it

[Constantin]

Where are the Seasonic Prime Ultra ??

[LienusLateTips]

Just now, Constantin said:

Where are the Seasonic Prime Ultra ??

"All PRIME", in Tier S.

[Constantin]

Just now, LienusLateTips said:

"All PRIME", in Tier S.

my bad, didn't see iit... ;s

[Herman Mcpootis]

10 minutes ago, LienusLateTips said:

 

• Raidmax - all units

raidmax had their RX-700AT which was pretty good. 

[LienusLateTips]

1 minute ago, Herman Mcpootis said:

raidmax had their RX-700AT which was pretty good. 

How did I not see that unit... will be added in the coming minutes.

[Herman Mcpootis]

3 minutes ago, LienusLateTips said:

How did I not see that unit... will be added in the coming minutes.

also, why is the revolution SFX in the same tier as garbage anyway?

[LienusLateTips]

1 minute ago, Herman Mcpootis said:

also, why is the revolution SFX in the same tier as garbage anyway?

Honestly, I'm just trusting @Stefan Payne on that. think it has something to do with missing protections and that sort.

[LukeSavenije]

19 minutes ago, dizmo said:

I still think it's stupid to have S above A.

why? the tier s gives you the best of the best if you have 200+ dollars to spend on one

[Bananasplit_00]

Sweet now this needs to be pinned to replace the old one, like the previous updated one wassnt so i never found it again...

[LukeSavenije]

5 minutes ago, Herman Mcpootis said:

also, why is the revolution SFX in the same tier as garbage anyway?

according to stefan: Shitty fan controller -> starts/stops constantly like every other second

[Herman Mcpootis]

5 minutes ago, LukeSavenije said:

according to stefan: Shitty fan controller -> starts/stops constantly like every other second

still feels pretty unfair to enermax for putting it as the same tier as an explosive for a shitty fan.

[LukeSavenije]

Just now, Herman Mcpootis said:

still feels pretty unfair to enermax for putting it as the same tier as an explosive for a shitty fan.

well, they are with explosives, not all are

[Bananasplit_00]

Where on here does the Be Quiet SFX Power 2 300W go on here? Not going to replace it, but id like to know either way and im not seeing it on here or in the legacy list. Dont think i would have bought it if it was super explosive but im guessing its like D teir

[Vejnemojnen]

Are FSP HydroGE units that bad? Their pricing is way off btw, a whisper M gold or focus plus gold is cheaper than HydroGE-s, so I would not recommend them anyways..

[LienusLateTips]

7 minutes ago, Bananasplit_00 said:

Where on here does the Be Quiet SFX Power 2 300W go on here? Not going to replace it, but id like to know either way and im not seeing it on here or in the legacy list. Dont think i would have bought it if it was super explosive but im guessing its like D teir

From what I've skimmed, it would likely be somewhere like Tier A or B.

[mxk]

42 minutes ago, dizmo said:

I still think it's stupid to have S above A.

It's how they do it In ESEA 

[LukeSavenije]

12 minutes ago, Vejnemojnen said:

Are FSP HydroGE units that bad? Their pricing is way off btw, a whisper M gold or focus plus gold is cheaper than HydroGE-s, so I would not recommend them anyways..

as far as i know it's nothing more than a double forward version of the raider ii with a little higher efficiency

[Settlerteo]

1 hour ago, LienusLateTips said:

Welcome to the brand new PSU Tier List! Worked on, by @seon123, @Stefan Payne, @LukeSavenije, and myself. This is a complete overhaul.

Kudos to everyone contributed for the new list!!

[Spotty]

50 minutes ago, LienusLateTips said:

Tier D (prebuilt replacement)

Curious... What is the point of replacing the PSU in a pre-built if you're going to replace it with another low quality unit? If you're okay with having a low quality PSU, then keep the one that is already in the system and save your money.
Not all pre-built PSUs are as bad as everyone thinks... People may end up replacing it with something no better or potentially even worse from that list (like when Bitwit replaced the Great Wall PSU in the Walmart PC with a Seasonic M12ii).

 

52 minutes ago, LienusLateTips said:

Tier B (midrange)

• Thermaltake - Toughpower Grand Platinum, Toughpower Grand/RGB 1200W

If you have a mid range system, you don't need a 1200W PSU.
I get why it's there with the wattage specified since it's probably a different platform than what the other wattages in that series use, but the way that's written seems to be suggesting that the Toughpower Grand/RGB 1200W would be a suitable choice for someone with a mid range system.

 

54 minutes ago, LienusLateTips said:

EVGA - 80 PLUS, non-80 PLUS

80 Plus ratings are not a model. Do you mean the EVGA W1 and EVGA N1? If so, you should specify the actual models and not just their 80 Plus rating. EVGA has a habit of releasing 6,000 models of PSU within the same 80 Plus ranking space, so who knows if they release a W2 or N2 unit that might be completely different... Everything else on the list has its series name listed, so makes no sense to just categorise those by 80+ ratings.

[191x7]

Where's Edison M from Fractal Design? Previous lists had it.

[LukeSavenije]

6 minutes ago, Spotty said:

Curious... What is the point of replacing the PSU in a pre-built if you're going to replace it with another low quality unit? If you're okay with having a low quality PSU, then keep the one that is already in the system and save your money.
Not all pre-built PSUs are as bad as everyone thinks... People may end up replacing it with something no better or potentially even worse from that list (like when Bitwit replaced the Great Wall PSU in the Walmart PC with a Seasonic M12ii).

well, it's to give a idea of the use of that quality of a psu. if you have suggestions for a different name, i would love to hear them

 

16 minutes ago, Spotty said:

If you have a mid range system, you don't need a 1200W PSU. 
I get why it's there with the wattage specified since it's probably a different platform than what the other wattages in that series use, but the way that's written seems to be suggesting that the Toughpower Grand/RGB 1200W would be a suitable choice for someone with a mid range system.

is reasonable, but it's quality what counts, wattage isn't a consideration in the tiering

 

16 minutes ago, Spotty said:

80 Plus ratings are not a model. Do you mean the EVGA W1 and EVGA N1? If so, you should specify the actual models and not just their 80 Plus rating. EVGA has a habit of releasing 6,000 models of PSU within the same 80 Plus ranking space, so who knows if they release a W2 or N2 unit that might be completely different... Everything else on the list has its series name listed, so makes no sense to just categorise those by 80+ ratings.

be honest, is there any 80+ white or non-rated evga unit you would buy?