80+ Bronze vs. 80+ Gold

[Yuniks]

Hey guys,

 

I'm here to ask about the difference between the 80+ Bronze and the 80+ Gold certifications. I'm asking this because I've seen really good builds with Xeons, R9 290X's, 128GB of RAM, and a ton of other great stuff, and then I take a look at their power supply and I see an 80+ Bronze PSU. I mean, surely you'd see an 80+ Gold certification in there somewhere right?

 

Does the Bronze certification actually make a difference in good builds when compared to an 80+ Gold PSU? For example, my near future upgrade will be a Xeon processor, an extra stick of RAM (16GB after the upgrade) and a motherboard. Will it put the system in danger if I put an 80+ Bronze PSU in the system? Or is it safer to go with 80+ Gold?

[don_svetlio]

It means nothing except that one is 4% more efficient. Look at components, electrical performance, build quality and reviews.

The Antec HCG which is 80+ Bronze is worlds better than the EVGA G1 whch is 80+ gold

[Lotus]

Bronze vs Gold means jack shit if you're going for performance. Overclocking stability and real performance of PSUs depend on voltage regulation, NOT efficiency. A PSU like a Seasonic S12II-620W is much better than an EVGA 650-G1 even though the S12II is bronze and the EVGA G1 is gold. Ignore efficiency ratings and look to sites like JohnnyGuru for real voltage regulation and stability, power-on-spike prevention, ripple surpression, and things like that. And you have to do it by model number, NOT brand. For instance, while the EVGA G1 models are crap-tastic, the G2 models are amazing.

[quan289]

80+ certification doesn't necessary dictates whether or not you have have a reliable power supply or not. For the end user, all you really need to know by getting is that:

1) your computer will draw the same amount of power from the PSU whether it is a Bronze or Titanium.

2) Less energy will be wasted during the AC-DC conversion with a higher certification thus saving you on your electricity bill (often negligible)

3) the energy that is wasted is converted to heat, and a higher certification run cooler and possibly quieter (of course, this depends on the fan and the fan profile.

[STRMfrmXMN]

Hey guys,

 

I'm here to ask about the difference between the 80+ Bronze and the 80+ Gold certifications. I'm asking this because I've seen really good builds with Xeons, R9 290X's, 128GB of RAM, and a ton of other great stuff, and then I take a look at their power supply and I see an 80+ Bronze PSU. I mean, surely you'd see an 80+ Gold certification in there somewhere right?

 

Does the Bronze certification actually make a difference in good builds when compared to an 80+ Gold PSU? For example, my near future upgrade will be a Xeon processor, an extra stick of RAM (16GB after the upgrade) and a motherboard. Will it put the system in danger if I put an 80+ Bronze PSU in the system? Or is it safer to go with 80+ Gold?

We got a topic on the PSU/cases subforum that goes into this.