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Five Power Supplies Compared

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the don't-take-it-for-granted dept.

EconolineCrush writes "Tech Report has done up a comparison of five high-end power supplies that looks at actual voltage levels and AC ripple content. The article also takes a look at environmental factors like noise levels and each power supply's impact on system temperatures. Think power supplies with like wattages are created equal? Think again."

4 of 263 comments (clear)

  1. So what difference does a good power supply make? by jrockway · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Is there something that these power supplies contribute towards overall system stability that "cheap" ones don't? Are they really worth the money?

    The article was very good at measuring everything measurable about the power supplies, but didn't answer the question "Why would I want one of these?". So why would I?

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    My other car is first.
  2. hmm by Mike1024 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    From the article:

    Would you dare put cheap gas in a Porsche?

    Am I the only one who answered "Absolutely; gas is gas"?

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    "Goodness me, how unlike the FBI to abuse the trust of the American public." -- The Onion
  3. Re:Oh dear... by Dun+Malg · · Score: 3, Insightful
    So, why do we have an article about expensive PSUs? This is Slashdots "News for Nerds", not "News for 14 year olds who go to LANs with the latest Alienware case daddy bought for them while on parole". Geez. What's next? Comparison of 5 different blue LEDs? "I have concluded that the Antec blue LEDs are definitely more blue then the cheaper LEDs!"

    Why PSU reviews? As you so effectively illustrated, there are a lot of people out there who think that one power supply is as good as another. There are people who complain about kernel panics and blue screens and swear up and down their hardware is fine, but still have the same $3 power supply that came with the case.
    Ask a hardware engineer about the importance of clean, consistent power. I'll bet you dollars to donuts he won't say "buy the cheapest supply you can find, 'cause big PSU's are only good for powering LAN party foolz' casemods."

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    If a job's not worth doing, it's not worth doing right.
  4. Re:PC Power and Cooling by smithmc · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Why does such an obvious high-quality product always get ignored?

    IMO, one reason is that they've missed the boat on a new trend in PC homebuilding - low noise. The top PCP&C PSUs are great from an electrical standpoint, but they're noisy. Meanwhile Antec, for example, has focused on PSUs that are high in quality and low-noise as well.

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    Downmodding is the refuge of the weak. Don't downmod, make a better argument!