TechReport's 11 High-End PSU Roundup

[AmberClad]

Originally posted by: tomoyo
Yes Seasonic makes all of the HX line, the lower power VX and TX too.

There's a Corsair TX line ? I've seen an orange and a green one, but I assumed those two were the VX ones. Not sure if I've come across an ad for a "TX" one.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: JEDIYoda

Originally posted by: tomoyo
SPCR is focused on silence, but they'd never rate a badly built psu well.

They regularly rate the quiter PSU better than they rate the PSU that might be marginally built better!!

How marginally better is being marginal? :Q

Suffice to say that SPCR will never recommend any PSU that even the most raving enthusiast would consider "crappy." After that, anything is just splitting hairs. Now where's the emoticon for that?

Originally posted by: AmberClad

Originally posted by: tomoyo
Yes Seasonic makes all of the HX line, the lower power VX and TX too.

There's a Corsair TX line ? I've seen an orange and a green one, but I assumed those two were the VX ones. Not sure if I've come across an ad for a "TX" one.

I think the TX may be the upcoming units at 650W and 750W. The 750W is Channelwell while all the rest are Seasonic. The TX ones will be cheaper per watt than the HX, just as the VX is. Maybe the price difference is no modular cables? Maybe is less "top quality" build like the Seasonic made Antec EarthWatts? I don't know.

 

[JEDIYoda]

according to what i have read over at the GURU`s site--
http://www.jonnyguru.net/forum...read.php?t=3012&page=2

somebody posted--
Wait... the VX450 and VX550 aren't even same OEM's, right? I know they share same manual but isn't the 450 Seasonic and 550 Channelwell? If so you aren't comparing apples to apples to begin with...


Jonny`s reply was--- They are different OEM's, but the platform design is very similar.


Peace!!!

 

[Yellowbeard]

Originally posted by: Zap

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
One can poke a lot of holes in that article. Where's the output load with 50C ambient? I'd give that article a C-.

That article is not at the level of the best PSU articles elsewhere, but it isn't bad for a start. Besides, I still encounter "reviews" of power supplies where the reviewer just puts the PSU into their über gaming system, sees that it doesn't blow up and then proceeds to give the PSU a site editor's award.

LOL...yeah, no smoke = Golden Geek Award.

 

[tomoyo]

Originally posted by: Zap

Originally posted by: JEDIYoda

Originally posted by: tomoyo
SPCR is focused on silence, but they'd never rate a badly built psu well.

They regularly rate the quiter PSU better than they rate the PSU that might be marginally built better!!

How marginally better is being marginal? :Q

Suffice to say that SPCR will never recommend any PSU that even the most raving enthusiast would consider "crappy." After that, anything is just splitting hairs. Now where's the emoticon for that?

Originally posted by: AmberClad

Originally posted by: tomoyo
Yes Seasonic makes all of the HX line, the lower power VX and TX too.

There's a Corsair TX line ? I've seen an orange and a green one, but I assumed those two were the VX ones. Not sure if I've come across an ad for a "TX" one.

I think the TX may be the upcoming units at 650W and 750W. The 750W is Channelwell while all the rest are Seasonic. The TX ones will be cheaper per watt than the HX, just as the VX is. Maybe the price difference is no modular cables? Maybe is less "top quality" build like the Seasonic made Antec EarthWatts? I don't know.

The TX series isn't out yet, just like the VX, there's seasonic for the lowest watt one and a different oem for the higher. Since corsair has only put out high quality psus so far, my expectation is that it'll still be a high quality psu with just lowered price due to lack of modularity. It seems modularity costs about $15 or so.

Supposely the 650 will be cheaper than modular 620. Not that I think anyone needs more than the VX450 or HX520 normally

 

[AmberClad]

Originally posted by: tomoyo
The TX series isn't out yet, just like the VX, there's seasonic for the lowest watt one and a different oem for the higher. Since corsair has only put out high quality psus so far, my expectation is that it'll still be a high quality psu with just lowered price due to lack of modularity.

Somewhat trivial thought, but aren't they close to running out of colors? I think blue is probably the only viable one left. I can't imagine what the sixth color would be. Purple perhaps? As ugly as that would be, it is used on the XMS labels, so it seems the most likely.
</random musings>

 

[Bosconian]

Good review. Fun to read. But I am a little puzzled by the results inconsistant with other sites.

I'm sort of focusing on the Beast for the potentially incorrect efficiency numbers. I mean, there's a reason why the real load testers don't use banks of resistors (a little help on what they call what they actually do use for load. I don't recall. They look like transistors.)

I believe they're assuming a fixed amperage for each switch instead of measuring the amperage of each load for each switch during each test of each different power supply. If the actual output voltage is different for each PSU, wouldn't Ohm's law dictate the actual load, in amps, would also be different and therefore the actual wattage differ? I mean, if you "assume" that throwing this switch is going to create a 20A load on the +12V and that should, but it's actually 11.8V, doesn't that change the math a bit (would dive deeper, but don't have abacus handy.) Note that the units that were claimed to have the highest efficiency had the highest voltage. The units that were supposedly not as efficient had lower voltages.

As for the inconsistant ripple/noise results, did anyone read that they were using the required capacitance on their probes as outlined in the ATX12V spec?

 

[bryanW1995]

Originally posted by: AmberClad

Originally posted by: tomoyo
The TX series isn't out yet, just like the VX, there's seasonic for the lowest watt one and a different oem for the higher. Since corsair has only put out high quality psus so far, my expectation is that it'll still be a high quality psu with just lowered price due to lack of modularity.

Somewhat trivial thought, but aren't they close to running out of colors? I think blue is probably the only viable one left. I can't imagine what the sixth color would be. Purple perhaps? As ugly as that would be, it is used on the XMS labels, so it seems the most likely.
</random musings>

I have red and yellow so far, what do you have?

 

[AmberClad]

Originally posted by: bryanW1995
I have red and yellow so far, what do you have?

I only have the yellow one. Not much of a collector, am I ?

Anyways, at some point, I'd think they're going to have to scrap that brilliant idea of making each PSU a different color, or eventually we'll be running around with pink or magenta PSUs. It'll be the end of windowed computer cases as we know it .

(Maybe they never planned on having more than two PSU offerings originally?)

I was being only half-serious in my previous post, but I think it's a valid point. Aesthetics do matter, even to the most practically-minded. If I recall correctly, the original Nexus/Yate Loon D12SL was completely orange, which was a hard sell for many people. The black version proved to be pretty popular, on the other hand...

 

[JEDIYoda]

actually Pink would be peachy keen!!!

 

[AmberClad]

JonnyGURU got their hands on the TX750:
Linky

Looks like both of my guesses (blue or purple) were flat out wrong . Same orange color as the VX550. So I guess the TX650 will probably be green.

That's one way to make sure you don't run out of colors, I guess...

 

[tomoyo]

I'm of the opinion we need a) more high quality pink cases, b) more pink psus. Heck while we're at it..pink pcbs please.

 

[thecoolnessrune]

Originally posted by: Yellowbeard

Originally posted by: Zap

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
One can poke a lot of holes in that article. Where's the output load with 50C ambient? I'd give that article a C-.

That article is not at the level of the best PSU articles elsewhere, but it isn't bad for a start. Besides, I still encounter "reviews" of power supplies where the reviewer just puts the PSU into their über gaming system, sees that it doesn't blow up and then proceeds to give the PSU a site editor's award.

LOL...yeah, no smoke = Golden Geek Award.

That's cause they're so used to reviewing the Powmax 550watt magic smoke machines

 

[AmberClad]

Originally posted by: tomoyo
I'm of the opinion we need a) more high quality pink cases, b) more pink psus. Heck while we're at it..pink pcbs please.

Maybe as close as you're going to get to your wish:
Case
PSU
Board
(The case and PSU are really candy-apple red -- the camera lighting just make them look pink.)

Me, on the other hand? I was one of those gals who waited out the onyx DS Lite shortage, even when there were plenty of pink ones to be had. Shiny piano black and gunmetal gray, ftw :laugh:.