Why are some PSUs so expensive?

[TridenT]

I've seen 1000W PSUs go for like 150$ and then I go and check other products, that are 1000W, and they are 300$! Why so expensive? What makes a PSU expensive? Could you build your own for cheaper or is that just not possible? Just curious, thanks!

 

[Gillbot]

Quality and brand.

If you bought a $1000 brand new car vs. a $10,000 brand new car, would you expect the quality to be exactly the same? Nope.

 

[HOOfan 1]

Originally posted by: TridenTBoy3555
I've seen 1000W PSUs go for like 150$ and then I go and check other products, that are 1000W, and they are 300$! Why so expensive? What makes a PSU expensive? Could you build your own for cheaper or is that just not possible? Just curious, thanks!

Could you build your own? Pretty much absolutely not. You would have to be an electrical engineer with expertise in SMPS and you would have to have a way to produce a printed circuit board. So even if you had the knowldge to build your own, yes it would cost you much more money, because you would need the correct equipment. The manufacturers who produce in bulk can pass the savings on to you.

Like Gillbot above says the difference in prices is due to quality of design and components. Why are PSUs expensive? Because they take many man hours to design, they require printed circuit boards, control chips, transistors, rectifiers, capacitors of every type, alot of copper. All of this stuff is not cheap.

 

[etrin]

more than anything check review sites before purchase. A "LOT" of "EXPENSIVE" power supplies are just that expensive but not much else. Companies are re badging old models as 800W and SLI ready and only $299. Same thing last year was a 600W hope to work for $49.

Some are great and cheap a lot are way over rated but expensive.

 

[mooseracing]

Originally posted by: Gillbot
Quality and brand.

If you bought a $1000 brand new car vs. a $10,000 brand new car, would you expect the quality to be exactly the same? Nope.

So Lincoln Pickup is better than a Ford F-150 ?



There is alot of overpriced crap and some that is overpriced but quality. You have to seperate the crap from the good stuff, basically like these forums. Then sometimes in the end you need to learn by err so you can get factual results.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: etrin
more than anything check review sites before purchase. A "LOT" of "EXPENSIVE" power supplies are just that expensive but not much else. Companies are re badging old models as 800W and SLI ready and only $299. Same thing last year was a 600W hope to work for $49. -- nonesense---link please????
Some are great and cheap a lot are way over rated but expensive.

 

[Gillbot]

Originally posted by: mooseracing

Originally posted by: Gillbot
Quality and brand.

If you bought a $1000 brand new car vs. a $10,000 brand new car, would you expect the quality to be exactly the same? Nope.

So Lincoln Pickup is better than a Ford F-150 ?



There is alot of overpriced crap and some that is overpriced but quality. You have to seperate the crap from the good stuff, basically like these forums. Then sometimes in the end you need to learn by err so you can get factual results.

My point was for the OP to do the research, not to claim that higher price = better. ALWAYS do research first unless you prefer to throw $ away. I can assure you though, you DO get what you pay for. If you buy a $19 1000W power supply, you can dam sure bet it's only a $19 power supply regardless of it's "rating".

 

[myocardia]

Originally posted by: Gillbot
I can assure you though, you DO get what you pay for. If you buy a $19 1000W power supply, you can dam sure bet it's only a $19 power supply regardless of it's "rating".

I think this should be etched in stone, and posted @ the top of the power supply subforum page, for all of eternity.

 

[Gillbot]

I will admit I have been guilty of using whatever PSU came with my cheap case, however after being burnt once it never happened again. I now have a nice Corsair and will never skimp on a cheap PSU to power a multi-hundred dollar rig again.

 

[Aluvus]

Originally posted by: HOOfan 1

Could you build your own? Pretty much absolutely not. You would have to be an electrical engineer with expertise in SMPS and you would have to have a way to produce a printed circuit board. So even if you had the knowldge to build your own, yes it would cost you much more money, because you would need the correct equipment.

There are lots of companies whose primary service is to produce circuit boards for people. For small quantities it is relatively costly to have boards made (vs. cost of same number of boards when made as part of a lot of several thousand). But you certainly don't need to run out and build your own PCB fabrication shop, any more than you need to make your own resistors.

 

[HOOfan 1]

Originally posted by: Aluvus

Originally posted by: HOOfan 1

Could you build your own? Pretty much absolutely not. You would have to be an electrical engineer with expertise in SMPS and you would have to have a way to produce a printed circuit board. So even if you had the knowldge to build your own, yes it would cost you much more money, because you would need the correct equipment.

There are lots of companies whose primary service is to produce circuit boards for people. For small quantities it is relatively costly to have boards made (vs. cost of same number of boards when made as part of a lot of several thousand). But you certainly don't need to run out and build your own PCB fabrication shop, any more than you need to make your own resistors.

you would have to design it though.

 

[jonnyGURU]

Never mind the sum of the price of parts on a one off PSU would be at least twice that of one made in mass production, so if you were to build one that was as good as a production model, it would be far too expensive.

 

[imported_apocalypse]

Originally posted by: TridenTBoy3555
I've seen 1000W PSUs go for like 150$ and then I go and check other products, that are 1000W, and they are 300$! Why so expensive? What makes a PSU expensive? Could you build your own for cheaper or is that just not possible? Just curious, thanks!

If you can design and build your own PSU that was cheaper and better than the ones on the market, I think you should start your own company

 

[Modelworks]

Remember these are businesses and the rule in business is not 'charge what you need to make a profit', it is 'charge as much as the market will pay'.
Markup is actually pretty high on lots of electronics, as long as the consumer is willing to pay the price, they will charge it.
Want the price lower ?
Get everyone to stop paying the current price for the PSU.

 

[emilyek]

It might not be true for everything, but as far as computer parts go, you get what you pay for.

A reason for this, of course, is (to continue the car metaphor) some companies try to sell you what they claim are Ferraris which are really Ford Festivas; this makes the true quality option look unnecessarily expensive.

And yeah, markup is probably pretty high at all points on the spectrum.