The Best Company for PSU's?

[Oneslowz28]

I do not remember the corsair model number. I do know Kayin had one erupt into flames though. I think it was their HX series. (could be wrong though)

My 2 main PSUs right now are a Thermaltake Toughpower 1200w and a Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold 800w.

[d_stilgar]

I have a Thermaltake Toughpower right now as well. I have to say that it's the loudest component in my computer right now, which sucks because power supply fans are the one component that you can't really fiddle with easily.

That's why I recommend Seasonic. They are ultra quiet, but really good power supplies. Shoot, I would sell you my 750W toughpower and get a Seasonic in a heartbeat. Let me know if you are interested.

[Kayin]

HX 520, was poor power from the wall (as it ate a PC P&C later on.)

My other corsair experiences have been positive, though. I'd still jonnyGURU it if I'm looking for one, though.

I'm currently using an Antec, though I have an XFX I need to put up for sale and I have an Ultra coming in for review.

[AmEv]

Wow.

Even my 12+-year-old PSUs are pumping out enough juice to power a P4+components.

Quality ain't what it used to be.

[Oneslowz28]

I just got in one of the new Thermaltake Toughpower Grand PSUs and all I can say is WOW! I will be posting an unboxing in the next few days followed by a full review!

[farlo]

i've had no issues with my nzxt psu i currently have, before that i mostly got enermax or BFG psus

[Oneslowz28]

Just a teaser of one of the upcoming reviews.

[msmrx57]

That there is a mighty nice looking PSU.

[Lothair]

That's a pretty interesting design. Looks cool.

[Undead]

A bit of an old thread but I thought I would chime in anyway...

PC Power & Cooling used to be pretty good in the past, back when the Silencer units first came out, which were rebranded Seasonic units. That was back then, though. They're still solid units however they don't really hold candle to the electrical performance of some other units that are around today.

There's more or less a similar thing going on with Corsair. Here's a run down on some of their units:

CX430: This particular unit is based from the CWT DSA platform. There was quite alot of controversy surrounding these units as it was replacing the (older and superior) CX400, and the fact that it has a pretty anemic +12v capacity for a "430w". Really, this PSU should be 380W, or 400W at the very most, as with modern rigs, the vast majority of power is drawn from the +12v rail, so that's where most of the power should reside, no?

The VX series are definitely NOT crap. The VX450 is based off the (older) Seasonic S12II design. They have fantastic ripple supression but only mediocre voltage regulation. Overall, these units are merely decent.
The VX550 is a CWT PSH which is still a solid platform for low wattage units.

Now the TX and some of the older HX series is where Corsair has been falling behind. There's lots and lots of competition in the higher price ranges and Corsairs older units cannot keep up with the competition. The TX750, and TX850 for example, while solid units, have mediocre performance, and aren't particularly priced well either. The TX750 has quite a few ripple issues when you fully load it, and although it stays in spec.... almost 100mV on the +12v isn't an attractive number. Couple that with mediocre voltage regulation and transient results and you have a pretty lackluster Powersupply. The TX850 has similar problems as it's based on the same platform (The VX550, TX750 and TX850 are all CWT PSH). Thankfully, these units are being replaced, you may have seen the TX750 V2, TX850 V2 etc popping up lately... these are much, much better units overall.

My personal gripe with alot of "enthusiasts" is that they usually make blind recommendations and say things such as "Corsair are the best, they're untouchable" when really... they're just OK. I could name a ton of units that are overall superior to many Corsair units based on value/performance.

OCZ Stealthxstream 400w > Antec Neo ECO 400w > CX400 & 430

M12II-520 > HX520

Kingwin LZP 550 > Truepower New 550 > VX550

M12II-620 > HX620

Truepower New 650 > HX650 > TX650

Truepowr New 750 > TX750

XFX Pro 850 > TX850

Seasonic X-850 > HX850

Kingwin LZG 1000, NZXT Hale90 1000, Rosewill LIGHTNING 1000, Enermax Revolution 85+ 1050, Sparkle Gold Class 1000, Silverstone OP1000-P > HX1000

Antec HCP-1200 > AX1200

(Quick note, I know brands like Rosewill, Kingwin and the like are probably seen as "cheap", however, these particular units listed are based on Superflowers GoldenGreen/GoldenKing platforms, which are good. If you're going to bash them please do your research first.)


With that said, Corsair still do have some very good PSU's (even if their pricing isn't always the best), like the newer HX series (HX750, HX850) and the AX series which are rebranded Seasonic-X units. Oh, and the AX1200 which is outstanding in every aspect, but falls very, very slightly behind the HCP-1200.

Overall, I would say Antec currently have the best value as their units are priced pretty well. The Neo ECO's (rebranded, but slightly tweaked S12II's) and the Truepower New's (which are a mix of Seasonic M12D and Truepower Trio) are currently at pretty attractive prices.

The NZXT Hale90 units are probably the best value 80+ Gold units currently available (also based on the Superflower GoldenGreen)... and as for XFX, they also have some outstanding units which are all rebranded Seasonics. They use the S12/S12E, M12D and SS-***-AT platforms.

And Enermax... well... they have alot of good PSU's, but the price is @_@.