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What is the most power efficient PS?

O

OhMyGod

Gawd
Joined
Aug 24, 2006
Messages
658
requirements

750+ watts
modular
known for quality (components and power)

cost is of no issue (well, less than $500)
 
I have the Seasonic M12D-750=$250 (love it)
There is also an 850 version
also Enermax Revolution series, too long for me
 
I believe the Enermax Revolution85+ PSUs are the most efficient units available in North America. The Seasonic 850W M12 D is close, but not quite as good.
 
I'm using the enermax revolution 1050. Great psu. I ended up buying it because the coolermaster UCP1100 i ordered came in DOA. Both are rated 88% at 120v.
 
OhMyGod, I believe if you want to be efficient you must not simply look at 80 Plus statistics, but rather where your particular system will operate generally. How much power will YOUR system draw at idle and under load? If your system is like mine, going to a higher wattage PSU will only decrease its efficiency. It's not about money. It's about math.
 
Lollipop said:
OhMyGod, I believe if you want to be efficient you must not simply look at 80 Plus statistics, but rather where your particular system will operate generally. How much power will YOUR system draw at idle and under load? If your system is like mine, going to a higher wattage PSU will only decrease its efficiency. It's not about money. It's about math.
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80Plus statistics are a useful metric, since they require PSUs to maintain a standard of efficiency across most of their range. A PSU with a good 80Plus spec will have good efficiency all the time, except at very low loads (<20%).
 
It also depends on the unit's ambient operating temps? Right? My system runs at 163w at idle, which is my typical usage, so I would be below 20% with the larger wattage units. So that's why he should know what his system will use. There are many sites you can Google to estimate a given system's wattage.
 
Lollipop said:
It also depends on the unit's ambient operating temps? Right? My system runs at 163w at idle, which is my typical usage, so I would be below 20% with the larger wattage units. So that's why he should know what his system will use. There are many sites you can Google to estimate a given system's wattage.
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Yes, it does depend on the temperature. 80Plus tests with an ambient temperature of between 18C and 28C as per their specs. A hotter PSU will have lower efficiency in general, although many higher-quality units don't fluctuate by more than a percent between normal ambient and hotbox testing.

The fact that your system uses 163W simply means that you shouldn't be purchasing a PSU with a lot of capacity, unless you keep it at load a lot of the time. That much is obvious. However, a modern high-end or even upper-midrange system will generally stay within the good efficiency zone of a PSU with up to 850-900W in general, and often even 1000W PSUs. I'm operating under the assumption that the OP is at least somewhat aware that he should pick a PSU with an operating capacity that suits his system well. Your point is well taken though.
 
That's why I was saying he needs to know his specs first. And my system is a Q9650, Rampage formula, mushkin Ascent 1066 2x2, 300 gb velociraptor, x-fi titanium, GTX285, and said PSU above. And that 163w is with my 1600x1200 monitor.
 
Lollipop said:
That's why I was saying he needs to know his specs first. And my system is a Q9650, Rampage formula, mushkin Ascent 1066 2x2, 300 gb velociraptor, x-fi titanium, GTX285, and said PSU above. And that 163w is with my 1600x1200 monitor.
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How are you measuring your load? If you're using a Kill-A-Watt, it could be inaccurate, since they can sometimes report over 100% efficiency with Active PFC PSUs.
 
Lollipop said:
That's why I was saying he needs to know his specs first. And my system is a Q9650, Rampage formula, mushkin Ascent 1066 2x2, 300 gb velociraptor, x-fi titanium, GTX285, and said PSU above. And that 163w is with my 1600x1200 monitor.
Click to expand...

thats impossible, i have a T7200 (laptop CPU) with an 8800gtx, x-fi, and a velociraptor and im drawing 140w from the wall at idle, without monitor, this was measured with an amp meter
 
Lollipop said:
OhMyGod, I believe if you want to be efficient you must not simply look at 80 Plus statistics, but rather where your particular system will operate generally. How much power will YOUR system draw at idle and under load? If your system is like mine, going to a higher wattage PSU will only decrease its efficiency. It's not about money. It's about math.
Click to expand...

As it has been pointed out already... the 80+ rating is across a range of loads. When the Rev85+ 1050w went on sale at 'egg for less than the 850 watter, I went to this page to see how bad running the Enermax at say... only 500 watts would be...
http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTU4OCw0LCxoZW50aHVzaWFzdA==

288w -- 87.27% efficiency
536w -- 88.30%
806w -- 86.48%
1052w -- 85.25%

So it seems, if I only use the PSU at 1/2 load, I will be running at a higher efficiency than full load... actually, so close its almost an 80+ Gold rating. I may or may not run my Rev85+ at full load, thats what I love about it... it really wont matter!!
 
Lollipop said:
That's why I was saying he needs to know his specs first. And my system is a Q9650, Rampage formula, mushkin Ascent 1066 2x2, 300 gb velociraptor, x-fi titanium, GTX285, and said PSU above. And that 163w is with my 1600x1200 monitor.
Click to expand...

Hahahah seriously? a geeksquad measuring device? There is NO WAY IN HELL your system is only pulling 163w, unless its asleep. The 285 alone at load will pull around 175w. Using my apc 1500va and tri-sli with a i7 and a 30" monitor, running vantage, i pull over 900w from the ups. which means at roughly 85% efficiency, my system is pulling at least 800w This enermax 1050 is an excellent psu.
 
Lollipop said:
Some program my geeksquad friend used.
Click to expand...

Very inaccurate program. Also people, remember that Kill-A-Watts and UPS readings should be taken with a grain of salt for the following reasons:
Paul_Johnson said:
Yes and a quick search would turn up this topic a million times over. Here is the recap:

1) APFC can fool Kill-A-Watts into giving you abnormally low readings (some times giving better than 100% efficiency)

2) Power supplies derate with temperature anywhere from 2w/c above a nominal rated at value to 10w/c.

3) Kill-A-Watt's and most power meters sample too slowly to catch transient loads (the Transient load from our tests is 117w and is COMPLETELY missed by Kill-A-Watts).

4) Power supplies last longer if you stay in the 40% to 60% range of their output.

5) power supplies are quieter if you stay in the 40% to 60% range of their output.

6) Power supplies are cooler if you stay in the 40% to 60% range of their output.

The power meters in UPS software are just as bad. You have to spend some change before you get anywhere near an accurate power meter when your PSU has APFC.
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Efficiency varies with all PSU's depenfing on input voltage, how "clean" the VAC input voltage is, the loads applied, the temperature, & probably most importantly the interment(s) used for measurement & the method of measurement.

Tight Load Regulation & Low Ripple/Noise are FAR more important than a few points of extra efficiency.

Best test I've seen, AnandTech 2, 3 & 4 ways CF / SLI on an i7 3.2GHz system, with NO OC'ing, including "Power Consumption" charts. measured at the wall.

AnandTech 2, 3 & 4 way CF/SLI
 
Admittedly I am a noob to computers. My knowledge of hardware and software in limited, and often temporary. If you notice I had question marks behind many of my statements. My natural environment is not behind a keyboard. I rely on what I read and what my computer friend tells me, but for the guy who says the 285 gtx uses 175w, get glasses. I said "at idle". I was just trying to help. Wow! Some of you guys need to get laid and unwind. :D
 
Lollipop said:
Admittedly I am a noob to computers. My knowledge of hardware and software in limited, and often temporary. If you notice I had question marks behind many of my statements. My natural environment is not behind a keyboard. I rely on what I read and what my computer friend tells me, but for the guy who says the 285 gtx uses 175w, get glasses. I said "at idle". I was just trying to help. Wow! Some of you guys need to get laid and unwind. :D
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I kind of figured i missed the at idle. But "geeksquad" kind of brings out the hate in most people :p
 
davidhammock200 said:
Tight Load Regulation & Low Ripple/Noise are FAR more important than a few points of extra efficiency.
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Not necessarily. As long as ripple and voltage are in spec, all the components will be designed to handle whatever ripple or fluctuations there may be, and efficiency would actually be more important in terms of how much energy you waste (especially if you live in an area with high electricity rates).
Lollipop said:
Admittedly I am a noob to computers. My knowledge of hardware and software in limited, and often temporary. If you notice I had question marks behind many of my statements. My natural environment is not behind a keyboard. I rely on what I read and what my computer friend tells me, but for the guy who says the 285 gtx uses 175w, get glasses. I said "at idle". I was just trying to help. Wow! Some of you guys need to get laid and unwind. :D
Click to expand...
I was trying to educate you, not criticize you. You're the one who's getting offended; maybe you need to get laid and unwind ;).
 
[QUOTE I was trying to educate you, not criticize you. You're the one who's getting offended; maybe you need to get laid and unwind ;).[/QUOTE]

Love to! You buyin'! Aye! Didn't you notice the smiley face? Well just in case....:D:D:D:D
 
I value high efficiency because it means that the PSU will run cooler, which implies many things as far as longevity, but also that the fan wont be as loud. If you have a 1000 watt PSU that is about 90% efficient at 500 watts, that says that the PSU itself is only putting out about 50 watts of actual heat. If that PSU was only 80% efficient at 500 watts, that would be about 100 watts of heat, which means more fans, more noise, etc. Also, running a PSU at only half its peak output aids in less noise... the thing is built to move 100+ watts of heat with large heatsinks and a fan that can move alot of air... so running it at half power might even result in the fan just plain shutting off.
 
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