Should I care about spending more for an 80 PLUS GOLD over a BRONZE??

Hi there,

It's been a while since I had to setup a new build but I can't believe how much prices have changed! I have a Corsair HX520 from '07 which works fine but will still be in use so now I need a new power supply.

I remembered that this was gold rated and even though it did fail rather quickly, the replacement has been great since so I am willing to go for Corsair again. This PSU cost about £75 back then and now you can't get a good name PSU at Gold for less than £100!!

Should I even bother spending this extra cash for just a gold rating or is bronze always been good enough? Also did the certification for gold change during this time?

The difference between bronze and gold is minimal. On a good PSU, the efficiency doesn't wildly change.

+1
I wondered about it myself recently, but it's such a small difference that if the PSU itself is (ideally a little more than) enough for your system, then bronze would be just fine. Check reviews for what you're considering if they're available as well.

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Originally Posted by Fjo

+1
I wondered about it myself recently, but it's such a small difference that if the PSU itself is (ideally a little more than) enough for your system, then bronze would be just fine.

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I have not done the maths or anything but just wondering. Do you think it's possible that you could have a PC powered up long enough, within it's projected lifetime, that the difference between Bronze and Gold ratings might actually save you money?

Look after the pennies and the pounds look after themselves, sort of thing.

The only reasons I could imagine for changing that PSU are if it packed up (and you said it works fine) or if your power needs have increased so much that it can't deliver the necessary power.

Otherwise, personally, I can't see the point in spending out to replace something perfectly functional (*). Just my opinion, though.





(*) I'm talking about the PSU, not any perfectly functional item. An old but functional gas boiler, for example, might be worth replacing simply because it's far more efficient and the cost justifies it.

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Originally Posted by Saracen

The only reasons I could imagine for changing that PSU are if it packed up (and you said it works fine)

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I think OP's actually talking about two different PSUs, but it's not made clear in the post. Though i could be wrong. It reads to me that there is one PSU that's working, but in use for something else atm, and there's another that's gone pop, so needs replacing.

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Originally Posted by matts-uk

I have not done the maths or anything but just wondering. Do you think it's possible that you could have a PC powered up long enough, within it's projected lifetime, that the difference between Bronze and Gold ratings might actually save you money?

Look after the pennies and the pounds look after themselves, sort of thing.

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Possibly, yeah. I've not really considered it from that point of view. I've always looked at efficiency ratings in the long term as to how well it's going to supply your whole system before it starts to peter out; that an 80+ Bronze would start strong and reliably, and you know would likely stay so until it's time for an upgrade.
Though i think you're right, but again we're talking small percentages, and a change of components that the PSU is powering would make the far bigger difference over the long term. If after a year you upgrade to a graphics card that draws 100W more at load, and you game a lot, i don't think you'll be thinking about your Silver vs. Bronze rating so much when it comes to bills.

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Originally Posted by Fjo

I think OP's actually talking about two different PSUs, but it's not made clear in the post. Though i could be wrong. It reads to me that there is one PSU that's working, but in use for something else atm, and there's another that's gone pop, so needs replacing.....

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Gotcha. Re-reread it (a bit more slowly :embarrassed:), and yeah, looks like you're right.

In terms of paying extra for "gold" because it's more efficient, well, it may be, but I'm in the camp that says it's by sufficiently little that it's not worth it if the reason for wanting efficiency is to save money. If, on the other hand, you want to feel all warm and fuzzy about saving the planet .... by all means. Just realise you've fallen for the marketing hype which, in my opinion, is what it's mainly about.

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Originally Posted by Saracen

Gotcha. Re-reread it (a bit more slowly :embarrassed:), and yeah, looks like you're right.

In terms of paying extra for "gold" because it's more efficient, well, it may be, but I'm in the camp that says it's by sufficiently little that it's not worth it if the reason for wanting efficiency is to save money. If, on the other hand, you want to feel all warm and fuzzy about saving the planet .... by all means. Just realise you've fallen for the marketing hype which, in my opinion, is what it's mainly about.

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Yea, Fjo was correct. My old machine is still running has the HX520 and I am going to build a new machine and tried to find a gold power supply for the same amount of cash.

I'm sure that the gold PSU are actually built with better components but the percentage differences are minuscule on a grand scale. I've had cheap power supplies pop and cause havok before so I don't mind investing some extra cash.

It's the image that the gold and platinum power supplies give that's really throwing me off. They can really stand behind these PSUs with a massive warranty. It makes me think that a lot of these bronze models with say, two years warranty ain't built to last. Am I just dreaming this stuff up or have others had their bronze PSUs last them at least four years??

TBH, the most important thing is not whether your PSU is Bronze or Gold, but that its power output is appropriate for the PC you're building. An 800W Gold-rated PSU will still be very inefficient if your PC pulls < 80W peak. Given that most modern PCs spend the vast majority of their time in an idle state that's unlikely to draw more than 50W or so, and you can see that it's very easy to buy a massively overpowered PSU. Best bet is to look round a few reviews, work out the actual power draw of the PC you want to put together, then buy a PSU with some kind of 80+ rating and a power output no higher than twice your anticipated power draw, and ideally no more than 50% higher. That will mean your PSU spends a lot more time in its rated efficient zone, which is by far the best option for improving efficiency (PSUs are generally very low efficiency at low loads).

scaryjim's pretty much on the money; you don't want to go way over what you need. However, the 80+ certification is not only a check for quoted 100% load of the PSU. For Bronze to Platinum ratings, it's checked at 20%, 50% and 100% of rated load. A good PSU's a good PSU. Look for a reliable/known brand, a reliable review if possible, and try and match to your system with a bit to spare (taking into account any planned upgrades for the next year or so). Though, when you also see an 80+ label, it means you're pretty well covered and should be the final peace of mind if most or all of the other, above conditions are met.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/80_PLUS

Bronze vs Gold is about 5-10% difference under normal conditions.

Is it cost effective? That varies for everyone, do the math.

Getting a PSU with over the amount of wattage you need and also getting a Gold over a Bronze can actually be counter-productive. The difference between the Bronze and Gold rating is very minimal. It is more important to consider the correct wattage of the PSU than the rating. I am trying to remember which site did this test, but I cannot find it. Sorry, but it is somewhere on the net...

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Originally Posted by rezen

I remembered that this was gold rated and even though it did fail rather quickly, the replacement has been great since so I am willing to go for Corsair again. This PSU cost about £75 back then and now you can't get a good name PSU at Gold for less than £100!!

Should I even bother spending this extra cash for just a gold rating or is bronze always been good enough? Also did the certification for gold change during this time?

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You are mistaken if you think the Corsair 520HX has an 80 Plus Gold certification, because the 80 Plus Gold certification itself didn't come into existence until 2008 and the 520HX only has a standard certification:
http://www.plugloadsolutions.com/psu...0HX-Report.pdf

As for your assertion that you'd can't get a good 80 Plus Gold PSU for less than £100, again you are mistaken. Here are some examples:
NZXT Hale90 550W (£80 @ Ebuyer)
The 650W version is ~£95.

Seasonic G-550 (£77 @ OCUK)
The 650W version is ~£95. 450W is also a good buy.

be quiet! Dark Power Pro 10 550W (£99 @ AriaPC)

be quiet! Straight Power E9 580W CM (£84 @ AriaPC)
480 and 680W versions are below £100 and are also good buys.

Antec Earthwatts EA-450 Platinum (£70 @ Ebuyer)

Taken from Anandtech -

Going from 80 Plus Bronze (82-85% efficiency) to Silver (85-88%) to Gold (87-90%) to Platinum (89-92%) is a case of seriously diminishing returns when you look at pricing. You can find 80 Plus Bronze units for under $50 for 450W (give or take), but the jump to Silver kicks the starting prices north of $80 at Newegg while giving users 700W or more power—certainly not something most users need. Gold brings back some lower power ratings, but Rosewill and Seasonic are the two least expensive offerings at $60, with 450W and 360W respectively. Rounding out the options, Platinum power supplies like the Fortress series currently start at $90 for 450W.

In short, Bronze gets you 95% of the efficiency of Gold for about 2/3 the cost, and 92% of the efficiency of Platinum for about half the price. A typical system that draws around 75W at idle would save 8W going from Bronze to Platinum. At that rate and paying $0.10 per kWh, you save $7 per year when running the PC 24/7. For servers and other PCs that are on 24/7 already and consume a lot more power, efficiency can make a lot of sense (e.g. power savings of around $40 per year for a 500W server using the same $0.10 per kWh), but for home users there needs to be something more than just pure efficiency to make the increased cost worthwhile. Does the Fortress have that something extra, or is it simply a higher cost PSU with an incremental increase in efficiency? Let's find out.

Well said, the above post. I have read this same article at Anandtech a while ago, and it has persuaded me in getting a bronze.