Thoughts, HEXUS.awards, HEXUS.where2buy, and HEXUS.right2reply
Each tested PSU performed well during testing, giving good efficiency, stability and temperature results at maximum load, without any failures or fuss. We've mentioned already that they all tested well, and the Seasonic was marginally the best during temperature testing, and that we like the Tagan's cooling arrangement and connector bundle the best (out of the fixed run supplies at least, with Corsair's HX620 largely excellent by default in that and every other respect.The supplies will cost you between £80 and £120 depending on model and store, over here in the UK, and it's worth noting that the Corsair isn't as widely available as the rest right now, but should start cropping up at the usual e-tailers in due course.
It's very difficult to pick a clear winner from this capable bunch and there's merit in them all, depending on what you're looking for. Modular fans will want the Corsair, for example. All could be improved upon, too, so we look forward to all the vendor's next attempts at the perfect high-end supply some time in the future. However, if we had to recommend a couple, we'd go for the Corsair HX620W for being near-perfect in all areas and the OCZ GameXStream 700W for being strong across the board.
HEXUS Awards
Corsair HX620W
OCZ GameXStream 700W
OCZ GameXStream 700W
Coolermaster iGreen Power 600W
FSP Epsilon 600W
Seasonic S12 Energy+ 650W
FSP Epsilon 700W
Tagan Dual Engine 700W
FSP Epsilon 600W
Seasonic S12 Energy+ 650W
FSP Epsilon 700W
Tagan Dual Engine 700W
HEXUS Right2Reply
At HEXUS, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If any of the company representatives for the products reviewed here choose to do so, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.Corsair - 29th August 2006
Corsair's PSU team took the time to respond to our right2reply initiative with some insightful criticism of the roundup that's helped us get these things better in the future, helping us correct some facts in this one to boot. The corrections can be found on page 9, and thankfully they don't affect our conclusion. Here's what they had to say.Dear HEXUS,
First, we must applaud Ryszard for his hard work on finishing this massive power supply round up. However, while the article includes a lot of valuable information that a consumer will need when choosing the right PSU, it unfortunately neglected many important facts about power supplies that we believe the HEXUS readers would appreciate. In addition, looking at the test results, we suspect that there are errors in the numbers and challenge the conclusion he drew in the end. We’d like to take this opportunity to raise the questions.
The HX series marks Corsair’s first entry into the power supply business, and therefore we take every feedback very seriously. We sincerely look forward to your reply.
- Incorrect formula used to calculate efficiency
You used Ideal Output/Input AC to generate this number while the common practice is to use Actual Output/Input AC. The result of using Ideal Output to calculate efficiency is that you get grossly inflated efficiency numbers which are meaningless in real world applications. In addition, there is no information on Input AC voltage information. Our understanding is that this value varies from region to region in the UK (can go as high as 245V), and thereby affects the overall efficiency calculation.
Please note that the Corsair efficiency number was derived from neither the Ideal Output nor the Actual Output.
- Inconsistent results between the temperature readings and the efficiency numbers
We all understand that the more efficient a power supply is, the less heat it generates and therefore a lower rise in temperature under full load it causes. Your test results failed to show this inverse relationship, where the most efficient power supply did not have the lowest rise in temperature under full load.
- Ripple/noise effect
Your test results did not include data on ripple/noise effect. High ripple/noise has a long term damaging effect to components such as video card and hard drive. We feel that this important criterion should have been included in your overall evaluation.
The Corsair Power Supply Team