What is a PSU?
A PSU is a power supply unit. They are typically used to power electronics. For example, we will be talking specifically about computer power supplies, their ratings, cybernetics, certifications, and more in this power supply guide.
There are a few different ratings that power supplies can have in their desktop PC and the main thing that they are testing for is power efficiency. The two main ones are the 80 Plus standard as well as the up-and-coming Cybernetics standard. One of the benefits of having a more efficient power supply is that it will save on power costs over time, especially if it’s used daily.
What is 80 Plus?
The 80 Plus rating guarantees a minimum efficiency of a power supply under various loads, the lowest standard being the 80 Plus Standard which is at least 80% energy efficient at the rated loads they test for which are generally testing the power supply at 10%, 20%, 50%, and 100%. From least efficient to most their ratings are Standard (Plus), Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Titanium.
Bronze PSU vs Silver vs Gold vs Platinum Power Supplies
| 80 PLUS1 Certification | 115V Internal Non-Redundant | 115V Industrial | ||||||
| % of Rated Load | 10% | 20% | 50% | 100% | 10% | 25% | 50% | 100% |
| 80 PLUS | – | 80% | 80% | 80% PFC ≥ 0.90 | – | |||
| 80 PLUS Bronze | – | 82% | 85% PFC ≥ 0.90 | 82% | – | |||
| 80 PLUS Silver | – | 85% | 88% PFC ≥ 0.90 | 85% | 80% | 85% PFC ≥ 0.90 | 88% | 85% |
| 80 PLUS Gold | – | 87% | 90% PFC ≥ 0.90 | 87% | 82% | 87% PFC ≥ 0.90 | 90% | 87% |
| 80 PLUS Platinum | – | 90% | 92% PFC ≥ 0.95 | 89% | 85% | 90% PFC ≥ 0.95 | 92% | 90% |
| 80 PLUS Titanium | 90% | 92% PFC ≥ 0.95 | 94% | 90% | – | |||
What are Cybernetics Standards in Power Supplies?
The Cybernetics standards can have ratings for both efficiency as well as noise. Their efficiency certification is named ETA while the noise is Lambda. For their ETA certifications their ratings from least to most efficient would be Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Titanium, and Diamond. Then for the Lambda ratings from loudest to quietest they have Standard, Standard +, Standard ++, A-, A, A+, and A++.
| ETA Ratings2 | ||||
| Efficiency Levels (115V Input) | Efficiency (1) (2) | PF (3) | 5VSB Efficiency (1) (3) (4) | Vampire Power (3) |
| DIAMOND | ≥93% overall efficiency | ≥0.985 | >79% | <0.10W |
| TITANIUM | ≥91% & <93% overall efficiency | ≥0.980 | >77% | <0.13W |
| PLATINUM | ≥89% & <91% overall efficiency | ≥0.975 | >76% | <0.16W |
| GOLD | ≥87% & <89% overall efficiency | ≥0.970 | >75% | <0.19W |
| SILVER | ≥85% & <87% overall efficiency | ≥0.960 | >73% | <0.22W |
| BRONZE | ≥82% & <85% overall efficiency | ≥0.950 | >71% | <0.25W |
LAMBDA Ratings3
| Noise Levels (115V/230V Input) | Noise Requirements (1) |
| A++ | <15 dB(A) |
| A+ | ≥15 dB(A) & <20 dB(A) |
| A | ≥20 dB(A) & <25 dB(A) |
| A- | ≥25 dB(A) & <30 dB(A) |
| Standard ++ | ≥30 dB(A) & <35 dB(A) |
| Standard + | ≥35 dB(A) & <40 dB(A) |
| Standard | ≥40 dB(A) & <45 dB(A) |
Corsair is actually planning on dropping other certifications in favor of Cybernetics. An example of one of their power supplies that have been given Cybernetic’s ratings would be the Corsair RM1000x. It has been given a gold ETA rating which would mean that it is ≥87% efficient. They also test further for Vampire power, which is the amount of power that the power supply draws when it isn’t doing anything for the most part. For the gold rating this means that is will draw less than 0.19W when not really doing anything. Then it has been given a LAMBDA rating of A which would mean that the noise the power supply would make would fall between ≥20 dB(A) & <25 dB(A) which would be about the level of somebody whispering. Quiet power supplies can be an important consideration in workstation PCs.
If you have any questions about what power supply rating or what wattage would be best for your use-case, feel free to reach out to our sales team.
1 https://www.clearesult.com/80plus/program-details#program-details-table
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