Is PFC worth the effort?

[Lead Head]

PSU's with Active PFC generally have higher efficiency, how ever, PFC hardly matters for home users unless you are in Europe, or this computer will be a commercial/industrial environment, but like it was said, Active PFC usually means better efficiency, and a lower power bill.

I am not sure which Rosewill PSU you are referring too, but if it is this one, it scored quite well.

However, I would still recomend something from

Antec
OZC
Corsair (sp?)
ThermalTake ToughPower (or purepower?)
Ultra X-PRO line (newer PSUs!, not the older ones!)
Silverstone
Zippy
Seasonic, and some others

[Computer-Ed]

Well in fairness if I had not just spent a ton on upgrading two machines I would go with a ThermalTake but I cannot get the wife to approve the cost right now :)

The two sepcific PSUs from newegg are listed below, the specs on the Coolmax are way off, they fairly match the Rosewill with the exceptions I have noted.

Coolmax:
Newegg.com - COOLMAX CP-500T EPS12V 500W Power Supply 115/230 V UL, CSA, TUV - Retail

Rosewill:
Newegg.com - Rosewill RT550-135-BK 550W 135mm Fan SLI Ready - ATX V2.2/EPS12V Power Supply 115/230 V UL/CUL/CB/TUV/CE - Retail

As for the heavy test they come in about the same and both are VERY heavy compared to the cheap 400 watt one that sits in my shop for emergencies.

[Panda Man]

Originally Posted by Computer-Ed

Well in fairness if I had not just spent a ton on upgrading two machines I would go with a ThermalTake but I cannot get the wife to approve the cost right now :)

But its a *required* upgrade and the pool might exploderize without it!! :D

The coolmax doesn't seem so bad, I'd pick it up. But I really would try and shell out for a Thermaltake or Fortron.

[Computer-Ed]

Thats the issue for me, it is not a matter of picking up, I already have both of these, hence no issue on my spending

If I had my druthers I would grab a True Power Trio 650 or a Thermaltake PSU.

[One4yu2c]

The specs are so close on those two units that, active PFC be damned, I personally would use the heavier of the two...

[Elysium]

PCF MATTERS!!

[screwballl]

just a spelling correction for everyone here:

it is PFC (Power Factor Correction)

Power factor correction - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Elysium]

oh, not PCF. PFC!!!!

[garetjax]

Originally Posted by One4yu2c

The specs are so close on those two units that, active PFC be damned, I personally would use the heavier of the two...

I agree, that's always a good rule of thumb when it comes to choosing between PSU's. I guarantee that if you opened both PSU's up and looked at their components, the one that is heavier will have the better components.

[One4yu2c]

Originally Posted by yellowhello

PCF MATTERS!!

Active PFC takes a back seat to overall build quality. They can go hand in hand, but not necessarily. Before it became vogue, one of the most highly touted PSUs by overclocking enthusiasts (myself included) was the OCZ Powerstream series, which, as you may have guessed, lacked active PFC. Still using that Powerstream in one of my rigs, and for awhile there, was part of my testbed for some earlier reviews.

And then you have to consider how well a feature is implemented in any given unit. I could claim "more wattage FTW," but how accurate is that 600w rating on a generic $20 PSU?