AnandTech Power Supply Test Methodology

@ 2007/07/19
For many, power supplies are unfortunately still not considered an important component, but this attitude is definitively a mistake. Power supplies deliver the voltage to each and every single component in the PC and make them work. It is the heart of the system and the provided electricity works like blood in the human body. If the delivered electricity is faulty or unstable it can ruin even the greatest high-end rig instantly. It is important that readers understand the importance of power supplies in today's PCs and we will do our part from now on to deliver the necessary tests. In addition we will explore the manufacturers themselves; good quality starts with a good engineering team that develops upcoming power supplies. We will visit the offices and factories of the manufacturers to show how and where power supplies are made.

Comment from Sidney @ 2007/07/19
All boils down to label laws enforcement. A power supply can meet all output/input requirements and fail in other aspects. Manufacturers with ISO certifications or mil-specs stand a good chance in producing reliable products without lying on the label.
Comment from Rutar @ 2007/07/19
Quote:
Originally Posted by lazyman View Post
The question is must review sites carry this type of equipment while the steps DIY do in putting together a PC becomes secondary?
YES

It basically boils down to who can make the most detailed roundups because only they answer the crucial question what is the really best product in a class. Due to the resources required, it will mean that review sites will have more focus on classes of products. Only those sites will be able to survive and have a major impact on the buying decicion, which makes them interesting for both advertising as well as product samples.


For PC Monitors, THG.fr, hardware.fr (behardware.com in English and digitalversus.com upcoming as the ultimate comparison site) and prad.de are fighting it out.

For fans and coolers, I've yet to find something comparable to Madshrimps.

Anandtech is the prefered source for CPU and GPU performance, but there you have a lot less different products with easier testing procedures making it simple for other sites to take over.
Comment from Sidney @ 2007/07/19
I read that a few days ago; as I said before the setup is similar to the manufacturer production. The question is must review sites carry this type of equipment while the steps DIY do in putting together a PC becomes secondary?

Car magazine reviews do not use engine dyno to test actual output on every review, don't they?
Comment from jmke @ 2007/07/19
I envy their setup, looks really professional and the noise blocking box seems to deliver on its promise; their first review this kit was the PC Power&Cooling