Introduction

Many people consider the power supply the easiest item to purchase when selecting system components for their latest build project. How hard could it be? - You figure out how much wattage your system needs, look up some candidates at your favorite online retailer, find the cheapest one that has the right features such as nylon cable-sleeving and you are set, right? - Well, not quite.

Aside from the claimed wattage, you begin to discover some key differences between the candidates. What is marketing hype and what is not? - There is Active PFC, 80 Plus Efficiency, 50 Celsius power rating, multiple rails, rail fusion, single rail, commercial grade capacitors, ATX12V 2.01, 2.2 and 2.3 standards and so on. And since you can't really compare competing power supplies using the specs on the label, how do you compare? - You need a common test applied to each and every power supply with the same loads, the same standard voltage and the same temperatures.

This is where TweakTown enters the picture. Our test methodology is a living document and will be updated on occasion to reflect changes, updates or new features in our testing approach. Power supplies evolve and so must our testing methods for the reviews to remain relevant and informative.

Our Goal

Armed with insight, a decision is much simpler. We strive to arm you with this very insight needed to help you select the right hardware for your particular need. We employ industry standard testing equipment, practical insight and a testing suite designed to be relevant to true system loads. To this end, we have defined a methodology for our power supply reviews to give you real world results in a clear concise manner. This living document outlines our approach for testing power supplies and will be updated on occasion to reflect new features or address technology changes.