We have a motto here on Hardware Secrets: if we can’t do something correctly, we prefer not doing it at all. Between publishing a lousy review and not publishing it at all, we prefer not publishing it. That is why we do not “review” power supplies: what we do here is to disassemble power supplies and make an in-depth analysis of the components and project used, as you can see visiting our Power Section. We are saving money to buy a Chroma machine, and we hope to buy one soon. As soon as we buy one, we will start publishing “real” reviews, together with the in-depth analysis we already do.
We hope you have learned to detect a good power supply review, and you will be amazed in noting that almost all reviewing websites are using wrong methodologies that really tell us nothing about the power supply real power capabilities. Even worse, some websites are recommending bad power supplies based on flawed methodologies.
If you are a reviewer, don’t get us wrong. Our purpose here is to educate both users and reviewers, so you now have a better knowledge on power supplies and have learned what you should not do. One suggestion? Instead of calling your articles as “reviews” call them something else, like “First Impressions”, “First Look”, etc, if you are not using a real load tester.
We should point out that there are some websites doing a terrific job on power supply reviews. SPCR (SilentPCReview), for example, goes one step further, adding a variable AC power supply, which allows them to simulate different power grid configurations – not only to check if the power supply can really operate under the range stated by the manufacturer (e.g. 90 V – 240 V) but it also simulate spikes and noise on the power grid. They also use a load tester (even though is a simpler model compared to Chroma 8000).
Other websites worth mentioning are Xbitlabs, which created their own active load for testing PSUs, Planet3Dnow, a German website that owns a Chroma 6330 machine and also used a Chroma 8800 in some reviews, and JonnyGuru, that also uses a load tester (a Sunmoon SM-8800). There are more websites around using a load tester, these are the ones I am most familiar with.
If you want to learn more about the subject, don’t miss our Anatomy of Switching Power Supplies tutorial.
