Let's face it – the Power Supply Unit (PSU) is arguably the most unexciting PC component to look for and buy when building a new gaming PC or workstation. It doesn't make your games run faster and adds no aesthetic value to your gaming rig. However, it is the most crucial component of your build. The power supply is responsible for supplying power to all your PC components. Should it fail, it will likely take your entire computer with it. Therefore, it is crucial to buy a high-quality power supply with a good efficiency class. Most experienced builders will advise you to choose a PSU with an "80 Plus" sticker on it, and rightly so. But what is 80 Plus certification? Is it just a pretty sticker, or is there something more to it? Let's find out.
Here's how the 80+ PSU rating system works
You may have noticed several power supplies with the 80 Plus mark followed by suffixes such as bronze, silver, gold and more. In this article, let us understand what these designations mean.
80 Plus has been around since 2004. It was initiated as a voluntary certification program to push the industry towards designing more power efficient PSUs. To receive the certification, PSUs must have over 80% efficiency at 20%, 50% and 100% load (hence the name 80 Plus) with a power factor of 0.9 or better at 100% load.
In 2007, Energy Star launched its PC Specification 4.0, which included the 80 Plus power supply efficiency level requirement for desktop computers. Thus the 80 Plus certification program became the standard and is still used today.
