Specifications

JANUARY 2004 MAXIMUMPC 53
Not all power supplies are created
equal. The Maximum PC Lab torture-
tests seven power supplies to fi nd out
which ones offer the most protection,
versatility, and expandability
STACK ‘EM UP
BLOW ‘EM OUT
Picture this: You’ve just blown your last three
paychecks building a kick-ass computer replete
with a 3.6GHz processor, 256MB videocard,
and 400GB hard drive. You splurged on a
tricked-out case and spent long hours modding
it to perfection. Night after night, you tweaked
and re-tweaked until you’d wrung out every
last ounce of performance. But you made one
critical mistake. You strapped that monster
system to a $35 bargain bin power supply.
Who could blame you? After all, a beefy
$200 power supply unit (PSU) nets the exact
same 3DMark score as a no-name cheapie.
Why not spend that extra cash on something
with a more visible return on investment,
such as another gig of RAM?
Here’s why: When it comes time to upgrade
or overclock, or when a brownout or lightning
storm fi nally strikes, chances are that a dirt-
cheap power supply will let you down just
when you need it the most, potentially taking
the rest of your expensive system with it.
Here at Maximum PC, we’ve stressed the
importance of a trustworthy power supply
for years. Now, we conduct the hard-hitting
tests that will separate the contenders from
the pretenders and prove once and for all the
benefi ts of a high-quality PSU. The results
are telling; out of seven contestants, only
two emerge unscathed. So who won? What
constitutes a quality power supply? And
how much power do you really need? Our
torture tests offer some surprising answers
to these pressing questions.
BY OMEED CHANDRA