Did I miss the memo? I've been thinking a 1000 W PSU was still something to spend a couple hundred bucks on, and yet you can actually score 'em for much less. That makes a big change from the days of cryptocurrency mining and surging power demands that saw these high wattage boxes selling for above average prices.
The PSU that brought this to my attention is the Super Flower Leadex Platinum SE, a 1000 W power supply with an 80 Plus Platinum efficiency rating. It's down from $250 to $125 at Newegg right now.
You might not be familiar with the brand Super Flower, though they're becoming a bit more of a known quantity for power supplies today. The key thing is they're not actually new to the market—they've been producing power supplies for years. They used to just manufacture more of them as an OEM under another's brand, such as EVGA. In fact, one of EVGA's most desirable PSUs of all-time, the G2, was manufactured by Super Flower.
This particular PSU comes with a 10-year warranty, which is what we've come to expect from a quality PSU these days, and offers some peace of mind. It's also coated in a clean-cut white finish, which would look pretty slick in a build I'm putting together right now. It's fully modular, of course, but one downside is it doesn't come with a modern 12VHPWR connector (or the even newer variant, the 12V-2x6).
Though the thing I'm most impressed with this unit is the efficiency. That's an 80 Plus Platinum badge on the box, which means it's one of the most efficient PSUs around. At 50% load, it'll be efficient up to 92% on 115 V, or 94% at 230 V. It's second only to a Titanium rating.
It's probably worth mentioning that Corsair, among others, is shifting over to a new ratings system for power supplies, led by Cybenetics. But the 80 Plus ones are still valid.
Though this PSU is cheaper than Be Quiet's excellent Pure Power 12 M, which is 80 Plus Gold rated, at $140. It's a lot cheaper than an equivalent Corsair HX1000i at $235—though that is a pretty excellent PSU, it must be said. The Super Flower isn't quite as new or fancy as some, but for a reliable, no-frills design, that price is hard to argue with.
