Can a Gold Rated Power Supply Save You Money?

Today we investigate whether it's worth spending the extra money on a gold rated power supply vs going for a more affordable bronze model. With energy prices being high at the moment, we try and figure out how long it would take you to save the extra initial outlay in energy prices.
We're comparing the Corsait rm850e Gold and the Seasonic S12iii 650w Bronze.
▼ My PC Specs and Gear ▼
DISCLAIMER: I may earn money on qualifying purchases through affiliate links below:
CPU: AMD 5800X3D amzn.to/49giGm5 (affiliate link)
GPU: Gigabyte Nvidia 4080 Super amzn.to/48fzIQj (affiliate link)
RAM: 32GB Corsair Vengeance RGB 3600 CL16 amzn.to/469E7nM (affiliate link)
Motherboard: MSI B550-A Pro amzn.to/46ez45C (affiliate link)
SSD: 1TB Samsung 980 Pro amzn.to/3LHvg4D (affiliate link)
PSU: Corsair rm850e amzn.to/4byHacl (affiliate link)
Case: NZXT H510 amzn.to/3RDZyZP (affiliate link)
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#Powersupply #4080Super #5800X3D

[@realnamesnotgiven6193]

I've bought that power supply three times. once for family, once for back up PC, and once for my main PC but 1000 watt version. So far they're all doing well.

[@uncleelias]

Interesting. Efficiency matters to me, not so much for the money savings, but for the heat output as well as "doing something for the environment." If we can afford to purchase devices which are more efficient, the better for everyone.

[@cocosloan3748]

Efficient PSU requires high quality parts - hence more expensive.
For USA use - well worth it - considering youre on 120V . PSU 's are much less efficient on lower voltage. So Bronze PSU on 120V will heat up much more and have 72% efficiency. Same PSU on 220V = 80% efficiency - almost as good as gold one on 120V

[@ThePgR777]

If you think about it, that extra energy makes more heat, if you live in a hot season/country you are gonna need a bit more energy to extract the heat from your room, but in a cold season/country that extra heat will make you save in heating. Last year's winter i rented an apartment and I didnt have heating for 1-2 days, well my gaming PC saved me heating the room after playing for a few hours

[@AbodyG3Z]

It's not just about efficiency, some power supplies can cause really bad gpu coil whine. I'm using an FSP Hyper-K 700w unit with my RX 6700 XT and the coil whine it causes is absolutely horrible. I'm gonna switch it out for a Be Quiet Pure Power 12 M 650w. This taught me a lesson to never go cheap with the PSU.

[@BigBeebus]

I had the same problem with an absolute bomb of a psu from aresgame it had a terrible whine with my
3060 otherwise it was ok. I’ve since swapped it out for a rmx 850 Corsair psu and a fe 3080

[@ThrasherEscapes]

first video of yours i've watched & you earned a sub from me. i'm looking forward to seeing your growth as a yt creator - and i might also be looking for inspiration, ha. good luck with reaching 1k and beyond!

[@davidnott_]

Thank you!

[@cocosloan3748]

You on 220V power grid ?
Try this in USA with 120V from the wall.. Results will surprise you .
For USA usage with 250W plus GPU - I would never recommend Bronze PSU . The efficiency is too low and PSU might overheat (also reducing effectiveness ) and might even fail lead to instability's or damage the PC

[@dylan-nv5bd]

Recently got the RM1000e from Corsair and I hope it'll hold up for the next like 2+ builds for me lol, hopefully close to 10 years with specs like that

[@davidnott_]

Fingers crossed! It’s my hope too with the rm850e

[@CaptainScorpio24]

good quality psu last for a decade atleast. i have cooler master v650 80 plus gold semi modular psu since 2015. it is still powering my i7 12700, asus z690tuf wifi, rtx 4070 ti super eagle oc

[@Kevin_silvaaguiar]

Hello everything is fine ? I purchased this model from Seasonic and it hasn't arrived yet. Looking at the reviews, many people said bad things about the model. My setup with Core i5 and Rtx 4060 only consumes 300W. But I want a power supply to go without changing for a long time, what's the difference between it and a B12 bc 750w, is it worth the change?

[@TheLazeeey]

Was pleased when you mentioned the efficiencies being diifferent at different loads tho i feel it could have been better explained/emphasised, considering your comparing different wattage PSUs, so it is definitely important considering that. Also the price comparison is rather pointless bc higher wattage PSUs cost more, so its a bit unfair to say itll take 7yrs to earn back the difference between bronze and gold models.
I understand this video was more of a sorta things to consider based on your own upgrade path, tho i do think that could have been better explained as to not be misleading.
Subbed cus i have similar hardware and am interested what content you come up with.

[@davidnott_]

Appreciate the sub! Didn’t mean to mislead, I’ll keep it in mind for the future though and welcome the feedback