80-plus rating system for power supply is one term you often hear about PSUs. It is a system to define the efficiency of a power supply unit. This article will present a detailed cost and efficiency analysis of 80 plus rating system for power supplies. We’ll see if you really get to save money by choosing an efficient PSU.
So, let’s get started!
What is the Efficiency of a PSU?
As it is shown in the name, a power supply unit supplies power. Plus, it also converts the AC power supply of your home to DC power.
The efficiency of a PSU is the measure of AC input supplied to it, and the amount of DC power generated. Higher efficiency would mean that more DC power was generated per AC power unit consumed. Hence, it would result in lower power bills.
80 Plus Rating System for Power Supply Efficiency
You would often see an 80-plus sticker on PSUs. It certifies that this PSU is at least 80% efficient under all load conditions. It is further divided into 6 classes or grades. Each grade has a different efficiency at different loads. Let’s see the efficiency of each class at 10, 20, 50, and 100% loads.
80 Plus
|
Load Level |
Efficiency |
System Wattage |
Watts Drawn |
Units Consumed (per hour) |
Units Consumed (in 12 hours) |
Price per kWh ($) |
Daily Cost ($) |
Monthly Cost ($) |
|
10% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
20% |
80% |
300 |
375 |
0.38 |
4.50 |
0.16 |
0.72 |
21.60 |
|
50% |
80% |
300 |
375 |
0.38 |
4.50 |
0.16 |
0.72 |
21.60 |
|
100% |
80% |
300 |
375 |
0.38 |
4.50 |
0.16 |
0.72 |
21.60 |
80 Plus Bronze
|
Load Level |
Efficiency |
System Wattage |
Watts Drawn |
Units Consumed (per hour) |
Units Consumed (in 12 hours) |
Price per kWh ($) |
Daily Cost ($) |
Monthly Cost ($) |
|
10% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
20% |
82% |
300 |
366 |
0.37 |
4.39 |
0.16 |
0.70 |
21.07 |
|
50% |
85% |
300 |
353 |
0.35 |
4.24 |
0.16 |
0.68 |
20.33 |
|
100% |
82% |
300 |
366 |
0.37 |
4.39 |
0.16 |
0.70 |
21.07 |
80 Plus Silver
|
Load Level |
Efficiency |
System Wattage |
Watts Drawn |
Units Consumed (per hour) |
Units Consumed (in 12 hours) |
Price per kWh ($) |
Daily Cost ($) |
Monthly Cost ($) |
|
10% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
20% |
85% |
300 |
353 |
0.35 |
4.24 |
0.16 |
0.68 |
20.33 |
|
50% |
88% |
300 |
341 |
0.34 |
4.09 |
0.16 |
0.65 |
19.64 |
|
100% |
85% |
300 |
353 |
0.35 |
4.24 |
0.16 |
0.68 |
20.33 |
80 Plus Gold
|
Load Level |
Efficiency |
System Wattage |
Watts Drawn |
Units Consumed (per hour) |
Units Consumed (in 12 hours) |
Price per kWh ($) |
Daily Cost ($) |
Monthly Cost ($) |
|
10% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
20% |
87% |
300 |
345 |
0.34 |
4.14 |
0.16 |
0.66 |
19.86 |
|
50% |
90% |
300 |
333 |
0.33 |
4.00 |
0.16 |
0.64 |
19.20 |
|
100% |
87% |
300 |
345 |
0.34 |
4.14 |
0.16 |
0.66 |
19.86 |
80 Plus Platinum
|
Load Level |
Efficiency |
System Wattage |
Watts Drawn |
Units Consumed (per hour) |
Units Consumed (in 12 hours) |
Price per kWh ($) |
Daily Cost ($) |
Monthly Cost ($) |
|
10% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
20% |
90% |
300 |
333 |
0.33 |
4.00 |
0.16 |
0.64 |
19.20 |
|
50% |
92% |
300 |
326 |
0.33 |
3.91 |
0.16 |
0.63 |
18.78 |
|
100% |
89% |
300 |
337 |
0.34 |
4.04 |
0.16 |
0.65 |
19.42 |
80 Plus Titanium
|
Load Level |
Efficiency |
System Wattage |
Watts Drawn |
Units Consumed (per hour) |
Units Consumed (in 12 hours) |
Price per kWh ($) |
Daily Cost ($) |
Monthly Cost ($) |
|
10% |
90% |
300 |
333 |
0.33 |
4.00 |
0.16 |
0.64 |
19.20 |
|
20% |
92% |
300 |
326 |
0.33 |
3.91 |
0.16 |
0.63 |
18.78 |
|
50% |
94% |
300 |
319 |
0.32 |
3.83 |
0.16 |
0.61 |
18.38 |
|
100% |
90% |
300 |
333 |
0.33 |
4.00 |
0.16 |
0.64 |
19.20 |
Comparison Between Electricity Cost of 80 Plus Classes
The above graph shows the comparison between the monthly electricity costs of various 80-plus classes at different load conditions. We can see from the graph that a PSU of the lowest 80 plus class would cost $21.60 at 50% load. While the PSU of the topmost 80 plus titanium class would cost you $18.38 at 50% load.
Hence, you can save up to 15% on electricity by using the best 80-plus titanium PSU. In terms of money, you can save about $38.64 each year. While this may not seem a lot, you can reap other benefits, such as better reliability and longer lifespan, by switching to a better 80-plus class.
We also concluded that the efficiency of each class is best optimized at the 50% load condition. Hence, if your PC draws 300 watts, select a PSU with at least 600-watt capacity. This would optimize the efficiency of your system and leave room for further upgrades as well.
Final Word; Understanding the 80 Plus Rating System for Power Supply
Although you can’t save a considerable amount of money on yearly basis by using an efficient class of PSU, there are several benefits of using an efficient PSU. An efficient class offers better reliability and has a longer lifespan. Plus, power bill savings are also a benefit.
We saw the detailed cost analysis of each class of 80-plus rating systems for power supply at various load conditions. We also concluded that the best case of efficiency is when you’re operating at 50% load.
What are the specifications of your PSU? Do let us know in the comments down below!