Since the introduction of the 80 Plus certifications, we've seen a slow but steady trickle down effect where labels that were once reserved for the highest of the high-end (e.g. 80 Plus Gold) have eventually reached mainstream price points. Manufacturers including FSP, Rosewill, Sparkle, and SuperFlower now sell affordable 80 Plus Gold power supplies for less than $100. But if mainstream users are now able to get 80 Plus Gold, what should the high-end market offer? Enter 80 Plus Platinum:

Those looking for maximum efficiency can now set their sights on 80 Plus Platinum PSUs, which will be new halo market for high-end—and high cost—power supplies. To reach the necessary efficiency levels, some improvements are necessary that can change some of the core characteristics of a power. Improved resonant topologies, new MOSFETs for synchronous rectifying, higher switching frequencies, better drivers, and low-resistance conduction paths are just some of the things we'll see with 80 Plus Platinum. We're naturally eager to see what the new models can bring to the table, and Enermax sent us their Platimax 750W model, which uses an optimized Modu87+ design. Read on to find out if Enermax is the new efficiency king, and how it performs in other metrics.

NZXT is a well known provider of "eye-catching" cases and peripherals, but like many other brands they offer power supplies as well. These include the HALE90 series, their first 80 Plus Gold product to hit the market. While the HALE90 targets the high-end audience, NZXT also wants to cater to midrange users, and for that market they have their new HALE82 series that covers wattages from 650W to 850W. The rated output makes these models good for high-end single GPUs as well as moderate SLI and CrossFire systems. Features such as 80 Plus Bronze certification and modular cables are common these days, but such features say little about how good a PSU really is. Today, we're testing the 650W and 750W models, with our usual results on the following pages.

We tested the Antec HCP 1200W a while back, and now Antec is following up with their 750W model, which should be equally efficient (80 Plus Gold Certification). In this article we will see if the quality of this power supply can match the flawlessness of the higher rated HCP. The HCP-750 is a little different internally compared to the 1200W model. However, all of the HCP models are targeted at the high-end market, so our expectations are quite high for this product. Read on to find out how it compares to other offerings.

3rd June, Taipei. Many editors travelled to Taiwan to see new products at Computex. A stressful week comes to an end. This is a perfect time for sightseeing -- or to visit a manufacturer's headquarters. We met FSP to take a look at their newest PSUs: The Aurum CM series.

Today we continue with the second part of our series of 750W power supplies. The Corsair TX V2 is the second 80 Plus Bronze certified PSU with non-modular cables that we're looking at for this range.

Corsair might be a leading manufacturer of RAM modules and SSDs, but power supply quality depends largely on the ODM and their design. The big question of the PSU source is easy to answer. Seasonic is the company behind many Corsair products—and they're definitely a good choice—but what about the internal design and components? On the following pages we will meet an old acquaintance with a new look and see if it's capable of keeping pace with the times.

After our look at some 1000-1200W PSUs, we then took a detour into the realm of the reasonable with two smaller PSUs. Now we're moving back to higher wattages, where we find a lot of 750-850W power supplies that are ideal for PCs with dual-GPU SLI or Crossfire solutions. We're kicking off our next set of high-end (but not extreme) PSUs with an Antec model. The HCG-750 is something of a pedestrian product. It's 80 Plus Bronze certified, comes with non-modular cables, and uses a 135mm fan. We're here to see if there's more than meets the eye with this product, and if it can satisfy the needs of gamers and live up to the "High Current Gamer" brand name.

With sales of around 150,000 PSUs each month, Corsair is one of the largest vendors for retail power supplies. They have a lot of experience even if they don't have their own factory. A few weeks ago Corsair presented their latest addition to their power supply lineup, the AX series. The AX brand has the goal of delivering performance, quality, and high efficiency; simply put, it's the best solution Corsair can provide at the moment. Today we take a look at the AX750 and find out if the 80Plus Gold certificate is justified, and just how good Corsair's "best" happens to be. An article by Martin Kaffei.