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- Cybernetic-certified power supplies are tested more in-depth at various real-life load percentages, unlike 80 PLUS.
- Cybernetic-certified power supplies are tested under a lot of different conditions, like a variety of ambient temperatures.
- Cybernetic-certified power supplies also cover noise levels, load regulation, and ripples.
The power supply is one of the most overlooked components in a PC. Most people don’t pay much attention to it and get whatever seems fine under budget, irrespective of what kind of components it’s made of and whether it’s certified or not.
Those like me who know the importance of such small stuff do not waste their money on cheap and questionable power supplies. Also, while doing so, I prefer to choose a power supply that is certified by Cybernetics instead of 80 Plus.
Why Certification is Crucial
As it’s known, the power supply is the gateway to supply power to every component of your PC, so it has to be reliable in order to not mess up anything. The certification programs, be it Cybernetics or 80 Plus, are here to make sure that the power supply you’re getting checks all the boxes to be considered a safe-to-use and efficient component.
Both certifications make sure that the power supplies aren’t a safety hazard, however, I personally prefer Cybernetic-certified power supplies more due to a number of factors.
In-Depth Testing Approach
The 80 Plus tests the power supply efficiency at a few fixed percentages of load, specifically at 20, 50, and 100% load levels. Whereas, Cybernetics goes completely in-depth to make sure the power supply is efficient and safe to use from each corner.
Cybernetics tests the power supply throughout its full range of power. In other words, they use well around, 1450 and more load combinations to complete their testing. This helps the manufacturers to tune their power supply units to their absolute best.
Besides that, Cybernetics also considers different operating temperatures and tests the power supply units across various ambient temperatures to see how they’re going to perform under different weather conditions.
Like 80 Plus, Cybernetic also uses the Bronze-Titanium tags to specify their efficiency levels. However, Cybernetics offers an extra rating, called “Cybernetics Diamond” and is the highest of the bunch.
Covers Noise Levels (Lambda Rating)
While the story ends on load testing for 80 Plus, it just gets started for Cybernetics as it not only covers efficiency at different load levels but also focuses much more. The first is the noise levels, as they are important. No one likes his PC or specifically the power supply to sound like a jet engine making a lot of unnecessary noise.
This is why Cybernetics also tests noise ratings of the power supplies when they are at their peak power. Cybernetic has provided tags similar to the efficiency levels to differentiate the least audible power supply from the most audible that is acceptable.
You can see the rating levels starting from Standard where the noise level should be between 40 and 45 dB(A) to A++ where the acceptable noise level is below 15dB(A).
Load Regulation, Ripple, And Vampire Power
What’s next for Cybernetics is that they don’t ignore load regulation (how consistently the PSU holds the voltage) and ripples (random fluctuations in voltage) to ensure superior and reliable performance and power delivery to the PC components and not become the cause of damage in any way possible.
Last but not least, Cybernetics also requires manufacturers to make power supply units that draw power according to their set number of wattage while your computer is off and not operational, this is called Vampire Power.
Cybernetics demand the PSU to draw less than 0.25W of power falls in the Bronze category, and the requirement for the Diamond category PSU goes as low as 0.10W (115V input) and 0.12W (230V input). You can see the rest of the power levels for different categories in the table below.
A Savior In Disguise
Cybernetics has changed the way power supplies used to be tested and finalized as safe or not. More and more manufacturers need to produce power supplies according to the standards set by Cybernetics across all budgets. Such thorough testing has impressed me a lot and made me switch to power supplies tested by Cybernetics only because of their strict quality and reliability measures.
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Arsalan Shakil (aka GuyThatDoesEverything on YouTube) is a PC Tech Enthusiast and Electronic Geek. With over 10+ years of experience in Electronics, he then decided to explore Software Engineering to design embedded products and automate existing hardware solutions.
When he started tearing down old cameras to understand how they worked, he was shocked (literally, when he got zapped by a flash discharge capacitor), giving him the power (debatable) to fall in love with videography/photography. He also started making some fun videos that later became YouTube tech reviews.
Skills:
- 10+ years of experience in Electronics design, embedded solutions, and prototyping
- Majored in Software Engineering
- Research paper publication in IEEE for Embedded Military Uniform & LoRa WAN wireless technology
- Specialized in IoT Solutions
- PC Enthusiast & PC Modder
In his local region, he’s known to expose cheap PSU brands, often claiming fake certification or false claims on the box. He’s a true nerd and needed some friends in his life. Then he met some guys who work at Tech4Gamers, and they also came out to be equal nerds who suggested he join Tech4Gamers as a Hardware Expert.
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