Gold vs. Platinum PSUs: Are Platinum PSUs Overkill?

An 80+ Platinum certification means that a PSU is more efficient than a PSU with an 80+ Gold certification. Platinum certification is also awarded to some of the most reliable power supplies you can find on the market today. It's better to overspend on your PSU than underspend.

When shopping for a power supply, there are a few specs to consider rather than just looking at its power output. One of them has taken on a lot of importance lately: the 80+ rating. But what is the difference between 80+ Gold and 80+ Platinum?

What is an 80+ rating, anyway?

We have an entire article explaining exactly what an 80+ rating is and how it has slowly but surely risen to prominence in the power supply arena. In summary, this is a voluntary certification that power supply manufacturers can use for their products to give buyers confidence that the power supply they are purchasing is as efficient as the manufacturer claims. – in other words, that the power supply wastes as little energy as it draws from your wall.

Recently, an 80+ rating has become very important. A power supply with a good rating wastes little electricity, it's true. But to achieve this, it must also use very good quality components. As such, a good 80+ rating is also some sort of assurance that a power supply is of high quality and, more importantly, reliable – which is also why it's common to see the most expensive power supplies not only with good 80+ ratings, but also with warranties of up to 10 years from date of purchase, and even 12 years from some manufacturers.

This is not the only factor to consider when it comes to reliability – on the one hand, the brand and its reputation play an important role. But it's a good indicator that you're buying something that will last you a lifetime.

80+ Gold vs. 80+ Platinum: What's the difference?

Basically, an 80+ Gold power supply is 87% efficient at 100% electrical load, while an 80+ Platinum power supply is 89% efficient at 100% electrical load. To put that into numbers, for a 700W power supply to deliver 700W of power to the components inside your PC, it would draw 791W of power from the wall if it was rated 80+ Gold. In comparison, an 80+ Platinum power supply would consume 777W. The excess +10% power is wasted, while the rest goes to your PC.

It's not an exact science. The rating means that a power supply is at least as effective, but it could very well be a little more effective than that. But in the end, there is a 2% difference in minimum efficiency between Gold and Platinum power supplies. In the long run, it could make a difference to your electricity bill. Not huge, but a difference nonetheless.

There are also other advantages. An 80+ Gold power supply can have a warranty of up to five years, while an 80+ Platinum can have a warranty of up to ten years.

Is an 80+ Platinum Rating excessive?

We have always maintained that there is no overspending on a power supply. When we talk about power supplies, you need to look for the best quality power supply that fits your budget. It's not just efficiency you should be concerned about, after all, but rather the proper functioning of your components. If one PSU dies, it could spell disaster for your PC's components, and it could perfectly kill your entire computer.

That being said, if you have the ability to get an 80+ Platinum power supply, you should. If it's from a reputable brand and has a multi-year warranty on top of that 80+ rating, that's a good sign that it's a reliable and safe power supply. use. If you can only afford an 80+ Gold, that's fine as long as it's from a reputable brand like Seasonic, but the 80+ Platinum is distributed to some of the most trusted power supplies on the market. It's a bounty worth spending.