Corsair will no longer use 80 Plus ratings on its power supplies. Instead, it will exclusively use an efficiency standard from Cybenetics. It's an easy switch to make.
80 Plus Gold is now Cybenetics Gold. 80 Plus Platinum is now Cybenetics Platinum. You're noticing a pattern here, right? The Cybenetics range uses the same metals system to indicate efficiency as 80 Plus.
According to Corsair, the efficiency ratings provided by Cybenetics are "a more comprehensive assessment of PSU's performance than its predecessor."
"Cybenetics is a more thorough and detailed testing than 80 Plus. This leads to more accurate results."
Some of the new ratings from Cybenetics may not be familiar to everyone. The Cybenetics noise ratings are a grading system that offers a range of noise levels from "standard" up to "A++". The lower the grade the louder and more noticeable a PSU will be. On its website you can learn more about how Cybenetics tests PSUs. It also has reports on a number of recent power supplies.
Aris Mpitziopoulos is the CEO of Cybenetics. We've trusted him to review a lot of power supplies for PC Gamer, and put together a guide on what's the best PSU for gamers over the years. He has also been very outspoken in his criticism of the 80 Plus program.
Mpitziopoulos said, "We are delighted to have Corsair exclusively working with us and we hope that the other brands will soon follow". He told me that Cybenetics was working on ISO 17065 to apply for Energy Star next.
80 Plus certification is the de facto standard when it comes to efficiency ratings for PSUs. In recent years, however, we've seen an increasing number of manufacturers opting for the Cybenetics certification instead. This includes Corsair Thermaltake FSP MSI and Intel.
Intel has officially acknowledged that Cybenetics and 80 Plus certifications are valid in its ATX specifications documents for power supplies. The full documentation is available here [pdf warning], but it's not easy reading.
Interesting news
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