Power Supplies to Get More Expensive? Cost of 80 Plus Certification Reportedly Triples

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Image: Plug Load Solutions

An investigative piece by Igor’s Lab has revealed that Plug Load Solutions’ 80 Plus certification, a seal of approval in the power supply world, has gotten much more expensive. As an updated licensing and certification policy shows, initial power supply testing fees for general PSUs (e.g., 115 V) have increased to a costly $6,000 per unit.

That, according to Igor, is an exorbitant 300 percent increase from the original price of $2,000. Manufacturers that sell rebranded power supplies (e.g., Corsair and Deepcool) and seek 80 Plus certification can also expect to pay $3,500 (note that these PSUs have technically been certified already).

Such fees can quickly add up, as Igor points out. A series comprising six models of varying wattages (e.g., 550, 650, 750, 850, 1,000, and 1,200 watts) would require licensing fees of $21,000—and that’s not even counting the one-time, introductory fee of $5,000.

The implication is that prices for select power supplies might be going up, with companies choosing to pass on the increased licensing fees over to the customer. That could be especially likely for lower-volume models.

Igor suggests that manufacturers might want to start looking into alternative parties for testing and certification. One proposed candidate is Cybenetics, which reportedly offers a better methodology for testing efficiency, standby power, and noise measurements.

Tsing Mui
News poster at The FPS Review.

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