Wednesday, November 25th 2020
80 Plus Hikes its Testing and Licensing Fees, Could Affect Prices of Low-Volume PSU Models
The 80 Plus logo program, by Plug Load Solutions, has become a ubiquitous means for consumers to grade the functional quality of their PC power supply units (PSUs). The PSU is a vital component, as a durable one ensures you needn't replace it for years; and it reliably powers all the components in your PC. 80 Plus confines itself to the electrical switching efficiency of the PSU as a unit of grading, and assigns one of six grades, which are probably easier for consumers to grasp than grading by technically-superior certification agencies such as Cybenetics. An investigative article by Igor's Lab uncovers that licensing body has apparently significantly increased its licensing fees, which PSU manufacturers could pass on to consumers, especially in case of some of the lower-volume models.
The Igor's Lab article cites an 80 Plus licensing and certification policy document to reveal the cost-structure for certification, including what it costs for a manufacturer to enroll (a one-time license fee), and testing fees per unit. The "unit" here refers to an individual SKU, it is a flat fee and does not apply on a per-unit-sold basis. Per-SKU would mean each variant of a model has to be separately certified as it's a different SKU (for example, Corsair's HX series would be a model, and HX750W and HX850W would be "variants", and treated as two separate certifications).
Plug Load Solutions has reportedly increased its per-SKU certification price by 3x. For a new model launched after 2021, this would mean an increase in flat licensing fees by tens of thousands of Dollars. If a manufacturer launched a PSU in 450 W, 550 W, 650 W, 750 W, 850 W, and 1000 W, they pay a flat $21,000. Interestingly, Igor's Lab reports that a manufacturer has to pay the licensing fees even for an OEM/whitebox PSU model that has already been certified by 80 Plus. The "OEM" here refers to the likes of CWT, Seasonic, HEC, Fortron, etc., who contract-manufacture PSUs for others. If a generic 650 W certified model is re-branded by a manufacturer, it incurs re-brand licensing fees. Find more interesting insights in the source link below.
Source:
Igor's Lab
The Igor's Lab article cites an 80 Plus licensing and certification policy document to reveal the cost-structure for certification, including what it costs for a manufacturer to enroll (a one-time license fee), and testing fees per unit. The "unit" here refers to an individual SKU, it is a flat fee and does not apply on a per-unit-sold basis. Per-SKU would mean each variant of a model has to be separately certified as it's a different SKU (for example, Corsair's HX series would be a model, and HX750W and HX850W would be "variants", and treated as two separate certifications).
75 Comments on 80 Plus Hikes its Testing and Licensing Fees, Could Affect Prices of Low-Volume PSU Models
Same thing goes to every other small component of the PSU... not only parts keep changing, but also tecnology, manufacturing procces evolves and allows new products with more efficiency, costing less to produce, having a lighter PSU, etc... if you choose to not inovate you will sooner or later become obslete and the competition will trive (see intel getting matched by AMD because of that).
Do as the Chinese do, just whack an 80+ sticker on but don't add the "certified" to it.
They've put Seasonic S12II on the same tier as firehazard Vinga with internals of a stripped-down FSP Qdion.
Their tier D has lots of models that should never be considered for modern systems (chinese crap, PSUs w/ passive PFC etc)
Tier B has at least 3 high-risk models....and upper echelons are a mess.There are tons of devices from well-known brands that have GPL violations. It's not just "China"-thing.
Platinum or titanium rated psus from known brands have very good build quality but i don't doubt that there are exceptions out there.
This is fine. PSUs are hit or miss anyway you always gotta check what you get. I'm all for things that inspire customer due diligence, and the label was shortcut for it, but not a very good one.