Power supply ratings explained: 80 Plus Platinum vs. Gold vs. Bronze vs. White
Listen to advice from some corners of the internet, and it can sound like not buying the most efficient power supply possible will cause your PC to blow up. That’s simply not true, and you can spend money needlessly going that route.
Efficiency ratings for power supplies certainly lend themselves to that misperception, because the differences between 80 Plus (also known as 80 Plus White), 80 Plus Bronze, 80 Plus Silver, 80 Plus Gold, 80 Plus Platinum, and 80 Plus Titanium power supplies aren’t exactly immediately clear. But dig into how the system works, and you’ll see that you may get by just fine with an 80 Plus White power supply—or perhaps need a Platinum-rated one over a Bronze-rated one.