If you really need reliability the best way is a redundant / clustered server. Also using a case/server
with redundant PSUs for each unit can help.
I have no idea which of your cited models has the higher MTBF (Mean Time Before Failure) [statistical
reliability estimate] or anecdotal reliability figure.
The problem with MTBF / reliability estimates, though, is that it's a statistical thing. Just because 50% of
the units out there may work for 10,000 hours without a problem, some percentage of them are unpredictably
going to fail after much less time, e.g. 1 hours, 10 hours, 100 hours, or whatever.
If that unreliable failure means the server goes down (without a redundant PSU or fail-over server) and that is
a big problem for you, it is not much consolation that you should PROBABLY have had better reliability with
brand X PSU.
It is like RAID and hard drives; you hope any individual unit will operate a long time without failure, but
you must plan that whatever you buy WILL eventually fail and Murphy's law will say that YOUR unit will
be the one that fails SOONEST at the most INCONVENIENT possible time.
So build a system that takes into account the ease of replacing a failed component and which doesn't
depend more than your tolerance for overall unreliability on the quality / reliability of any single component
since any of them can fail at any time no matter how good your components are and no matter how long
they "on average" last.
Generally speaking no "desktop" rated PSU standing alone will be considered "highly reliable" in
a 24x7x365 server application just because you usually must use redundant units or servers which can
be replaced without overall interruption of service for such applications requiring high availability service.
Buying which model may have the higher MTBF / quality is a nice thing, but it can't solve the system reliability
problem if you want the thing to run for months or years with no unscheduled interruptions.
Originally posted by: richwenzel
for a 24x7 type server like application, that should be reading high amounts of data and streaming data, where i consider reliability the most important and efficiency the next most important, how does this rate compared to a cooler master real power pro emba 850?
i will be making the new pc, was gonna buy one those $50 ocz gamestream 600 for my current pc and swap my cooler master into the server one, but if this one is better than the cooler master in the reliability sector, ill buy it. and yes, i know i dont need 800 watts, in either pc, but i think i paid $50 for the cooler master....