Power Supply Manufacturer: How to Discern the Product's Original Manufacturer

There has been influx of outside companies focusing their interests in the power supply market as of late. However, a large majority of them do not manufacture the products that they are selling. In general, these power supply manufacturers can be divided into three groups: 1) the power supply manufacturer that designs and actually manufactures their own products, 2) the power supply manufacturer that designs their own products but hires another company to manufacture the products for them, and 3) the power supply manufacturer that uses another company's designs and manufacturing capabilities but adds their own label, box and manual.

If your power supply manufacturer falls in to category three (as the majority does), this is not a bad thing. For the most part, the quality of the power supply will not depend wholly on the labeled brand, but on the real manufacturer. But it really benefits both parties that manufacturers choose other power supply manufacturers with the same quality level and general good reputation - otherwise their products won't sell.

Power Supply Manufacturer: What Happens if Two Brands Provide the Exact Same Power Supply?

Or another similar situation would be if the power supply on the market is listed under the original, real manufacturer brand. This can definitely be confusing to a consumer. It breaks down like this: everything depends on the contractual agreement between the two companies. The deal will stipulate if the original manufacturer can or cannot sell their products to other power supply manufacturers or even sell them under their own brand. In some situations, the original manufacturer, the one who designed it and made it, will agree that products picked to be manufactured under a particular brand (the power supply manufacturer you are buying from) will be exclusive, but other products can be sold to other companies. Furthermore, sometimes the agreement will stipulate that after a certain pre-determined amount of months the original manufacturer then has the option to also sell the same product under their own brand or sell it to other companies to be labeled under different brands.

Power Supply Manufacturer: So What is the Best Way to Determine the Real, Original Manufacturer of a Given Power Supply?

The best way to discern the original, power supply manufacturer and original model number is through its 80 Plus report - that is - provided the unit is 80 Plus-certified. Utilizing this method, you actually don't need to disassemble the power supply or even have it your possession. If the power supply is not 80 Plus-certified, you may still be able to discover the original manufacturer without opening it by checking its UL or TÜV SÜD registration number, if one is provided on the power supply box or label.

Now, if you can't determine the real power supply manufacturer by looking through the venting holes, you then will have to open the unit. This action, however, will void the warranty. Once inside the unit, though, you'll then be able to seek evidence of the real manufacturer by specific manufacturer signs that are generally unique to that manufacturer.