Conclusion

To summarize, a power supply without PFC circuitry will have a power factor of approximately 60% or lower. It will also create a considerable amount of harmonic distortion. A power supply with PFC circuitry improves the power factor to 75-95% with greatly reduced harmonic distortions.

But please note that the power factor has nothing to do with power efficiency. One should not be misled into thinking that PFC is a miracle feature that boosts a power supply's efficiency from 60% to 95%, thereby saving you a lot of money in electricity bills. It's just not going to happen.

Right now, most, if not all, high-end power supplies come with PFC circuitry to meet EU standards, particularly if the manufacturer has a presence in Europe. Of course, there are still plenty of cheap, non-PFC power supplies in the market. But eventually, all power supplies will come with PFC circuitry. If not Active PFC, then the cheaper Passive PFC.

So, while PFC is a good thing to have, it is not something you want to throw too much money at. Not only are certain manufacturers hyping PFC up to differentiate their products from rival products; they are also charging a lot for it too. Therefore, it is important that you be aware of what PFC is all about.

We hope that this article will be of some help to you when you are looking for a PFC power supply. With so many misleading statements about Power Factor Correction, it is important to be forewarned so that you will have a better idea of how much you should pay for PFC support in your power supply.

Questions & Comments

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