Antec

Limited Warranty: Antec supports their power supplies for 3 years (parts and labor) and the warranties are non-transferrable. The customer needs to prove to be the original purchaser when claiming a warranty repair/replacement. If the PSU fails within 60 days of purchasing it, Antec suggests sending it back to the reseller for warranty replacement. If the reseller doesn't accept the return, Antec will take it up themselves but require an RMA number (call them for this). Antec does not cover shipping and handling charges.

Spotlight: Solid technicians on the phone for troubleshooting and support.

The Warranty Does Not Cover:

• Consequential or incidental damage.
• Damage to other parts.
• Misuse.

Duration: 3 years.

Warnings: Antec requires an enclosed description of the problem with the RMA'd items.

Cooler Master

Limited Warranty: Cooler Master offers a 2-5 year warranty for PSUs; gaming-grade PSUs tend to enjoy a 5-year warranty. Cooler Master's PSU warranty is non-transferable. Cooler Master extends their warranty to subsequent replacements and, if the product is replaced within the first 30 days, will add those 30 days to the new one. Cooler Master will pay for your return shipping and handling fees, but you are responsible for initial shipping fees.

Spotlight: 5-year warranty on high-end parts; warranty extension on replacements.

The Warranty Does Not Cover:

• Misuse.
• Physical damage.
• Incompatibility issues.
• Damage to other components.

Duration: 2-5 years (UCP & Real Power Pro series are 5 years; Extreme Series is 2 years).

Warnings: Cooler Master has a line under their 'not covered' section that ambiguously states: "Any unsuitable environment or use of the product in Cooler Master's Opinion [is not covered.]" As a skeptic, this line worries me -- though it should hopefully not come down to an argument over whether your house is suitable.

Corsair

Limited Warranty: Corsair by far has one of the most lenient warranties out there; with a period of 3-7 years (Builder, HX, Gaming, and CX models are 3; Enthusiast, TX, and VX Enthusiast series are 5; Professional series is 7) and a solid refund and replacement policy, it's tough to go wrong with the likes of Corsair. If a product in for warranty repair is obsolete or discontinued, Corsair will replace the product with a newer product of equal or greater value. If you'd like a refund, Corsair offers a refund with a 10% reduction for each year you've owned the product. If you bought a PSU last year, you could request a refund and receive 90% of the original price back, and so on. This is awesome for those of us who upgrade more rapidly than components go obsolete.

Spotlight: An awesome refund policy (-10% per year).

The Warranty Does Not Cover:

• Removal of stickers.
• Improper operation.
• Causes not related to defect in materials or workmanship.

Duration: 3-7 years.

Warnings: Although Corsair offers a nice refund policy, you'll still have to pay shipping. Keep that in mind! Any products that are lost during transit are not covered, so opt for tracking when possible.

NZXT

Limited Warranty: NZXT actually made a comic for their PSU warranty policy that explains things quite well. We added in NZXT after the initial posting of this guide when they reached out to us, but it's for good reason: The policy is solid, simple, and exactly what you want in a PSU warranty. NZXT pays for shipping both ways via FedEx (you can obtain a free shipping label from their website or support team), and what's more, instead of making you wait for a repair, NZXT offers cross-shipping (you send the product back at the same time they send you a new product, no waiting period) and traditional 3-day shipping as well, depending on the situation. Both are provided free of charge, though cross-shipping requires a credit card number for verification. The 5-year warranty provides coverage for over-voltage, under-voltage, power, current, temperature, and other PSU-killing fluctuations.

Spotlight: Cross-shipping -- the only company we've listed thus far that provides it. Also a 5 year warranty that covers a lot of issues.

The Warranty Does Not Cover:

• Negligence.
• Misuse.

Duration: 5 years.

Warnings: NZXT requests that you send the item back in its original box with all accessories if possible.

OCZ

Limited Warranty: OCZ's PSU warranty initiates at date of purchase and continues on for 1-5 years, depending. Most gaming-grade PSUs will be in the 3-5 range. OCZ pays for return shipping, but the customer is 'required' (get my drift?) to pay the initial shipping costs.

Spotlight: Nothing extraordinary to speak of.

The Warranty Does Not Cover:

• Connection to a faulty power source.
• Alteration or modification of equipment.
• Normal wear and tear.
• User-inflicted damage.

Duration: 1, 3, or 5 years.

Warnings: OCZ claims they don't cover "normal wear and tear," which is vague enough to leave escape routes for them. Be careful with your wording when claiming a defect.

PC Power & Cooling

Limited Warranty: PC Power & Cooling has the best consistent warranty duration so far. All gaming-grade PSUs we were able to find were rated for at least 5 years, with many rated for 7 years of coverage. PC Power & Cooling's power supply warranty is almost identical to the others, duration excluded -- they cover manufacturing defects and will attempt to repair before replacing.

Spotlight: 7 years of coverage for high-end PSUs is phenomenal.

The Warranty Does Not Cover:

• Faulty power sources.
• Negligence or accidents.
• Other products being damaged.

Duration: 5-7 years.

Warnings: PC Power & Cooling's website is scarce; be sure to ask the representative whether you need to include all materials in the return or not.

Rosewill

Limited Warranty: Rosewill's warranty begins upon purchase and lasts, on average, 3-5 years for PSUs. Rosewill will repair physically damaged items for $25 (which isn't bad, really), but they don't guaranty it'll be successful. Rosewill's turn-around time is around 3 weeks for warranty repair/replacement. Rosewill offers credit in some instances, so be sure to ask them about that if interested.

Spotlight: Nothing extraordinary to speak of.

The Warranty Does Not Cover:

• Damage caused by the user.
• Damage caused by faulty power sources.

Duration: 3-5 years.

Warnings: Include all accessories and components when you send the product back, otherwise Rosewill might charge you and replace them as well.

Silver Stone

Limited Warranty: Silver Stone tends to have a shorter warranty, typically landing in the 1-year area, but occasionally venturing into 3-year territory. Information on the warranty policy can be found here, showing that they offer a fairly standard warranty package for PSUs. That said, Silver Stone only offers (at time of writing) 7-day DOA replacement, so you'll have to rely on a trustworthy reseller for better DOA coverage.

Spotlight: Nothing extraordinary to speak of.

The Warranty Does Not Cover:

• Any damage that is not the result of a factory defect. Period.
• Cross-shipping.

Duration: 1 or 3 years.

Warnings: DOA coverage is lacking; the warranty is fairly short and strict.

Thermaltake

Limited Warranty: Thermaltake warrants that its power supplies will be free of manufacturing defect for 5 years (or 7 years for the Toughpower series) and will repair or replace at their discretion. The warranty is non-transferable. Thermaltake does not honor warranties if the product is purchased from non-authorized sellers (i.e. sold by an Amazon seller that is unauthorized).

Spotlight: 7 years on the ultra-expensive PSUs, but for that much money, it's not much of a bonus.

The Warranty Does Not Cover:

• "Damage unrelated to manufacturing defects."
• Unsuitable environments.
• Shipment damages.
• Display samples and open-box items.

Duration: 5-7 years.

Warnings: The customer pays for shipping to Thermaltake; Thermaltake does not honor warranties if the product was purchased from a non-Thermaltake authorized reseller.

Zalman

Limited Warranty: Zalman's Power Supplies come with a straight-forward 3-year warranty, covering defects in materials and workmanship. Zalman uses new and refurbished parts to fix defective power supplies, but may simply replace the entire unit. Zalman inspects and tests all systems for quality, including replacement parts. Replacements are covered by the remainder of the warranty.

Spotlight: Zalman tests PSUs before they're returned, so you know it should work when you get it.

The Warranty Does Not Cover:

• User-inflicted damage.
• Shipping damages.

Duration: 3 years.

Warnings: No major warnings to speak of.