500W to 550W: 12 Power Supplies Compared
by Christoph Katzer on February 20, 2009 5:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Awards
We conclude yet another gigantic power supply roundup with our Editors' Choice awards.
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Tagan's SuperRock delivered very stable voltage and low ripple on the 5V and 12V rails. The 3.3V rail has higher ripple but it's still within specifications. Acoustic noise is very low, and even at maximum load the SuperRock doesn't break 20 dB with an ambient temperature of 26°C. The 85% efficiency is pretty average these days, which is one of our few complaints, but the cable harnesses are good and users that want run a lot of components will appreciate the vast selection of SATA and Molex connectors. We are pleased to present Tagan with our Bronze Editors' Choice award.
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Our Silver Editors' Choice award goes to Arctic Cooling for their Fusion power supply. This is another very quiet power supply that still manages to deliver excellent cooling performance. The maximum efficiency is among the best in this roundup, reaching 88% efficiency at medium load and 85% efficiency at 20% load. We do have some minor complaints about the cables and connectors, but those are only really a concern if you don't run what would qualify as a "typical" computer (i.e. fewer than three hard drives). Voltage stability was great for a Seasonic built unit and ripple was within specifications. All of this is topped by an extremely attractive price of €54 or $64.
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Last but certainly not least, the top power supply of our roundup today is the BFG LS-550. BFG delivered good performance in every aspect, with tight voltage regulation and ripple well within specifications. Efficiency was through the roof, with 86% efficiency at 20% load. It also generated the highest maximum efficiency of 88% on 230VAC and 86% on 120VAC. This isn't the quietest power supply, but it's not at all noisy -- few people would notice this PSU once it's installed within a PC case. You also get a reasonable number of connectors and good cable lengths. The excellent build quality and performance makes the US selling price of $70 a great deal; we can only hope that European users will soon be able to purchase this power supply as well. All of this makes the BFG LS-550 the winner of our Gold Editors' Choice award.
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just4U - Monday, February 23, 2009 - link
Excellent!! I am curious as to how those solutions compare to standalone "standouts". I think the days where we see some no name powersupply that isn't very good in systems (as a general rule) are gone. That's been replaced (in North America) now with seeing solutions by Antec, Fsp, ect as the standard. So the comparison's are of interest.vailr - Saturday, February 21, 2009 - link
Any idea when any "Gold certified" ~500W PSU's will be available (on Newegg, or another online vendor)?Such as:
Thermaltake W0338 TP-500AH3NCG 500W
Seasonic SS-550LT 550W
Channel Well PUK500V-G 500W
Discussed here:
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid...">http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid...
Christoph Katzer - Saturday, February 21, 2009 - link
I think we will see first units in summer.Mastakilla - Saturday, February 21, 2009 - link
I'm looking for a cheap 450W - 550W Powersupply (cheap but still a bit decent, around 50 euro), so I was really interested in this article...Unfortunatly the only PSU in pricerange, the Artic Cooling, is unfindable in the Benelux (EU). Also the next in price (Tagan Superrock), which actually is too expensive already, is unfindable here...
so I still don't know what to get
Kiijibari - Sunday, February 22, 2009 - link
Buy an Enermax 525W, they were tested earlier here on anandtech and are very good PSU.They should be available easily in Europe :)
cheers
Kiiji
Mastakilla - Monday, February 23, 2009 - link
Thanks for the tip, but those enermaxes are again waaaaaaaay above budget (89+ euro!!)The Corsair CX400 is 43 euro
That Artic Cooling 550W is 68 euro (shipped from DE)
I'm looking for something in between... (around 50-55 euro)
like a decent 450-500W Powersupply...
MadMan007 - Wednesday, August 19, 2009 - link
Corsair VX450 or HX450 (we unfortunately do not get the HX450 in the States :( Sad because it's 80+ Bronze)Kiijibari - Monday, February 23, 2009 - link
Sounds like you are looking for a (very) good *and* cheap PSU.That is imo impossible. You either get cheap China crackers or good, expensive ones.
Do you *really* need ~500W ?
If not then try the Enermax 425W. That is my last idea, otherwise I would suggest to raise your budget :)
cheers
Kiiji
Mastakilla - Tuesday, February 24, 2009 - link
no, you're wrong...the Corsair CX400 apparently isn't that bad and is VERY cheap...
I'm willing to pay a little more for a little better, but it seems like paying a little more will only get me worse :(
Paying A LOT more does get better though, but then I'm over my budget for the pc i'm composing...
Christoph Katzer - Saturday, February 21, 2009 - link
Try Caseking.dehttp://www.caseking.de/shop/catalog/Netzteile/Arct...">http://www.caseking.de/shop/catalog/Net...0R-80Plu...