550W Roundup: Three PSUs at Different Prices
by Martin Kaffei on October 28, 2010 4:00 PM ESTTechsolo Noise Levels and Efficiency
| Sound Pressure Level | |
| Load | dB(A) |
| 10% | 22 |
| 20% | 23 |
| 50% | 28 |
| 80% | |
| 100% | |
| 110% | |
Wow! Our "silent" fan is moderately loud and hit nearly 30dB at 50% load, but even worse is the PFC-choke that's singing like a castrated dog. If you want to have a silent computer, please buy another power supply and protect your ears.
Efficiency and PFC
| 230VAC, 50Hz | ||
| Load | Efficiency | PFC |
| 10% | 68% | 0.490 |
| 20% | 74% | 0.505 |
| 50% | 73% | 0.556 |
| 80% | ||
| 100% | ||
| 110% | ||
| 115VAC, 60Hz | ||
| Load | Efficiency | PFC |
| 10% | - | - |
| 20% | - | - |
| 50% | - | - |
| 80% | ||
| 100% | ||
| 110% | ||
The efficiency hit a maximum of 74%, with under 70% at low load. There is no real power factor correction on display, and we're nowhere near 80 Plus certification. Passive PFC should be good enough to reach 0.700-0.800, but we only hit 0.55 before the PSU died.
Hopefully we've managed to convince you that if nothing else, getting one of the ultra-cheap power supplies is not something you want to do, particularly if you plan on running at anything close to the rated output. Our "550W" unit was able to function as a low-quality 275W PSU before giving up the ghost, but the 73% efficiency at that load means we're wasting 100W of power. Even a basic 80 Plus PSU would save 30-40W, which means if you're using the PC eight hours per day you would make up the difference in price within two years—and that's not even taking into account the cost of replacing hardware should the unit kill your other components in a fit of rage. In short: stay away, because this Black Mamba is poised to strike (and not in a good way)!
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dinkumthinkum - Friday, October 29, 2010 - link
I also was stung by an Antec about 5 years ago. I read later that they switched suppliers at some point and quality suffered. I switched to FSP and later Corsair/Seasonic, so far so good.I had a small form factor FSP die on me mysteriously but I suspect that was due to the level of chalk dust in the room. I replaced it with a Seasonic, which has been amazingly quiet and reliable.
Phaedrus2129 - Friday, October 29, 2010 - link
That was the 2005/2006 Fuhjyyu capacitor incident. It affected the TruePower, TruePower II, and Smartpower units. Those PSUs were shipped with Fuhjyyu capacitors on the secondary, which are extremely unreliable. Antec claims their manufacturer (CWT) put them on without permission to save cost; CWT claims Antec specc'd them that way. Either way, Antec and CWT parted company, and now all Antec PSUs use Japanese or mid-range Taiwanese capacitors.In other words, they had some bad units in 2005/6, that doesn't make them bad for all time. Their current lineup is excellent, baring the Basiq line.
Pessimism - Friday, October 29, 2010 - link
Saying a power supply exploded at 50% load is not enough. For maximum impact, post photographs of its remains after attempted use.sviola - Friday, October 29, 2010 - link
Nice Review. I look forward for more reviews like this and, who knows, a PSU round-up in the same way of the gpus and memory round-ups.iamezza - Friday, October 29, 2010 - link
Loved the review. I liked the humorous writing style and didn't think it was too unprofessional.xi0s - Friday, October 29, 2010 - link
PC Power & CoolingNice review, though seeing how simple it is to test PSU's and how many more players there are on the market these days, I would've much preferred a roundup of atleast 5 PSU's instead of a measly 3. Not that you didn't make a point here, but surely you could've done more with it.
ClagMaster - Friday, October 29, 2010 - link
Why get an Antec TP-550 when you can purchase a Seasonic SS-560KM Modular Power supply for a few dollars more and get top-notch performance and reliability ?Corsair power supplies (manufactured by Seasonic) are also excellent too. But the Seasonics are the best.
softdrinkviking - Friday, October 29, 2010 - link
is actually a pretty big fan company in the asian PC market.they sell there fans in the big consumer electronics stores that have a DIY PC
section, and in hobby stores. (here in japan)
i will say that they are cheaper than most fans, but not the absolute cheapest.
JohnMD1022 - Friday, October 29, 2010 - link
Why bother with a PSU that is not available everywhere?Restrict reviews to components that are available worldwide.
Beenthere - Saturday, October 30, 2010 - link
Fanboism doesn't make a good PSU.Thankfully a few sites conduct proper load testing of PSUs so intelligent PC enthusiasts can make an informed decision. Without actual test results of specific PSU models a consumer has no means to tell good PSUs from ad hype. An educated consumer doesn't buy hype they buy quality, performance and value.
One accurate PSU test is of far more value than a baseless fanbois opinion.