350-450W Roundup: 11 Cheap PSUs
by Martin Kaffei on July 3, 2012 1:30 PM ESTThermaltake Smart SP-430P 430W Measurements
Voltage Regulation
| +3.3V Regulation/Ripple and Noise | |
| Load | Voltage |
| 5% | 3.29V (4mV) |
| 10% | 3.29V (10mV) |
| 20% | 3.28V (18mV) |
| 50% | 3.27V (24mV) |
| 80% | 3.25V (36mV) |
| 100% | 3.24V (38mV) |
| 110% | 3.24V (43mV) |
| Crossload +12V max. | +0.61% |
| Crossload +3.3V/+5V max. | +0.30% |
| +5V Regulation/Ripple and Noise | |
| Load | Voltage |
| 5% | 4.98V (8mV) |
| 10% | 4.98V (11mV) |
| 20% | 4.97V (17mV) |
| 50% | 4.94V (30mV) |
| 80% | 4.91V (34mV) |
| 100% | 4.88V (40mV) |
| 110% | 4.88V (45mV) |
| Crossload +12V max. | +1.00% |
| Crossload +3.3V/+5V max. | -2.60% |
| +12V Regulation (Worst Ouput)/Ripple and Noise (Worst Output) | |
| Load | Voltage |
| 5% | 12.14V (9mV) |
| 10% | 12.08V (11mV) |
| 20% | 12.05V (20mV) |
| 50% | 11.99V (25mV) |
| 80% | 11.95V (29mV) |
| 100% | 11.87V (35mV) |
| 110% | 11.86 V (45mV) |
| Crossload +12V max. | -4.25% |
| Crossload +3.3V/+5V max. | +3.25% |
Noise Levels
| Sound Pressure Level (Ambient: 16dBA, 1m distance) and Temperatures (Δϑ to 24.5 °C ambient temperature) | |
| Load | Opinion |
| 5% | 17 dBA (0.8°C) |
| 10% | 18 dBA (2.6 °C) |
| 20% | 20 dBA (4.9 °C) |
| 50% | 22 dBA (6.7°C) |
| 80% | 26 dBA (8.5 °C) |
| 100% | 26 dBA (9.1 °C) |
| 110% | 26 dBA (10.7 °C) |
Efficiency and PFC
| Efficiency and Power Factor 115 VAC | ||
| Load | Efficiency | PFC |
| 5% | 61.92% | 0.872 |
| 10% | 72.88% | 0.902 |
| 20% | 79.81% | 0.926 |
| 50% | 82.34% | 0.938 |
| 80% | 81.91% | 0.942 |
| 100% | 81.52% | 0.949 |
| 110% | 81.19% | 0.957 |
| Efficiency and Power Factor 230 VAC | ||
| Load | Efficiency | PFC |
| 5% | 63.31% | 0.790 |
| 10% | 74.09% | 0.835 |
| 20% | 80.87% | 0.896 |
| 50% | 83.64% | 0.937 |
| 80% | 83.19% | 0.967 |
| 100% | 82.84% | 0.973 |
| 110% | 82.23% | 0.975 |
Efficiency is one of the lowest we've seen in this review; even worse than what Rasurbo is able to provide. Both have the same 80Plus certification and HEC ist the manufacturer. During 20% load Thermaltake didn't even surpass the minimum requirement. As if this wasn't enough ripple was very high on the smaller outputs.
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fic2 - Tuesday, July 3, 2012 - link
I have bought two of these on sale from newegg for about $17 after $20 rebate. For $17 these are great power supplies.Martin Kaffei - Tuesday, July 3, 2012 - link
Corsair is always a good choice. Enjoy!esteinbr - Tuesday, July 3, 2012 - link
I agree. I purchased one of these on a similar deal at NewEgg. They ended up sending the 600w version of the PS so I got an even better deal on it but it's been a good inexpensive power supply. I do agree that it definitely isn't silent when the fan really spins up but it's not horrible either.Newegg happens to have this PS for 25$ after 20$ mail in rebate right now.
ImSpartacus - Tuesday, July 3, 2012 - link
You got a competent 600W PSU for 17 bucks? You lucky SoB!I hope it found a good home in a nice machine.
StevoLincolnite - Wednesday, July 4, 2012 - link
I've had a Corsair HX 620 for about 6 years now and it has NEVER skipped a beat, "only" got 1 year left on the warranty, I've recently relegated it to another machine and grabbed a Corsair HX 850.The thing with Corsair PSU's though is that you always have peace of mind as all the PSU's they offer are good.
CeriseCogburn - Sunday, July 8, 2012 - link
None of these power supplies in the article are CHEAP - save perhaps the one Sinan that almost nobody likely recognizes.These PS are low wattage near top of the line PS.
I'm not certain how the anand reviewer got that so wrong.
Whatever - it's one word but still... it's the concept, and being correct about what is spewing forth that counts.
These are EXPENSIVE power supplies.
I can show the never joe blows here some cheap power supplies - or the article writer - since the elitist smell of self aggrandization is all about...
I can't make it on 100K a year either...
nipplefish - Tuesday, July 10, 2012 - link
uh... pipe down over there, guy. the most expensive psu is 55 dollars. most are around 30-40. what's cheap? 10 bucks? if you need a 10 dollar psu maybe you should reconsider your choice of hobbies.JonnyDough - Wednesday, July 11, 2012 - link
Totally agree. Tom's wouldn't recommend low quality (cheap!) PSU's for two very good reasons:For one, you save money by spending more, especially if you leave your PC on all the time. Better efficiency at idle means you pollute less, and spend less money on energy.
Secondly, if your PSU dies, your motherboard can go too. Who wants to waste money and have the hassle of that? Buy quality. At least if your motherboard perishes it probably isn't your fault (as long as you pay attention to ESD. Also, although you can buy better grade motherboards too by doing your research, but you will still get the one that dies the second day you use it now and then).
If you want to buy an exploding toaster to power your PC have at it. That's one less ignorant poster online.
GeorgeH - Tuesday, July 3, 2012 - link
You get what you pay for. I bought two of the V2 units - both exhibited coil whine across multiple builds and one failed to run reliably (standby power issues.) One I gave away and one is sitting on my parts shelf. It's anecdotal evidence but still enough to make me avoid them.Antec's EarthWatts 380D has been my default choice for awhile now, but I'll have to give some of these a shot.
Avalon - Tuesday, July 3, 2012 - link
I don't think "you get what you pay for" always applies, because I bought a Seasonic X650 gold a while back, which is a fairly expensive and highly rated unit, and I get coil whine. It happens.