Conclusions
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Ten ATX power supplies were evaluated on features and
performance ranging in size from 400 watts to 550 watts. Each PSU was tested under controlled load
conditions (~300 watt combined load).
All ten power supplies survived the rigors of testing – not one gave up
its smoke!
In addition to measuring the power going in and coming out
of each power supply I looked at line and output voltage regulation, electrical
noise (AC ripple), PF, efficiency, airflow, sound level, cost, and even
weight. Seven of the ten power supplies
produced excellent results. Three of the
units exhibited minor problems the average user might not even notice.
OK – here are the numbers.
The following table summarizes the test data. Values in red are out of tolerance per the ATX
Specification.
(Click
to enlarge images)
One feature that is becoming important to many PC
enthusiasts is noise; or more precisely the absence of noise – quiet. Having a quiet power supply is often just as
important as stability and reliability.
The new trend of incorporating multiple, temperature controlled fans
into the power supply has made a significant impact on reducing noise while still
maintaining adequate airflow and cooling.
Four of the power supplies tested registered <35 dBA under load.
We mentioned early on that the physical weight of a power
supply is often a good indicator of quality.
Again, this may sound simplistic but testing proved it to be true. As you can see from the data, the power
supplies that weighed the most produced the best numbers.
Cost is another good indicator. When it comes to selecting a quality power
supply, you generally get what you pay for.
This doesn’t mean that there are not good values to be had. Shop around and compare features,
specifications and reputation. In my
opinion, saving a few dollars on an inexpensive power supply that may
compromise your entire system is always a bad decision. In this roundup, two of the three power supplies
with minor problems also happened to be two of the least expensive units.
As you can see, nearly all of the power supplies tested
produced excellent results. Some have
more features than others while some maintain tighter voltage tolerances than the
rest. Overall we had no real losers and
quite a few winners!
Because
there are so many good power supplies in this roundup I am not going to attempt
to pick any first, second or third place winners. What I will do is select a few of my personal
favorites based on performance, features and quiet. Rarely does any one power supply perfectly
match each person’s individual needs.
Many factors such as stability, reliability, output power, features and
cost must be considered to decide which one is best for you.
1) Performance:
“PC Power & Cooling Turbo-Cool
510 PFC” If you need a high-wattage
PSU with clean, well regulated outputs without any frills then the Turbo-Cool
510 is my pick. It had the lowest AC
ripple of any unit tested with excellent voltage stability. Other units in the Turbo-Cool line offer
similar performance, if you don’t need a full 650 watt peak capacity. The Turbo-Cool 510 comes with active Power
Factor Correction and is available in an optional deluxe version that includes
sleeved wiring harnesses, a black case and voltage adjustments. And the PC Power & Cooling units are the
only ones that carry a full 5 year warranty.
The Antec TrueControl 550 is another
good choice if you need lots of clean, stable power. It had low AC ripple with good
regulation. It also has an external
control panel for manually adjusting the main output voltages and minimum fan
speeds. In real world use though, the
TrueControl 550 won’t deliver as much power as the Turbo-Cool 510. Surprisingly the smaller Antec TruePower
480 had some of the noisiest DC outputs (AC ripple) of any PSU tested.
One of the Antec TrueControl 550’s
main features is the ability to adjust the three main DC outputs via the
external control panel. The Antec manual
states that these voltages are user adjustable ±5%, but during load testing I
was not able to increase voltages much beyond the nominal 3.3V, 5V and 12V
values.
- 3.3V rail: 3.08V to 3.33V
- 5.0V rail: 4.76V to 5.06V
- 12V rail: 11.54 to 12.27V
Another strong performer was the Zalman
Noiseless 400 APF, which had excellent voltage regulation, low electrical
noise, active Power Factor Correction and quiet operation.
2)
Fancy Features:
Without a doubt, the power supply with the
most features is the “Aerocool AeroPower II”. This PSU came loaded with a smoked chrome
finish, LED fans, tinted windows and sleeved ATX cable. It produced excellent voltages although the
outputs were a bit noisy (but within spec) when loaded to 71% of its rated
capacity. If you need more power, larger
versions are available and active PFC is an option.
3) Quiet Operation:
Four of the units tested produced less
than 35 dBA while operating under a 300 watt load: the AeroPower II 420,
Antec TruePower 480, Vantec Ion 400 and the Zalman Noiseless 400. In my opinion, these power supplies would not
be audible under normal conditions. On
the other hand two units in this roundup that were advertised as being quiet
were not. Both the Silencer 400
and Stealth 470 were a bit noisy for my tastes while operating under a
300 watt combined load.
Along with being very quiet the AeroPower II, Vantec Ion and Zalman
Noiseless PSUs produced very good voltages, came with dual cooling fans and
included sleeved ATX cables. The Vantec
Ion 400 also offers great value; coming in as the second least expensive
unit in this roundup.
In
closing I would like to thank the companies that sent us power supplies to
review; both for their products and for their patience. Completing this review took far longer than I
originally expected but I hope you have found the information presented here
helpful and informative.
Aerocool
(AeroPower II 420)
Antec
(TruePower 480 and TrueControl 550)
Vantec
(Stealth 470 and Ion 400)
Zalman
(Noiseless 400) – UK Retailer
Thank you!
