Hardware News

450W-800W Power Supply Review Roundup

Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan

2009-05-12 11:24:26.0


Guru3D, Hardware Secrets‏, High Tech Reviews‏, JonnyGURU, and PureOverclock‏ have reviewed 450W to 800W power supplies from Arctic Cooling, Hipro, In Win, NZXT, and Thermaltake.

Let's see what they had to say:

  • Guru3D: In Win Commander 750W Power Supply Unit‏:

    "Aesthetics wise we have nothing to complain about either. The design is really good, it remains quiet and we like the modular connectivity. The one small deficit has to be the PCIe GFX cables, all four of them are only 50 CM. it would have been nice to see 70 CM cables. Especially with SLI where you have a card located in the lower segment of the PC the reach can be a little limited. Other than that, we like the PSU. In Win offers the product at roughly 150 USD right now at e-tail and it's certainly worth the money.

    For that money you receive a good quality PSU with modular sleeved cables, high performance yet efficient output and a very safe and protected environment wrapped up in a very silent package. It's an easy to use, understand and connect (modular) power supply so I do not see any downside to this product. The product is covered by a full three year warranty and as such we can recommend it."


    Click here to read the full review.


  • Hardware Secrets‏: Arctic Cooling Fusion 550RF Power Supply Review:

    "The first one and most obvious is labeling the power supply with its peak power instead of labeling it with its continuous power. This is very deceiving and we couldn’t expect this from a Switzerland-based company. From our tests it is clear that Fusion RF550 is really a 500 W model. Even though we could pull up to 545 W model, this doesn’t make it a 545 W or 550 W model, because manufacturers must leave a 10-20% safety margin.

    Second was the thinner 20 AWG wires used, the probable cause of the +12 V output being below the minimum allowed during some tests (10.8 V while the minimum allowed is 11.4 V).

    Third, the absence of an EPS12V connector. This doesn’t make sense: since you can install two high-end video cards with two auxiliary power connectors each with this power supply, you will be probably using a high-end motherboard, which requires an EPS12V power connector."


    Click here to read the full review.


  • High Tech Reviews‏: Thermaltake Litepower 450w PSU Reviewed:

    "Overall we were very impressed with the Litepower's ability to handle everything we tossed at it. It's quiet operation will insure that those of you that purchase this power supply for HTPC use will be completely satisfied. Perhaps the best thing about this Thermaltake item is the fact that it offers a five year warranty, yes that is correct a 5-year warranty. That is almost to good to be true."


    Click here to read the full review.


  • JonnyGURU: Hipro HP-D5501EU 550W PSU Review:

    "My first Hipro unit came looking to put on a good show, and ended up making a mostly good impression. Voltage stability was very good for a cheaper group design, ripple suppression was adequate to very good, and the unit is in general very good at its price point. However, there are things to nitpick - some big, some small. One of the small things would be the packaging that leads to scratches on the paint. But it's that loose coil and its unsecured pins that really get my goat here... this needs to be addressed yesterday. So go ahead and do that, Hipro, and then send me more units of yours to test, for I'm sure you guys have the ability to build them well enough to impress me. You're off to a good start, but not quite good enough for a recommendation this time out."


    Click here to read the full review.


  • PureOverclock‏: NZXT Performance Power 800W:

    "From a functional standpoint, the Performance Power series has stable voltage regulation that doesn't deviate very much, and has good efficiency but it doesn't quite match some of its competitors just one step below in the 750W segment for a similar price. The only other issue is that the dual fan setup, and particularly the 80mm fan, does not run very quietly. It will likely be drowned out in a case by a graphics card fan, but we don't think that's something to brag about.

    The tradeoff here is that NZXT has positioned the Performance Power 800W as an affordable unit, and in that sense, it is one of the least expensive 800W units you will find. But just below at the 750W market segment, there are some compelling products if you don't need the extra 50W of power. Either way, the NZXT Performance Power 800W isn't a standout unit in any particular category, but it is a good all-around power supply that offers a successful combination of features, functionality, quality, and aesthetics at a good price. If you are on a budget and are looking for a solid power supply with some higher horsepower at an affordable price, the Performance Power 800W is worth a good look."


    Click here to read the full review.

Enjoy!

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