Hardware News

500W-1500W Power Supply Review Roundup

Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan

2009-08-18 10:00:00.0


Hardware Secrets, JonnyGURU, ocaholic, PureOverclock, Tech-Reviews, and ThinkComputers have reviewed 500W to 1500W power supplies from ASUS, BFG, Corsair, SilverStone, and Tuniq.

Let's see what they had to say:

  • Hardware Secrets: ASUS P-50GA 500 W Power Supply Review:

    "We have one good and one bad news. The good news is that ASUS P-50GA can really deliver 500 W at 45º C. The bad news is that it presents low efficiency, below 80% almost all times, and this explains why this power supply isn’t 80Plus-certified.

    Even though it won’t burn or explode if you try to pull its labeled power – in fact we could pull up to 687 W from it (with a lousy 69.5% efficiency, however) – wattage isn’t everything. ASUS P-50GA will work fine, but we can’t recommend a power supply that can’t deliver at least 80% efficiency, since there are far better options on the market."


    Click here to read the full review.


  • JonnyGURU: BFG LS1000 1000W PSU Review:

    "The BFG LS1000 is exactly what I was hoping to get with the EX1000. It's powerful, it's incredibly stable, and it has good enough ripple and noise suppression to compete well at the 1kW level. No, this unit isn't modular, doesn't do well for efficiency at the low load levels where the EX1000 really shines, and doesn't look quite as good, but it's a very solid unit when it comes to performance, and that's what counts in the end. Here's the world for ya, LS1000... go be a shining star. "


    Click here to read the full review.


  • ocaholic: Corsair HX850W Power Supply.

    "If we look at the performance values the Corsair HX850W does show a good overall stability. The maximum deviation from the reference values regarding the voltages is being exceeded by 3.125 % which is still below the five percent barrier. Truely excellent, that's what the efficency is. 90 percent is therefore a very good value.

    The Corsair HX850W can be recommended to anyone who likes to assemble a stable system which is as efficient as possible. Therefore it doesn't matter if you're a gamer or hardware-enthusiast. The HX850W is stable and provides your rig with plenty of power."


    Click here to read the full review.


  • PureOverclock: SilverStone Strider 1500W Power Supply Review:

    "The Strider 1500W is also very user-friendly for daily 24/7 operation, running very quietly when idle and load, with the fan managing to keep noise levels impressively low. A wide assortment of sleeved modular cables that support the latest multiple SLI/CrossFire setups, an easy-to-use connection design, a scratch-resistant finish, and a beautiful timeless black aesthetic further add to the positives here. The cable lengths here are also very generous, notable for those who have full tower cases and are very particularly about their cable management. And with an 80 PLUS Silver rating, this beast is surprisingly nimble in terms of efficiency, something that seems rather ironic given its ability to push 1500 watts."


    Click here to read the full review.


  • Tech-Reviews: Tuniq Potency 550W PSU Review:

    "For just £55 the Tuniq Potency 550W is a good deal to be had. Although it doesn’t boast the efficiency and stability of the more expensive PSU’s we tested, its results are perfectly fine for a stable and efficient power supply.

    My only real gripes are the fact it not being modular and it having only two SATA connections included. In many systems nowadays, Molex connectors are not used. Therefore, two of the Molex connectors should have been replaced for the more popular SATA counterparts."


    Click here to read the full review.


  • ThinkComputers: Corsair HX 750W Modular Power Supply Review:

    "Let's talk efficiency for a moment. The HX 750W is certified 80PLUS Silver. This means that it has minimum 88% efficiency at 20% load. Corsair boasts that the unit is 90% efficient at 50% load. However, these rating are done at 230V @ 50Hz. The American power system is ~120V @ 60 Hz. You're likely to hit that 88% at the most efficient point, but look for efficiency as low as 86%.

    This is still excellent efficiency. Most of the other units I've reviewed in the past year are lucky to hit 80% efficiency, and not many have been certified as such."


    Click here to read the full review.

Enjoy!

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