New article: 550W Roundup: Three PSUs at Different Prices

[Martin Kaffei]

New article: 550W Roundup: Three PSUs at Different Prices

The following review is another look at seeing if you really get what you pay for—or if you can get high quality without breaking the bank. For this roundup we have three power supplies rated at 550W, but with different prices. Will the most expensive unit deliver the best results? Can a cheaper product deliver the quality you need, and make up the difference by trimming the packaging and contents? Read on to find it out....

 

[VirtualLarry]

"better insultion"

Is that a word? Did you mean to say "Insulation"?

http://www.anandtech.com/show/3985/three-550w-psus-for-different-prices/7
bottom of page

 

[TemjinGold]

It probably insults better.

 

[AstroGuardian]

There are plenty of other cheap PSUs in the Techsolo class with much better characteristics then the reviewed one. So i would say: You don't always necessarily get what you pay for.

 

[bryanl]

Are they better, faster, or cheaper than those reviewed in 2003, and how much memory interference do they cause?

 

[AstroGuardian]

Are they better, faster, or cheaper than those reviewed in 2003, and how much memory interference do they cause?

Memory interference? I have never heard of such thing. Did i miss something?

 

[corkyg]

"The most expensive but potentially best power supply in this small comparison test is the new Antec TruePower New TP-550. You can get the product for 89.99$ online, another $24 premium over the OCZ and over twice the cost of the Techsolo. Antec uses Japanese capacitors, a DC-to-DC Converter for the smaller rails, a PWM-fan from ADDA for cooling, and a partially modular cable management. "

That says it all for me! Of the three, I would choose Antec.

 

[bryanl]

Memory interference? I have never heard of such thing.

Apparently neither has anyone else in the 7 years since publication of that review. AT modified Memtest86 to write a pattern to memory and leave the memory contents alone for 6 hours, and the number of changed bits was counted as interference. See p. 24 for explanation and results:

http://www.anandtech.com/print/1124

I found no evidence of this test being repeated in any subsequent AT PS review. Perhaps the authorities can shed light on this matter.

 

[bryanl]

"The most expensive but potentially best power supply in this small comparison test is the new Antec TruePower New TP-550. You can get the product for 89.99$ online, another $24 premium over the OCZ and over twice the cost of the Techsolo. Antec uses Japanese capacitors, a DC-to-DC Converter for the smaller rails, a PWM-fan from ADDA for cooling, and a partially modular cable management. "

That says it all for me! Of the three, I would choose Antec.

It's the best choice of the 3, and Japanese capacitors are a definite plus, but there's nothing unusual or particularly beneficial about a PWM fan controller (even my old 300W Fortron/Sparkle units had them), and I'm unclear what's meant by the DC-DC converter for the smaller rails since every PC's switching supply is a DC-DC converter.

 

[VirtualLarry]

That says it all for me! Of the three, I would choose Antec.

I'm pretty-much an Antec-only guy now. I've been very happy with their PSUs, with the exception of the sleeve-bearing fans in the Basiq 500W units, that failed on me after about a year and a half of 24/7 operation. (Little to no dust.)

 

[gorobei]

It's the best choice of the 3, and Japanese capacitors are a definite plus, but there's nothing unusual or particularly beneficial about a PWM fan controller (even my old 300W Fortron/Sparkle units had them), and I'm unclear what's meant by the DC-DC converter for the smaller rails since every PC's switching supply is a DC-DC converter.

older style psu use:
ac-dc -> dc12v
ac-dc -> dc5v
ac-dc -> dc3v

newer (80plus gold) style use:
ac-dc -> dc12v
dc12v -> dc5v
dc12v -> dc3v

 

[tomoyo]

I think it's funny now that the TP-550 is only $55 after rebate, only $5 more than the OCZ at the moment.

 

[bryanl]

older style psu use:
ac-dc -> dc12v
ac-dc -> dc5v
ac-dc -> dc3v

newer (80plus gold) style use:
ac-dc -> dc12v
dc12v -> dc5v
dc12v -> dc3v

Interesting, but how do 2 stages of conversion each for the 5V and 3.3V result in higher efficiency, rather than lower?

 

[Blain]

Only three power supplies compared...
Why even bother with such a small sample size?

If the intent was to see if you get what you pay for, roundup three PS of one manufacturer at different price points, then compare quality of the three.