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Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $34.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Review from jonnyguru.
Performance (40% of the final score) - and once again we come to the scoring. In general, this was a decent unit indeed. Voltage regulation averaged 1.7% in the hot box, which is enough for me to call it above average. That's a notch down from excellent status, so a half point will come off. Efficiency was a pass for both times, so no points come off for that. Finally, there's the ripple suppression. The two minor rails were excellent, so no points off there. This is not the case for the 12V rail, however, which will see a full point deducted for being merely average, albeit closer to the very good side than the below average side. And there the deductions stop with a total score of 8.5.
Functionality (20% of the final score) - only fully modular units are capable of a perfect score here, so a full point automatically comes off for being non modular. I'm also going to pull another half point for lack of a few zip ties, though I almost hate to do that. Almost. Really, those things are so bleeping cheap that I've come to expect them with any unit that doesn't qualify as a gutless wonder. Cabling is fine, so no points off there. Love the 140mm deep housing - that should help a lot of people out with small cases. I'm stopping here with another 8.5.
Value (20% of the final score) - this unit goes for $44.99 at Tiger Direct right now, and five dollars more at the EVGA site itself. Thirty beans with rebate, though I can't score on rebates. You know what? If you can get this unit at either of those prices, go ahead and get one. It's not quite such a good value at the Tiger Direct non sale price of $59.99, because there are better units for not much more than that, but this price point? All day long. 9.
Build Quality (20% of the final score) - there are going to be a few deductions here. First, half a point comes off for the second tier capacitors. Another half a point comes off for the soldering blips I saw in there. I'll quit there. The unit doesn't really seem to have many things about it that compromise much for the sake of the almighty dollar, so I'll sleep tonight after I give it this here 9.
Performance
8.5
Functionality
8.5
Value
9
Build Quality
9
Total Score
8.7
Summary
With the 500B, EVGA did pretty much what they set out to do - release a good, solid, no frills power supply at an affordable price. No, it doesn't have the performance of the Supernova units, but it really doesn't have to. That kind of performance costs money, and if you're shopping at the fifty bean level you simply cannot afford a world class unit. Units like this one are the next best thing. I'd like to see the Japanese capacitors used on at least the 5VSB output, but that remains my only major complaint right now. You could do a lot worse than one of these if all you have is fifty bucks to your name.
The Good:
very good voltage regulation on the 12V rail
excellent stability on the 5V rail
cheapity cheap cheap
good looking
shallow housing
The Bad:
could use a few zip ties in the packaging
The Mediocre:
non modular
second tier capacitors
some soldering blips
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