Sub-$75 Mainstream Power Supply Roundup

[tom thumb]

I got a seasonic for my build. They score high on all fronts: efficiency, warranty, build quality, modular, load-to-noise ratio and of course, price.

 

[racerx_is_alive]

Just last week I picked up a Cooler Master Silent Pro M600 for $70 on newegg. So far it seems to be solid and quiet. It's sales like these that make me wonder about reviews like this- if you are out shopping for a power supply with a $75 budget, most likely you'll be able to get a nicer one on sale than the ones recommended here.

 

[Guest]

No voltage readings? No ripple measurements? That's pretty awful.

 

[RazberyBandit]

Just last week I picked up a Cooler Master Silent Pro M600 for $70 on newegg. So far it seems to be solid and quiet. It's sales like these that make me wonder about reviews like this- if you are out shopping for a power supply with a $75 budget, most likely you'll be able to get a nicer one on sale than the ones recommended here.

Agreed. And following suit, currently the OCZ ModXStream Pro 600 is $65 and has a $20 MiR. The ModXStream Pro 500 is $55 and has a $15 MiR. Clearly there are more powerful, quality units available under $75. It makes me wonder if they based this sub-$75 selection on CDW's prices instead of Newegg's.

 

[Necromas]

I got an Antec BP 550 Plus (550W) in a combo deal with an Antec 300 illusion for $67 after rebates. The PSU alone is $66 after shipping right now.

It's been powering an i7 930, MSI 1GB GTX 460 cyclone, and the standard other stuff like 2 RAM chips, 1 HD, a few fans, various USB devices.

It's also modular and 80+ certified.

I haven't done any real tests on it but it seems to be running great, low noise level too.

 

[The Greater Good]

No Seasonic?

 

[WheelsOfConfusion]

[citation][nom]tom thumb[/nom]If you're in the sub-500W range and you want something silent, just grab a passive PSU.[/citation]
Don't those tend to be more expensive, though? I've seen a Seasonic one on Newegg around that power rating but it was more than twice the price of the PSUs in this article.

I realize Tom's can't rely on sale prices when reviewing a product, but the 500W OCZ Modxstream Pro is a modular, 80+ rated PSU that's been holding at $60 for over a month now, if anybody's interested.

 

[michaelahess]

OCZ StealthXtreme or ModExtreme for 40-70 bucks with rebates. Best power supplies I've ever used. Just ordered a 700w StealthXtreme II to replace my wifes 7 year old power supply with a 16Gb USB stick for $50 after rebate. Can't beat that. Check Hardware Secrets for review's on them.

 

[deletemach_kernel]

i liked that fried up video ... no way that thing is gonna work....made for a good fire works display

 

[hangfirew8]

The Corsair 400CX does stand out in two ways, first it is discontinued and therefor shouldn't even be in this review, and second it has the longest hold-up time by far, which is really important if you live in Flickerville and/or have an old UPS with slow switching time. Before anyone says "buy a new UPS" keep in mind that this is a budget PS review for budget users.

 

[55Range]

Wow !
That axp is dangerous !

 

[Guest]

To all the "Where is _____(brand)" moaners: Try reading. THIRD paragraph, first page: "The request we sent to manufacturers was simple: send us PSUs with a maximum street price of $75, regardless of wattage, features, or 80 PLUS certifications."

It's fair to assume that if _____ wasn't represented, they chose to not send a PSU for testing. Sheeesh.
(I'd like to have seen a Seasonic, though I don't believe they're very available in the States)

That said--why is the Enermax even in this article? It's 110 bux at the Egg right now, ON SALE. No way does it qualify on price.

 

[rakoth]

[citation][nom]dennyw0713[/nom]That said--why is the Enermax even in this article? It's 110 bux at the Egg right now, ON SALE. No way does it qualify on price.[/citation]

I don't see this model at newegg. I see the 525W version at $74.99 after rebate.

 

[Dougie Fresh]

My EA380D exhausts the air. I've used these in a few builds and like them very much. I am also a big fan of the Seasonic 300W and 350W 80+ bronze PSUs that get no mention here. Lately I've used those instead.

 

[hunter315]

That AXP unit let out all its magic smoke from the looks of it, impressive destruction!

The 400CX seems misplaced in this review since its now EOL and extremely hard to find in the US having been replaced by the 430CX.

 

[Onus]

I almost always use either Antec or Seasonic; the latter for really basic builds when I don't even need a PCIE power connector. I still have a 500W Enermax Liberty I keep as a spare, and I used to get some of the cheaper FSPs (but no more). The next PSU I buy for myself will probably be one of the 80+ gold Seasonic "X" models; or Antec if they have something 80+ gold by then in the wattage I'll need that has been as-well reviewed.

 

[lauxenburg]

What the hell is with the selection? There are much better power supplies for under $75...

 

[Guest]

Where is TH's previous article on PSU's?
The one noted in this statement, "In our last PSU article, we reviewed a bunch of relatively expensive high-performance devices suitable for powerful gaming computers and workstations."

All I see is a 4x500W review; not exactly "expensive" or "high-performance".

 

[Marcus52]

[citation][nom]dennyw0713[/nom]To all the "Where is _____(brand)" moaners: Try reading. THIRD paragraph, first page: "The request we sent to manufacturers was simple: send us PSUs with a maximum street price of $75, regardless of wattage, features, or 80 PLUS certifications."It's fair to assume that if _____ wasn't represented, they chose to not send a PSU for testing. Sheeesh.(I'd like to have seen a Seasonic, though I don't believe they're very available in the States)That said--why is the Enermax even in this article? It's 110 bux at the Egg right now, ON SALE. No way does it qualify on price.[/citation]

1) You are assuming every power supply brand was invited to send a unit; I highly doubt that was the case.

Perhaps Patrick could let us know who was invited to send a unit, so we know who chose not to. I think it says something about a company if they don't care to send a test unit to a site like Tomshardware.

2) The Enermax PSU you are looking at on newegg is the 525W version, not the 425W one tested in this article.

 

[Darkv1]

Mental note, never let anyone I know use an AXP power supply. It's good to see that this article supports that my continual use of Corsair units has been wise.

 

[Marcus52]

[citation][nom]altoidman85[/nom]My company supplied our custom built computers to a local hospital for several years. We had a span while we used Antec cases where every one of their 350W power supplies that came bundled with the case failed just like the one in the video. Sparks, bright flashes and smoke. Ultimately it lost us the contract with the hospital for the computers. Personally I will never buy or recommend an Antec power supply or product to anyone. Even after dealing directly with the company and proving a design flaw with the power supply the refused to do anything to fix the issues for us. Because of that roughly 100 power supplies were replaced at my companies expense. Now I use thermaltake 430W power supplies and while they are not the most efficient I have never had a single failure with these. It would have been nice to see how they stack up against the power supplies used in this article tho.[/citation]

Ouch. Sorry to hear about Antec that way.

While my problem with Thermaltake wasn't near so extensive, poor service from them means I'll never spend another dime with that company. Same with Silverstone - and I used to be a Silverstone fanboy, they had to work to make me dislike them. I read a review of the last PSU I bought from them after the fact, and it's one reason I tell people buy from reviews, not brands. Just because a manufacturer makes one good PSU doesn't mean they are all good. (My Silverstone case is corroding inside, too.)

I'm of the opinion that many of these companies made bad PSUs before Tomshardware and Anandtech started analyzing them and telling us how bad they were, and only cleaned up their act because they were forced too; it pays to have a critical eye if you care about your build, regardless of brand.

 

[flinxsl]

AXP 500P12P probably used a power supply IC my company makes

 

[fuzzysponge]

the review of the antec PSU at anandtech:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/3902/antec-earthwatts-ea-380d-green-380w/1

this is how a PSU SHOULD be reviewed. not looking at the internals or the ripple/noise as others have stated shortchanges readers of this article. granted, there are time constraints, but i'd rather read a very thorough article on one PSU than a brief one on 5.

 

[Proximon]

All these reviews need 4 things, in order of priority:

1. The actual OEM of the PSU.

2. The voltage regulation of all the rails, with charts showing ATX spec.

3. Ripple tests for each rail, again with meaningful graphs showing where the ATX spec is.

4. Internal shots with at least a superficial comment on design, craftmanship, soldering.

 

[usafang67]

Where is the link for the high end power supplies?