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Antec TruePower 550watt PSU |
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Written by Alexandru Spataru
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Monday, 18 June 2007 |
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Page 6 of 6
Everything I have seen inside this PSU leads me to the conclusion that Antec built one hell of a PSU. I already suspected this, but seeing all the parts and components is what really convinced me. Oh, do not forget, opening the PSU voids your warranty, so don't do that unless you accept the risks involved. After seeing both the insides and outside of the TruePower PSU, some testing would be in order, don't you think? For testing purposes I used the following system:
- Intel Pentium 4 1.6A working at 2.8GHz (175MHz FSB)
- EPoX 4G4A+ motherboard
- TwinMOS 512MB PC3200
- 2 x 40 GB Maxtor D740X HDD
- SONY DRU500A DVD/RW drive
- Pioneer 16X DVD-ROM
- Plextor PX-W4824A CDRW
- GeForce4 Ti4600 128MB video card
- Creative Sound Blaster Audigy
- Windows XP Professional SP1 and Windows 98SE in dual boot
- And the usual LAN card and tons of USB and PS/2 devices
The system I used, even when not fully stressed, creates quite a load on the PSU, but a 550W unit should handle it just fine. I've overclcoked the system a lot, from the 1.6GHz default with 100MHz FSB to 2.8GHz and 175MHz FSB is quite an achievement. Of course, air cooled ;-) To create maximum load I used CPU Stability Test, for 100% CPU loading, while copying a CD on the fly and running Scandisk at the same time. Don't worry about how the CD was copied, as I used an RW disc.
To monitor the voltages I used Motherboard Monitor 5.2.1.0 BETA and a digital multi-meter which I connected to the yellow and red wires of a 4pin Molex connector and to the orange connector of the Aux. cable. No load was achieved with the PSU started while not connected to any system, I just shorted the green wire (POW-ON) with a black wire (ground). And here are the results:
In MBM 5.2.1.0 BETA, the lines are a bit lower than nominal value, but still within the 3% acceptable variance. I would have liked the readings to be a tad higher, but since the overclocked system was perfectly stable I am very pleased. Now for the multi-meter readings:
Well, as you can see, it they differ from the MBM 5.2.1.0 readings by about 2-3%. Now all the lines are not only above nominal value, but the voltage on the +12V line increases by 0.04V when fully stressed. What can I say, perfect results. Antec did a really good job designing their latest TruePower series, and the result is a very good PSU. The new features included, the Low Noise, dedicated output circuitry, PFC, and low variance of the lines, all contribute to making the TruePower the most advanced PSU available today.
I almost forgot about the very high build quality (dressed power connector, gold plated connectors), but maybe it's because I expected as much from Antec. Bottom line is that if you're looking for a high power PSU, you should always consider the TruePower 550W. It really is quite a performer, and unlike other PSUs it's very quiet; when started without a computer you can barely hear it. I've been using a lower rated TruePower PSU, the 430W version for quite some time now and so far I have not been disappointed at all.
Pros
- Very powerful, 550W
- PFC (could be only for European models)
- Dedicated output circuitry
- Only 3% variation tolerance on the positive lines (+3.3V, +5V and +12V)
- VERY quiet thanks to Antec's Low Noise Technology
- Second fan is 92mm
- Long power cords
- Gold plated connectors
- Fan Only connectors
- PSU fan can be monitored
- Sleeve on the main power cord
Cons
- Price can be rather high
- PFC could be only for European models
- No potentiometers for adjusting the voltages (not that they are needed)
- Pink label and box ;-)
Thanks for reading and enjoy the site!
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 27 June 2007 )
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