Introduction In this review, I will present the models of three manufacturers of power supplies, the names of two of which are still poorly familiar to most Russian buyers.
First, there is AcBel Polytech. Despite the fact that AcBel is in the top five largest manufacturers power supplies in the world, in Russia it is poorly known - until recently these units were supplied to our market very irregularly under its own brand, and AcBel products sold under other brands (for example, CoolerMaster) are familiar to the Russian buyer for the most part only from reviews in the computer press.
Meanwhile, it is difficult to call AcBel a little-known company in the world - just look at short list its clients, which includes a fair number of the largest computer manufacturers, as well as a number of companies engaged in networking and telecommunications equipment:
Information from AcBel Polytech presentation
AcBel Polytech is a Taiwanese company, but, as is now customary, also has manufacturing facilities in China and the Philippines.
In second place are GlacialPower power supplies, which are promoted by GlacialTech, well-known for its inexpensive, but quiet and high-quality cooling systems. This brand appeared on the market quite recently and for this reason is still poorly known, although, of course, the very name "GlacialPower" evokes completely unambiguous associations. The range of GlacialPower power supplies is currently represented by three models of the same type, differing in permissible load power - from 350 to 550 watts.
And finally, Delta Electronics, which, being the largest manufacturer of power supplies in the world, is probably known to most of our readers, even though its own brand is relatively modest in retail sales - Delta mainly works on OEM orders. large computer manufacturers, its units can be found in desktop computers and servers from HP, Dell, IBM, and many others.
Separately, I would like to note that the power supplies of all three above-mentioned manufacturers are represented not only by older models with a power of half a kilowatt, but also by low-power - according to modern concepts - 350 W units. Of course, both the block manufacturer and the author of the review are pleased to deal with, so to speak, the leading edge of technical progress, which has already crossed the kilowatt line - however, sometimes you have to look at things sensibly, namely, to understand that the absolute majority of computers, like office , and home, simply do not need all these huge capacities. But quiet, high-quality and at the same time inexpensive power supplies with more modest numbers on the label are very much needed.
At the same time, the words "inexpensive" and "high-quality" are not necessarily antonyms - although the market is flooded with cheap models of anonymous and semi-unnamed Chinese manufacturers with faceless names such as "ATX 500W", there are also pleasant exceptions. Historically, it so happened that noticeable popularity both in the press and among buyers (however, the second is partly a consequence of the first) was received only by the products of the FSP Group, no doubt of very high quality, but, also, no doubt, not the only one in this market segment. Therefore, among other things, with this article, I hope to draw the attention of readers and to noteworthy alternatives among the products of other manufacturers.
Compared to previous articles, our testing methodology has undergone some changes. Firstly, the oscilloscope used has changed, from ETC M221 to Velleman PCSU-1000, and therefore the oscillograms now look a little different - however, this did not affect the measurement accuracy in any way. Secondly, simultaneously with the measurement of the fan speed, we now measure the temperature of the air blown out of the block - and another curve appeared on the corresponding graphs showing the difference in air temperatures at the inlet and outlet of the block (namely, the difference, and not just the air temperature at the outlet - to abstract from temperature fluctuations in the room). These readings are needed not so much for comparing units with each other (it is obvious that comparing units with different sizes and arrangement of fans by measuring the temperature of the outgoing air at one point is somewhat incorrect), but for evaluating the efficiency of adjusting the fan speed.
AcBel E2 Power 390 (350 W), Power 440 (400 W) and Power 490 (450 W)
E2 Power series power supplies are low cost models entry level... In total, there are four units in this series with powers from 300 to 450 W (while the model name indicates the so-called peak power - the load that the unit is capable of delivering for one minute, while at rated power it can work indefinitely), Three models were sent to our laboratory for testing, starting with a 350-watt one. There are no fundamental differences in their parameters and circuitry, so I will describe them together.
All E2 Power units are housed in plain gray enclosures. On the company's website, only the older 450-watt model has a wire fan grill (for the younger ones, it is stamped and forms a single whole with the body), but in reality all three blocks that came to us had wire grilles. In fact, this difference is insignificant - it is believed that the wire grille has less resistance to air flow, and therefore creates less aerodynamic noise, but in practice the difference is very small, and the unit's noise is largely determined by the efficiency of speed control and the quality of the fans used.
E2 Power 390 block
The blocks have a somewhat unusual type of case - its U-shaped cover slides back.
E2 Power 490 block (E2 Power 440 looks exactly the same)
The younger model and the two older ones differ only in the passive PFC (its choke is clearly visible in the Power 440 photo, while in the Power 390 it is absent) and in the ratings of some elements, in general, the circuitry is identical: the duty stabilizer is assembled on a specialized PWM controller TNY267P, and the main one is on the UC3843B.
E2 Power 390 block from the soldering side
Separately, I would like to note the very neat, almost perfect soldering of blocks in combination with active use components for surface mounting - a phenomenon by which you can immediately distinguish products of large manufacturers from the creations of various semi-unnamed Chinese companies. In the latter, at least oversized parts and output wires are soldered manually and, as a rule, not very carefully, and the use of modern SMD components is generally very rare.
E2 Power 390 block
Despite the fact that the junior unit formally has two +12 V lines, there is no practical sense in this - the total load current on them should not exceed 18 A, which makes it possible to meet all the requirements of safety standards, having only one line (I remind readers that the separation of the lines arose due to the need to limit the current of each of them at a level not exceeding 20 A to limit the short-circuit power, if suddenly this happens, at a safe level). The division is conditioned, on the one hand, by the requirements of marketing (the buyer is already accustomed to the fact that there should be at least two lines, although there is actually no practical benefit for him in this), on the other hand, by the unification of circuitry with more powerful blocks of the same series.
E2 Power 440 block
E2 Power 490 block
Indeed, with an increase in the total power of the blocks, the permissible load on the +12 V bus also increases - up to 21 A in the Power 440 model and up to 22.5 A in the Power 490.
On the one hand, AcBel should be reprimanded for incomplete compliance of the E2 Power series models with the recommendations of the ATX12V 2.0 standard - according to the latter, a typical 300-watt unit should have a +12 V bus load capacity up to 22 A, 350-W - up to 25 A, and 400- W - up to 29 A; obviously all three E2 models fall short of these numbers. In modern computers that load mainly a 12-volt bus, it is its load capacity that, in fact, determines the total effective power of the power supply, that is, the power that can be obtained from it in real conditions, taking into account the typical distribution of loads on different buses of the unit rather than on a laboratory bench. So, if we take a computer with a maximum power consumption of 350 W, it turns out that it needs only 30-40 W on the +5 V and +3.3 V buses, and the remaining 310-320 W are taken from the +12 V bus; in other words, none of the E2 Power series units will be suitable for its power supply, although in terms of the total rated power, it would seem that all three models satisfy the requirements.
On the other hand, a computer that consumes more than two hundred watts from a power supply is a very serious system with a dual-core processor and a powerful video card. Owners of such computers usually obviously prefer more expensive (and not so much due to the total power, but due to the external design, the number of connectors, etc.) power supplies, but the E2 Power series is clearly designed for typical home-office systems that have not too powerful processors and video cards and consuming only 100 ... 200 watts from the power supply. As an example, the author of this article can give his own home computer, which, when Athlon processor 64 3800+ and a video card based on a RadeOn X800XL chip without the slightest problems runs on a 250-watt power supply unit manufactured by Enhance with a permissible +12 V bus current of only 16 A.
At the same time, it should be noted that many block manufacturers, having caught the general tendency to increase power, began to increase the power of their blocks without increasing the load capacity of the +12 V bus - for example, we considered in one of the previous articles 300-, 350- and 430- InWin watt blocks of the J and AJ series have the same maximum permissible load at + 12V: no more than 18 A. At the same time, with the growth of the total rated power, the permissible load of the 12-V bus grows for AcBel units. effective power of blocks.
In addition to the presence of PFC, the younger model has a reduced number of connectors. The E2 Power 390 includes:
cable with three power connectors for PATA hard drives and one for a floppy drive, 42 + 15 + 15 + 15 cm long;
ribbon cable with two power connectors for PATA hard drives and two for SATA hard drives, 41 + 15 + 15 + 15 cm long.
At the same time, the E2 Power 440 and E2 Power 490 models have:
power cable motherboard with 20 + 4-pin connector, 41 cm long;
processor power cable with 4-pin connector, 41 cm long;
power cable for a video card with a 6-pin connector, 51 cm long;
cable with three power connectors for PATA hard drives, 50 + 15 + 15 cm long;
a cable with two power connectors for PATA hard drives and one for a floppy drive, 50 + 15 + 15 cm long;
ribbon cable with two power connectors for SATA hard drives, 51 + 14 cm long.
E2 Power 390 block
The voltage stability of the younger model is not bad, although with one drawback - the +5 V voltage changes quite strongly, and although it does not go beyond the permissible limits, with a heavy load on the +12 V bus, it will be overestimated by about 0.2 V. To stability voltages +12 V and +3.3 V no complaints.
E2 Power 440 block
The 400-watt unit is doing a little better - the +5 V voltage at the bottom of the graph is still overestimated, but overall its stability is better than that of the 350-watt model. Voltages of +12 V and +3.3 V do not give rise to any complaints here either.
E2 Power 490 block
The older model is quite good: in fact, the stability of its voltages is the same as that of the E2 Power 440, but the graph for the +5 V voltage has shifted downward, as a result of which, in the most interesting from a practical point of view, the region with small loads at +5 In and large at +12 V, it deviates from the ideal by less than 3%. However, this is most likely not a consequence of any differences in circuitry or workmanship, but simply a random spread of denominations between different copies of the blocks.
The ripple of the output voltages turned out to be small for all three units - less than 20 mV on the +5 V bus (with an allowable level of up to 50 mV) and less than 40 mV on the +12 V bus (with an allowable level of 120 mV).
The 350-watt unit uses the Adda AD0812US-A70GL fan - this is a model on a sleeve bearing with a maximum speed of 3700 rpm, which is quite a lot for a fan with a standard size of 80x80x25 mm.
E2 Power 390 block
The fan starts from 1600 rpm and its speed increases linearly as the load grows, reaching the ceiling in the region of 3300 rpm at a load of 250 W (the ceiling is slightly less than the nominal fan speed, since the voltage supplied to it is less than 12 V falls on the speed control circuit, even when it is fully "open"). At the same time, it is clearly seen that in the area of linear growth of revolutions the block maintains its temperature constant, but when the fan reaches maximum speed, the temperature begins to rise.
Thus, the E2 Power 390 can be considered quiet only at very minimal loads, less than 100 W - with a more serious load, its fan accelerates to high speeds.
In the older models, there are Adda AD0812HS-A70GL fans - also on a sleeve bearing, but, oddly enough, with a slightly lower rated speed.
E2 Power 490 block
And, which is much more important, the speed controller behaves in a completely different way (it works the same in both 400-W and 450-W units, so I only give a graph for the older model): up to a load power of 250 ... 300 W, the speed the fan does not change at all, being at about 1500 rpm; the block temperature in this case, of course, increases with increasing load. At higher power, the fan begins to rapidly increase its speed, and so quickly that the temperature of the air leaving the unit even drops - this means that the fan controller is guided by the power of the load on the unit, and not by the temperature of its components.
As a result, unlike the 350 W model, the E2 Power 440 and E2 Power 490 operate very quietly in the load range up to 250 ... 300 W, increasing the fan speed only at powers close to maximum. At the same time, although the fan controller could increase the speed and not so aggressively (it would be enough to stabilize the temperature of the block, we saw that from a certain moment it even starts to decrease), in practice, in most cases, the noise of the blocks will suit the vast majority of users.
E2 Power 390 block
The junior unit, which does not have a PFC, demonstrates a quite typical picture - the power factor is 0.64 on average. In the meantime, the efficiency (and here I will once again remind our readers that there is no direct connection between the KDP and the power factor) at the maximum reaches 79%, and at full power falls to 71% - a result that meets the requirements of the standards, but no more.
E2 Power 490 block
The two older models, due to the use of passive PFC, are distinguished by a high power factor - up to 0.77 at the maximum. At the same time, their efficiency is also slightly higher: at one point it was even able to slightly exceed 80%, although at the maximum load it dropped to 75% - again the result is acceptable, but not outstanding.
Thus, the E2 Power series AcBel units are a very good and inexpensive option for lower and mid-level computers. They are made of very high quality, provide all the declared parameters without any problems and have all the necessary connectors, including connectors for powering video cards in the two older models. At the same time, the older models are most interesting for the buyer not so much due to the higher power, but due to the quieter operation - the fan controllers in them begin to increase the speed only with a sufficiently large load on the unit.
AcBel Power Gold 500W and 550W
The more expensive series of AcBel power supplies turned out to be represented by four models - two 500-watt ATX-500CA-AB8FM units and two 550-watt ATX-550CA-AB8FM units. The difference was that in each of the pairs one unit was in the OEM version, and the second in the boxed version.As further research showed, from a technical point of view, boxed and OEM versions differ from each other, in fact, only in the type of fans and the design of the loops, therefore I will consider them together, dwelling, where necessary, on the differences.
OEM-versions of blocks are made in black painted cases, but boxed ones are supplied in dark nickel-plated cases. However, a more noticeable difference in the design between the boxed and OEM versions is that the latter are equipped with the usual black power buttons and black fans, while the former have both highlighted during operation:
However, the internal structure of all four units is absolutely the same - with the exception, of course, that the ratings of the installed components differ slightly between the 500- and 550-watt models.
Those of our readers who were interested in CoolerMaster PSUs undoubtedly saw a familiar picture - as I noted in the preface, AcBel is a CoolerMaster supplier and supplies this particular series of PSUs.
The units are based on the ML4800CP microcircuit, which combines both the main stabilizer and the active PFC controller - the latter's throttle can be clearly seen in the photographs, although at first it is confusing that it is made on an W-shaped core, and not on the usual toroidal one. Between the choke and the small vertical board with the controller, there are two high-voltage capacitors - usually in units with an active PFC and a single-ended main controller, there is one capacitor, but here, apparently, for dimensional reasons, two are used, connected in parallel.
As in the case of the E2 Power series, the workmanship is very good, there is simply nothing to complain about.
Boxed and OEM versions of the blocks have exactly the same characteristics and even the same labels, so here I will give only two photos - for a 500- and 550-watt block.
Both options have three +12 V lines each, although in general their load capacity is not so great that three lines are really needed - up to 27 A on the corresponding bus for the lower units and up to 30 A for the older ones. This is slightly less than the ATX12V 2.2 standard - although units with a power higher than 450 W are not described in it, but for a 450-watt one, the permissible load current of a 12-V bus of 30 A is already recommended, which means we would expect from units with a power of 500 and 550 W of even higher currents.
In the previous section of the article, I already talked about the effective power of the power supply - that is, the power that can be obtained from it in a typical modern computer, taking into account the distribution of the load over the various buses of the unit. If we assume that the +5 V and +3.3 V buses are loaded in total by a maximum of 50 W, then the effective power of the ATX-500CA-AB8FM model turns out to be 374 W, and the ATX-550CA-AB8FM model - 410 W, that is, noticeably less than their nameplate capacity.
This does not mean at all that the blocks do not correspond to the declared rated capacity - as our testing has shown, there are no problems with this - this only means that in a real modern computer, the increase in energy consumption will be limited not by the total power of the blocks, but by their permissible load of 12-volt tires.
All four units have the same set of cables and connectors (the only difference is that in OEM versions, only the motherboard power cable is removed in braided tubes, all other cables are fastened with ordinary nylon ties):
motherboard power cable with 20 + 4-pin connector, 53 cm long;
processor power cable with 8-pin connector, 55 cm long;
processor power cable with a 4-pin connector, 54 cm long;
two power cables for video cards with 6-pin connectors, 54 cm long;
Here I would like to note not so much the presence a large number a variety of connectors, how much the lack of differences between the boxed and OEM-versions of the units - in contrast, for example, the products of the FSP Group company, whose power supplies can differ very significantly both in the length of the wires and in the set of connectors depending on the type of delivery.
All blocks showed almost the same cross-load characteristics, so I will give only one graph for the most powerful model (moreover, due to an accidental error before removing it, the permissible load on the + 12V bus was set equal to 400 W while the allowable for the 360 W - nevertheless, and with such an overload, no problems arose, although, of course, this is an abnormal mode).
The unit has very good for its class (and these models do not have additional separate stabilization) the stability of the output voltages - in the most interesting range of loads, the +12 V and +3.3 V voltages are close to ideal, and the +5 V voltage is overestimated by about 3% (with a permissible deviation of up to 5%). The younger, 500-watt, blocks have the same KNX graph, only on the right it is limited to 324 W - the maximum allowable load for a 12-volt bus.
The ripple swing of the output voltages at full load also turned out to be within the normal range - about 50 mV on the +5 V bus (mainly due to very short surges at the moments of switching the transistors of the main stabilizer) and about 60 mV on the +12 V bus. there was no parameter between different instances of blocks.
Fan of the OEM version of the ATX-550CA-AB8FM unit
And here are the fans in different models The Power Gold series, as it turned out, differ not only in the color of the blades and the presence of blue backlighting during operation: the box units have ball-bearing fans - Protechnic Electric MGA12012MB-A25 in a 500-W unit and a slightly more powerful MGA12012HB-O25 in a 550-W unit. At the same time, the OEM versions also have Protechnic Electric fans, but already models MGA12012MS-A25 in a 500-W unit and MGA12012HS-O25 in a 550-W unit, both on sleeve bearings.
Fan of the boxed version of the ATX-550CA-AB8FM unit
The fan speed is regulated according to the same law as in the E2 Power models: it is constant up to a power of 200 ... 250 W, and then it starts to grow rapidly.
Speed control is focused primarily on the load power, and not on the temperature of the power supply unit - and it can be called overly pessimistic: at a power above 250 W, the fan accelerates so that the unit temperature begins to drop. On the one hand, in a real computer, system unit the air heated by the processor and the video card into the power supply will raise its temperature. On the other hand, it would still be wiser to focus on the temperature of the block when cooling - then under no circumstances would the fan speed be excessively high.
If we talk about noise, then at load powers up to 250 W, the blocks belong to the middle class - they are audible, but one cannot say that this noise is annoying, but with an increase in the load, the excessive pessimism of the regulator affects - at speeds above 1800 rpm 120-mm the fan can be considered quite loud. The 500-watt block models are slightly quieter due to the use of a less powerful fan, but overall the difference cannot be called significant.
The graphs of efficiency and power factor for all units of this series again coincided with good accuracy, so below I will give only one of them, for the 550-W model.
The efficiency of the units cannot be called a record, but it is quite good even by modern standards - about 83% at a load of 150 W with a decrease to 78% at maximum power.
Blocks of the Power Gold series do not grab the stars from the sky, but at the same time they do not have any significant drawbacks. We can only note that the fan speed is excessively high, especially when working with a load of more than 250 W - for successful cooling of the block, lower speeds would be enough, which, in turn, would have a positive effect on their noise.
However, if this does not bother you, or if you are ready to replace the fan with a quieter one on your own (especially since Protechnic Electric models have not proved to be the best way), then the AcBel Power Gold blocks will be good choice even for a very powerful home computer.
AcBel LCD Power Supply (550W)
Despite such a sonorous name, in fact, this model, bearing the number ATX-550CA-AB8FB, differs from the ATX-550CA-AB8FM discussed above primarily in the package bundle: a socket with an LCD screen installed in the 5.25 "bay is supplied with it. , showing the main parameters of the power supply: temperature, fan speed, load on the unit (both in watts and as a percentage of the maximum allowable), as well as the load currents of individual output buses of the unit.The latter is a unique feature of the AcBel panel - among the products of other manufacturers to me until there were panels (both external and built into the unit itself) that could show not only the total power, but also the load distribution.
At the same time, outwardly, the unit is no different from the models discussed above (in the boxed version of delivery) - a matte black case, a transparent fan with blue backlight and a power button with amber backlight.
There are also no serious internal differences - the unit is made on the same platform as other models of the ATX-550CA series: a stabilizer and active PFC on the ML4800CP chip, group stabilization of output voltages ...
The controller board, to which the external panel is connected, is almost invisible - it is located at the back of the unit, under the wiring harnesses.
The socket itself is very compact, only a few centimeters deep. It contains an LCD screen, a pair of buttons and the AcBel logo, illuminated by three flashing LEDs - red, green and blue. The latter is the main, and perhaps the only, drawback of the panel - the LEDs are very bright, and it is impossible to turn them off without interfering with the internal structure of the panel.
There are five connectors on the back of the panel, of which the user only needs three - two for connecting to the power supply and one for connecting to USB. The latter is not necessary for the panel to work, but it allows, if desired, to run a program on the computer that displays the same parameters as the panel itself shows.
In addition to simply displaying the current parameters of the power supply, the panel allows you to:
set the maximum allowable temperature and minimum allowable fan speed - when the unit goes beyond these limits, the panel beeps;
switch the fan from automatic regulation mode to maximum speed mode;
switch temperature units between Celsius and Fahrenheit.
All this can be done both from the supplied program (with a USB connection), or by pressing the buttons on the panel itself.
The two remaining interface connectors, according to the user manual, are used for programming the panel at the factory and are not needed by the end user.
Inside, the panel consists of two boards (one on the bottom of the case, the other on the front wall, an LCD screen is soldered into it) with several microcircuits.
The power supply has a special ribbon cable for connecting the panel, which is divided at the end into two connectors - the first, wide, is designed for data transmission, the second, similar to the drive's power connector, for powering the panel.
In general, the unit is equipped with the following connectors and cables:
motherboard power cable with 20 + 4-pin connector, 55 cm long;
processor power cable with 4 + 4-pin connector, 55 cm long;
power cable for video cards with two 6-pin connectors, 55 cm long;
cable with four power connectors for PATA hard drives, length 53 + 15 + 15 + 15 cm;
cable with three power connectors for PATA hard drives and one power connector for the drive, length 53 + 15 + 15 + 15 cm;
ribbon cable with four power connectors for SATA hard drives, length 54 + 15 + 15 + 15 cm.
All cables are removed into braided tubes, but the way this is done for the power cable of video cards raises some complaints:
As you can see, in fact, this is not one ribbon cable with two connectors, but two separate ribbon cables connected together with a cable tie. Free "tails" are only about 4 cm long, which makes it difficult to connect connectors in an SLI or CrossFire system - you have to move the cable tie down the cable, thereby freeing up the connectors long enough for each of them to reach its video card.
Another difference between the ATX-550CA-AB8FB and the model with the AB8FM index discussed above is the declared parameters: with the same total power of 550 W, the permissible total load on the +12 V bus increased from 30 A to 35 A, which can only be welcomed.
The cross-load characteristics of the unit look very similar to those of the models discussed above - in the lower part of the graph, which is of the greatest importance for us (due to the fact that modern computers simply do not create large loads on the +5 V and +3.3 V buses) ) except that the +5 V voltage is slightly overestimated, but its deviation is very far from the permissible limit.
A Protechnic Electric MGT12012HB-O25 fan is installed in the block - the "MGT" index instead of the "MGA" we encountered earlier means that the fan has a tachometer output.
At the same time, the graph of the dependence of its speed on the load on the block is pleasantly pleasing - with a load of up to 200 W, the speed fluctuates around 800 rpm, which makes the block much quieter than previous models. In fact, when working with a light load, the noise of its fan is completely masked by other noise from the system unit. However, at higher power, the fan speed again grows faster than necessary (which is clearly seen from the temperature falling with increasing power), and as a result, the ATX-550CA-AB8FB turns out to be quite noisy at high loads.
Although I expected that the differences between "LCD Power Supply" and simpler AcBel units are only in the presence of an external panel showing the state of the unit in real time, in fact, this model has changed for the better and the parameters - the permissible load on the bus has increased +12 B, and the unit itself became quieter in operation, despite the use of the same fans.
AcBel R8 Power (607 W)
The R8 Power series of power supplies (in total there are three models with powers of 430, 525 and 607 W, of which the last one got into our laboratory) is latest models AcBel, corresponding to the "80 + PLUS" standard and, accordingly, having an efficiency of at least 80% at any load from 20% to maximum. The manufacturer himself claims an efficiency of 85% for the R8 Power 607W.
Outwardly, the only difference between the R8 and the blocks discussed above is a small white button (yes, this is a button, not a variable resistor knob, as it seems at first glance) next to the power switch. Its task is to turn off the fan backlight if the user suddenly gets bored with it (or simply interferes initially).
At the same time, during a superficial examination, inside the block, it is not at all possible to find any noticeable differences from previous models - it uses the same basic platform with the ML4800CP controller.
Apparently, 80 + PLUS compliance is achieved through more careful selection element base, and not due to any serious change in circuitry. However, taking a closer look, you can see that the arrangement of the components on a separate small board with a controller has changed a bit, but it's hard to say without going into the depths of the circuitry how much, if any, it affected the block's characteristics.
With a total power of 607 W, the maximum load on the 12-volt bus (which is divided into three lines - as usual, "virtually", that is, by artificial limitation of load currents) is 40 A. However, the permissible total load on the +5 V buses and +3.3 V decreased to 141 W - but for modern computers it does not matter, in any case, they do not consume even half of the available power from these tires.
The unit is equipped with the following cables and connectors:
motherboard power cable with 20 + 4-pin connector, 51 cm long;
processor power cable with 4 + 4-pin connector, 51 cm long;
power cable for video cards with two 6-pin connectors, 60 cm long;
cable with four power connectors for PATA hard drives, 50 + 15 + 15 + 15 cm long;
cable with three power connectors for PATA hard drives and one power connector for the drive, 50 + 15 + 15 + 15 cm long;
ribbon cable with four power connectors for SATA hard drives, 51 + 15 + 15 + 15 cm long.
The cross-load characteristics of the R8 Power are similar to the other AcBel units discussed above - the voltage stability is very good, in the area that interests us most (the lower part of the graph) all three controlled voltages are almost ideal.
The ripple swing at the unit output at maximum load is about 30 mV on the +5 V bus (permissible level is up to 50 mV) and about 100 mV on the +12 V bus (permissible level is up to 120 mV), thus, and for this parameter R8 Power fully meets the requirements of the standard.
The unit uses a Protechnic Electric MGT12012HB-O25 fan. Despite the fact that it is equipped with a tachometer, the output of the latter is not displayed, therefore, it is impossible to control the fan speed of the block by means of the motherboard. Of course, it is also impossible to connect a socket from the ATX-550CA-AB8FB model to this block.
Despite the fact that at the minimum load the fan speed is 900 rpm (100 rpm more than the ATX-550CA-AB8FB), later it grows not as fast as in previous models, and as a result, the R8 Power turns out to be the quietest AcBel unit we tested.
However, if we compare it to such established leaders of quiet operation as Zalman or Seasonic, we have to admit that the engineers at AcBel still have a lot of work to do. The fan speed is still growing faster than necessary, as a result of which, with increasing power, the block temperature begins to fall, but its noise, on the contrary, grows, and quite strongly - already at a load of 400 W the fan is clearly audible, and at a load of 500 W and higher it becomes quite noisy. For comparison, the Zalman ZM600-HP unit with a maximum load of 580 W has a fan speed of only 1600 rpm - 1000 rpm less than the R8 Power at the same power.
On the other hand, a large air flow and low temperature of the block's components undoubtedly increase the reliability of its operation and extend its life time, but here the question is about personal preferences - which is more important for each specific buyer: quiet operation now or a long lifetime of the block in the future.
As shown by the efficiency measurements, the unit really meets the requirements of "80 + PLUS" - at a load of 120 W (20% of the maximum), its efficiency certainly exceeds 80%, and does not fall below this line with a further increase in power. At the top, with a load of about 250 W, the graph reaches the 85% promised by the manufacturer.
So, the R8 Power 607W unit differs from other series of AcBel power supplies not only in its high efficiency - which, in general, is not very important for most buyers, since the difference in power consumption of units with different efficiency is not so great as to pay bills for electricity could be saved a significant amount - but also with quieter operation, as well as a noticeably increased permissible load of the + 12V bus, in fact, determining the maximum effective power of the unit when working in a real computer.
At the same time, the unit is of high quality, has all the necessary connectors and is very quiet in operation at a load of less than 200 watts. Of its shortcomings, we can only note the excessive noise at high load power.
Delta Electronics GPS-350EB-100A (350W)
This 350-watt power supply from Delta Electronics is a direct competitor to the AcBel E2 Power units discussed above - it is an inexpensive power supply that does not stand out either in record power, or in any functional or design features.
In order to remove the U-shaped cover of the block, it must be moved back. The electronics are made very neatly, I had no complaints. In terms of its design, this is a fairly ordinary power supply with a passive PFC (its choke can be seen in the picture at the top right) and group voltage stabilization.
The label is very illegible - small font, a jumble of Latin and hieroglyphs - so that even the name of the block is not immediately found.
According to the declared parameters, the GPS-350EB-100A is a regular 350-watt ATX12V 2.0 unit that fully complies with the recommendations of the standard (for example, the permissible total load on the +12 V bus is 25 A - compare with 18 A for a 350-W AcBel E2 unit Power).
processor power cable with 4-pin connector, 45 cm long;
ribbon cable with three power connectors for PATA hard drives, 45 + 15 + 15 cm long;
two loops with two power connectors for PATA hard drives and one drive power connector on each, 45 + 15 + 15 cm long;
ribbon cable with two power connectors for SATA hard drives, 45 + 15 cm long.
The unit does not have connectors for powering video cards - on the one hand, manufacturers consider this to be normal for its power (in the same way, the 350-W AcBel discussed above and the younger FSP models do not have these connectors), but still it should be noted that it the possibilities are more than enough to power a gaming computer with a fairly serious processor and video card, and therefore such a connector would not be superfluous.
The cross-load characteristics of the block look good, none of the voltages exceeded the allowable 5% deviation at any point on the graph. Of the minuses, it can be noted that the +12 V voltage drops by 3 ... 4% with a large load on the corresponding bus.
The ripple swing at the unit output at maximum load is also within the normal range - about 20 mV on the +5 V and +3.3 V buses (with an allowable maximum of 50 mV) and about 65 mV on the +12 V bus (with an allowable maximum of 120 mV ).
The unit uses a Yate Loon D12SH-12 120mm fan. The products of this company have established themselves as inexpensive, but at the same time of sufficient quality.
The graph of the dependence of the fan speed on the load on the unit is very similar to the AcBel products - a constant level up to a power of about 250 W and further rapid growth. However, in this case the speed gain is not so great that the block temperature starts to drop.
As a result, in the typical load range for the GPS-350EB-100A (it is unlikely that many will install it in really powerful computers) the unit works very quietly, almost silently.
The efficiency of the unit at its maximum reached 82%, but under heavy load it dropped to 77% - an indicator not a record, but generally quite good. The power factor, despite the use of only passive PFC, fluctuated within 0.76 ... 0.82 - although it is usually five percent lower for units with passive correction.
Thus, the Delta Electronics GPS-350EB-100A is a very good PSU, perfect for mid-range computers, and performed well in all our tests. In addition, it is also distinguished by a very quiet operation at loads up to 250 watts.
Delta Electronics GPS-400AB-C (350W)
Despite the fact that, at first glance, this unit is very similar to the previous model, in fact it is not a powerful version of the GPS-350EB-100A, but a model from a completely different line of Delta power supplies. However, if you look closely, the external resemblance also disappears - the blocks are assembled in cases different types: On the GPS-350EB, the cover slides backwards, while on the GPS-400AB it slides up.
The block is quite common in its circuitry, this is a model with passive power factor correction (the PFC choke, fixed on the top cover, fell out of the frame - only two thick black wires going to it are visible) and group voltage stabilization.
The label again does not differ in readability, but the main thing can still be discerned - in fact, the long-term load power should not exceed 350 W, and the number "400" indicated in the model name is nothing more than the peak power, at which the unit can only work for a short time ( how much is not said, but usually it is one minute). I would like to express some bewilderment about the fact that the peak power is included in the name of the block, while the long-term power appears in it for other Delta Electronics models.
Moreover, the permissible total load on the + 12V bus has also been reduced - although it would seem that the permissible loads of individual lines (+ 12V1 and + 12V2) have increased compared to the GPS-350EB-100A, in fact, this is not so: the separation of one bus on two lines virtual, and therefore there you can enter any numbers that do not exceed the prescribed 18 A (the threshold for the protection actuation, just allocating two "independent" lines). In total, the +12 V bus of the unit can only be loaded with a current of up to 19 A - against 25 A for the GPS-350EB-100A.
The unit is equipped with the following cables and connectors:
motherboard power cable with 20 + 4-pin connector, 34 cm long;
processor power cable with a 4-pin connector, 36 cm long;
ribbon cable with two power connectors for PATA hard drives, 36 + 15 cm long;
ribbon cable with two power connectors for PATA hard drives and one power connector for the drive, length 36 + 15 + 15 cm;
ribbon cable with two power connectors for SATA hard drives, length 36 + 15 cm.
Alas, both the number of connectors and the length of all loops have also decreased.
In general, the cross-load characteristics of the block look good, but if you compare it with the previous model, you can notice a deterioration in the stability of the +12 V voltage - in the upper and lower parts of the graph its deviation from the nominal exceeds 4%, which is indicated by the red color.
The ripple range has also slightly increased - on the buses +5 V and +3.3 V it is now equal to 30 ... 40 mV. However, this is less than the maximum permissible value.
The unit also has a Yate Loon D12SH-12 fan, which made it possible to hope for the same quiet operation as in the case of the GPS-350EB-100A ...
Alas, hopes were not justified: even at the minimum load, the fan speed almost reaches 1200 rpm, and at a power of more than 150 it begins to grow rapidly - and so quickly that at some stage the temperature of the block does not increase with increasing load, but, on the contrary, falls. Thus, GPS-400AB-C can be described as a block with average noise level, but no better than that.
The efficiency also turned out to be slightly worse than that of its predecessor - at maximum power it dropped to 73%.
Thus, the GPS-400AB-C is fundamentally different from the GPS-350EB-100A discussed above - it is a noticeably cheaper model that has no advantages, but demonstrates a number of disadvantages: shorter wires, lower efficiency, a noisier fan ... C Considering that retail prices for these two models are approximately equal, there is absolutely no point in buying GPS-400AB-C.
Delta Electronics GPS-550AB-A (550W)
Taking this unit out of the box, I had ambivalent feelings - on the one hand, it did not look like the previous model, on the other hand, the similarity of the name (more precisely, the absence of a numerical index in it) prompted the thought whether we were again dealing with a cheaper version? ..
The unit has a U-shaped housing cover that slides back. The internal layout is noticeably different from the previous two models, and not only in the density of the elements, but also in the circuitry - this unit is equipped with active power factor correction, the corresponding choke can be seen in the picture on the right, behind a large black high-voltage capacitor can.
This time the 550W power is long term, not peak power. Permissible load on the +12 V bus (artificially divided into three lines) is 30 A - the same as in the AcBel units of the Power Gold series, but less than the recommended standard ATX12V 2.2. In general, however, there are no serious comments on the declared parameters of the block.
The unit is equipped with the following cables and connectors:
motherboard power cable with 20 + 4-pin connector, 43 cm long;
processor power cable with 8- and 4-pin connectors, 45 + 19 cm long;
power cable for video cards with two 6-pin connectors, 45 + 20 cm long;
cable with three power connectors for PATA hard drives, 45 + 14 + 14 cm long;
ribbon cable with three power connectors for PATA hard drives and one power connector for the drive, length 45 + 14 + 14 + 14 cm;
two loops with two power connectors for SATA hard drives on each, 45 + 15 cm long.
Well, it is worth noting not only the acceptable length of the cables, but also the appearance of two power connectors for video cards at once, as well as a second cable with SATA power connectors - in light of the entry into the market of DVD drives with SATA interface it may turn out to be useful (not in all cases it will be possible to stretch one cable with SATA connectors to both a hard drive and a DVD drive, and using adapters is not very convenient).
Alas, the cross-load characteristics look acceptable, but nothing more - the +12 V voltage "walks" quite strongly, with a significant load it will sag by 3 ... 4%. Nevertheless, the voltage goes beyond the permissible limits only with very extreme load distortions towards one of the tires.
At a power higher than 400 W, one of the chokes begins to "ring" in the unit - however, such problems are encountered by many manufacturers, and depend on the specific unit of the unit.
Output voltage ripple at maximum load is within normal limits.
The unit again uses the Yate Loon D12SH-12 fan, and in general, the dependence of the speed on the load on the unit resembles the AcBel models of the Power Gold series:
The fan starts at a speed of about 1100 rpm, which creates a quite noticeable, although not too loud noise - for many users its level will be quite acceptable. At a load above 250 W, the fan starts to pick up speed quickly, so that the block temperature even drops slightly; but at 450 watts of power, it reaches its maximum speed (about 2200 rpm), after which the temperature rises again. Thus, GPS-550AB-A can be classified as a block with average noise level.
The average efficiency of the unit was about 80% - at low load capacities it is slightly higher, but at maximum it drops to 78%. The power factor, despite the presence of active PFC, barely exceeded 0.9 - while it is usually at least 0.95 for such units.
In general, the GPS-550AB-A did not leave the impression of being cheaper, as its predecessor, the GPS-400AB-C, is a fairly good and powerful mid-range unit (unfortunately, nothing more). Of the minuses, we can note the not too high stability of the +12 V voltage and the fan, which could work even quieter.
GlacialPower GP-PS350AP (350W), GP-PS450AP (400W) and GP-PS550BP (550W)
Apparently, its own brand of power supplies will soon become a must-have for any manufacturer of computer components - after Zalman, OCZ, Corsair, Mushkin and others, GlacialTech, a well-known manufacturer of coolers and fans, began selling power supplies. On this moment the assortment is represented by three models of blocks supplied under the "GlacialPower" brand - 350, 450 and 550 watts. They all visited our laboratory.
The units are housed in ordinary gray cases and are cooled by 80mm fans. All three models have the same design and circuitry, so I will consider them together.
The block layout is very dense, primarily due to large radiators and a passive PFC choke. The latter is suspended on a special transverse bar exactly opposite the fan - a somewhat controversial solution: on the one hand, it allows you to save a little on the dimensions of the throttle by improving its cooling by a nearby fan, on the other hand, the throttle interferes with the air flow and thereby worsens the cooling of the unit as a whole and increases its noise.
All three models fully comply with the requirements and recommendations of the ATX12V 2.2 standard in terms of their declared parameters. The power indicated in the model names is long-term, not peak, the permissible total load of the +12 V bus is 25 A for the younger model, 29 A for the middle model and 33 A for the older one. Of course, the division of this bus into two lines is virtual, in fact, there is only one 12-volt bus inside the unit.
The younger model is equipped with the following cables and connectors:
power cable for a video card with a 6-pin connector, 40 cm long;
cable with two power connectors for PATA hard drives, 38 + 15 cm long;
ribbon cable with one power connector for a SATA hard drive, 38 cm long.
On the one hand, I cannot fail to note the presence of a video card power connector - it is perfectly appropriate for a 350-watt unit. Let products of such power and are now considered basic, budget models, but they can easily "pull" a gaming computer even with a sufficiently powerful video card (as our measurements show, even such a serious system as the older Core 2 Duo plus GeForce 8800GTX consumes from power supply unit under 3DMark "06 less than 300 W).
On the other hand, I would also like to see at least two SATA connectors on the block: it is clear that you can always use an adapter if necessary, but this will add neither convenience nor reliability.
Both older models are equipped in exactly the same way:
motherboard power cable with 20 + 4-pin connector, 50 cm long;
processor power cable with 4-pin connector, 50 cm long;
two power cables for video cards with 6-pin connectors, 40 cm long;
cable with three power connectors for PATA hard drives, 38 + 15 + 15 cm long;
ribbon cable with two power connectors for PATA hard drives and one power connector for the drive, 38 + 15 + 15 cm long;
ribbon cable with two power connectors for SATA hard drives, 38 + 15 cm long.
In addition to the appearance of the second power connector for the video card, the unit also acquired one more SATA connector. Of course, I would like the latter to be four, and on two different trains, but two is already not bad.
The voltage stability of the junior model is generally quite good, but the +5 V voltage in the lower part of the graph that interests us the most is overestimated by 4%. But the voltages +3.3 V and +12 V in the same area are close to ideal.
The 400-watt model, on the other hand, was distinguished by a strongly underestimated voltage of +12 V in the same area with a stable +5 V - the first under load sinks up to 11.5 V, which is theoretically within the permissible range, but in practice it may still be not enough for stable operation of powerful video cards.
Alas, on the older model, with a power of 550 W, the +12 V voltage also sagged, although not so much - but in the lower right corner of the graph it also reached red, meaning a deviation between 4% and 5% of the nominal (that is, the voltage from 11.40 to 11.52 V).
All three units showed a similar level of ripple at maximum load: about 30 mV on the +5 V bus, 50 mV on the +12 V bus, and again 30 mV on the +3.3 V bus, that is, completely within the normal range.
The units are equipped with GaleMotor GMA08025B12U fans with a nominal speed of 4500 rpm, but at the same time they promise effective speed control depending on the load on the unit, and at a load of less than 20% for the two younger models and less than 30% for the older ones, the fan should not rotate at all:
Alas, even at a load power of about 45 W, the minimum in our test, the GP-PS350AP fan already worked at a speed of about 1350 rpm, although this load is only 13% of the unit's power. However, this speed is very low for an 80mm fan, you won't hear it.
Up to a load power of 200 W, the speed remained almost constant, but then began to grow rapidly and reached a maximum of 2400 rpm. Thus, the unit can be considered quite quiet at loads up to 200 W and moderately noisy at higher power.
Both older models were more in line with the manufacturer's promises - under light load, their fans were really stationary, starting to spin at a speed of about 1500 rpm with a load of about 120 watts.
As the power increased further, the fan speed increased rapidly, reaching almost 4500 rpm at full load, making the unit very noisy. Apparently, this is where the unfortunate location of the PFC choke blocking the fan affected. For example, we can cite the AcBel E2 Power 490 power supply unit discussed above, similar in parameters and circuitry, but more spacious inside. Its fan at a load of 440 W reached a speed of 3250 rpm, and a temperature rise of 11 degrees. At the same 440 W, the fan of the GP-PS550BP unit accelerated to 3700 rpm, and the temperature rise was 13 degrees - both numbers clearly speak not in favor of GlacialPower.
As a result, older models of GlacialPower units operate quietly only at a load of no more than 250 watts. When the load is approaching the maximum, they cannot even be classified as average in terms of noise.
The younger model showed a maximum efficiency of about 80%, but as the load grew, it dropped to 75% - a figure from the point of view of current standards is quite acceptable, but not impressive. However, other inexpensive blocks presented in this article showed a similar result.
The senior unit, alas, turned out to be the worst of all, at full power it dropped to an efficiency of only 70%, that is, to the minimum allowable (according to the ATX12V 2.2 standard) value. This standard recommends that the efficiency is at least 77% at full load.
Thus, although in general the GlacialPower power supplies turned out to be quite good, the company still has something to work on - the +12 V voltage noticeably sags under load, the blocks can be called quiet only when operating at low power (on the one hand, this drawback is not too critical , because when you play FEAR or STALKER, the noise of the power supply unit worries you the least - but on the other hand, GlacialTech has earned a reputation in the cooler market precisely for its fairly quiet products, and it shouldn't produce noisy power supplies), the efficiency of the older model hardly satisfies the requirements of the standard. In addition, I would like to see older models with active PFC - after all, passive PFC is the lot of budget-level blocks, but nothing more: among the AcBel and Delta Electronics models discussed above, all blocks with powers of 500 W or more have active PFC.
For these reasons, among the GlacialPower products, the younger model GP-PS350AP deserves the most attention, as a high-quality and quiet power supply for a typical home (including gaming ones not too powerful - especially since, unlike competitors, this unit has a native video card power connector) or office computer.
Conclusion
Generally speaking, I initially did not expect any surprises from this testing - two of the three companies represented are among the largest manufacturers of power supplies in the world (and both are engaged in more than computer units, and the whole spectrum of electronics, from household appliances to mainframe power supplies and distributed power systems), and the latter, GlacialTech, has a very good reputation in the field of cooling systems, which makes it possible to hope that it will not bring frankly bad products to the market under its own brand.In principle, this is exactly what happened - all the power supplies presented (and these are about a dozen different models with powers from 350 to 600 W) passed our tests, which necessarily include 45 minutes of operation at maximum power.
However, I would like to highlight both leaders and outsiders.
I was pleasantly surprised by the excellent workmanship of AcBel products - all the blocks presented, and these are nine models of various series and capacities, are made extremely carefully and fully correspond to the declared parameters. All of them are quite competitive and interesting in their weight categories.
From Delta's products, I was impressed by the 350-watt GPS-350EB-100A, the 550-watt GPS-550AB-A in general, but the GPS-400AB-A, on the contrary, disappointed. The existence of this unit would make sense if the retail price for it was noticeably lower than the price for the GPS-350EB-100A - however, in practice, alas, they cost almost the same, but the parameters of the GPS-350EB-100A are better in all respects.
And, finally, the GlacialPower blocks left a generally pleasant impression, but, however, the developer still has a lot to work on - firstly, these models are not without some drawbacks, and secondly, I would like to see blocks with active PFC in the company's assortment as well. with quieter fans.
AcBel power supplies are kindly provided by "ASBIS".
GlacialPower power supplies are kindly provided by Bureaucrat.
Our customers are interested in a high-quality power supply without loss of voltage, dips and surges, undervoltage or overvoltage, frequency deviations, harmonic distortion and interference. Delta Electronics company specializing in uninterruptible power supply, voltage regulation and protection devices, has developed four families of uninterruptible power supplies - Agilon, Amplon, Ultron and Modulon. Delta Power Supplies provide maximum savings in an exceptional compact size. They have the highest efficiency and exceptional parameter stability. These characteristics indicate the suitability of Delta UPS systems for the most demanding applications. The table below shows their power ranges as well as short descriptions architecture and applications.
The range of products allows our customers to choose uninterruptible power systems that fully meet their requirements for ensuring uninterrupted operation and provide a long-term competitive advantage. Customers can also order UPSs based on the initial needs of their business and then upgrade them as needed. This decision Provides maximum benefits while reducing the total cost of ownership of an uninterruptible power system.
In addition to highly efficient and reliable uninterruptible power supplies, Delta Electronics offers software UPSentry and InsightPowerUPS, greatly expanding your UPS management capabilities. By installing the supported network cards, users can remotely monitor the operation of the uninterruptible power supply, perform initial diagnostics for abnormal abnormalities, and turn systems on or off as needed.
|
Product family |
Power |
Architecture |
Areas of use |
|
Single Phase UPS |
PC and peripherals |
||
|
1 kVA and more |
Single Phase UPS |
Server and network equipment |
|
|
10 kVA and more |
Three Phase Online UPS |
Data centers and industrial equipment |
|
|
20 kVA and more |
Modular UPS |
Modular and expandable UPS |
Delta Uninterruptible Power Systems Advantages:
- High efficiency of AC-AC conversion
- Fully redundant design and configuration
- High input and output power factor
- Easy to expand without additional hardware
- Easy to operate with low total cost of ownership
Delta Electronics is a major global manufacturer of various electronics, primarily industrial. Among other things, the company is engaged in the production of electrical converters of various types and formats and has extensive experience in the production of power supplies for computer systems. The latter include not only quite typical power supplies for system units, but also AC / DC converters for laptops.
The retail channel is not the main one among the methods of selling Delta Electronics products, since most of this type of products goes to computer manufacturers and companies specializing in retail supply of components.
At our disposal was the Delta GPS-500AB-A power supply unit, which belongs to the PM series, which, in addition to the person involved in this material, includes three more power supplies with a capacity of 400 to 550 watts.
It is worth noting that this model, judging by modern industrial standards, has, if not retirement, then a very old age, since it has been produced for more than three years. Therefore, it is worth evaluating its parameters taking into account this fact.
Delta GPS-500AB-A is delivered in packaging designed for retail: compact box with matte printing. The box is made of fairly thin cardboard and is equipped with a plastic carrying handle, which also acts as a lock for the box when closed.
Specifications
All the necessary parameters are indicated on the power supply case in full. For the bus power + 12VDC, the declared value is 360 W, this value corresponds to the value of a typical 450 W power supply. The ratio of the power on the + 12VDC bus to the total power is 0.74, which is a low indicator for modern solutions of similar power.
| Power supply name | Maximum current, A | Maximum power, W | KNS12V | |||||||
| 3.3V | 5V | 12V1 | 12V2 | 12V3 | 12V4 | 3.3 & 5V | 12V | General | ||
ATX12V ver. 2.3 180W | 13 | 14 | 10 | − | − | − | 80 | 120 | 175 | 0,686 |
ATX12V ver. 2.3 220W | 13 | 14 | 14 | − | − | − | 80 | 168 | 215 | 0,781 |
ATX12V ver. 2.3 270W | 19 | 15 | 17 | − | − | − | 97 | 204 | 265 | 0,77 |
ATX12V ver. 2.3 300W | 21 | 15 | 11 | 8 | − | − | 103 | 216 | 295 | 0,732 |
ATX12V ver. 2.3 350W | 21 | 15 | 11 | 14 | − | − | 103 | 264 | 345 | 0,765 |
ATX12V ver. 2.3 400W | 24 | 15 | 17 | 14 | − | − | 120 | 300 | 395 | 0,76 |
ATX12V ver. 2.3 450W | 24 | 15 | 17 | 16 | − | − | 120 | 360 | 445 | 0,81 |
| Delta GPS-500AB-A | 28 | 26 | 16 | 18 | 18 | − | 180 | 360 | 484 | 0,74 |
EPS12V ver. 2.91 550W | 24 | 24 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 8 | 140 | 492 | 550 | 0,895 |
EPS12V ver. 2.91 600W | 24 | 24 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 140 | 576 | 600 | 0,96 |
EPS12V ver. 2.91 650W | 24 | 30 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 170 | 624 | 650 | 0,96 |
EPS12V ver. 2.91 700W | 24 | 30 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 170 | 672 | 700 | 0,96 |
EPS12V ver. 2.91 750W | 24 | 30 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 170 | 720 | 750 | 0,96 |
EPS12V ver. 2.91 800W | 24 | 30 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 170 | 768 | 800 | 0,96 |
Length of wires and number of connectors
- to the main ATX connector - 45 cm
- up to 8 pin SSI processor socket - 46 cm, plus another 20 cm up to ATX12V socket (total about 66 cm)
- to the first power connector of the PCI-E 1.0 VGA Power Connector - 46 cm, plus 20 cm to the second same connector
- to the first SATA Power Connector - 46 cm, plus 15 cm to the second of the same connector
- to the Peripheral Connector (molex) - 46 cm, plus 15 cm to the second and another 15 cm to the third of the same connector
- to the Peripheral Connector (molex) - 46 cm, plus 15 cm to the second and another 15 cm to the third of the same connector, plus another 15 cm to the FDD power connector
| Connector name | Number of connectors | Note | |
| Total | removable | ||
| 24 pin Main Power Connector | 1 | − | collapsible |
| 4 pin 12V Power Connector | 1 | − | |
| 8 pin SSI Processor Connector | 1 | − | non-separable |
| 6 pin PCI-E 1.0 VGA Power Connector | 2 | − | |
| 8 pin PCI-E 2.0 VGA Power Connector | − | − | |
| 4 pin Peripheral Connector | 6 | − | |
| 15 pin Serial ATA Connector | 4 | − | |
| 4 pin Floppy drive Connector | 1 | − | |
The number of connectors and their location on the wiring harness is not optimal for a modern system unit. Taking into account the transition of optical storage and hard drives for power supply from the SATA Power connector, in power supplies of similar power it is optimal to install at least two harnesses with SATA Power connectors in total at least 6 pieces. In this case, we see only four connectors on two harnesses, which may not be very convenient if you have more than two hard drives and an optical drive powered by a SATA Power connector. At the same time, the number of Peripheral Connectors (molex) is excessive: in a modern system unit, it is rather difficult to find in such a number of consumers with such a power connector. In fact, today only some drives (for example, internal card readers), expansion cards (for example, sound cards), as well as various universal panels and fan controllers can be powered from the Peripheral Connectors. However, despite the list that seems impressive at first glance, in most system units the number of such devices tends to zero, so in reality 2-3 connectors on two harnesses are enough.
As for the length of the wires, primarily to the processor power connectors, the situation is as follows: up to the 8-pin SSI Processor Connector - 46 cm, but to the ATX12V connector the length of the wires is about 65 cm, which is quite enough for installation and operation in the case miditower with bottom power supply.
Design
The power supply is equipped with an active power factor corrector and has an extended supply voltage range. A D12SH-12 120 mm fan manufactured by Yate Loon Electronics is installed under the stamped grille. This fan model is based on a sleeve bearing and has a maximum rotation speed of 3000 rpm. It should be noted that the use of sliding bearing fans is not optimal solution in such a thermally loaded node, which is the power supply.
The main semiconductor elements are mounted on two heat sinks, which are about 4 mm thick plates with longitudinal ribbing in the upper part.
Almost all of the capacitors installed in the power supply are manufactured by Samxon and Ltec. The input rectifier is equipped with a Samxon 330 μF (400 V) capacitor, designed for a maximum operating temperature of 85 degrees - this is quite typical for a 550 watt power supply. The output stage contains capacitors designed for a maximum operating temperature of 105 degrees.
Almost all winding elements are additionally fixed with heat shrinkage or overlays made of synthetic material and sealant.
| Design | |
| Maximum output power | 484 Wt |
| Operating range of input voltages | extended |
| Availability and type of cash register (PFC) | yes, active (APFC) |
| Body length | 140 mm |
| Weight (without packaging) | 2.2 kg |
| Fan size | 120 mm |
| Fan model | Yate Loon D12SH-12 |
| Fan connection | two-wire |
| Plastic cover on the fan (deflector) | No |
| Grille in front of the fan | wire |
| Number of radiators | 2 |
| Radiator base thickness | 4 mm |
| Linear dimensions of the base | 80 × 25 and 85 × 25 |
| Capacitor manufacturer | Samxon, Ltec |
| The presence of a mains power switch | there is |
| The presence of a protective sleeve in the hole for the wires | No |
| Backlight | No |
Power supply testing
The first step in instrumental testing is building cross-load characteristic (KNX) and its representation on a half-plane, limited by the maximum power on the 3.3 & 5V bus on one side (along the ordinate) and the maximum power on the 12V bus on the other side - along the abscissa. At each point, the measured voltage value is indicated by a color marker, depending on the deviation from the nominal value.
| Designation of the size of the deviations of the output voltages from the nominal | ||
| Colour | Deviation range | Qualitative assessment |
| 1 percent | Great | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 percent | very good | |
| 3 percent | OK | |
| 4 percent | satisfactorily | |
| 5 percent | poorly | |
| more than five percent | unsatisfactory | |
An explanation of the testing methodology and the process for calculating the final grades for the quality of power supply can be found in one of the previous articles, for example.
| Deviations of the values of the output voltages from the nominal | |||
| + 3.3VDC | + 5VDC | + 12VDC | |
 |  |  |
|
| 12V Power, W - Power on the bus + 12VDC, W | |||
With a typical power distribution across the channels, the deviations do not exceed three percent for the + 12VDC channel and two percent for the + 3.3VDC and + 5VDC channels - this is quite a decent indicator.
With atypical loads, the deviations of the + 12VDC voltage values go out of the allowable 5% range. However, this happens only at the most extreme points, to which in a real system, and not on a test bench, it is almost impossible to approach.
The next step is to determine the real system power of the power supply, that is, the power that can be used when operating a real system unit, and not only when connected to a test bench.
This parameter is determined by summing the real maximum power on the 12V bus and the power of 42 W on the 3.3 & 5V bus - of course, provided that the voltage values remain within the normal range.
In our case, the power calculated using this formula was 402 watts.
Marketing Correctness Coefficient (KMC)- shows the ratio of the calculated power rating to a certain value indicated in the name (model) of the power supply and implying the maximum output power of this power supply.
In this case, KMC = 402/500 = 0.804
This value can be considered unsatisfactory for a modern power supply unit. A low indicator of this coefficient demonstrates that the manufacturer is gaining insufficient power on the main + 12VDC bus due to less demanded 3.3 & 5V lines.
The next stage of testing is to measure the total power supplied to the power supply, active power consumed by it and calculation of efficiency and power factor.
The efficiency of this model is at a satisfactory level for modern solutions.
Measurement of noise level
Measurement is carried out in accordance with our methodology using the VShV-003-M3 sound level meter in a soundproof room with a typical noise level of 20 dBA. During the measurement, all electrical appliances in the room are turned off.
The noise level of this power supply when operating at typical power can be estimated as being below average, with increasing power the noise level practically does not increase. In general, the acoustic ergonomics of this model can be assessed as good.
In standby mode, the noise level of the electronics is minimal - in fact, at a typical distance of half a meter or more, it is almost impossible to hear any sounds emitted by the power supply unit in this operating mode (however, when you bring your ear close to the ventilation grill, you can still hear some noise).
In operating mode, the noise from the electronics is slightly higher, but it cannot be called noticeable, since it is masked by the noise of the fan. No sounds similar to a squeak were noted in this specimen.
The most interesting are two scenarios for using this model: replacing stock power supplies in cheap and mid-budget cases, or completing a new case with a lower location of the power supply, especially in the case of limited financial capacity... In principle, the GPS-500AB-A will cope with the power supply of medium-power gaming systems based on the Radeon HD 6950 and GTX 560, but top-end solutions are clearly too tough for it. Still, age imposes its own limitations.
Outcomes
The bottom line is that we find quite good ergonomics, both acoustic and assembly; the latter is provided with a sufficient number of connectors and wire lengths. Electrical parameters the power supply is at the middle level. In a word, for an average system, the power supply is quite adequate - it is characterized by a balance of a complex of consumer qualities and cost.
Delta GPS-500AB-A power supply unit provided for testing by the manufacturer
