Specifications

MAXIMUMPC JANUARY 200558
DeVanni DP-568FL
A passable PSU for the money, but a little more dough
gets you a whole lot more
DeVanni’s DP-568FL is the black sheep in a showdown dominated
by feature-packed power supplies with often-painful prices. This
stylish 500-watt unit lacks virtually all the advanced capabilities of its
brethren, but compensates with a low sticker price. The outcome is an
adequate product that may appeal to penny pinchers.
Let’s start with what the DP-568FL does well. For one, it emerged
from our load test unscathed, with a power consumption that usually
hovered around 380 watts. The polished, dark gray casing is easy on the
eyes, and the abundance of fans—two 60mm intakes, one 80mm intake,
and one 80mm exhaust—results in unimpeachable cooling prowess.
Meanwhile, avid case modders will appreciate the PSU’s integrated
neon LEDs.
But despite what the DP-568FL offers for the money, it has several
shortcomings. Active power factor correction is a no-show, and
the large number of cooling fans keeps this PSU from winning any
quietness contests. Additionally, the power cables aren’t modular,
and only the main power cable (that huge one that plugs into your
motherboard) is sleeved. The output voltage on the DeVanni’s 12V rail
registered 11.77V, which is better than most of the power supplies
tested here, but still nothing to write home about.
The biggest knock against this PSU, though, is its abysmal support for the
technologies of tomorrow. ATX 2.0 mobos are not welcome, and don’t expect
to fi nd connectors for your Serial ATA drives and PCI Express videocard
either. Put simply, this means that if you were to buy the DP-568FL today, you
would almost certainly have
to replace it the next time you
upgrade your system.
Overall, the DeVanni
DP-568FL is decent. If price
is paramount, it’s worth
considering. But keep this in
mind: An additional $40 will
buy you the Cooler Master
RS-450-ACLY, which is a much
better investment in the future.
Attractive and cheap; passed our load test.
RINGO STARR
RICHARD STARKEY
Lacks active power factor correction and
modular cables; limited useful lifespan.
$70, www.ditcorp.com
6
MAXIMUMPC
VERDICT
PC Power & Cooling Turbo-Cool
510 Deluxe
The erstwhile king of power supplies still rocks—but
could use a little freshening
PC Power & Cooling’s Turbo-Cool performance PSUs have been the
foundation of every Maximum PC Dream Machine for the past six years,
and for good reason. With almost 20 years of experience in the power
supply business, these guys know how to build PSUs the right way. The
Turbo-Cool 510 Deluxe continues the company’s proud tradition of quality,
but unfortunately, it lags the competition in a few areas.
Let’s get one thing straight: You can’t fault the Turbo-Cool’s
performance. This 510-watt behemoth breezed through our load test, and
in our voltage sag test, it maintained its initial output voltage of 12.08V
when we dropped the input voltage to 60V. Of all the PSUs we tested, only
Antec’s NeoPower matched this formidable feat. Meanwhile, the Turbo-
Cool’s active power factor correction resulted in a stellar power factor
rating of 98 percent.
If not for Antec’s NeoPower, PC Power & Cooling would have dominated
this roundup handily. The Turbo-Cool does have a few advantages over its
upstart competitor, such as voltage regulation to within 1 percent of spec
(the NeoPower’s is accurate to within 3 percent), sleeved power cables,
and adjustable voltage pots for overclockers. But it lacks modular power
cables and thermally monitored fan-only power connectors, both of which
the NeoPower has. And whereas the NeoPower is laudably quiet, the
Turbo-Cool’s lone 80mm exhaust fan gets pretty damn noisy. Our test unit
didn’t include ATX 2.0 or PCI Express support, but for $10 more, the Turbo-
Cool 510 Express will give you both, so we won’t hold this against it.
The Turbo-Cool 510 Deluxe is most certainly a triumph of substance
over style—if you’re looking
for a quality power supply, you
simply can’t go wrong. But
Antec’s 480-watt NeoPower
costs $70 less, while besting
the Turbo-Cool in the noise
and features departments and
still offering suffi cient power.
For the time being, at least, PC
Power & Cooling is no longer
top dog. But it’s close.
The gold standard for quality and reliability, with
oodles of power on tap.
BEATLES
BEETLES
It’s loud, expensive, and lacks modular power
cables.
$220, www.pcpowerandcooling.com
9
MAXIMUMPC
VERDICT
STACK ‘EM UP
BLOW
‘EM
OUT