Specifications

JANUARY 2005 MAXIMUMPC 59
FANLESS POWER SUPPLY
Specifications and Features Power Connectors Load Test Voltage Test Price/Verdict
RATED OUTPUT ATX 2.0 COMPATIBLE MODULAR POWER CABLES ACTIVE PFC
PERIPHERAL FLOPPY SATA PCI EXPRESS POWER DRAW
(TYPICAL) POWER DRAW (PEAK) PFC RATING PASS/FAIL INITIAL 12V VOLTAGE 12V VOLTAGE @ 60V INPUT PASS/FAIL
PRICE
VERDICT
Antec NeoPower 480*
480W Yes Yes Yes 9 2 2 1 380W 388W 97% Pass 11.92 11.92 Pass $150 10/Kick Ass
Cooler Master RS-450-ACLY
450W Yes No Yes 7 2 2 0 335W 347W 97% Pass 12.28 SO** Fail $110 8
DeVanni DP-568FL
500W No No No 8 2 0 0 380W 391W 69% Pass 11.77 SO** Fail $70 6
OCZ PowerStream 520ADJ
520W Yes No No 8 2 2 1 363W 379W 68% Pass 12.27 9.88 Fail $130 7
PC Power & Cooling Turbo-Cool
510 Deluxe***
510W No No Yes 7 1 2 0 375W 386W 98% Pass 12.08 12.08 Pass $220 9/Kick Ass
Ultra X-Connect
500W No Yes No 8 1 0 0 350W 367W 63% Fail 12.57 11.54 Pass $100 4
Vantec Stealth VAN-520A
520W Yes No No 10 2 0 1 365W 378W 64% Fail 12.32 9.61 Fail $100 3
Generic 400-watt reference point
400W No No No 6 2 0 0 385W 406W 65% Pass 12.18 9.49 Fail N/A N/A
At press time, our Lab
received the fi rst fanless power
supply we’ve seen from a major
vendor. On the surface, Antec’s
350-watt Phantom looks like
a conventional PSU encased
in a giant black heatsink, but
unlike other PSUs, the Phantom
features an advanced “full
bridge” design.
Normally found in industrial-
strength PSUs, full-bridge
circuitry reduces the amount
of power lost during the AC-to-
DC conversion. In fact, Antec
claims 85 percent effi ciency for
the Phantom, compared with
around 70 percent for most
PSUs. In practical terms, this
translates into cooler operation
and a lower electric bill.
In order to ensure that
crucial components like
the transformer and main
capacitors won’t overheat, these
vital organs have been placed in
thermal contact with the metal
PSU chassis to improve heat
dispersion. Antec says that as
long as the host PC has “a good
cooling system with proper
airfl ow,” there should be no
problems.
We’ll fi nd out for sure next
month when our Lab conducts a
full review. Stay tuned!
With the Phantom, Antec hopes to reduce noise—
and not skimp on quality
BENCHMARKS
CONCLUSION
The results of our tests indicate that even the
biggest, baddest system money can buy doesn’t
necessarily need a gigantic power supply. The
ridiculously power-hungry computer we used for
our load test never drew more than 406 watts from
the outlet. Assuming an above-average effi ciency of
75 percent, none of the PSUs we tested ever had to
provide more than 305 watts of power.
But it’s important to remember that in order to
guarantee the reliable operation of your PC, your
PSU must be able to consistently satisfy that 305
watt demand. A quality 350-watt unit may have no
trouble doing that, but a cheap, no-name 350-watt
power supply will probably peak around 220W
under realistic conditions. And even if it supplies
your PC with enough power, a poorly designed PSU
can damage your hardware over time by feeding it
“dirty” power.
Ultimately, there’s no harm in overestimating
your power needs, but there is a lot of potential
harm in underestimating them. If you can afford
a big power supply, get one—remember, a bigger
PSU won’t consume more electricity unless the PC
needs it. A 600-watter is probably a bit excessive,
but there’s no harm in springing for 450 or even 500
watts. At the bare minimum, we think any modern
power PC should have at least a 400-watt PSU.
Regardless of how big a PSU you buy, it’s in
your best interest to choose a high-quality model
from a reputable manufacturer. Generally speaking,
we’ve had the best experiences with PSUs made
by Antec, PC Power & Cooling, and Enermax (who
unfortunately couldn’t send us a review unit in time
for this roundup). Of the models we tested, Antec’s
NeoPower 480 and PC Power & Cooling’s Turbo-
Cool 510 Deluxe are the obvious winners. Both offer
unsurpassed quality, with the NeoPower gaining
the edge in features. If you’re on a budget, consider
the Cooler Master RS-450-ACLY; it performed
reasonably well in our tests and is remarkably
energy-effi cient. ■
*Due to the design of the NeoPower’s cables, not all of its power connectors can be used simultaneously. Numbers shown are the maximum possible for each connector type.
**SO indicates that the power supply shut off when the input voltage was lowered to 60V.
***PC Power & Cooling also offers a version of the Turbo-Cool 510 which supports ATX 2.0 and PCI-E, but we did not test it.