Bang For Your Buck: Four 500 W Power Supplies Reviewed

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Enthusiasts often say that you can never have too much performance. However, a 500W power supply is perfectly ample for a majority of mid-range PCs. This is one of those cases where a solid ratio of performance to price is preferable to gross excess.

Less Can Be More

Editor's Note: If you want more background on how power supply testing plays out here at Tom's Hardware, I recommend that you check out Soon At Tom's Hardware: Full-Scale Power Supply Testing before reading this piece.

Special attention gets paid to the power supply unit (PSU) these days, primarily in the high-performance and gaming community. No wonder, as the requirements of top-shelf PCs with multiple processors and modern 3D graphics cards are constantly increasing. Such computers will suck 800 W or more from the power supply under load, and for short periods that number can be substantially higher.

On the other hand, power supplies are often forgotten in offices and for everyday multimedia applications. Truth be told, compact and mid-range PCs don't require a high-performance power supply. However, investing in a high-quality power supply can pay off in several ways.

First, a good PSU guarantees a reliable and consistent supply of power to all components. This can help extend component longevity. Second, a highly energy efficient PSU helps reduce the energy consumption of a home or office. Additionally, other aspects, such as ergonomics, cable modularity, and cable length can simplify or complicate PC assembly. PSUs with good build quality also prevent nicked fingers or a less-than-optimal fit during installation. Trust us. We've seen it all.

We gathered a few mid-range models for this roundup. A top street price of $150 was our only prerequisite, and we settled on four 500 W models from Cooler Master, Enermax, FSP, and SilverStone. The coveted 80 PLUS logo is emblazoned on each box, except for SilverStone's.

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43 Comments Comment from the forums
  • haplo602
    the yes/no graphs are funny .... how about a table ?

    anyway I did not notice voltage stability measurements and a "hot box" test.
    Reply
  • sabot00
    Editor FTW!
    Reply
  • SpadeM
    It might be just me but the ripple/noise test wasn't performed on these PSUs. Also, at what temperature did you guys test for the efficiency? I'm hoping u tested it over 30 degrees Celsius.
    Other then that, it's a pretty quick analysis. Wish you'd open them up to actually see what components they used in their primary and secondary circuits.
    Reply
  • The Lady Slayer
    @SpadeM: there are other sites that dismantle power supplies, just google them

    I'm happy that yet another site thinks highly of the CM Silent Pro series; I'm using the M600W currently.
    Reply
  • agnickolov
    For the last several years I've considered $50 the ceiling for a 500W PSU... To put it into perspective - this is the value choice. I did spend $80 on a 530W PSU 7 years ago, but that was then.
    Reply
  • raclimja
    why no seasonic?

    according to most people that i know, seasonic is the very best brand that make quality psu for the money

    newegg has a Seasonic S12ii Bronze 520w for just $69.99
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151094&cm_re=seasonic_s12ii_bronze-_-17-151-094-_-Product

    and according to reviews it is the very best power supply in its price range(it even beat the Corsair HX 620w)
    http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=2162&page=4
    Reply
  • p1n3apqlexpr3ss
    Ummm... just me or 4 rails @ 18A for the FSP and 3 rails @ 25A for the enermax seem really really really heaps for a 500W psu...?
    Reply
  • p1n3apqlexpr3ss
    Oh and how can you have a 115V 110% peak load test on the silverstone?? :p
    But yea very nice read, was expecting some more cheaper PSUs tbh though, the vantec ions seem to offer good price/performance, at least here in new zealand, dunno if you get them in america
    Reply
  • raclimja
    P1n3apqlExpr3ssUmmm... just me or 4 rails @ 18A for the FSP and 3 rails @ 25A for the enermax seem really really really heaps for a 500W psu...?
    in my opinion, if i am buying a 500w psu

    my main concern will be efficiency

    since i wont mind doing some crazy overclocking or tri-sli or quad fire over a 500w psu

    also look at this very interesting result that i have found
    a Core i7 920 + GTX 260 @stock under PRIME 95+ Furmark has only a maximum power consumption of 371w
    http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cases/display/system-wattage_7.html#sect0

    and in real life usage i bet you wont even get close to that power consumption even when overclocked :)
    Reply
  • jhanschu
    I always enjoy reading about PSU's as I feel they are really the core to your system. Poor power means flaky system, and allow your electrical components to last longer.

    With that aside, in my opinion finding a value PSU is about weighing price and quality. Although the Pro87+ was a monster when it came to efficiency, it was still said to be available for around $140. First, that's a bit much for a budget/midrange PSU and secondly, I couldn't find that particular PSU anywhere online. I found the 600W variant on newegg for around the same price...but it's not the same PSU.

    Pretty much the same goes for the other PSU's. I couldn't find them at any reputable online dealers (newegg, tigerdirect, zipzoomfly, etc.). And I do realize that it takes much time to do a review like this, but it seems like some of the more popular brands have been left out. Even if they don't have an 80plus "Gold" PSU at or around the 500W level. At least then you'd have a baseline for a so called normal efficiency power supply.

    I did a lot of research when I purchased mine a couple of years ago when I last built a ground up system. I settled on a corsair VX550 and have been thoroughly impressed with how it's handled my moderate gaming system. Now this is a personal preference, but I've been so pleased with it, I doubt if I will go to another PSU label. But anyway, that's my $0.02.
    Reply