Asus TUF Gaming 550W Bronze PSU review: Long warranty, decent price

The Asus TUF Gaming 550W is a good-performance budget power supply.

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Performance Rating

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The TUF 550 achieves high performance, but despite its modern platform, is cannot take the lead from the Corsair, XPG, and Thermaltake units that use less advanced platforms, all provided by Channel Well Technology. 

Noise Rating

The graph below depicts the cooling fan's average noise over the PSU's operating range, with an ambient temperature between 30 to 32 degrees Celsius (86 to 89.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

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Under normal operating temperatures, the average noise output is low for the standards of this category, but the CX550M puts it to shame, along with all other similar spec PSUs. 

Efficiency Rating

The following graph shows the PSU's average efficiency throughout its operating range with an ambient temperature close to 30 degrees Celsius.

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

We expected that this platform would achieve first place in this chart. The CX550M is not far behind, though. 

Power Factor Rating

The following graphs show the PSU's average power factor reading throughout its operating range with an ambient temperature close to 30 degrees Celsius and 115V/230V voltage input. 

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ASUS TUF Gaming 550
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

The APFC converter does a decent job with 115V but needs tuning for higher PF readings with 230V. 

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Aris Mpitziopoulos
Aris Mpitziopoulos
Contributing Editor

Aris Mpitziopoulos is a contributing editor at Tom's Hardware, covering PSUs.

4 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Co BIY
    Is the large amount of concern about capacitor quality still valid ?

    Is there any evidence that Japanese caps are a lot better than Chinese brands in 2023 ?
    Reply
  • Soaptrail
    I know it has that Cybenetics Siler++ but still a bronze. I would only consider a Platinum or Titanium at this point.
    Reply
  • digitalgriffin
    Highly disappointing on the quality of the caps. There was a time TUF branding meant higher quality components for longevity. Now it's just a sales tag with no meaning.
    Reply
  • digitalgriffin
    Co BIY said:
    Is the large amount of concern about capacitor quality still valid ?

    Is there any evidence that Japanese caps are a lot better than Chinese brands in 2023 ?

    Yes. They are still made of paste. Paste, barrier, and sealing are NOT the same. Compare a RMx or Seasonic which come with 10 year warranties. They are 100% Japanese capacitors. Kind of says a lot.
    Reply