EVGA SuperNOVA 550 GS PSU Review

EVGA teamed up with Seasonic to release an affordable, mid-capacity, 80 PLUS Gold, fully modular PSU, the SuperNOVA 550 GS, which costs just $90.

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Early Verdict

A highly efficient PSU with compact dimensions and ideal wattage for a mainstream or a mid-range system. In addition, it uses Japanese electrolytic caps so it will keep its good performance through time.

Pros

  • +

    Full power at 46 °C • Efficient • Low ripple on the minor rails • 4x PCIe & 3x EPS • Compact dimensions • Quality caps • Hold-up time • Warranty

Cons

  • -

    Ripple at +12V • Duration of ECO mode • Noisy under stress

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EVGA SuperNOVA 550 GS Power Supply Review

EVGA has cooperated with several major PSU OEMs in the past, including Super Flower, FSP and Etasis. However, this is the first time that the company's product portfolio includes a Seasonic implementation. So far, the new PS series includes only a single unit with 1kW of max power; EVGA's GS line, on the other hand, has four PSUs with 550, 650, 850 and 1050W capacities. Those GS units strive to achieve a balance between good performance and affordable prices, targeting users who don't want to spend a fortune on a PSU, but still want specifications approaching the high-end category.

The unit we have on the test bench today is the smallest GS PSU with 550W of output, which should be ideal for mainstream and mid-range systems. Thanks to its fully modular design and compact dimensions, this is a particularly usable model featuring semi-passive operation, or ECO mode, as EVGA calls it, for zero-noise output under light loads. For users who need the fan constantly spinning (for example, in case they want to install the PSU with its fan grill facing downwards), ECO mode can be disengaged with the flip of a switch. It's only unfortunate that the switch is on the back side of the power supply, making it difficult to reach. Typically, on/off switches should be located on the front of the PSU so you can access them without removing the chassis' side panel. 

Specifications

The unit can deliver 550W of max power continuously at up to 50 degrees Celsius, which is sufficient for a large number of systems nowadays, especially if you use a Maxwell-powered GPU with lower energy demands compared with equally performing AMD solutions. However, you shouldn't get a PSU that will struggle with your hardware under heavy utilization. Besides shortening the PSU's life, this has a negative impact on efficiency since in almost all cases PSUs deliver their peak efficiency with typical loads (40 to 50 percent of their max-rated capacity); under more taxing loads, they register significantly lower efficiency levels. 

EVGA offers a fully modular cabling design in its GS line, and all of the units in the series are Haswell-ready, since they are based on a design that uses DC-DC converters for generating the minor rails. In addition, besides OTP (Over-Temperature Protection) and OCP (Over-Current Protection) the rest of the protection features are present. In single +12V rail PSUs, OCP is substituted by OPP (Over-Power Protection); however, OTP is a crucial feature for any PSU and we strongly believe it should be included.

For cooling, the 550 GS uses a Nano-Steel bearing fan, where the bearing is sealed and the Teflon surfaces along with air pressure are used to minimize friction. This differs from sleeve-bearing and FDB fans, which employ oil to lessen friction. This technology promises low noise output and a significantly increased lifetime compared with sleeve bearings, and over time we're confident it will prove its reliability.

This unit's dimensions are pretty compact, measuring only 15cm deep, which means it'll be easy to house in any ATX-compatible case. In addition, you get a five-year warranty (the higher-capacity 850 and 1050W models are covered by seven-year warranties). Finally, the price is on the high side for a 550W power supply. However, this specific unit does feature high-end specs, including the Japanese capacitors we like to see and fully modular cabling.

Power Specifications

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Rail3.3V5V12V5VSB-12V
Max. PowerAmps2020452.50.3
Watts10054012.53.6
Total Max. Power (W)Row 2 - Cell 1 Row 2 - Cell 2 550Row 2 - Cell 4 Row 2 - Cell 5

The +12V rail can almost deliver the unit's full power on its own, a common feature among PSUs with DC-DC converters. And the minor rails provide enough juice for any mid-level system. Finally, the 5VSB rail has the typical amperage for a contemporary PSU.

Cables And Connectors

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Modular Cables Header Cell - Column 1
ATX connector (600mm)20+4 pin
Eight-pin EPS12V (550mm)1
4+4 pin EPS12V (660mm)1
4+4 pin EPS12V (550mm)1
6+2 pin PCIe (550mm+105mm)4
SATA (560mm+100mm+100mm+100mm)4
SATA (560mm+100mm)2
Four-pin Molex (560mm+100mm+100mm+100mm)4
FDD Adapter (+100mm)1

EVGA equips this mid-capacity PSU with a fairly large number of connectors; in addition to four PCIe connectors it features three EPS connectors mounted on two cables. We should note that you can use only one of the two EPS cables at a time, which makes sense, since three available EPS connectors are pretty much useless. We also believe that four PCIe connectors along with two EPS connectors are more than enough for a 550W PSU. In fact, in some cases, this configuration can be overkill, especially if you hook up two high-end graphics cards and a power-hungry CPU. Finally, the number of SATA and peripheral connectors will suffice for the majority of PCs. There is also an FDD adapter, for those of you who still need one.

Cable length is satisfactory and our only criticism is the rather short cable that holds the pair of EPS connectors. Ideally, it should be 60cm long to avoid compatibility problems in full-tower cases. On the other hand, the distance between SATA connectors is ideal, though we would like to see more distance between the peripheral cables, within a 13 to 15cm range. Finally, all connectors use standard AWG18 cables, which offer low voltage drops in mid-capacity PSUs, with enough flexibility for easy cable management.

Power Distribution

Since this PSU features a single +12V rail, we do not have anything to say about its power distribution.

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Aris Mpitziopoulos
Aris Mpitziopoulos
Contributing Editor

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

18 Comments Comment from the forums
  • damric
    There are less rippletastic options at that price point.
    Reply
  • Nuckles_56
    Nice to see a review of a smaller ATX PSU for a change
    Reply
  • Aris_Mp
    my last reviews were of smaller capacity units and I will try to bring even more of them.
    Reply
  • Luay
    Coorection, EVGA did release a gold rated 1050W and 850W Seasonic PSU also branded as GS, and a platinum 1000W PS. There's also a 650W version of the PSU reviewed here which takes the total to five Seasonic OEMs branded by EVGA.
    Reply
  • Larry Litmanen
    There are less rippletastic options at that price point.

    For the most part when it comes to PC parts you get what you pay for. Unless you spot a great sale, a 550W fully modular, 80 Gold PSU from a company like EVGA with a 5 year warranty. EVGA is super easy to deal with should you need to replace a unit. All that for $90? If this PSU was a 650W unit with same features and for the same price it would have been perfect.
    Reply
  • atheus
    There are less rippletastic options at that price point.

    For the most part when it comes to PC parts you get what you pay for. Unless you spot a great sale, a 550W fully modular, 80 Gold PSU from a company like EVGA with a 5 year warranty. EVGA is super easy to deal with should you need to replace a unit. All that for $90? If this PSU was a 650W unit with same features and for the same price it would have been perfect.
    You mean the price would have been perfect? Confusing idea to change the wattage rather than just change the price. I take that to mean instead of a certain price/performance you would rather have a 650 watt PSU than a 550.

    I see 650 watt PSU's as only for SLI systems, which are fairly niche. With 550 you can handle any single GPU, and in the case of Maxwell GPU's <= 980 you could even SLI them so long as you aren't doing some obscene overclocking or running a dozen fans and pumps and a datacenter worth of HDD's. So for my go-to wattage for a standard high performance single GPU build is 550. For medium performance 450 is even better.
    Reply
  • Dark Lord of Tech
    I own this one great modular power supply.
    Reply
  • logainofhades
    Unless you really feel the need for a gold rated PSU, I would probably save some cash and stick with a Seasonic 520w or 620w M12II. Even the 750w B2 series is cheaper.
    Reply
  • Aris_Mp
    Coorection, EVGA did release a gold rated 1050W and 850W Seasonic PSU also branded as GS, and a platinum 1000W PS. There's also a 650W version of the PSU reviewed here which takes the total to five Seasonic OEMs branded by EVGA.

    This is exactly what I write inside the review. Four GS PSUs and one PS.

    "So far, the new PS series includes only a single unit with 1kW of max power; EVGA's GS line, on the other hand, has four PSUs with 550, 650, 850 and 1050W capacities."

    I also have the 650 GS in my lab, but this isn't for Tom's.
    Reply
  • Coolant
    Quick question, what would happen if one of the secondary fets was removed?
    Reply