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Phanteks, with Seasonic's help, managed to deliver a worth-looking product in the 550W PSU category. Its price is fair and although it has to face fierce competition in this category, e.g., the Corsair RM550x and the similar capacity Seasonic Focus Plus Gold unit, the PH-P550G scores first in the noise output section managing to take the lead from its Corsair rival, which so far dominated our charts. So if you are after a dead-silent power supply, the PH-P550G easily fits the bill.
The PH-P550G uses the new Seasonic Focus Plus Gold platform, which achieves lower overall noise output and also has increased efficiency, compared to its predecessor. The build quality of the PH-P550G is also high, and this is why the provided warranty is extra-long, at ten years. Besides good electrolytic capacitors and quality FETs, Seasonic also used a Fluid Dynamic Bearing (FDB) fan, provided by Hong Hua, which is supported by a semi-passive operation. The passive mode can be deactivated, thankfully, in case you don't want heat building-up at the PSU's internals, till the fan starts to spin.
In the Phanteks PH-550G, another worthy product has been added to the mid-capacity category. If you are after a 550W unit, strongly consider the PH-550G, especially if you find it at a lower price than its sibling, the Seasonic Focus Plus Gold 550W, which unfortunately we haven't evaluated yet. Its primary rival is the Corsair RM550x, which achieves higher overall performance, mostly thanks to its better ripple suppression, and has about the same, super-low, overall noise output. The EVGA 550 G3 is also a competitor of this Phanteks unit, but it won't stay in production for long since it will be replaced by the G5 line, which doesn't achieve the same high-performance levels as the G3 models.
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Disclaimer: Aris Mpitziopoulos is Tom's Hardware's PSU reviewer. He is also the Chief Testing Engineer of Cybenetics and developed the Cybenetics certification methodologies apart from his role on Tom's Hardware. Neither Tom's Hardware nor its parent company, Future PLC, are financially involved with Cybenetics. Aris does not perform the actual certifications for Cybenetics.
