Part 1: Four Cheap 80 PLUS Bronze Power Supplies, Reviewed

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Power supply manufacturers condition us to think that efficiency is the one variable you need to pay the most attention to. But we have a suite of tests that more thoroughly taxes PSUs. Can these four inexpensive units under $70 make it through unscathed?

Model Comparison Table

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Overview: Efficient Budget PSUs
Make Antec Chieftec Cougar Enermax
Model HCG-400 Nitro 2 85+ BPS-550C2 A350 Triathlor 385W
Price ~$45 N/A N/A N/A
Certification 80 PLUS Bronze 80 PLUS Bronze 80 PLUS Bronze 80 PLUS Bronze
Dimensions (WxDxH) 6" x 6.3" x 3.4" 6” x 6.3” x 3.4” 6” x 5.5” x 3.4” 6” x 6.3” x 3.4”
Weight 5.7 lbs. 6 lbs. 4.6 lbs. 4.4 lbs.
Operating Temperature 32-104 °F 32-104 °F up to 122 °F 32-104 °F
Warranty 3 years 2 years 3 years 3 years
Specifications
Specification ATX12V v2.3 ATX12V v2.3 ATX12V v2.3 ATX12V v2.3
Nominal Power 400 W 550 W 350 W 385 W
Maximum Power 440 W 650 W for 60 sec - 425 W
AC Input 100-240 V 100-240 V 100-240 V 100-240 V
AC Voltage Selection Auto voltage Auto voltage Auto voltage Auto voltage
DC Output +3.3 V 20 A 25 A 21 A 20 A
DC Output +5 V 20 A 25 A 15 A 20 A
DC Output +12 V (#1) 30 A 45 A 14 A 20 A
DC Output +12V (#2) N/A N/A 14 A 20 A
DC Output +12 V (#3) N/A N/A N/A N/A
DC Output +12 V (#4) N/A N/A N/A N/A
DC Output -12 V 0.8 A 0.8 A 0.3 A 0.5 A
DC Power +12 V Combined 360 W 540 W 276 W 384 W
PFC active active active active
Specified Hold-Up Time 17 ms 16 ms >17 ms 16 ms
MTBF 100,000 hours >100,000 hours 100,000 hours 100,000 hours
Cooling
Main Fan 135 mm 140 mm 120 mm 120 mm
Speed of Main Fan 400-1400 RPM Up to 2300 RPM 600-1800 RPM 500-1800 RPM
Aux. Fan n/a n/a n/a n/a
Speed of Aux. Fan n/a n/a n/a n/a
Cables and Connectors
20+4 pin Motherboard 1x (55 cm) 1x (55 cm) 1x (45 cm) 1x (55 cm)
CPU 1x (60 cm) 2x (55 cm) 1x (45 cm) 1x (60 cm)
PCI Express 6-pin/6+2-pin (Graphics) 1/0x (55 cm) 0/2x (55 cm) 1/0x (45 cm) 0/1x (50 cm)
Molex 4-pin (Peripherals) 4x (50 - 80 cm) 4x (55 - 70 cm) 3x (80 - 95 cm) 4x (70 - 80 cm)
SATA Power 5x (50 - 80 cm) 6x (55 - 95 cm) 4x (50 - 65 cm) 4x (50 - 60 cm)
4-pin Floppy 1x (95 cm) 1x (85 cm) 1x (95 cm) 1x (90 cm)
Special Features
Accessories Screws, Cable Ties N/A N/A Screws, Velcro Strips
Cable Management No Yes No No
56 Comments Comment from the forums
  • wolley74
    no love for the EVGA 500B?
    Reply
  • computer_nugget2
    ALWAYS judge a power supply by its weight. especially if its Chinese.
    Reply
  • InvalidError
    11435905 said:
    always judge a power supply by its weight.
    Some Chinese OEMs put rocks, small concrete blocks, lumps of steel or other stuff like that disguised as a transformer with bits of wire that aren't connected to anything to trick people into believing their heavier PSUs are better.

    So weight alone is not a reliable indicator.

    Also, at high frequencies and high efficiencies, the size of inductors, capacitors, transformers and heatsinks along with the associated weight shrink. While light weight and high quality may rarely be seen together, they certainly are not mutually exclusive.
    Reply
  • dudewitbow
    11435841 said:
    no love for the EVGA 500B?

    a good chunk of Tom's physical hardware reviews generally are conducted in europe. This goes for a good handful of the gpu tests as well. EVGA rarely ever shows up on review sites because of it(and possibly due to lack of EVGA response to a hardware review pitch)

    Reply
  • computer_nugget2
    11435944 said:
    11435905 said:
    always judge a power supply by its weight.
    Some Chinese OEMs put rocks, small concrete blocks, lumps of steel or other stuff like that disguised as a transformer with bits of wire that aren't connected to anything to trick people into believing their heavier PSUs are better.

    So weight alone is not a reliable indicator.

    Also, at high frequencies and high efficiencies, the size of inductors, capacitors, transformers and heatsinks along with the associated weight shrink. While light weight and high quality may rarely be seen together, they certainly are not mutually exclusive.

    do you have pics to prove this?
    Reply
  • envy14tpe
    This is PART 1. Which means more PSUs to come, so let's hope for no dumb comments asking why not this PSU or this one...
    Reply
  • jimmysmitty
    11436142 said:
    This is PART 1. Which means more PSUs to come, so let's hope for no dumb comments asking why not this PSU or this one...

    They have already listed the PSUs for part 2 and I didn't see a part 3 listed. I wonder where the Corsair CX430 is. Its a 85+ Bronze PSU and is $39.99 on Egg right now. Its one of the best entry level PSUs I have actually used as well and compared to other PSUs at the same price point or higher (within 550W and may or may not be 80+ at all) I have seen less of them come back bad.
    Reply
  • razor512
    11435905 said:
    always judge a power supply by its weight.

    While weight is an important factor, overall weight is 100% useless

    for example check out the SIGMA SHARK SP-635

    http://www.ocia.net/reviews/sigma635/page2.shtml

    it is probably one of the heaviest power supplies you will find (with the exception of some of the 1200 watt ones)

    I purchased it a while back and was disappointed at the internals. they used an insanely thick case that made the power supply weigh a lot but the insides were were the result of the owner of the company asking while walking around china, what are the cheapest items we can find on the shenzhen market today.

    (at least the power supply can double as a flail or a boat anchor)
    Reply
  • pyro226
    Hoping to see the CX430 and other corsairs reviewed. I like the little thing since it powers my PC. :D It originally rang a bit when the computer was suspended or at random after a few hours of use, but that went away with age.
    Reply
  • sanilmahambre
    Nice basic testing method
    Reply