High Power For Power Users: 13 Power Supplies In The Spotlight

Stable Voltages

The ability for a power supply to supply stable and consistent power is ever so important in the quest to achieve system stability. Beyond that, system components might get damaged if Voltages are unstable or stray beyond specifications. Processors, in particular, react adversely to Voltage spikes and drops.

On the positive side, all of the power supplies operate as represented under a normal, full load. Only when overloaded do they fall below tolerance levels. That said, only a few of the power supplies power down correctly.

The Noisemagic EG465AX-VE(G) NMT-2/2GL goes to pieces at approximately 450 Watts in the +5-Volt line without switching off. We were more impressed with the Herolchi HEC-450LR-AT: it cuts out at 441 Watts caused by overloading in the +12-Volt line, thus preventing any damage to components.

Silent Service And Operation

A constant whine or humming noise in the background can severely impair user concentration. To keep noise levels within bounds, all manufacturers use active fan speed adjustment, where the fan speed is adjusted upward for heavy loads to ensure adequate cooling. The difference in noise levels is clearly audible.

Manufacturers such as Enermax allow you to manually adjust fan speed and, by extension, noise levels. Verax has equipped its ST-400 HLP with a quiet fan it developed. In this article, we'll also provide you with some comparison of the quiet technologies featured in these units.