Silver Power SP-SS500
Testing
Test Rig
| Processor | Intel Core 2 Duo E9450 @ 3.2 GHZ, 1.475V |
|---|---|
| Motherboard | XFX 790i Ultra |
| RAM | Crucial DDR3 12800 2GB @ 1600 MHZ 2.0V |
| Graphics Card | Sapphire HD 4870 X2 |
| HDD | Hitachi Deskstar 250GB |
| OS | Windows XP Pro x86 |
Methodology
Testing power supplies is a fairly simple process compared to other products. The unit is hooked up to the most powerful hardware we have available at the time, and left in an idle state for 30 minutes. After that time, we use a multimeter plugged into the ATX power connector, and a PF and wattage meter for their results respectively. Then, the PC(s) that the unit is powering are loaded as far as they can go to guarantee maximum power draw, and the results are taken again.
The software used to load the PC was S&M on 2 of the CPU’s cores, and our Crysis benchmark running at full tilt (“high” settings for everything, 8 x AA and 1600*1200) to load the GPU and the other 2 CPU cores.
We also test a unit’s efficiency, by taking it’s PF rating and the wattage necessary to power the hardware. We can then compare this to other PSUs to find out how efficient it is.
For comparison purposes, we’ve used the previously reviewed QPower 1050w, XSpice 750w and Commander 750w.
Results
Interestingly, once again it’s the 12v rail that lets this PSU down. While it’s got tight and stable 3.3v and 5v rails, the 12v one is .12v out at load, and jumps well over .2v when moving from idle to load. Compare to the other PSUs, it’s around as good as the Qpower 1050, but falls short of the fantastic Commander and the slightly less so XSpice.
|
PF Standby
|
PF Idle
|
PF Load
|
Watt Standby
|
Watt Idle
|
Watt Load
|
|
| Shiny QPower |
0.19
|
0.9
|
0.96
|
6
|
308
|
521
|
| XSpice 750w |
0.17
|
0.85
|
0.93
|
7
|
284
|
513
|
| Commander 750w |
0.19
|
0.94
|
0.96
|
6
|
276
|
472
|
| Silver Power SP-SS500 |
0.33
|
0.96
|
0.95
|
4
|
285
|
492
|
While it may not have made a big splash in terms of rail stability compared to the other units, on it’s PF rating it’s right up there with them, having a much better efficiency at standby than the others; it’s “Green Power” rating is well deserved it seems. Wattage wise, it’s better than the QPower and XSpice, though not quite as good as the Commander.
The PF rating is a good way to test the efficiency of the unit, closer to the ideal of 1, the better. For a full run down on PF ratings, check out our glossary entry here.
Noise
Unless you have your ear within 1ft of the fan itself, you can’t hear a thing. It ‘aint a silent unit, but its damn close. Let’s say it’s mulnaz. Why not?
Cost
The Silver Power SP-SS500can be found for £49.99 which is the kind of price you’d expect for a 500w unit as until you get into heavy feature sets, it usually goes: each 100w = £10.
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