Spectastic
Up for test are a pair of PSUs; one from Akasa, and one from FSP. Both of these supplies cost around £60, and both are rated at 500W, which should be enough juice for most users unless they are running a high-end dual-GPU system.| Akasa GreenPower 500W | FSP Blue Storm II 500W | |
|---|---|---|
| Rated output power | 500W | 500W |
| Power specification | ATX 2.2 | ATX 2.2 |
| Power switch? | Yes | Yes |
| Input voltage (AC) | Autoranging, 100V-250V, 50Hz-60Hz | Autoranging, 100V-240V, 50Hz-60Hz |
| Fan(s) | 1 x 120mm | 1 x 120mm |
| Cable runs |
24-pin EATX with split EPS with split 3 x 4-pin Molex, 1 floppy 3 x 4-pin Molex, 1 floppy 1+1 PEG 2 x SATA 2 x SATA |
24-pin EATX with split P4 3 x 4-pin Molex, 1 floppy 3 x 4-pin Molex 1 x PEG 1 x PEG 2 x SATA 2 x SATA |
| Max. currents |
+3.3V: 30A +5V: 30A +12V: 18A, 18A -12V: 0.5A +5vSB: 3A |
+3.3V: 30A +5V: 30A +12V: 18A, 18A -12V: 0.8A +5vSB: 2.5A |
| Max. combined 3.3V & 5V output | 150W | 152W |
Discussion
Both of these supplies are autoranging. This means they can run on the mains anywhere in the world, which is pretty cool. It should also make them less susceptible to brown-outs, but if that's a serious worry in your area you should consider a UPS anyway. It also means you don't need to worry about plugging in to UK mains; they'll simply work.Both the supplies have similar cable runs, but the Akasa comes with an extra floppy connector and a split EPS plug. The split EPS plug can be handy if you don't have an ATX 2.2 motherboard, with a poorly placed P4 socket. Without the split you have to hope there's space to the side of the P4 socket on the motherboard. Otherwise you need to plug four pins of the EPS into the P4 socket, with the spare prongs dangling over the side. Not good.
Both supplies come with dual PEG connectors, so you will be able to use older or midrange graphics cards in dual configurations. You could get away with running twin GeForce 7900 GTX and Radeon X1950 XTX, but push these up to, say, twin GeForce 8800 GTS cards and you'll probably stress these supplies close to their limits. A supply may well work when it's under heavy strain, but its lifespan will be shortened. What's worse is when a PSU fails it often takes other major components with it.
As you can see from the chart, both supplies cite very similar numbers. Both state that they can supply a total of 36A on the 12V line(s), which is where most of the load will come from.