Delta Electronics is a major global manufacturer of various electronics, primarily industrial. Among other things, the company is engaged in the production of electrical converters of various types and formats and has rich experience in the production of power supplies for computer systems. The latter include not only quite typical power supplies for system units, but also AC / DC converters for laptops.

The retail channel is not the main way to sell Delta Electronics products, as most of the products of this type goes to computer manufacturers and companies specializing in the retail supply of components.

At our disposal was the Delta GPS-500AB-A power supply, which belongs to the PM series, which, in addition to the person involved in this material, includes three more power supplies with a power of 400 to 550 watts.

It is worth noting that this model, judging by modern industrial standards, has, if not a retirement, then a very advanced age, since it has been produced for more than three years. Therefore, it is worth evaluating its parameters taking into account this fact.

The Delta GPS-500AB-A is supplied in retail packaging: a compact box with matte printing. The box is made of fairly thin cardboard and is equipped with a plastic carrying handle, which also acts as a lock for the box when closed.

Characteristics

All the necessary parameters are indicated on the power supply case in full. For bus power + 12VDC, a value of 360 W is declared, this value corresponds to the value of a typical 450 W power supply. The +12VDC bus power to full power ratio is 0.74, which is low for modern solutions of this power.

Name of the power supply	Maximum current, A						Maximum power, W			KNS12V
	3.3V	5V	12V1	12V2	12V3	12V4	3.3&5V	12V	General
ATX12V ver. 2.3 180W	13	14	10	−	−	−	80	120	175	0,686
ATX12V ver. 2.3 220W	13	14	14	−	−	−	80	168	215	0,781
ATX12V ver. 2.3 270W	19	15	17	−	−	−	97	204	265	0,77
ATX12V ver. 2.3 300W	21	15	11	8	−	−	103	216	295	0,732
ATX12V ver. 2.3 350W	21	15	11	14	−	−	103	264	345	0,765
ATX12V ver. 2.3 400W	24	15	17	14	−	−	120	300	395	0,76
ATX12V ver. 2.3 450W	24	15	17	16	−	−	120	360	445	0,81
Delta GPS-500AB-A	28	26	16	18	18	−	180	360	484	0,74
EPS12V ver. 2.91 550W	24	24	16	16	14	8	140	492	550	0,895
EPS12V ver. 2.91 600W	24	24	16	16	16	16	140	576	600	0,96
EPS12V ver. 2.91 650W	24	30	16	16	16	16	170	624	650	0,96
EPS12V ver. 2.91 700W	24	30	16	16	16	16	170	672	700	0,96
EPS12V ver. 2.91 750W	24	30	16	16	16	18	170	720	750	0,96
EPS12V ver. 2.91 800W	24	30	16	16	16	18	170	768	800	0,96

Wire length and number of connectors

• to the main ATX connector - 45 cm
• to the processor socket 8 pin SSI - 46 cm, plus another 20 cm to the ATX12V socket (total about 66 cm)
• to the first PCI-E 1.0 VGA Power Connector - 46 cm, plus 20 cm to the second of the same connector
• to the first SATA Power Connector - 46 cm, plus 15 cm to the second of the same connector
• to the Peripheral Connector (molex) - 46 cm, plus 15 cm to the second and another 15 cm to the third of the same connector
• to the Peripheral Connector (molex) - 46 cm, plus 15 cm to the second and another 15 cm to the third of the same connector, plus another 15 cm to the FDD power connector

Connector name	Number of connectors		Note
	Total	removable
24 pin Main Power Connector	1	−	collapsible
4 pin 12V Power Connector	1	−
8 pin SSI Processor Connector	1	−	non-separable
6 pin PCI-E 1.0 VGA Power Connector	2	−
8 pin PCI-E 2.0 VGA Power Connector	−	−
4 pin Peripheral Connector	6	−
15 pin Serial ATA Connector	4	−
4 pin Floppy Drive Connector	1	−

The number of connectors and their location on the wiring harnesses is not optimal for modern system block. Taking into account the transition of optical drives and hard drives for power from the SATA Power connector, in power supplies of similar power, it is optimal to install at least two harnesses with SATA Power connectors with a total of at least 6 pieces. In this case, we see only four connectors on two bundles, which may not be very convenient if there are more than two hard drives and an optical drive powered by a SATA Power connector. At the same time, the number of Peripheral Connectors (molex) is redundant: in a modern system unit, it is rather difficult to find consumers with such a power connector in such a number. In fact, today only some drives (for example, internal card readers), expansion cards (for example, sound cards), as well as various universal panels and fan controllers. However, despite the seemingly impressive list, in most system units the number of such devices tends to zero, so in reality 2-3 connectors on two bundles are enough.

As for the length of the wires, primarily to the processor power connectors, the situation is as follows: up to the 8-pin SSI Processor Connector - 46 cm, but up to the ATX12V connector, the length of the wires is about 65 cm, which is quite enough for installation and operation in the case size miditower with the bottom location of the power supply.

Design

The power supply is equipped with an active power factor corrector and has an extended supply voltage range. A 120 mm D12SH-12 fan manufactured by Yate Loon Electronics is installed under the stamped grille. This fan model is based on a sleeve bearing and has a maximum rotation speed of 3000 rpm. It should be noted that the use of fans on plain bearings is not the optimal solution in such a thermally loaded unit, which is the power supply.

The main semiconductor elements are mounted on two radiators, which are plates about 4 mm thick with longitudinal fins in the upper part.

Almost all capacitors installed in the power supply are manufactured by Samxon and Ltec. The input rectifier contains a Samxon 330uF (400V) capacitor, rated for a maximum operating temperature of 85 degrees, which is quite typical for a 550W PSU. Capacitors are installed in the output stage, designed for a maximum operating temperature of 105 degrees.

Almost all winding elements are additionally fixed with heat shrink or synthetic overlays and sealant.

Design
Maximum output power	484 W
Operating range of input voltages	extended
Availability and type of cash register (PFC)	yes, active (APFC)
Body length	140 mm
Weight (without packaging)	2.2 kg
Fan size	120 mm
Fan Model	Yate Loon D12SH-12
Fan connection	two-wire
Plastic cover on the fan (deflector)	No
Grille in front of the fan	wire
Number of radiators	2
Radiator base thickness	4 mm
Linear dimensions of the base	80×25 and 85×25
Capacitor Manufacturer	Samxon, Ltec
The presence of a power switch	there is
The presence of a protective sleeve in the hole for the wires	No
Backlight	No

Power supply testing

The first step in instrumental testing is to build cross-load characteristics (CNC) and its presentation on a half-plane, limited by the maximum power on the 3.3 & 5V bus on the one hand (along the ordinate axis) and the maximum power on the 12V bus on the other hand - along the abscissa axis. At each point, the measured voltage value is indicated by a color marker depending on the deviation from the nominal value.

Designation of the size of deviations of output voltages from the nominal value
Color	Deviation range	Qualitative assessment
	1 percent	Great
	2 percent	very good
	3 percent	Good
	4 percent	satisfactorily
	5 percent	poorly
	more than five percent	unsatisfactory

Explanations on the testing methodology and the process of calculating the final ratings for power quality can be found in one of the previous articles, for example.

Deviations of output voltage values ​​from the nominal value
	+3.3VDC	+5VDC	+12VDC
	12V Power, W - Bus power +12VDC, W

With a typical power distribution over the channels, the deviations do not exceed three percent for the + 12VDC channel and two percent for the + 3.3VDC and + 5VDC channels - this is quite a worthy indicator.

Under unusual loads, +12VDC voltage deviations are out of the acceptable five percent range. However, this happens only at the most extreme points, which are almost impossible to approach in a real system, and not on a test bench.

The next step is to determine the real system power of the power supply, that is, the power that can be used when operating a real system unit, and not just when connected to a test stand.

This parameter is determined by summing the real maximum power on the 12V bus and the power of 42 W on the 3.3 & 5V bus - of course, provided that the voltage values ​​​​remain within the normal range.

In our case, the power calculated by this formula was 402 watts.

Marketing Correctness Ratio (KMK)- shows the ratio of the power rating calculated by us to a certain value indicated in the name (model) of the power supply and implying the maximum output power of this power supply.

In this case, KMK = 402/500 = 0.804

Such a value can be considered unsatisfactory for a modern power supply. A low indicator of this coefficient demonstrates that the manufacturer is getting insufficient power on the main +12VDC bus due to the less popular 3.3 & 5V lines.

The next stage of testing is to measure the total power supplied to the power supply, the active power consumed by it and calculation of efficiency and power factor.

The efficiency of this model is at a satisfactory level for modern solutions.

Noise level measurement

The measurement is carried out in accordance with our methodology using a sound level meter VShV-003-M3 in a soundproof room with a typical noise level of 20 dBA. During the measurement, all electrical appliances in the room are turned off.

The noise level of this power supply when operating at typical power can be assessed as being at a level below average, with increasing power the noise level practically does not increase. In general, the acoustic ergonomics of this model can be assessed as good.

In standby mode, the noise level of the electronics is minimal - in fact, at a typical distance of half a meter or more, it is almost impossible to hear any sounds emitted by the power supply in this mode of operation (however, when you bring your ear close to the ventilation grill, you can still hear some noise).

In operating mode, the noise from the electronics is slightly higher, but it cannot be called noticeable, as it is masked by fan noise. No sounds similar to a squeak were noted in this specimen.

Two scenarios for using this model seem to be the most interesting: replacing stock power supplies in cheap and mid-budget cases or completing a new case with a lower power supply, especially in case of limited financial opportunities. In principle, the GPS-500AB-A can handle the power of medium-power gaming systems based on the Radeon HD 6950 and GTX 560, but top-end solutions are clearly too tough for it. Still, age imposes its limitations.

Results

In the bottom line, we find pretty good ergonomics, both acoustic and mounting; the latter is provided by a sufficient number of connectors and length of wires. Electrical parameters the power supply is at an average level. In a word, for an average system, the power supply is quite adequate - it is characterized by a balance of a complex of consumer qualities and cost.

Power supply unit Delta GPS-500AB-A provided for testing by the manufacturer

Introduction In this review, I will present the models of three manufacturers of power supplies, the names of two of which are still poorly known to most Russian buyers.

Firstly, this is AcBel Polytech. Despite the fact that AcBel is one of the five largest manufacturers of power supplies in the world, it is poorly known in Russia - until recently, these units were supplied to our market quite irregularly under its own brand, and AcBel products sold under other brands (for example, CoolerMaster ), the Russian buyer is familiar for the most part only from reviews in the computer press.

In the meantime, it is difficult to call AcBel a little-known company in the world - just look at short list its customers, which includes a fair number of major computer manufacturers, as well as a number of companies involved in networking and telecommunications equipment:

Information from AcBel Polytech presentation

AcBel Polytech is Taiwanese, but, as is now customary, also has manufacturing facilities in China and the Philippines.

In second place are GlacialPower power supplies, which are widely known for their inexpensive, but at the same time quiet and high-quality cooling systems GlacialTech. This brand appeared on the market quite recently and for this reason is still poorly known, although, of course, the name "GlacialPower" itself evokes completely unambiguous associations. The range of GlacialPower power supplies is currently represented by three models of the same type, which differ in the permissible load power - from 350 to 550 W.

And finally, Delta Electronics, which, being the largest manufacturer of power supplies in the world, is probably known to most of our readers, even though its own brand products are relatively modestly represented in retail sales - mainly Delta works on OEM orders. major computer manufacturers, its blocks can be found in desktop computers and servers from HP, Dell, IBM, and many others.

Separately, I would like to note that the power supplies of all three of the above-mentioned manufacturers are represented not only by older models with a power of half a kilowatt, but also by low-power - according to modern concepts - 350 W units. Of course, both the block manufacturer and the author of the review are pleased to deal with, so to speak, the cutting edge of technological progress, which has already crossed the kilowatt line - however, sometimes you have to look at things sensibly, namely, to understand that the vast majority of computers, like office , and home, simply do not need all these huge capacities. But quiet, high-quality and at the same time inexpensive power supplies with more modest numbers on the label are very necessary.

At the same time, the words "inexpensive" and "high-quality" are not necessarily antonyms - although the market is flooded with cheap models of nameless and semi-nameless Chinese manufacturers with faceless names like "ATX 500W", there are also pleasant exceptions. Historically, it so happened that notable popularity both in the press and among buyers (however, the second is partly a consequence of the first) was received only by the products of the FSP Group, without a doubt, very high quality, but also without a doubt, not the only one in this market segment. Therefore, among other things, with this article I hope to draw the attention of readers to noteworthy alternatives among products from other manufacturers.

Compared to previous articles, our testing methodology has undergone some changes. Firstly, the oscilloscope used has changed, from the ETC M221 to the Velleman PCSU-1000, and therefore the oscillograms now look a little different - however, this did not affect the accuracy of the measurements. Secondly, at the same time as measuring the fan speed, we now measure the temperature of the air blown out by it from the block - and on the corresponding graphs, another curve has appeared that displays the difference in air temperatures at the inlet and outlet of the block (namely, the difference, and not just the air temperature at the outlet - to abstract from temperature fluctuations in the room). These readings are needed not so much to compare units with each other (obviously, it is somewhat incorrect to compare units with different sizes and location of fans by measuring the temperature of the outgoing air at one point), but to evaluate the effectiveness of fan speed control.

AcBel E2 Power 390 (350 W), Power 440 (400 W) and Power 490 (450 W)

Power supplies of the E2 Power series are inexpensive models entry level. In total, there are four units in this series with powers from 300 to 450 W (the so-called peak power is indicated in the model name - the load that the unit is capable of delivering for one minute, while at rated power it can work indefinitely), Three models, starting with the 350-watt one, got into our laboratory for testing. There are no fundamental differences in their parameters and circuitry, so I will describe them together.

All units of the E2 Power series are made in simple gray cases. On the company's website, only the older 450-watt model has a wire fan grill (in the younger ones it is stamped and forms a single unit with the case), but in reality all three units that came to us had wire grills. In fact, this difference is insignificant - it is believed that the wire mesh has less resistance to air flow, and therefore creates less aerodynamic noise, but in practice the difference is very small, and the noise level of the unit is much more determined by the efficiency of speed control and the quality of the fans used.

Block E2 Power 390

The blocks have a somewhat unusual type of case - its U-shaped cover moves back.

E2 Power 490 unit (E2 Power 440 looks exactly the same)

The younger model and the two older ones differ only in the passive PFC (its choke is clearly visible in the Power 440 photo, while it is absent in the Power 390) and the ratings of some elements, in general, the circuitry is identical: the duty stabilizer is assembled on a specialized TNY267P PWM controller, and the main one is on the UC3843B.

E2 Power 390 solder side

Separately, I would like to note the very accurate, almost perfect soldering of the blocks, combined with the active use of surface-mount components - a phenomenon by which you can immediately distinguish the products of large manufacturers from the creations of various half-named Chinese companies. In the latter, at least oversized parts and output wires are soldered manually and, as a rule, not very carefully, and the use of modern SMD components is generally very rare.

Block E2 Power 390

Despite the fact that the junior unit formally has two +12 V lines, there is no practical sense in this - the total load current on them should not exceed 18 A, which allows you to meet all the requirements of safety standards, having only one line (let me remind readers that the separation of the lines arose due to the need to limit the current of each of them to a level of no more than 20 A in order to limit the short circuit power, if this suddenly happens, to a safe level). The division is due, on the one hand, to the requirements of marketing (the buyer is already used to having at least two lines, although there really is no practical benefit for him in this), on the other hand, to the unification of circuitry with more powerful blocks of the same series.

Block E2 Power 440



Block E2 Power 490

Indeed, with an increase in the total power of the blocks, the permissible load on the +12 V bus also increases - up to 21 A in the Power 440 model and up to 22.5 A in the Power 490.

On the one hand, AcBel should be chided for the incomplete compliance of the E2 Power series models with the recommendations of the ATX12V 2.0 standard - according to the latter, a typical 300-watt unit must have a +12 V bus load capacity of up to 22 A, a 350-W unit - up to 25 A, and a 400- W - up to 29 A; it is obvious that all three E2 models fall short of these numbers. In modern computers, which mainly load the 12-volt bus, it is its load capacity that, in fact, determines the total effective power of the power supply, that is, the power that can be obtained from it in real conditions, taking into account the typical distribution of loads on different buses of the block rather than on a lab bench. So, if we take a computer with a maximum power consumption of 350 W, it turns out that it needs only 30-40 W via the +5 V and +3.3 V buses, and the remaining 310-320 W are taken from the +12 V bus; in other words, none of the blocks of the E2 Power series will be suitable for its power supply, although in terms of the total nameplate power, it would seem that all three models meet the requirements.

On the other hand, a computer that consumes more than two hundred watts from the power supply is a very serious system with a dual-core processor and a powerful video card. Owners similar computers usually they obviously prefer more expensive (and not even so much due to the total power, but due to the external design, the number of connectors, etc.) power supplies, but the E2 Power series is clearly designed for typical home-office systems that do not have too powerful processors and video cards and consuming only 100 ... 200 watts from the power supply. As an example, the author of this article can cite his own home computer, which, with an Athlon 64 3800+ processor and a video card based on the RadeOn X800XL chip, runs without the slightest problem on a 250-watt power supply manufactured by Enhance with a permissible +12 V bus current of only 16 A.

At the same time, it should be noted that many block manufacturers, having caught the general trend towards increasing power, began to increase the power of their blocks without increasing the load capacity of the +12 V bus - for example, the 300-, 350- and 430- InWin J and AJ series watt blocks have the same maximum allowable load on +12 V: no more than 18 A. effective block power.

In addition to the presence of PFC, the younger model has a reduced number of connectors. The E2 Power 390 provides:

a cable with three power connectors for PATA hard drives and one for a floppy drive, 42+15+15+15 cm long;
a cable with two power connectors for PATA hard drives and two for SATA hard drives, 41+15+15+15 cm long.

At the same time, the E2 Power 440 and E2 Power 490 models have:

power cable motherboard with 20+4-pin connector, 41 cm long;
processor power cable with a 4-pin connector, 41 cm long;
video card power cable with a 6-pin connector, 51 cm long;
a cable with three power connectors for PATA hard drives, 50+15+15 cm long;
a cable with two power connectors for PATA hard drives and one for a floppy drive, 50+15+15 cm long;
a cable with two power connectors for SATA hard drives, 51 + 14 cm long.

Block E2 Power 390

The voltage stability of the younger model is not bad, although with one drawback - the +5 V voltage changes quite strongly, and, although it does not go beyond the permissible limits, with a heavy load on the +12 V bus, it will be overestimated by about 0.2 V. To stability +12 V and +3.3 V voltages, there are no complaints.

Block E2 Power 440

The 400-watt unit does a little better - the +5V voltage at the bottom of the graph is still too high, but overall its stability is better than that of the 350-watt model. Voltages of +12 V and +3.3 V do not cause any complaints here either.

Block E2 Power 490

The older model is completely good: in fact, its voltage stability is the same as that of the E2 Power 440, but the graph for the +5 V voltage has moved down, resulting in +5 V in the most interesting area from a practical point of view with small loads. In and large +12 V, it deviates from the ideal by less than 3%. However, this is most likely not a consequence of any differences in circuitry or workmanship, but simply a random spread of denominations between different block instances.

The output voltage ripples turned out to be small for all three blocks - less than 20 mV on the +5 V bus (with an acceptable level of up to 50 mV) and less than 40 mV on the +12 V bus (with an acceptable level of 120 mV).

The 350-watt unit uses an Adda AD0812US-A70GL fan - this is a sleeve bearing model with a maximum speed of 3700 rpm, which is quite a lot for an 80x80x25 mm fan.

Block E2 Power 390

The fan starts at 1600 rpm and its speed increases linearly as the load increases, reaching a ceiling of around 3300 rpm at a load of 250 W (the ceiling is slightly less than the nominal fan speed rating, since the voltage supplied to it is less than 12 V - part falls on the speed control circuit, even when it is fully "open"). At the same time, it is clearly seen that in the region of a linear increase in speed, the unit maintains its temperature constant, but when the fan reaches its maximum speed, the temperature begins to rise.
Thus, the E2 Power 390 can be considered quiet only at very minimal loads, less than 100 W - with a more serious load, its fan accelerates to high speeds.

In the older models, there are Adda AD0812HS-A70GL fans - also on a plain bearing, but, oddly enough, with a slightly lower nameplate speed.

Block E2 Power 490

And, more importantly, the speed controller behaves completely differently (it works the same in both 400-W and 450-W units, so I give a graph only for the older model): up to a load power of 250 ... 300 W, the speed the fan does not change at all, being at a level of about 1500 rpm; the temperature of the block at the same time, of course, grows with increasing load. At higher power, the fan starts to increase its speed rapidly, and so quickly that the temperature of the air leaving the unit even drops - this means that the fan controller focuses on the load power on the unit, and not on the temperature of its components.

As a result, unlike the 350-watt model, the E2 Power 440 and E2 Power 490 operate very quietly in the load range up to 250...300 W, increasing the fan speed only at powers close to maximum. At the same time, although the fan controller could increase the speed and not so aggressively (it would be quite enough to stabilize the temperature of the block, we saw that from a certain moment it even starts to decrease), in practice, in most cases, the noise of the blocks will suit the vast majority of users.

Block E2 Power 390

The junior unit, which does not have PFC, shows a quite typical picture - the power factor is 0.64 on average. In the meantime, the efficiency (and here I once again remind our readers that there is no direct connection between the efficiency factor and the power factor) reaches 79% at maximum, and drops to 71% at full power - a result that falls under the requirements of the standards, but no more Togo.

Block E2 Power 490

Two older models due to the use of passive PFC are distinguished by a large power factor - up to 0.77 at the maximum. At the same time, their efficiency is slightly higher: at one point it even managed to slightly exceed 80%, although at maximum load it fell to 75% - again the result is acceptable, but not outstanding.

Thus, AcBel E2 Power series blocks are a very good and inexpensive option for low-end and mid-range computers. They are made of very high quality, provide all the declared parameters without any problems and have all the necessary connectors, including connectors for powering video cards in the two older models. At the same time, older models are most interesting for the buyer not so much due to the greater power, but due to quieter operation - the fan controllers in them begin to increase speed only when the load on the unit is sufficiently heavy.

AcBel Power Gold 500W and 550W

The more expensive series of AcBel power supplies turned out to be represented by four models - two 500-watt ATX-500CA-AB8FM units and two 550-watt ATX-550CA-AB8FM units. The difference was that in each of the pairs, one block was in the OEM version, and the second was in the box.

As further research showed, from a technical point of view, boxed and OEM versions differ from each other, in fact, only in the type of fans and the design of the loops, so I will consider them together, dwelling on the differences where necessary.

OEM versions of the blocks are made in black painted cases, but boxed ones are supplied in dark nickel-plated cases. However, a more noticeable difference in design between the boxed and OEM versions is that the latter have the usual black power buttons and black fans, while the former have both highlighted during operation:

However, the internal structure of all four blocks is exactly the same - with the exception, of course, that the ratings of the installed components differ slightly between the 500- and 550-watt models.

Those of our readers who were interested in CoolerMaster power supplies undoubtedly saw a familiar picture - as I already noted in the preface, AcBel is the supplier of CoolerMaster, and it supplies this particular series of power supplies.

The blocks are based on the ML4800CP chip, which combines both the main stabilizer and the active PFC controller - the choke of the latter can be clearly seen in the photographs, although at first it is confusing that it is made on an E-shaped core, and not on the usual toroidal one. There are two high-voltage capacitors between the inductor and a small vertically standing board with the controller - usually in blocks with active PFC and a single-ended main controller, there is only one capacitor, but here, apparently, for dimensional reasons, two are used, connected in parallel.

As in the case of the E2 Power series, the workmanship is very good, there is simply nothing to complain about.

Boxed and OEM versions of the blocks have exactly the same characteristics and even the same labels, so here I will only give two photos - for a 500- and 550-watt block.

Both options have three +12 V lines, although in general their load capacity is not so great that three lines are really needed - up to 27 A on the corresponding bus for the younger units and up to 30 A for the older ones. This is slightly less than required by the ATX12V 2.2 standard - although blocks with a power higher than 450 W are not described in it, it is already recommended for a 450-watt admissible current 12-V bus loads are 30 A, which means that we would like to expect even higher currents from 500 and 550 W units.

In the previous section of the article, I already talked about the effective power of the power supply - that is, the power that can be obtained from it in a typical modern computer, taking into account the load distribution across the various buses of the unit. If we assume that the +5 V and +3.3 V buses are loaded in total by a maximum of 50 W, then the effective power of the ATX-500CA-AB8FM model is 374 W, and the ATX-550CA-AB8FM model is 410 W, that is, noticeably less than their nameplate capacity.

This does not mean at all that the blocks do not correspond to the declared power rating - as our testing has shown, there are no problems with this - it only means that in a real modern computer, the growth in power consumption will be limited not by the full power of the blocks, but by the allowable load of their 12-volt tires.

All four blocks have the same set of cables and connectors (the only difference is that for OEM versions, only the motherboard power cable is removed in braided tubes, all other cables are fastened with ordinary nylon ties):

motherboard power cable with 20 + 4-pin connector, 53 cm long;
processor power cable with 8-pin connector, 55 cm long;
processor power cable with a 4-pin connector, 54 cm long;
two power cables for video cards with 6-pin connectors, 54 cm long;

Here I would like to note not so much the presence of a large number of various connectors, but the absence of differences between the boxed and OEM versions of the blocks - as opposed to, for example, the products of the FSP Group, whose power supplies can vary very significantly both in the length of the wires and in the set connectors depending on the type of delivery.

All blocks showed almost the same cross-load characteristics, so I will give only one graph, for the most powerful model(moreover, due to an accidental error before removing it, the allowable load on the +12 V bus was set to 400 W, while the allowable for the block was 360 W - nevertheless, there were no problems with such an overload, although, of course, this mode contingency).

The unit has very good output voltage stability for its class (and these models do not have additional separate stabilization) - in the load range of interest to us, the voltages of +12 V and +3.3 V are close to ideal, and the +5 V voltage is overestimated by about 3% (with a tolerance of up to 5%). The younger, 500-watt, blocks have the same type of KNKH graph, only on the right it is limited by the value of 324 W - the maximum allowable load of the 12-volt bus for them.

The output voltage ripple range at full load also turned out to be within the normal range - about 50 mV on the +5 V bus (mainly due to very short spikes at the moments of switching of the transistors of the main stabilizer) and about 60 mV on the +12 V bus. there was no parameter between different block instances.

ATX-550CA-AB8FM OEM Fan

Here are the fans different models Power Gold series, as it turned out, differ not only in the color of the blades and the presence of blue illumination during operation: the boxed units are equipped with ball-bearing fans - Protechnic Electric MGA12012MB-A25 in a 500-W unit and a slightly more powerful MGA12012HB-O25 in a 550-W unit. At the same time, OEM versions also have fans manufactured by Protechnic Electric, but already the MGA12012MS-A25 in a 500-W unit and the MGA12012HS-O25 in a 550-W unit, both on sleeve bearings.

ATX-550CA-AB8FM box fan

The fan speed is regulated according to the same law as in the E2 Power models: up to a power of 200 ... 250 W it is constant, and then it starts to grow rapidly.

The speed control is primarily focused on the load power, and not on the temperature of the power supply - and it can be called overly pessimistic: at a power above 250 W, the fan accelerates so that the temperature of the block begins to drop. On the one hand, in a real computer, the air heated by the processor and video card coming from the system unit to the power supply unit will raise its temperature. On the other hand, it would still be wiser to focus on its temperature in cooling the unit - then under no circumstances would the fan speed be excessively high.

If we talk about noise, then at load powers up to 250 W, the blocks belong to the middle class - they are audible, but it cannot be said that this noise is annoying, but with an increase in load, the excessive pessimism of the regulator affects - at speeds above 1800 rpm 120 mm the fan can be considered quite loud. The 500-watt models of the units are a little quieter due to the use of a less powerful fan, but in general the difference cannot be called significant.

The efficiency and power factor graphs for all units in this series again coincided with good accuracy, so below I will give only one of them, for the 550-W model.

The efficiency of the blocks cannot be called a record, but it is quite good even by modern standards - about 83% at a load of 150 W with a decrease of up to 78% at maximum power.

Blocks of the Power Gold series do not grab stars from the sky, but at the same time they do not have any significant drawbacks. It can only be noted excessively high speed fans, especially when working with a load of more than 250 W - for successful cooling of the unit, lower speeds would be quite enough, which, in turn, would have a positive effect on their noise.

However, if this does not bother you, or if you are ready to replace the fan with a quieter one yourself (especially since the Protechnic Electric models have not proven themselves among fans of silence), then AcBel Power Gold blocks will be a good choice even for a very powerful home computer.

AcBel LCD Power Supply (550W)

Despite such a sonorous name, in fact, this model, bearing the number ATX-550CA-AB8FB, differs from the ATX-550CA-AB8FM discussed above in the first place: it comes with a socket installed in a 5.25 "bay with an LCD screen , showing the main parameters of the power supply: temperature, fan speed, load on the block (both in watts and as a percentage of the maximum allowable), as well as the load currents of the individual output busbars of the block. unique feature AcBel panels - among the products of other manufacturers, I have not yet come across panels (both external and built-in to the unit itself) that could show not only the total power, but also the load distribution.

At the same time, externally, the unit is no different from the models discussed above (in the boxed delivery version) - a matte black case, a transparent fan with blue backlighting and a power button with amber backlighting.

There are also no serious internal differences - the block is made on the same platform as other models of the ATX-550CA series: a stabilizer and active PFC on the ML4800CP chip, group output voltage stabilization ...

The controller board, to which the external panel is connected, is almost invisible - it is located at the rear of the unit, under the wiring harnesses.

The panel itself is very compact, only a few centimeters deep. It has an LCD screen, a pair of buttons and the AcBel logo, illuminated by three flashing LEDs - red, green and blue. The latter is the main, and perhaps the only, drawback of the panel - the LEDs are very bright, and it is impossible to turn them off without interfering with the internal structure of the panel.

There are five connectors on the back of the panel, of which the user needs only three - two for connecting to the power supply and one for connecting to USB. The latter is not necessary for the panel to work, but it allows, if desired, to run a program on the computer that displays the same parameters that the panel itself shows.

In addition to simply displaying the current parameters of the power supply, the panel allows you to:

set the maximum allowable temperature and the minimum allowable fan speed - when the unit goes beyond these limits, the panel beeps;
toggle fan out of mode automatic adjustment in the maximum speed mode;
switch temperature units between Celsius and Fahrenheit.

All this can be done both from the included program (with a USB connection), and by a combination of button presses on the panel itself.

The two remaining interface connectors, according to the user manual, are used when programming the panel at the factory and are not needed by the end user.

Inside, the panel consists of two boards (one on the bottom of the case, the second on the front wall, an LCD screen is soldered into it) with several microcircuits.

The power supply has a special cable for connecting the panel, which is divided at the end into two connectors - the first, wide, is designed for data transfer, the second, similar to the drive power connector, for powering the panel.

In general, the block is equipped with the following connectors and cables:

motherboard power cable with 20 + 4-pin connector, 55 cm long;
processor power cable with 4 + 4-pin connector, 55 cm long;
video card power cable with two 6-pin connectors, 55 cm long;
a cable with four power connectors for PATA hard drives, 53+15+15+15 cm long;
cable with three power connectors for PATA hard drives and one power connector for the drive, 53+15+15+15 cm long;
a cable with four power connectors for SATA hard drives, 54+15+15+15 cm long.

All cables are hidden in braided tubes, but the way it is done for the video card power cable causes some complaints:

As you can see, in fact, this is not one cable with two connectors, but two separate cables connected together with a tie. Free "tails" are only about 4 cm long, which makes it difficult to connect connectors in an SLI or CrossFire system - you have to move the tie down the cable, thereby releasing the connectors long enough for each of them to reach their video card.

Another difference between the ATX-550CA-AB8FB and the model with the AB8FM index discussed above is the declared parameters: with the same total power of 550 W, the permissible total load on the +12 V bus has increased from 30 A to 35 A, which can only be welcomed.

The cross-load characteristics of the block look very similar to those of the models discussed above - in the lower part of the graph, which has for us highest value(due to the fact that modern computers simply do not create large loads on the +5 V and +3.3 V buses), except that the +5 V voltage is slightly overestimated, but its deviation is very far from the permissible limit.

The unit is equipped with a Protechnic Electric MGT12012HB-O25 fan - the "MGT" index instead of the "MGA" we encountered earlier means that the fan has a tachometer output.

At the same time, the graph of the dependence of its speed on the load on the block is pleasantly pleasing - at a load of up to 200 W, the speed fluctuates around 800 rpm, which makes the block much quieter than previous models. In fact, when working with a small load, the noise of its fan is completely masked by other noises of the system unit. However, with more power, the fan speed again grows faster than necessary (which is clearly seen from the temperature dropping with increasing power), and as a result, the ATX-550CA-AB8FB turns out to be quite noisy at high loads.

Although I expected that the differences between "LCD Power Supply" and simpler AcBel blocks are only in the presence of an external panel that shows the state of the block in real time, in fact, this model has changed for the better and the parameters have increased - the permissible load on the bus +12 B, and the block itself became quieter in operation, despite the use of the same fans.

AcBel R8 Power (607 W)

The R8 Power series of power supplies (there are three models in total with powers of 430, 525 and 607 W, of which the last one got into our laboratory) is the latest AcBel models that comply with the "80 + PLUS" standard and, accordingly, have an efficiency of at least 80 % at any load from 20% to maximum. The manufacturer himself claims an efficiency of 85% for the R8 Power 607W.

Outwardly, the only difference between the R8 and the blocks discussed above is a small white button (yes, this is a button, not a knob variable resistor, as it seems at first glance) next to the power switch. Its task is to turn off the backlight of the fan if it suddenly bothers the user (or simply interferes initially).

At the same time, inside the block, with a superficial examination, it is not at all possible to find any noticeable differences from previous models - it still uses the same basic platform with the ML4800CP controller.

Apparently, compliance with the requirements of "80 + PLUS" is achieved through a more careful choice of the element base, and not due to any serious change in circuitry. However, looking closer, you can see that the arrangement of components on a separate small board with a controller has changed slightly, but it is difficult to say, without going into the depths of circuitry, how much this affected the characteristics of the unit, if at all.

With a total power of 607 W, the maximum load on the 12-volt bus (which is divided into three lines - as usual, "virtually", that is, by artificial limitation of load currents) is 40 A. At the same time, however, the permissible total load on the buses is +5 V and +3.3 V decreased to 141 W - but for modern computers this does not matter, in any case, they do not consume even half of the available power from these tires.

The unit is equipped with the following cables and connectors:

motherboard power cable with 20 + 4-pin connector, 51 cm long;
processor power cable with 4 + 4-pin connector, 51 cm long;
video card power cable with two 6-pin connectors, 60 cm long;
a cable with four power connectors for PATA hard drives, 50+15+15+15 cm long;
cable with three power connectors for PATA hard drives and one power connector for the drive, 50+15+15+15 cm long;
a cable with four power connectors for SATA hard drives, 51+15+15+15 cm long.

The cross-load characteristics of the R8 Power are similar to other AcBels discussed above - voltage stability is very good, in the area that we are most interested in (lower part of the graph) all three controlled voltages are almost perfect.

The ripple range at the output of the unit at maximum load is about 30 mV on the +5 V bus ( allowable level- up to 50 mV) and about 100 mV on the +12 V bus (permissible level - up to 120 mV), thus, according to this parameter, R8 Power fully fits into the requirements of the standard.

The unit uses a Protechnic Electric MGT12012HB-O25 fan. Despite the fact that it is equipped with a tachometer, the output of the latter is not output to the outside, so it is impossible to control the fan speed of the unit using the motherboard. Of course, it is also impossible to connect sockets from the ATX-550CA-AB8FB model to this block.

Although the fan speed is 900 RPM at minimum load (100 RPM faster than the ATX-550CA-AB8FB), it does not rise as fast as previous models, and as a result R8 Power turns out to be the quietest of the AcBel units we tested.

However, if we compare it with such recognized leaders in quiet operation as Zalman or Seasonic, we have to admit that AcBel engineers still have work to do. The fan speed still grows faster than necessary, as a result of which, with increasing power, the temperature of the unit begins to fall, but its noise, on the contrary, grows, and quite strongly - already at a load of 400 W, the fan is clearly audible, and at a load of 500 W and above it becomes quite noisy. For comparison, at block Zalman The ZM600-HP at a maximum load of 580 W has a fan speed of only 1600 rpm - 1000 rpm less than the R8 Power at the same power.

On the other hand, a large air flow and low temperature of the block components undoubtedly increase the reliability of its operation and extend the life time, but here the question already concerns personal preferences - what is more important for each specific buyer: quiet operation now or for a long time block life in perspective.

As the efficiency measurements showed, the unit really meets the requirements of "80 + PLUS" - at a load of 120 W (20% of the maximum), its efficiency certainly exceeds 80%, and does not fall below this line with a further increase in power. At the top point, at a load of about 250 W, the graph reaches the figure of 85% promised by the manufacturer.

So, the R8 Power 607W block differs from other series of AcBel power supplies not only in high efficiency - which, in general, is not very important for most buyers, since the difference in power consumption of blocks with different efficiency is not so great that on payment of bills for It was possible to save a significant amount of electricity - but also by quieter operation, as well as a noticeably increased allowable load of the +12 V bus, which, in fact, determines the maximum effective power of the unit when working in a real computer.

At the same time, the unit is well-made, has all the necessary connectors and is very quiet in operation at a load of less than 200 watts. Of its shortcomings, one can only note excessive noise at high load power.

Delta Electronics GPS-350EB-100A (350W)

This 350-watt power supply from Delta Electronics is a direct competitor to the AcBel E2 Power blocks discussed above - this is an inexpensive power supply that does not stand out either with record power or with any functional or design features.

In order to remove the U-shaped cover of the block, it must be moved back. The electronics are made very neatly, I have no complaints. In terms of its design, this is a fairly ordinary power supply with passive PFC (its choke is visible in the picture at the top right) and group voltage stabilization.

The label is very illegible - small print, a hodgepodge of Latin and hieroglyphs - so that even the name of the block is not immediately located.

According to the declared parameters, the GPS-350EB-100A is a regular 350-watt ATX12V 2.0 block that fully complies with the recommendations of the standard (for example, the permissible total load on the +12 V bus is 25 A - compare with 18 A for the 350-W AcBel E2 block power).

processor power cable with a 4-pin connector, 45 cm long;
a cable with three power connectors for PATA hard drives, 45+15+15 cm long;
two cables with two power connectors for PATA hard drives and one power connector for the drive on each, 45+15+15 cm long;
a cable with two power connectors for SATA hard drives, 45 + 15 cm long.

The unit does not have connectors for powering video cards - on the one hand, manufacturers consider this to be normal for its power (in the same way, the 350-W AcBel considered above and the younger FSP models do not have these connectors), but still it should be noted that its there are more than enough opportunities to power a gaming computer with a fairly serious processor and video card, and therefore such a connector would not be superfluous.

The cross-load characteristics of the block look good, none of the voltages exceeded the allowable 5% deviation at any point in the graph. Of the minuses, it can only be noted that the voltage drop of +12 V by 3 ... 4% with a heavy load on the corresponding bus.

The range of ripple at the output of the unit at maximum load is also within the normal range - about 20 mV on the +5 V and +3.3 V buses (with an allowable maximum of 50 mV) and about 65 mV on the +12 V bus (with an allowable maximum of 120 mV ).

The unit uses a 120mm Yate Loon D12SH-12 fan. The products of this company have established themselves as inexpensive, but at the same time of sufficient quality.

The graph of the dependence of fan speed on the load on the unit is very similar to AcBel products - a constant level up to a power of about 250 W and further rapid growth. However, in this case, the increase in speed is not so great that the temperature of the block begins to fall.

As a result, in the load range typical for the GPS-350EB-100A (it is unlikely that many will install it in really powerful computers), the unit operates very quietly, almost silently.

The block efficiency reached 82% at the maximum, but dropped to 77% at high load - not a record figure, but overall quite good. The power factor, despite the use of only passive PFC, fluctuated within 0.76 ... 0.82 - although usually for blocks with passive correction it is five percent lower.

Thus, the Delta Electronics GPS-350EB-100A is a very good power supply that is perfect for mid-range computers and has shown good performance in all our tests. In addition, it is also distinguished by a very quiet operation at loads up to 250 watts.

Delta Electronics GPS-400AB-C (350W)

Despite the fact that, at first glance, this block is very similar to the previous model, in fact this is not a powerful version of the GPS-350EB-100A, but a model from a completely different line of Delta power supplies. However, if you take a closer look, the external resemblance also disappears - the blocks are assembled in cases different types: The GPS-350EB slides the cover back, while the GPS-400AB slides it up.

The block is quite ordinary in its circuitry, this is a model with passive power factor correction (PFC choke, fixed on top cover, fell out of the frame - only two thick black wires leading to it are visible) and group voltage stabilization.

The label is again not very readable, but you can still see the main thing - in fact, the long-term load power should not exceed 350 W, and the number "400" indicated in the model name is nothing more than peak power, at which the unit can only work for a short time ( how much exactly is not said, but usually it is one minute). I would like to express some confusion about the fact that peak power is included in the block name, while other Delta Electronics models have long-term power in it.

Moreover, the permissible total load on the +12 V bus has also been reduced - although it would seem that the permissible loads of individual lines (+12V1 and +12V2) have increased compared to the GPS-350EB-100A, in fact this is not so: the separation of one bus virtual on two lines, and therefore you can enter any numbers there that do not exceed the prescribed 18 A (the threshold for the protection that just selects two "independent" lines). In total, the +12 V bus of the block can only be loaded with a current of up to 19 A - versus 25 A for the GPS-350EB-100A.

The unit is equipped with the following cables and connectors:

motherboard power cable with 20 + 4-pin connector, 34 cm long;
processor power cable with a 4-pin connector, 36 cm long;
a cable with two power connectors for PATA hard drives, 36+15 cm long;
cable with two power connectors for PATA-hard drives and one power connector for the drive, 36+15+15 cm long;
a cable with two power connectors for SATA hard drives, 36 + 15 cm long.

Alas, both the number of connectors and the length of all cables have also decreased.

In general, the cross-load characteristics of the block look good, but if you compare it with the previous model, you can notice a deterioration in the stability of the +12 V voltage - in the upper and lower parts graph, its deviation from the nominal value exceeds 4%, as indicated by the red color.

The range of ripples has also slightly increased - on the +5 V and +3.3 V buses, it is now 30 ... 40 mV. However, this is less than the maximum allowable value.

The unit also has a Yate Loon D12SH-12 fan, which allowed us to hope for the same quiet operation as in the case of the GPS-350EB-100A...

Alas, the hopes were not justified: even at the minimum load, the fan speed almost reaches 1200 rpm, and at a power of more than 150 it starts to grow rapidly - and so quickly that at some stage the temperature of the block does not increase with increasing load, but rather drops. Thus, the GPS-400AB-C can be described as a medium noise unit, but no better than this.

The efficiency also turned out to be slightly worse than that of its predecessor - at maximum power it fell to 73%.

Thus, the GPS-400AB-C is fundamentally different from the GPS-350EB-100A discussed above - it is a noticeably cheaper model that does not have any advantages, but it demonstrates a number of disadvantages: shortened wires, lower efficiency, more noisy fan... C Considering that the retail prices for the two mentioned models are approximately equal, there is absolutely no point in buying the GPS-400AB-C.

Delta Electronics GPS-550AB-A (550W)

Taking this block out of the box, I experienced ambivalent feelings - on the one hand, outwardly it did not look like the previous model, on the other hand, the similarity of the name (more precisely, the absence of a numerical index in it) made me wonder if we were again dealing with a cheaper version?..

The unit has a U-shaped housing cover that slides back. The internal layout differs markedly from the previous two models, not only in the density of the elements, but also in circuitry - this unit is equipped with active power factor correction, the corresponding choke is visible in the picture on the right, behind the large black jar of high-voltage capacitor.

This time around, 550W is continuous, not peak power. The allowable load on the +12V bus (artificially divided into three lines) is 30A - the same as for AcBel Power Gold series blocks, but less than recommended by the standard ATX12V 2.2. In general, however, there are no serious comments on the declared parameters of the block.

The unit is equipped with the following cables and connectors:

motherboard power cable with 20 + 4-pin connector, 43 cm long;
processor power cable with 8- and 4-pin connectors, 45+19 cm long;
video card power cable with two 6-pin connectors, 45+20 cm long;
a cable with three power connectors for PATA hard drives, 45+14+14 cm long;
cable with three power connectors for PATA hard drives and one power connector for the drive, 45+14+14+14 cm long;
two cables with two power connectors for SATA hard drives on each, 45 + 15 cm long.

Well, it is worth noting not only the acceptable length of cables, but also the appearance of two power connectors for video cards at once, as well as a second cable with SATA power connectors - in light of the entry into the market of DVD drives with SATA interface, it may be useful (not in all cases, it will be possible to stretch one cable with SATA connectors to both the hard drive and the DVD drive, and using adapters is not very convenient).

Alas, the cross-load characteristics look acceptable, but nothing more - the +12 V voltage “walks” quite strongly, with a significant load it will drop by 3 ... 4%. Nevertheless, voltages go beyond the permissible limits only with very extreme load distortions towards one of the tires.

At a power above 400 W, one of the chokes starts to "ring" in the block - however, such problems are encountered by many manufacturers, and depend on the specific instance of the block.

Ripple output voltages at maximum load are within normal limits.

The block again uses the Yate Loon D12SH-12 fan, and in general, the dependence of the speed on the load on the block resembles the AcBel models of the Power Gold series:

The fan starts at a speed of about 1100 rpm, which creates quite noticeable, although not too loud noise - for many users its level will be quite acceptable. At a load above 250 W, the fan starts to quickly gain momentum, so that the temperature of the unit even drops slightly; but at 450 watts of power, it reaches its maximum speed (about 2200 rpm), after which the temperature rises again. Thus, GPS-550AB-A can be classified as medium noise units.

The average efficiency of the block was about 80% - at low load powers it is slightly higher, but at the maximum it drops to 78%. The power factor, despite the presence of active PFC, barely exceeded 0.9 - while usually it is at least 0.95 for such units.

In general, the GPS-550AB-A did not leave the impression of being cheap, like its predecessor, the GPS-400AB-C - this is a fairly good and powerful mid-range unit (unfortunately, nothing more). Of the minuses, one can note the not too high voltage stability of +12 V and a fan that could work even quieter.

GlacialPower GP-PS350AP (350W), GP-PS450AP (400W) and GP-PS550BP (550W)

Apparently, its own brand of power supplies will soon become a mandatory accessory for any manufacturer of computer components - following Zalman, OCZ, Corsair, Mushkin and others, GlacialTech, a well-known manufacturer of coolers and fans, began selling power supplies. At the moment, the range is represented by three models of blocks supplied under the brand name "GlacialPower" - 350, 450 and 550 W. All of them have visited our laboratory.

The blocks are made in ordinary gray cases and are cooled by 80 mm fans. All three models have the same design and circuitry, so I will consider them together.

The layout of the blocks is very dense, primarily due to large radiators and a passive PFC choke. The latter is suspended on a special transverse bar exactly opposite the fan - the solution is somewhat controversial: on the one hand, it allows you to save a little on the dimensions of the throttle by improving its cooling by a closely spaced fan, on the other hand, the throttle interferes with the air flow and thereby worsens the cooling of the unit as a whole and increases its noise.

All three models according to their declared parameters fully comply with the requirements and recommendations of the ATX12V 2.2 standard. The power indicated in the names of the models is long-term, not peak, the permissible total load of the +12 V bus is 25 A for the younger model, 29 A for the middle one and 33 A for the older one. Of course, the division of this bus into two lines is virtual, in fact, there is only one 12-volt bus inside the block.

The younger model is equipped with the following cables and connectors:

video card power cable with a 6-pin connector, 40 cm long;
a cable with two power connectors for PATA hard drives, 38+15 cm long;

a cable with one power connector for a SATA hard drive, 38 cm long.

On the one hand, I cannot fail to note the presence of a video card power connector - it is absolutely appropriate on a 350-watt block. Even though products of such power are now considered basic, budget models, they can easily "pull" gaming computer even with a sufficiently powerful video card (as our measurements show, even such a serious system as the older Core 2 Duo plus GeForce 8800GTX consumes less than 300 W from the power supply under 3DMark "06).

On the other hand, I would also like to see at least two SATA connectors on the block: it is clear that you can always use an adapter if necessary, but this will not add any convenience or reliability.

Both older models are equipped in exactly the same way:

motherboard power cable with 20 + 4-pin connector, 50 cm long;
processor power cable with a 4-pin connector, 50 cm long;
two power cables for video cards with 6-pin connectors, 40 cm long;
a cable with three power connectors for PATA hard drives, 38+15+15 cm long;
cable with two power connectors for PATA-hard drives and one power connector for the drive, 38+15+15 cm long;
a cable with two power connectors for SATA hard drives, 38 + 15 cm long.

In addition to the appearance of a second power connector for the video card, the block also got one more SATA connector. Of course, I would like the latter to be four pieces, and on two different loops, but two are already not bad.

The voltage stability of the younger model is generally quite good, but the +5 V voltage in the lower part of the graph that interests us the most is overestimated by 4%. But the voltages of +3.3 V and +12 V in the same area are close to ideal.

The 400-watt model, on the contrary, was distinguished by a very low voltage of +12 V in the same area at a stable +5 V - the first under load sags up to 11.5 V, which is theoretically within the permissible range, but in practice it may still be not enough for stable operation powerful graphics cards.

Alas, on the older model, with a power of 550 W, the +12 V voltage also dipped, although not so much - but in the lower right corner of the graph it even reached red, which means a deviation between 4% and 5% of the nominal value (that is, the voltage from 11.40 to 11.52 V).

All three blocks showed a similar level of ripple at maximum load: about 30 mV on the +5 V bus, 50 mV on the +12 V bus, and again 30 mV on the +3.3 V bus, that is, completely within the normal range.

The units are equipped with GaleMotor GMA08025B12U fans with a nominal speed of 4500 rpm, but at the same time, effective speed control is promised depending on the load on the unit, and at a load of less than 20% for the two younger models and less than 30% for the older one, the fan should not rotate at all:

Alas, even at a load power of about 45 W, the minimum in our test, the GP-PS350AP fan was already running at a speed of about 1350 rpm, although this load is only 13% of the unit's power. However, this speed is rather low for an 80mm fan, you won't hear it.

Up to a load power of 200 W, the speed remained almost constant, but then it began to grow rapidly and reached a maximum of 2400 rpm. Thus, the block can be considered very quiet at loads up to 200 W and moderately noisy at higher power.

Both older models were more in line with the manufacturer's promises - with a light load, their fans were really stationary, starting to spin at a speed of about 1500 rpm with a load of about 120 watts.

As the power increased further, the fan speed increased rapidly, reaching almost 4500 rpm at full load, and thus making the unit very noisy. Apparently, it was here that the unfortunate location of the PFC throttle, blocking the fan, affected. For example, we can cite the AcBel E2 Power 490 power supply discussed above, which is similar in parameters and circuitry, but more spacious inside. Its fan at a load of 440 W reached a speed of 3250 rpm, and the temperature increase was 11 degrees. At the same 440 W, the fan of the GP-PS550BP unit accelerated to 3700 rpm, and the temperature increase was 13 degrees - both numbers are clearly not in favor of GlacialPower.

As a result, older models of GlacialPower blocks are quiet only at a load of no more than 250 watts. With a load approaching the maximum, they cannot even be classified as average in terms of noise.

The younger model showed a maximum efficiency of about 80%, but as the load increased, it dropped to 75% - a figure that is quite acceptable in terms of current standards, but not impressive. However, other low-cost blocks presented in this article showed a similar result.

The older block, alas, turned out to be the worst of all, at full power falling to an efficiency of only 70%, that is, to the minimum allowable (according to the ATX12V 2.2 standard) value. This standard also recommends an efficiency of at least 77% at full load.

Thus, although in general GlacialPower power supplies turned out to be quite good, the company still has something to work on - the +12 V voltage sags noticeably under load, the units can be called quiet only when operating at low power (on the one hand, this drawback is not too critical , because when you play F.E.A.R. or S.T.A.L.K.E.R., the noise of the power supply worries you to the least degree - but on the other hand, GlacialTech has gained a reputation in the cooler market with quite quiet products, and it is unsuitable for it to produce noisy power supplies), the efficiency of the older model barely satisfies the requirements of the standard. In addition, I would like to see older models with active PFC - after all, passive PFC is the lot of budget-level blocks, but nothing more: among the AcBel and Delta Electronics models discussed above, all blocks with powers from 500 W have active PFC.

For these reasons, among the products of GlacialPower, the younger model GP-PS350AP deserves the most attention, as a high-quality and quiet power supply for a typical home (including gaming ones with not too high power - especially since, unlike competitors, this unit has a native video card power connector) or office computer.

Conclusion

Generally speaking, I initially did not expect any surprises from this testing - two of the three companies presented are among the largest manufacturers of power supplies in the world (and both are engaged not only in computer units, but in the entire range of electronics, from household appliances to mainframe power supplies and distributed power systems), and the latter, GlacialTech, has a very good reputation in the field of cooling systems, which allows us to hope that it will not bring frankly bad products to the market under its own brand.

In principle, this is what happened - all the presented power supplies (and this is almost a dozen different models with powers from 350 to 600 W) passed our tests, which necessarily include 45-minute operation at maximum power.

Nevertheless, I would like to single out both leaders and outsiders.

I was pleasantly surprised by the excellent workmanship of AcBel products - all the blocks presented, and these are nine models of various series and capacities, are made very carefully and fully comply with the declared parameters. All of them are quite competitive and interesting in their weight categories.

Of the Delta products, the 350-watt GPS-350EB-100A made a very pleasant impression on me, in general, the 550-watt GPS-550AB-A is not bad, but the GPS-400AB-A, on the contrary, disappointed. The existence of this block would make sense if the retail price for it was noticeably lower than the price for the GPS-350EB-100A - however, in practice, alas, they cost almost the same, but the parameters of the GPS-350EB-100A are better in all respects.

And, finally, GlacialPower blocks left a generally pleasant impression, but, however, the developer still has work to do - firstly, these models are not without some shortcomings, and secondly, I would like to see blocks with active PFC and with quieter fans.

AcBel power supplies courtesy of "ASBIS".

GlacialPower power supplies courtesy of Bureaucrat.

Our customers are interested in high-quality power supply without power failures, dips and surges, undervoltage or overvoltage, frequency deviations, harmonic distortions and interference. Delta Electronics is a company specializing in uninterruptible power supply, voltage regulation and protection devices, has developed four families of uninterruptible power supplies - Agilon, Amplon, Ultron and Modulon. Delta's power supplies provide maximum savings in an exceptionally small footprint. They have the highest efficiency and exceptional parameter stability. These specifications indicate the suitability of Delta UPS systems for the most demanding applications. The table below lists their power ranges as well as brief descriptions of the architecture and application.

Our product range allows our customers to choose uninterruptible power systems that fully meet their requirements for ensuring uninterrupted operation and ensuring long-term competitive advantage. Customers can also order UPSs based on the initial needs of their business, and then scale them up as needed. This solution provides maximum benefits while reducing the total cost of ownership of an uninterruptible power system.

In addition to highly efficient and reliable uninterruptible power supplies, Delta Electronics offers software UPSentry and InsightPowerUPS, greatly expanding UPS management capabilities. By installing supported network cards, users can remotely monitor the operation of the UPS, perform initial diagnostics for abnormal abnormalities, and turn systems on or off as needed.

Product family	Power	Architecture	Areas of use
		Single-phase UPS	PC and peripherals
	1 kVA or more	Single-phase UPS	Server and network equipment
	10 kVA or more	Three-phase on-line UPS	Data centers and industrial equipment
	20 kVA or more	Modular UPS	Modular expandable UPS and redundancy within one rack

Benefits of Delta Uninterruptible Power Systems:

• High AC-AC conversion efficiency
• Fully redundant design and configuration
• High input and output power factor
• Ease of expansion without the use of additional hardware
• Ease of use with low total cost of ownership