Silver Power Blue Lightning 600W

Conclusion

We have to admit that we really didn't expect the blue lightning to perform very well in our labs, even though Silver Power/MaxPoint told us otherwise. We were pleasantly surprised, and despite the somewhat unconventional looks and difficult to open casing, it's the engine under the hood that counts.

The ventilation in the back proved to be sufficient for allowing air to get out of the PSU. We didn't expect this, as the fan seems to block much of the perforations and there's a large area around the AC jack that could have also been perforated. Obviously, none of that was necessary. The shiny finish is a good quality and is resistant to scratches, so there was nothing to detract from the appearance.

The cables on the power supply are not particularly long and will certainly cause trouble in many larger cases. Midsize towers should not have any difficulties, though, as cable lengths of up to 70cm should be sufficient. All of the connections are of good quality and the Molex connectors also have an easy release mechanism that will help users remove the connections without tugging on the wires. The cable sleeving is also a nice addition and actually goes beyond what we would consider necessary by sleeving even small sections. This isn't a modular power supply, so all of the cables are permanently attached, but we certainly don't consider that a flaw.

In terms of performance, the DC outputs are all very stable but the lower voltage rails do fall out of spec at higher loads. While that might be considered a drawback, it's important to remember that putting such high loads on the lower voltage rails is quite difficult and we seriously doubt most users will come anywhere near drawing enough power to cause the 3.3V and 5V rails to drop out of spec. The 12V rails on the other hand remain firmly within specs and will cause no problems whatsoever, regardless of load or environment temperatures. OCP testing was conducted and also worked properly, ensuring that any attached hardware will not be damaged should something unexpected occur.

Efficiency Comparison


Delivering up to 85% efficiency, the Silver Power Blue Lightning 600W clearly reaches the highest ranks in our steadily increasing list of power supplies. Even at lower input voltages we see efficiency levels above 80% at most loads. This power supply manages to hang out with its more expensive brothers like the Gigabyte Odin and PC Power & Cooling Silencer without having to hang its head in shame. Granted, both those power supplies offer more stable DC outputs than the Blue Lightning, not to mention higher maximum power, so they're not true competitors; but for the midrange market this is definitely a power supply worth considering.

Heat dissipation is also very good, in part due to the large size of the two heatsinks. We measured temperatures of just 15°C higher than the ambient temperature, which is also caused in part by the high efficiency of the Blue Lightning. Higher efficiency means less heat generated, which results in cooler running components. That means the heatsinks don't have to do as much work. Of course, the plastic guard that helps to redirect airflow also appears to be helping.

Our one complaint is that MaxPoint could do a better job at selecting a fan for this power supply. While the noise levels weren't particularly loud, neither were they especially silent. A better fan - perhaps one that skips out on the blue LED lights - would certainly make sense in our opinion. Some users might be attracted by the shiny exterior and blue lighting, but we think a lot more would prefer a simple black paint job and a dark fan and thus increase the potential customer base.

Unfortunately, finding this power supply in stock may be the most difficult task. There appear to be a variety of resellers in France that carry the power supply, but it's not as widely available in the rest of Europe. Pricing appears to be around €80, excluding shipping. Looking at the US market, it is currently almost impossible to find this power supply, although MaxPoint and Tagan are hopefully working to address this issue. Our personal opinion is that the Blue Lightning is not particularly beautiful and perhaps even looks a little cheap/garish, but in terms of performance we were pleasantly surprised and can recommend this power supply for people looking to build a decent midrange system.

Update: The Apex SL8600EPS looks to be the same power supply offered in the US, available at Newegg for around $89 shipped at present. Thanks to our readers for pointing this out!