Silver Power Blue Lightning 600W
by Christoph Katzer on August 27, 2007 6:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Packaging and Appearance
In order to keep costs down, MaxPoint has cut a lot of goodies and extras from the package relative to high-end power supplies. Everything is packed in a colorful box, which provides basic information about the power supply within. The PSU itself has almost no protection within the box and could potentially be damaged during transport - like most users, we've encountered our fair share of DOA power supplies that were very likely damaged during shipping. A small user manual is included that contains very little information, but then again there's not a lot to say.
In terms of the power supply itself, the casing is quite unusual. Small rectangles have been punched out of the back of the unit to serve as an exhaust for the airflow. This type of perforation used to be more common in the past, but most manufacturers these days use hexagonal punch outs. The theory is that the hexagon shapes improve airflow without creating turbulence, compromising structural integrity, or creating unacceptable EMI. The approach that Silver Power has taken might be adequate, but we can see that the top portion of the perforations appear to be of little use as the 120mm fan blocks most of these holes. In fact, much of the space on the rear of the power supply seems like it could be used for ventilation. Of course, whether this is actually necessary is something we'll uncover in the course of this review.
MaxPoint doesn't state the input voltage range on the power supply itself, but this information is indicated on the packaging. The range is listed as 110-240VAC. We tested at our usual 100/115/230VAC however and encountered no problems with a 100VAC input.
In order to keep costs down, MaxPoint has cut a lot of goodies and extras from the package relative to high-end power supplies. Everything is packed in a colorful box, which provides basic information about the power supply within. The PSU itself has almost no protection within the box and could potentially be damaged during transport - like most users, we've encountered our fair share of DOA power supplies that were very likely damaged during shipping. A small user manual is included that contains very little information, but then again there's not a lot to say.
In terms of the power supply itself, the casing is quite unusual. Small rectangles have been punched out of the back of the unit to serve as an exhaust for the airflow. This type of perforation used to be more common in the past, but most manufacturers these days use hexagonal punch outs. The theory is that the hexagon shapes improve airflow without creating turbulence, compromising structural integrity, or creating unacceptable EMI. The approach that Silver Power has taken might be adequate, but we can see that the top portion of the perforations appear to be of little use as the 120mm fan blocks most of these holes. In fact, much of the space on the rear of the power supply seems like it could be used for ventilation. Of course, whether this is actually necessary is something we'll uncover in the course of this review.
MaxPoint doesn't state the input voltage range on the power supply itself, but this information is indicated on the packaging. The range is listed as 110-240VAC. We tested at our usual 100/115/230VAC however and encountered no problems with a 100VAC input.
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MrOblivious - Tuesday, August 28, 2007 - link
Yes and no. The additional interface and the extreme load a load tester puts accross a single connector magnifies the problem beyond what a system would see happen which is what people were asking about.I am sure Chris is looking into it ;)
yyrkoon - Monday, August 27, 2007 - link
to see some Seasonic PSU tests. Not sure *why* but I cannot remember seeing any Seasonic PSU test from you, or any other sites I frequent, and they are supposedly the manufactuers of several of the PSUs for other companies that have good PSUs.Also, it would be very nice to have an article once in a while that explained where the different PSUs were manuafactuered, who actually makes them, and what parts each company typically uses for various models. Anyone can write a review, but no one seems todo this. Be the first ! I *could* probably scour the web to find this information, but if it comes from your guys, I could probably trust the information ;)
Axbattler - Thursday, August 30, 2007 - link
Silent PC Review has made some reviews of Seasonic (and the Corsair too if I remember right).LoneWolf15 - Monday, August 27, 2007 - link
A Seasonic 500w PSU review was done very recently by another ]H[ard-core review site. You might want to check it out. They and JonnyGURU as well are very clear about who makes PSU's, capacitor brands in them, etc.Seasonic makes PSU's for a number of companies --the Antec Neo HE line is one example, but they do some others as well.
As for the Silver Power, if Anandtech's weblink is correct to MWave (it is partially broken) and that PSU is available for $69, it's a great price.
JarredWalton - Monday, August 27, 2007 - link
The web links are just pulled from the engine automatically (automagically even) based on some search text. I put in "Tagan" and that's what came up. Still, the 530W Tagan is probably pretty decent for $69. This PSU is apparently $88 shipped from http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...">Newegg (see above comments).yyrkoon - Monday, August 27, 2007 - link
heh Jarred, read the first user review on newegg ... not exactly a good example of a PSU 'review'. I probably would take it with a grain of salt *if* the overall user review % was not what it is.JarredWalton - Monday, August 27, 2007 - link
Yeah, Newegg reviews are basically random people spouting off. I've had numerous good quality PSUs fail over the years, and I've had "crappy" PSUs that are still kicking after four years. Without some clear details about the load the PSU was under and the operating environment - let's be honest, overclocking can kill a lot of PSUs if you push it too far - there's any number of reasons a PSU can fail. $90 for a >80% 600W PSU is really pretty good.Christoph Katzer - Monday, August 27, 2007 - link
Seasonic comes up this week.Don't worry about the rest, that'll come as well...
Samus - Monday, August 27, 2007 - link
Looks identical. Newegg has it for $80.Chris, can you confirm whether this is the same power supply as the silverpower?
Christoph Katzer - Monday, August 27, 2007 - link
Thanks for the info. It is indeed the same PSU.