1. Intro - specs
Today's need for extra power supply energy keeps increasing. We all want to have a stable and at the same time efficient PSU that can handle with ease our energy hungry hardware setup. With so many products on the market, Corsair's proposal for 550 watts comes with many interesting features and very good performance.
- Corsair VX550W Power Supply
Extending Corsair’s legendary reputation in performance and quality, the new Corsair VX family of power supplies features the industry’s most efficient power management and ultra-quiet design for mainstream users. Unlike most power supplies in the market, the Corsair VX incorporates a single +12V power rail that delivers continuous power under heavy loads.
This conservative design ensures reliable operation in today’s most demanding system configurations and adds compatibility for future platforms. The unique combination of rock solid performance and incredible value puts the Corsair VX family of power supplies in a class of its own. Ideal for home theater PCs and Energy Star PCs, the VX line maximizes energy savings and minimum noise generation thanks to double-forward switching circuitry design. Each Corsair VX power supply is backed with an industry-leading 5-year warranty and 24/7 on-demand customer service.
Corsair's VX line (450W and 550W) is manufactured by Channel Well, one of the Corsair's ODMs.
The performance, according to Corsair is very good, although we will have more details about it later in our review:
- Features
- Supports the latest ATX12V v2.2 standard and is backwards compatible with ATX12V 2.01 systems.
- Ultra-quiet 120mm double ball-bearing fan delivers excellent airflow at an exceptionally low noise level by varying the RPM in response to temperature.
- Double-forward switching circuitry design offers maximum efficiency, up to 85% under wide load range.
- 99% Active Power Factor Correction provides clean and reliable power to your system.
- Universal AC input 90~264V automatically scans and detects the correct voltage. No more hassle of flipping that tiny red switch!
- Dedicated single +12V rail offers maximum compatibility with latest components.
- Over Current/Voltage/Power Protection, Under Voltage Protection, and Short Circuit Protection provide maximum safety to your critical system components.
- High quality Japanese capacitors provide uncompromised performance and reliability.
- 6 Serial ATA connectors
- Extra long cables support full tower size chassis.
- Standard ATX PS/2 size: 5.9"(W) x 3.4"(H) X 5.5"(L); 150mm(W) x 86mm(H) x 140mm(L)
- MTBF: 100,000 Hours
- Safety Approvals: UL, CUL, CE, CB, FCC Class B, TÜV, CCC, C-tick.
- Specifications
Model |
VX550W |
AC Input Rating |
90 - 264VAC |
Input Current |
5 - 9A |
Frequency |
47Hz - 63Hz |
DC Output |
Max Load |
Max Output |
+3.3V |
30A |
140W |
+5V |
20A |
+12V |
41A |
492W |
-12V |
0.8A |
9.6W |
+5VSB |
3A |
15W |
Total Power |
550W |
2. The package
Corsair's VX550W Power Supply (CMPSU-550VX), costs around $96(+ shipping). The retail package follows the HX series design with different colours of course. The 5 years warranty logo on the package indicates Corsair's strong belief in this product:
Let's open the box:
Inside the white cloth bag, there is a layer of bubble wrap surrounding the PSU itself. This protects it during transportation. Everything is well packaged and organized. Here is what you will find inside the box:
- Corsair VX550W Power Supply unit
- User Manual
- AC Power cord
- Cable ties
- Mounting screws
- Corsair case badge
We can say that the retail box is complete, nothing important is missing. Let's proceed to the PSU itself. The size is typical for this category (150 x 140 x 86mm) and it's certified for the ATX v2.2 standard. The black finish looks and feels great. There are no sharp edges, so you won't be cutting yourself while installing it.
The rear of the PSU has a honeycomb design. This helps in airflow and lowering the PSU's internal temperature.
On the side, we find Corsair's logo along with the product name:
On the bottom, there is a 12cm fan with a protective grill:
All cables are attached to the unit, there are no detachable cables here. But remember this is a "low" cost power supply. The connectors are:
Connectors Included |
VX550W |
ATX 24 pin & 20 pin compatible |
x1 |
EPS/ATX12V 8-4 pin |
x1 |
PCI-E 6 pin |
x1 |
PCI-E 6+2 pin |
x1 |
SATA |
x6 |
4 pin Peripheral |
x6 |
Floppy |
|
- 1 x 610mm (24”) 24-pin ATX power connector cable. The ATX power connector has a detachable 4-pin mechanism in
order to support either a 24-pin or a 20-pin socket on the motherboard.
- 1 x 610mm (24”) 8-pin EPS12V connector cable. The EPS12V power connector has a detachable 4-pin mechanism in
order to support either an 8-pin socket or a 4-pin “P4/12V” socket on
the motherboard.
- 2 x 610mm (24”) 6-pin PCI-E connector cable.
- 2 x 710mm (28”) SATA connector cable with three SATA connector heads.
- 2 x 860mm (34”) 4-pin peripheral power connector cable with three
connector heads and one small 4-pin for floppy drive.
3. Benchmarks
We tested the PSU under real-life conditions, meaning we put our PC system under heavy load with extensive CPU 3D loading from 3D Mark 06 v1.0.2, as well as burn-in tests with Sisoft Sandra 2007. Our test PC setup is as follows:
- AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+ AM2
- ASUS M2N32Pro WS
- 2x Asus EN7900GS Top VGA cards
- 2GB Crucial PC-8000
- 1xWD 80JB SATA I
- 1xSeagate 80GB SATAII
All PSU ratings were monitored with Everest Ultimate Edition v3.0. The following table lists the industry wide specifications for DC Output Voltage Regulation.
After running 3D Mark 06, the monitored outputs showed us how much the power supply had deviated under load. A summary of the measured results is given below:
|
Minimum |
Maximum |
Average |
CPU1 |
% |
0 |
100 |
54,9 |
CPU2 |
% |
0 |
100 |
39,2 |
CPU Core |
V |
1,34 |
1,34 |
1,34 |
+3.3 V |
V |
3,25 |
3,27 |
3,26 |
+5 V |
V |
4,88 |
4,93 |
4,91 |
+12 V |
V |
12,22 |
12,30 |
|
The results were very good. All readings are within range, and even at full load, the voltage only changes by 0.01~0.07V. The system can fully support a high performance PC with two VGA cards installed.
4. Summary
The VX series is designed to fulfill the need for a low budget power supply but at the same time powerful enough for today's loads. The VX series also includes energy saving and minimum noise generation due to double-forward switching circuitry design. You can add the five years warranty and 24/7 on-demand customer service and this looks like a winning combination.
The V550W can handle two PCI-E VGA cards in a high performance system, using either in SLI or Crossfire technology. More-over it includes two additional pins for those new 8pin compatible VGA cards. There are no modular sleeved cables, since this would increase costs.
We feel that Corsair's VX550 Watt power supply is a great product with a very good price. At the retail price of $96, you get a powerful and at the same time stable power supply with several futureproof features.
- The Good
- 550Watt output
- Active PFC design
- Low operating noise, even at full load
- 5 years warranty!
- ATX v2.2 certified
- Plenty of connectors
- Good price for a 550Watt power supply
- Stable voltages under heavy load
- The Bad