7-Way 550-600 Watt Power Supply Roundup Review

7 -Way 550W-600W PSU Review – Introduction

It is natural for an enthusiast to be dazzled by monsters such as the Corsair AX1200i and the Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 1500W; however, even the majority of the enthusiasts would not actually purchase such a beast. It is (or should be) common knowledge that even a very good gaming system does not demand more than 300W-350W and thus, as power supplies are being designed to optimally perform at about 50% capacity, 550W-600W units are plenty for the vast majority of gamers and common users. It is only with multiple video cards, large raid arrays and other “specialized” designs that power requirements may increase substantially. As such, the bulk of a company’s sales does not come from top tier products but from their mainstream-focused designs.

Knowing that and realizing the need to offer our readers insight on products which truly are of interest to them, today we bring you a roundup review of seven quality 550W-600W power supplies. Do not be fooled however as the only common capacity of these seven power supplies virtually is their capacity, as each is designed for a different group of users. We will examine and test each unit thoroughly, all while assessing their performance in alignment with the monetary value and quality they offer. Our seven contenders are, alphabetically listed:

Manufacturer	Model	Wattage	80Plus Qualification	Price (at print time)
Be Quiet!	Dark Power Pro 10	550W	Gold	$165.98 Shipped
Corsair	CX600M	600W	Bronze	$76.99 Shipped
Corsair	GS600	600W	Bronze	$89.99 Shipped
Cougar	PowerX	550W	Bronze	$69.99 MSRP
InWin	Commander III	600W	Gold	$104.99+$6.77 shipping
Seasonic	G Series	550W	Gold	$79.99 Shipped
Thermaltake	TR2	600W	Bronze	$51.34 Shipped

All power supplies will be rigorously tested, specifically in order to ensure that their quality matches the high market standards. In this article we have also implemented a 110% load test in order to assess how such these power supplies will react if overloaded for short periods of time. However, note that this is not considered to be a steady state; the power supply will certainly shut down after a short period of time and or might not be able to handle running overloaded at all once aging becomes a significant factor.