Startech.com ATXPOW500DF 500W Dual Fan PSU Review - Page 2 of 2 Posted:  February 16, 2004 Author:  Jason Kohrs Manufacturer:  Startech.com Source:  Startech.com The testing of the power supply will consist of observing how much the main voltage rails fluctuate from idle conditions to full load conditions. A Radio Shack multi-meter (Cat. No. 22-810) was used to record all voltage readings, including measurements from the 5V, 3.3V, and 12V rails. Physically, the multi-meter was connected directly to the back of the 20-pin ATX motherboard connector, with the black lead placed on a black wired socket.  I placed the red lead on a red wired socket for the 5v rail reading, a yellow wired socket for the 12V line reading, and an orange wired socket for the 3.3V line reading. With the power supply connected and powered up, the level of noise produced is the first thing noticed...  Or perhaps not noticed.  The two 80 mm fans run extremely quiet, and were inaudible over the hum of the other fans running in the test system. Placing my hand in front of the exhaust reveals that not much air is being moved, but the thermal control would adjust that if the sensor indicated it was necessary. Idle measurements were taken with no applications running, and full load results were obtained while running SiSoft Sandra Max3!'s Burn-In Wizard, Folding@Home, and music streaming from the internet via Win Amp, for good measure. The Burn-in Wizard of Sandra allows you to stress test various components in your system, which increases the power required by each.  The tests were allowed to run for a minimum of 1 hour, and the voltage rails of the PSU were monitored for spikes. The following components were installed in the test system, and should provide a decent draw on the various rails of the power supply: • AMD Athlon XP2500+ processor • Gigabyte GA-7N400-L nForce2 Ultra 400 motherboard • (2) Maxtor 40GB ATA-133 hard drives in RAID-0 • Lite-On CD-RW drive • Artec DVD drive • (4) 80 mm LED case fans • CPU heatsink with 80 mm Thermaltake SmartFan II • (4) Cards: PCI sound, PCI TV tuner, PCI RAID card, AGP video For comparison purposes, the Startech.com ATXPOW500DF will be tested head-to-head with another 500W power supply, the Allied AL-B500E.  The two power supplies have similar specifications, and the published ratings on the key voltage rails are also close, with neither appearing to be much better than the other on paper. The table below summarizes the results obtained after the testing was completed... Analyzing the data in the table above, or taking a look at it depicted in the chart below, one can see that the two power supplies provide similar results.  The results are all well within the generally accepted specification of +/- 10%, but I would say a slight edge goes to the Allied unit due to the near zero fluctuations on any voltage rail.  The Startech.com unit proved to be stable, but the +12V line dropped 0.13 volts during testing, and the +5V line dropped 0.02 volts, whereas the Allied unit hardly flinched. The +3.3V rail reading of 3.27 is well within specification, but it is the lowest I have seen on any of the handful of power supplies to come across the test bench here. The testing of the Startech.com ATXPOW500DF 500W power supply showed that it can hold its own under demanding conditions, but it did not dominate the competition provided by the Allied AL-B500E 500W power supply.  Despite not being the top dog in this match-up, it is still worthy of consideration by anyone with a power hungry system seeking a solid PSU. A search of PriceGrabber turns up a handful of results for the ATXPOW500DF, with prices ranging from the low $60’s to the low $80’s (US), which is competitive with other power supplies with similar features and specifications.  As a point of reference, the Allied 500W PSU used for comparison purposes in this review carries a price in the low $60’s as well (according to PriceGrabber). Compared to other units available online, the price is quite attractive. Couple this with the two year warranty, and it becomes even more attractive. As the review showed, the performance of the two units was quite similar, with the Allied unit beating out the Startech.com unit by only a slim margin, as well as on any points awarded for style. Considering the performance, quality, and value of the Startech.com ATXPOW500DF, it is easy to award it four out of five stars... “Recommended”. Final Rating (4 out of 5 stars): Pros: • Respectable performance confirming strong published specifications • Extremely quiet • Includes two S-ATA power connections • Ample quantity of power connections Cons: • Nothing special aesthetically... standard dual fan design with a matte gold coat. • Voltage rails are strong, but not the strongest under full load • Length from housing to first connection is 18” on all leads, which may not be long enough for all users. Special thanks to Startech.com for providing the ATXPOW500DF 500W PSU to BigBruin.Com for review! Please drop by the BigBruin.Com forum and feel free to discuss this review. 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