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500 - 700W Power Supply Group Test

Author	Edward Chester
Published	24th Apr 2009
Manufacturer	SilverPower
Supplier	Overclockers.co.uk
Price	£46.81 (Exc VAT)
as reviewed	£55.00 (Inc VAT)
Latest Price	Click here

Features
Performance
Value
Overall

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Gorillas and gun metal. That seems to be the theme of the SilverPower SP-SS500. We're not sure that it all makes sense but, aside from the rather cheap looking gorilla face in the centre of the fan grill, it doesn't seem to have done it any harm. That said, the build quality does seem to be a notch below some of the competition, with the case feeling a little less sturdy than some and being rather more prone to dents. Both issues that, of course, will be of little concern once the unit is installed and are understandable considering this unit's rock bottom price. In the box you get a suitably light set of extras with just a power cable, and a bag of four mounting screws.

Cabling is basic, but perfectly adequate. The main motherboard cable is 45cm long, as are the eight and four-pin 12V auxiliary cables. Each of the two PCI-Express cables are 65cm long with one having a six-pin and the other a 6+2pin connector. The six Molex connectors are split between two cables of 80cm long; one with just three Molex and one with three Molex and terminating in a floppy drive connector. Finishing off the bundle are two cables each with three SATA connectors. Like the Seasonic unit, these are staggered with one being 65cm long while the other is 75cm.

During our stress tests the SP-SS500 coped without a hitch and returned efficiency figures comfortably above its rated 80 per cent. It was only middling when it came to our noise tests, with a 37dB idle speed and 44dB when the system was under load but when you consider its low price we can't help but be impressed by this little unit.

Verdict

As the cheapest PSU on test, we wouldn't have been surprised to see the SilverPower SP-SS500 slip up in some area or another but, apart from its slightly sub-par build quality, this hasn't proved to be the case. If you just want an absolutely basic but quiet and reliable power supply then this should be your first port of call.

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basicasic said on 25th April 2009

Thanks for the review. Excellent.

I'm pretty sure Corsair PSUs are made by Seasonic so they will be decent. I've got plenty of Enermax, Seasonic and Antec ... more

b166er said on 26th April 2009

Thanks for the round-up, they always help to keep abreast. I would have really liked to see warranties mentioned for these, though. I wouldn't consider buying one with less th... more

Ed said on 5th May 2009

Hi b166er,

Good point about the warranties, though this is something that most manufacturers clearly list on their websites. I'll consider adding them next tim... more

Rickysio said on 9th May 2009

I was using a Cooler Master eXtreme 430W, and it frigging surprised me.
I managed to use it to run a Q6600 and a GTS250 without a hitch.
Though I've since then u... more

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