 |
Antec SmartPower SL350 350W PSU with PFC |
 |
|||||
 |
|
 |
|||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
Intro
I was rudely awakened by the doorbell a while back, but I quickly forgave the UPS guy, as he had come bearing two parcels from those nice people at Antec in Holland.
The contents of the second parcel will have to remain a mystery for the time being, as today I'll be reviewing the contents of the first parcel: a SmartPower SL350 PSU.
So, why would you want to read a PSU review? PSU’s are boring, aren’t they? Sure, you can’t run your rig without one, but any PSU will do, won’t it? To quote from the side of the SL350's box: “The power supply can contribute more to the safety and stability of your computer more than any other component. And in today’s high speed computing world, you need the best power supply available…”.
Antec isn’t just trying to ship more units; the statement on the box is true. How often have you read in the PimpRig forums about stability issues being fixed by throwing out cheap generic PSUs & replacing them with a reliable unit? As the power demands of components like CPUs and graphics cards, and the numbers of extras such as cold cathodes & fans increase, more and more people are finding that having a good quality PSU is critical.
The box, and What’s in it
In the box:
- user’s manual
- the PSU wrapped in a bubble wrap bag
- a mains power lead with a plastic prong protector
- 4 fitting screws in a separate resealable bag
A quick flick through the enclosed documentation shows that “user’s manual” is something of an optimistic term: it’s very thin to start with and I quickly found that very little of it was relevant. The first page gives the pinout for the various connectors (unfortunately the cable colours aren’t mentioned), and the bulk of the manual proves to be taken up with other European languages (German, French, Spanish & Italian), and advertisements for other Antec products.
To be fair though, the page and a half of English text describe the important features of the unit, and its installation. After all, it is only a PSU; how much of a user’s manual do you really need?
Specifications
Time to look at the specifications for the unit:
Format:
ATX12v (15cm (L) x 14cm (W) x 8.6cm (H))
Suitable for AMD & Intel based systems
PFC (Power Factor Correction) (European models only)
EMI/RFI filtering: FCC Class B
Fans: 92mm input & 80mm output
Maximum Power: 350W
+5V and +3.3V combined output: 230Watts max.
+5V, +3.3V and +12V combined output: 330Watts max
Over Voltage Protection:
+5V trip point < +6.5V
+3.3V trip point < +4.1V
+12V trip point < +15.6
Output:
+5V: 35A max, 1.5A min
+12V: 16A max, 0.8A min
+3.3V: 20A max, 0.5A min
Input Voltage: 230VAC
Input Frequency Range: 47Hz to 63Hz
Input Current: 4.0A (for 230VAC)
Efficiency: > 68%
Operating Temp: 10 ºC to 50 ºC
MTBF (Mean time before failure): 50,000 hrs. (5.7 years continuous running) @ 25ºC
Performance
The weight of a PSU is always a good (if crude) measure of its quality, so let’s get it unpacked and onto the scales. As you can see, it weighs in at 1,770g (3lbs, 14.5oz) – pretty healthy for a 350W PSU. However, that figure is significantly short of the 5lbs Antec claim on their [url=http://www.antec-inc.com/specs/sl350_spe_EU.html]specifications page[/url]. I’ll give Antec the benefit of the doubt on this point, my guess is that the weight they’ve given is a packed, rounded weight, or simply an error.
By “weigh” (groan) of comparison, I checked out three other PSUs I had at hand. I found that the SL350 weighs a whole 450g (1lb) – 33% - more than cheap and/or generic units of the same rated power output.
For some more specific performance indicators, I used the SIV (System Information Viewer) utility that came with my Gigabyte motherboard to have a look at the accuracy and stability of the voltages.
I know that SIV can’t be considered a benchmark in the usual sense, but my reasons for considering it accurate & using it were that:
1 – I already had it installed;
2 – If a utility coded by the motherboard manufacturer can’t accurately report information, what chance does a third party app have; and
3 – I checked the temps/voltages/fan speeds in the BIOS, and they are exactly the same as displayed by SIV.
In comparison, my regular PSU (QTEC 450W Dual Fan Gold), which is a good value (if not highly regarded) unit delivers between 12 and 12.06V on the 12V line, 5V on the 5V line, 3.31 to 3.33V on the 3.3V line, and delivers a Vcore figure of 1.55V.
On the face of it, the figures from the Antec would appear to be a little disappointing, however, based on past experience, I know that the motherboard in question (a Gigabyte GA-7IXEH) does tend to slightly under-read voltages, and the figures apparently being delivered by the Antec SL350 are on a par with what I’ve seen other top quality PSUs provide.
Following a suggestion from BigAkita, I got hold of a DMM (digital multimeter) to double check the voltages. As expected, the BIOS and SIV utility were giving incorrect readings. Testing the PSU under the same load (i.e. with my PC running) with the DMM showed that the 12v line was delivering a steady 12.21V, and that the critical 5v and 3.3v lines were giving a uniform 5.01v and 3.34v respectively.
Retesting the QTEC in the same way showed a 12v line figure of 12.27 to 12.33v, 5.09v on the 5v line, and 3.42 to 3.44v on the 3.3v line.
One thing I do want to point out is the stability of the voltages that the SL350 provides. Unlike the QTEC which shows some fluctuations (albeit small), the Antec keeps on delivering exactly the same voltage all the time, regardless of temperature variations & me playing musical fans on my baybus.
