CoolMAX 550W Aluminum PSU Review - CoolMAX 550W Aluminum PSU (Continued)
(Page 2 of 2 )
Here are the manufacturer specs on the power supply:
One 80x25mm Tri-Light LED Exhaust Fan
Two 80x15mm Intake Fans
Variable Speed setting switch
Shorter, more Manageable ATX cable with expandable sleeving - Better suited for Mid-Towers
Equipped with 6-pin AUX, 4-pin ATX 12V, TEN 4-pin Molex & and two floppy drive connectors
Meets AMD K7 and Intel ATX 2.03 standard
Gold-coated terminals for high performance and faint electrical resistance for improvements in electrical conductivity
Gold-plated fan guards (3)
1 Year Warranty
| AC INPUT | 100~120Vac/200~240Vac 10/6A 60/50Hz |
| DC OUTPUT | +3.3V | +5V | +12V | -12V | -5V | +5VSB |
CT-550W | MAX OUTPUT | 28A | 55A | 22A | 0.8A | 0.5A | 3A |
| Current | 275W | 264W | 9.6W | 2.5W | 15W |
Max Combined Wattage | 530W | 27W |
It's nice to see that there are an abundance of 4 pin Molex connectors on the PSU, and that they are gold coated for better conductivity. The cables aren't too long, and are easily manageable in the Cheiftec style cases, and most other Mid-Towers.
Here is the rear shot of the PSU installed and running. The Tri-Color LED fan looks Sweet!!!
Unfortunately the Tri-Color fan can only bee seen from the rear of the case. The inclusion of another LED fan on the bottom of the unit would put a nice light show inside of your case to be appreciated.
Performance
Let's take a look at what Motherboard Monitor is reporting for the voltage lines, and whip out the trusty voltmeter to keep MBM honest.
I am very pleased with the performance that MBM is reporting. Now let's hope that the actual voltage readings are in sync with MBM.
Here is the +12V measurement taken at the Molex connector furthest from the PSU
Nice and strong voltages coming through the connectors. And that's with the CPU @ 100% (Folding for OCAddiction) and a ton of devices on the +12V line.
Here's the +5V line on the same Molex connector.
A little on the weak side, but as stated earlier, I believe that there is a +5V pot inside the PSU to make adjustments on. (Again once you open your PSU, your warranty is voided, so if you blow up your PSU, don't come cryin' to me. Also there is great risk of shock poking around inside the PSU with all of the capacitors in there still holding a nice amount of current to fry your ass...(don't be dumb)
Here is the 3.3V measurement taken from the ATX connector.
Its nice to see that my CPU running @ 100% is still getting fed plenty of juice.
Conclusion
Well, the CoolMAX looks like its found a new home in my current rig, replacing the All Mighty Antec True Blue 480. It's a solid performer, and looks good too. The cables are a manageable length, and you get more than enough to power all your planned upgrades. The Tri-Color fan is a must for any serious case modder, and the inclusion of the aluminum housing is a nice bonus as well.
Pros
550 watts of power, what more could you ask for?
Triple fan configuration
Tri-Color LED exhaust fan
Three levels of fan control
Housed in an aluminum case
Cons
Thanks go out to Cool Max USA and Sidewinder Computers for providing the unit for review.
We'd like to thank you for joining us here today. If you would like to discuss this article or others, please head into the OCA forums for a chat. See you there.
| DISCLAIMER: The content provided in this article is not warranted or guaranteed by Developer Shed, Inc. The content provided is intended for entertainment and/or educational purposes in order to introduce to the reader key ideas, concepts, and/or product reviews. As such it is incumbent upon the reader to employ real-world tactics for security and implementation of best practices. We are not liable for any negative consequences that may result from implementing any information covered in our articles or tutorials. If this is a hardware review, it is not recommended to open and/or modify your hardware. |
/ 12 
