PCSTATS     
[X]   Directory of
Guides & Reviews

Beginners Guides
Motherboards by Brand
Weekly Newsletter
Archived Newsletters

Akasa PowerPlus AK-P550FF 550 Watt Power Supply Review
Akasa PowerPlus AK-P550FF 550 Watt Power Supply Review - PCSTATS
Akasa's PowerPlus AK-P550FF splits its 12V delivery into four discrete rails, which should lead to more efficient and stable delivery of power.
 87% Rating:   
Filed under: Power Supply Published:  Author: 
External Mfg. Website: Akasa Jul 30 2005   M. Dowler  
Home > Reviews > Power Supply > Akasa AK-P550FF

Power Tests

Power Jitter Observations

Voltage jitter is read by accessing the power options displayed in the motherboard BIOS, with the system obviously in an unloaded state. *All voltages were read from the BIOS of an MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum SLI motherboard.

Listed Voltages Lower Voltage Upper Voltage Jitter
+3.3V 3.28V 3.28V 0.00v
+5.0V 5.02V 5.02V 0.00v
+12V 11.67V 11.67V 0.00v
-12V -12.05V -12.05V 0.00v
-5.0V -5.02V -5.02V 0.00v
+5.0Vsb 4.91V 5.05V 0.14v

The Akasa PowerPlus AK-P550FF proves to be impressively stable in the first of our tests, showing no perceptible power jitter. The +12V is a bit lower than we would like to see, but since the voltages can be adjusted with the potentiometers, this is not as big of a deal as it could be.

Seasonic Load Tests Source: Seasonic

When looking at the Seasonic Power Supply test results we see two values, wattage and volt-amps. Since it might not be clear what they measure, here's a brief overview.

The volt-amp (VA) value is how much real power is being consumed by the power supply being tested to provide the wattage (W) value. The higher the VA value is, the more electricity is being used by the power supply. Because no electrical device is 100% efficient, there will always be some loss when converting AC to DC. The closer the volt-amps and wattage figures are to each other, the more efficient a power supply is. This is called the Power Factor: wattage / volt-amps = PF.

Since we're testing with a 120W dummy load, the load on the power supply (wattage) should be as close to this figure as possible. Anything above this load in apparent power describes the overhead and wasted energy (given off as heat) for the particular power supply being tested. For the unloaded tests, the wattage and volt-amp figures should be as close as possible to one another. The lower the figures are, the less power is being used.

Seasonic Power Load Tests

Power Supply Wattage Test Type Loaded Unloaded
Seasonic SuperTornado 400 W
(A-PFC)
Active Power 177 W 6 W
Apparent Power 182 VA 7 VA
Vantec iON2 350 W Active Power 192 W 10 W
Apparent Power 277 VA 21 VA
Antec TruePower 330 330 W Active Power 195 W 22 W
Apparent Power 289 VA 38 VA
Ultra X-Connect Green UV 500W 500 W Active Power 193W 22 W
Apparent Power 307 VA 40 VA
AOpen Silent Power AO400-12AHN 400 W Active Power 179W 9 W
Apparent Power 275 VA 18 VA
Seasonic S12-430 430 W
(A-PFC)
Active Power 179W 6W
Apparent Power 180VA 9VA
PC Power and Cooling Turbo-Cool 510 Express/SLI

510 W
(A-PFC)

Active Power

200 W

29 W
Apparent Power 202 VA 32 VA
HEC Ace Power 580UB

580 W

Active Power

183 W

12 W
Apparent Power 272 VA 26 VA
Hec Win 550UB 550 W Active Power 184W 10W
Apparent Power 263VA 22VA
Akasa PowerPlus AK-P550FF 550 W
(A-PFC)
Active Power 194W 38W
Apparent Power 197VA 40VA

The Akasa PowerPlus AK-P550FF showed excellent loaded power numbers, complete with the typical almost perfect efficiency of an Active PFC enabled unit. Loaded power consumption was moderate, but unloaded power consumption was extremely high. Whether this was due to the fast vent fan that Akasa has used or some other factor, we are not sure.

A good, 550W higher-end power supply

The Akasa PowerPlus AK-P550FF inspires confidence with its appearance and hefty weight, as well as the obvious care taken with the interior of the unit. The performance did not disappoint either, showing that its beauty is more than skin deep.

This 550W Active PFC power supply showed stable power and moderate power consumption figures under load, which are all features dear to our hearts when it comes to testing power supplies.

Akasa impressed us less with the lack of documentation provided with the PowerPlus AK-P550FF. Considering that this power supply has three adjustable potentiometers, the absence of any instructions whatsoever as to which pot controls what voltage, or how much each should be adjusted is inexcusable.

The warranty covering the Akasa PowerPlus AK-P550FF is two years, and the unit retails for about $148USD ($180CDN). Considering what we've seen here, that adds up to a pretty good deal for any high-end system that needs the extra power.

Find out about this and many other reviews by joining the Weekly PCstats.com Newsletter today! Catch all of PCstats latest hardware reviews right here.

Related Articles

Here are a few other articles that you might enjoy as well...

1. Seasonic S12-430 430 Watt Power Supply Review
2. AOpen Silent Power AO400-12AHN Power Supply Review
3. Ultra X-Connect Green UV 500W Power Supply Review
4. Vantec iON2 350W Power Supply Review
5. RAIDMAX LP-6100E 500W Power Supply Review

6. HEC WinPower 550UB 550Watt Power Supply Review

< Previous Page © 2023 PCSTATS.com Power Supply Reviews...»

 

Contents of Article: Akasa AK-P550FF
 Pg 1.  Akasa PowerPlus AK-P550FF 550 Watt Power Supply Review
 Pg 2.  Appearance and physical specifications
 Pg 3.  — Power Tests

 
Hardware Sections 


 
PCSTATS Network Features Information About Us Contact
FrostyTech
PCSTATS Newsletter
Tech Glossary
Technology WebSite Listings
News Archives
(Review RSS Feed)
Site Map
PCstats Wallpaper
About Us
Privacy Policy
Advertise on PCSTATS

How's Our Driving?
© Copyright 1999-2023 www.pcstats.com All rights reserved. Privacy policy and Terms of Use.