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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: 
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Akasa AK-P550FF |
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Power Tests
Power Jitter
Observations |
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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.
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.
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