Ultra X-Finity 500W/500W+ APFC PSU Review :: OCCT + 3DMark 2005

Draw:

Xfinity 500W 247W: PF .67 - VA 362
Xfinity 500W w/PFC 241W: PF 1 - VA 248

We're not even sure what the hell to make of these results. With wild fluctuations on the power rails, there's surely some caution flags being raised, and waved with vigor. Yet, the flags do not billow in the wind. Why, you may ask? During the course of the review, we figured it would be beneficial to put each PSU through a few days of torture - which is essentially hours on end playing Oblivion, with the processor ramped all the way up to 2.8GHz. It didn't crash once. Bearing in mind that both supplies could actually handle the load, the second shock comes from the shock. With savings of 101 Watts and 243VA, you can really tell which of the two PSUs is having heat issues. Those issues are to such a degree that during one test, a fan fell into the path of the non-apfc model's fan. It directed enough airflow away that the supply kept sucking in more and more power, topping out at well past 600W/750VA before it shut down. Damn. The APFC model, on the other hand, while running warm wasn't excessively hot, and it's maximum draw shows that off. Efficiency is really the only way to go here, and considering the menial cost difference, the major heat difference, and the potential for keeping the supply cool, I think you know what our conclusion is going to say.

Xfinity 500W SLI OC OCCT

Xfinity 500W w/PFC SLI OC OCCT

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