This 90% efficient 350W PSU was announced nearly a year before the entrance of the Seasonic G360, but hasn’t made much noise in the marketplace. A close examination shows that the product is quite competitive with the new Seasonic.
Product | Golden Green 350P14XE ATX12V power supply |
Manufacturer | Super Flower |
Street Price | 69~72,000 Korean Won (US$62~65) |
The Seasonic G360 review posted here a few weeks ago raised lots of interest
in the forum discussion, and generated over 20,000 reads in just a couple of
weeks. This demonstrates clearly that many DIY PC builders are hungry for good
lower rated PSUs. I mentioned in that review that there are several other PSUs
that fall into this category: The AURUM
GOLD 400 from FSP, the Magna
Platinum 400 from Sparkle Power, and the
Golden Green 80 PLUS Gold 350P14XE from Super Flower.
I had an opportunity to speak directly with Super Flower reps at Computex in
Taipei last June. They confirmed that the Super Flower brand is not available
in the US and Canada, which are defined as Kingwin territory. Kingwin has no
plan to import the 350P14XE under its brand to North America, even though the
product has been available for about a year. I persuaded Super Flower reps to
ship a sample to me in Canada, as some 60% of the SPCR audience comes from outside
North America. The sample arrived a few weeks ago, but searching on the web
today, I can only find pricing information in Korea. It’s obvious that this
model is not getting broad global distribution. The selling price in Korean
Won is the current equivalent of US$62~65, which is about what the Seasonic
G360 sells for in the US.
The 350P14XE is only the third sub-400W PSU to be reviewed by SPCR in many
years, and only the second ATX form factor. The significance of these products
are worth reiterating. From my G360 review a month ago:
"Everthing comes and goes… and comes around again! When I first started
reviewing computer power supplies a decade ago, a 300W PSU was considered
quite powerful, and 400W was about as high as the ratings went. Then came
130W CPUs and multiple >200W video cards for gamers, and kilowatt PSUs.
For a while, it was hard to find any retail packaged PSUs rated for less than
450~500W, and 600W seemed to be the new norm."The good news is that the power race over the past decade was not for
naught. It was accompanied by dramatic increases in power supply efficiency
from well below 70% at the start of the period to over 90% today (virtually
mandated for effective cooling of PSUs approaching kilowatt rating), a steady
decline in CPU power demand as Intel (and AMD, to a less successful degree)
got seriously focused on energy efficiency, and most recently, significant
improvements both integrated graphics performance and the power draw of high
performance discrete graphics as well. As a result, the typical power requirements
of modern desktop PCs are about as low again as during the era of Pentium
3, when 250~300W PSUs were the norm. It is in the context of these trends
in PC component technology that we can fully appreciate the introduction of
the Seasonic G360 [and now the Super Flower 350P14XE]."
PRODUCT DETAILS
The 350P14XE is marketed as "Golden Green", which apparently refers
to the 80 PLUS Gold rating and the "green" eco-friendly aspect of
its high efficiency. Being a lower power model, it cannot be marketed as high
end, and the packaging reflects the cost conscious, "value" positioning.
The Golden Green line is extensive, with a dozen models going up to 1300W output.
Curiously, this 350W model is no longer listed on the Golden
Green page. I’ve sent a query asking whether the product is permanently
discontinued, but have yet to receive a response. The next model up is a 400W,
and shamefully for Super Flower, there’s a 430W, a 450W and a 500W model. This
calls for a serious rant: It is horrific hyper-consumer marketing at its worst.
The simple fact is that if a 400W model isn’t quite enough, it is sensible to
get a 500W model. These multiple models differentiated by the merest wisps of
power ratings satisfy only the paranoia of some marketing obessive and/or the
minions who serve the executive, and serve no real customers at all. What a
waste!
|
SUPER FLOWER 350P14XE FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS | |
FEATURE & BRIEF | Our comment |
80 PLUS® Gold Certified 90% efficiency at mid-load, 87% at 20% and 100% or rated load | Great! |
Energy Star / EuP: <1W when turned off | Not unusual. |
50°C Operating temperature | Tighter is better. |
>2,000 times on/off test | OK |
High Quality Nippon Chemi-Con Capacitors | OK |
High Power Vertical Double Layer Main Transformer (patented) | OK |
Dual voltage Circuit with Intelligent Thermal Control System (patented) | Concept is mainstream. |
Safety certifications: cTÜVus, TÜV, CB, CE, FCC, CCC, C-Tick, BSMI, RoHS, BSMI | As expected. |
Over Power/Under Power/Over Voltage/Short Circuit Protections | OK |
Full Range Input (100~250V) with Active PFC | Like most PSUs on retail market. |
Warranty: ??? | No mention on Taiwan or German Super Flower web page |
145(L) x 150(W) x 86(H)mm, 2.5kg | Standard ATX size! |
SUPER FLOWER 350P14XE SPECIFICATIONS | |||||
AC Input | 100~250VAC, 8A, 50/60Hz | ||||
DC Output | 3.3V | 5V | 12V | -12V | 5Vsb |
16A | 16A | 29A | 0.5A | 2A | |
80W | 348W | 6W | 10W | ||
350W |
MORE DETAILS
The casing is ordinary, but sturdy: Two C-sections fitted together like clamshells.
The exhaust grill is a standard grill of hex holes, and there is a standard
wire grill over the 120mm fan with seven translucent blades.
|
Two versions of this Globe
Fan were reviewed at SPCR by Devon Cooke in 2007. One had the Globe Fan
logo while the other was rebranded by AcoustiProducts. The AcoustiProducts variant
was closer to the fan in this PSU, as it had translucent blades as well. This
does not bode well. Devon Cooke wrote then,
"The acoustic difference between the opaque Globe fan and the transparent
AcoustiFan was quite remarkable. We’ve often said that transparent plastic
is unsuitable for use in quiet computers, and listening to the two fans side-by-side
demonstrated why. Both fans demonstrated the same underlying growl that increased
in pitch and volume as the speed increased, but the transparent AcoustiFan
also had a ringing overtone: The sound of the brittle transparent plastic
resonating. At higher speeds, the noise was especially intrusive, since it
developed a throbbing or thrumming that drew attention to itself. This effect
can be heard clearly in the recordings linked to below."
Never mind, let’s hope the thermal fan speed controller in the PSU keeps the
fan acoustics under tight wraps.
OUTPUT CABLES
The output cables are long enough for most cases, even with bottom PSU placement,
which puts the main ATX and AUX12V connectors on the motherboard farther away.
There are two graphics card power connectors, a 6-pin and a 6+2-pin, which
is ambitious for the 350W power rating. About the only video cards that call
for an 8-pin and a 6-pin 12V plug are super high end models like the AMD HD7970,
HD 6970 or nVidia GTX580 — with maximum power around 210W~250W. With a
CPU that demanded under 100W peak and a minimum of other components, this is
doable, but there’d be no headroom at all.
1 – Main ATX 20/24-pin connector, 21” (53cm)
1 – 2+2-pin AUX12V connector, 23” (58cm)
1 – 6-pin and 6+2-pin video card connectors, 25” (62cm)
1 – two SATA + one 4-pin Molex power connectors, 29” (73cm)
1 – three SATA and one floppy drive power connectors, 29” (73cm)
1 – three 4-pin Molex, 26” (82cm)
TESTING
For a fuller understanding of ATX power supplies, please read
the reference article Power
Supply Fundamentals. Those who seek source materials
can find Intel’s various PSU design guides at Form
Factors.
SPCR’s
PSU Test Platform V4.1. is the basic setup for the testing. It is a close simulation of
a moderate airflow mid-tower PC optimized for low noise. There is one major change: The primary testing is done with the PSU NOT inside the hotbox but atop it, out of the heat path. This is in recognition of several realities that prevail today:
- In SPCR’s earlier test platforms, the internal temperature varied proportionately
with output load. The tested PSU was subject to this heat, and operating ambient
temperature rose with increased load, reaching >40°C and often much
higher at full power. This was a realistic simulation of a mid-tower PC case
where the PSU is mounted conventionally at the top back portion of the case. - The vast majority of "serious" PC cases for the home builder place no longer position the PSU at the top back corner. They put the PSU at the bottom/back corner, mostly out of the path of heat from the other components in the case. This design concept took root with the Antec P180 going back over 5 years, and dominates the DIY case arena. This means the PSU generally has to dissipate only its own heat.
Now, we’ve reversed our approach: The PSU is tested briefly in
the hotbox only to check what happens to noise, fan speed and temperatures when
it is used in an outmoded case design.
Acoustic measurements are performed in our own anechoic chamber with ambient level of 11 dBA or lower, with a PC-based spectrum analyzer comprised of SpectraPLUS software with ACO Pacific microphone and M-Audio digital audio interfaces.
REAL SYSTEM POWER NEEDS: While we test the PSU to full
output in order to verify the manufacturer’s claims, real desktop PCs simply
do not require anywhere near this level of power. The most pertinent range of
DC output power is between about 40W and 300W, because it is the power range
where most systems will be working most of the time. It is true that very elaborate
systems with the most power hungry dual video cards today might draw as much
as another 150~300W, but the total usually remains under 600W.
TEST RESULTS
The ambient temperature was 23~24°C, and the ambient noise
level was ~10.5 dBA.
Test Results: Super Flower Golden Green 350P14XE | ||||||
DC Output (W) | AC Input (W) | Lost as Heat (W) | Efficiency % | Power Factor | Exhaust | SPL* (dBA@1m) |
21.8 | 30 | 8.2 | 72.7 | 0.96 | 23°C | 14.5 |
40.5 | 49 | 8.5 | 82.7 | 0.98 | 23°C | 14.5 |
65.3 | 77 | 11.7 | 84.9 | 0.99 | 24°C | 14.5 |
90.5 | 103 | 12.5 | 87.8 | 1.00 | 24°C | 14.5 |
149.9 | 167 | 17.1 | 89.7 | 1.00 | 27°C | 14.5 |
200.0 | 221 | 21.0 | 90.5 | 1.00 | 28°C | 14.5 |
249.9 | 276 | 26.1 | 90.5 | 1.00 | 31°C | 14.5 |
299.1 | 334 | 34.9 | 89.5 | 1.00 | 33°C | 14.5 |
350.2 | 393 | 42.8 | 89.1 | 1.00 | 34°C | 14.5 |
Crossload Test (1A on 5V and 3.3V lines; the rest on 12V line) | ||||||
300.0 | 331 | 31 | 90.6% | 1.00 | 32°C | 14.5 |
+12V Ripple (peak-to-peak): <10mV @ <200W ~ <20mV @ 350W +5V Ripple (peak-to-peak): <8mV @ <200W ~ <15mV @ 350W +3.3V Ripple (peak-to-peak): <8mV @ <200W ~ <15mV @ 350W | ||||||
AC Power in Standby: 0.4W AC Power with No Load, PSU power On: 2.2W / 0.53 PF | ||||||
* See text discussion about noise. |
1. EFFICIENCY — This is a measure of AC-to-DC
conversion efficiency. The ATX12V Power Supply Design Guide recommends 80%
efficiency or better at all output power loads. 80% efficiency means that
to deliver 80W DC output, a PSU draws 100W AC input, and 20W is lost as heat
within the PSU. Higher efficiency is preferred for reduced energy consumption
and cooler operation. It allows reduced cooling airflow, which translates
to lower noise. The 80 Plus Gold standard requires 87% efficiency at 20% load,
90% efficiency at 50% of rated load, and 87% at full rated load.
At the super low 20W load, efficiency was good at nearly 73%.
Efficiency rose fairly quickly as the load was increased. 87% efficiency was
reached around 80W, a bit higher than 20% of rated load. It probably hit 90%
at 175W (50% of rated load), and reached a peak of 90.5% at 200~250W, then slid
to 89.1% at full power. Except at 20% of rated load, which was missed by not
quite 1%, this sample meets 80 PLUS Gold requirements.
In the crossload test, the efficiency was a bit better than with
standard loading, because conversion to the 12V line is always a bit more efficient
than to the lower voltage lines. No signs of stress or strain were noticed
in voltage regulation or ripple & noise.
2. VOLTAGE REGULATION refers to how stable the output voltages
are under various load conditions. The ATX12V Power Supply Design Guide calls
for the +12, +5V and +3.3V lines to be maintained within ±5%.
At all load levels, the critical 12V line was 12.22V, within +0.22V
(+1.9%) of 12V. It dropped to 12.05V at full load. The 5V line started a bit
high at 5.16V (+3.2%) and went down to 5.03V at full load. 3.3V ranged from
3.38V to 3.32V (+2.4% to +0.6%). These are very good results.
3. AC RIPPLE refers to unwanted "noise"
artifacts in the DC output of a switching power supply. It’s usually very high
in frequency (in the order of 100s of kHz). The peak-to-peak value is measured.
The ATX12V Guide allows up to 120mV (peak-to-peak) of AC ripple on the +12V
line and 50mV on the +5V and +3.3V lines. Ripple on all the lines was excellent
at all power levels, generally staying under 10mV through the lower half of
the power range. Even at maximum power, the 12V ripple stayed at under 20mV.
It’s the best we have measured… but many other tested PSUs were loaded to
double and triple the maximum load of the Golden Green 350W.
4. POWER FACTOR is ideal when it measures 1.0. In the most
practical sense, PF is a measure of how "difficult" it is for the
electric utility to deliver the AC power into your power supply. High PF reduces
the AC current draw, which reduces stress on the electric wiring in your home
(and elsewhere up the line). It also means you can do with a smaller, cheaper
UPS backup; they are priced according to their VA (volt-ampere) rating. Power
factor was excellent for this model, running at or close to 1.0 through most
of the loads.
5. LOW LOAD TESTING revealed no problems starting at very
low loads. Our sample had no issue starting up with no load, either, and the
power draw was very low. The 0.4W power draw in standby (power switch on but
computer off) is excellent.
6. LOW & 240 VAC PERFORMANCE
The power supply was set to 300W load at various AC input voltages.
Most full-range input power supplies achieve higher efficiency with higher AC
input voltage. SPCR’s lab is equipped with a 240VAC line, which was used to
check power supply efficiency for the benefit of those who live in higher mains
voltage regions. We also used a hefty variac to check the stability of the PSU
under brownout conditions where the AC line voltage drops from the 120V norm.
Various VAC Inputs: Super Flower 350P14XE | |||
VAC | AC Power | DC Output | Efficiency |
243V | 323W | 300W | 92.9% |
120V | 335W | 89.5% | |
100V | 340W | 88.2% |
Efficiency improved to nearly 93% at 240VAC. The sample passed
the 100VAC minimum input at 200W load without any issues, with a 1.3% drop in
efficiency. Neither voltage regulation nor ripple changed appreciably during
these tests.
7. TEMPERATURE, COOLING & NOISE
The fan in the Golden Green 350W had the amazing characteristic
of no change in speed or noise through the entire load testing procedure at
23°C room temperature. The speed of the fan was found to be ~700 RPM, and the
measured SPL was ~14.5 dBA@1m. This is a very low SPL, but the sound was marred
by significant tonal peaks; subjectively, a hum audible from six feet away even
in the anechoic chamber, which has virtually no echo. With the audio reflectivity in a normal quiet room, this hum would be audible even farther away. Subjectively, the PSU sounded much noisier than the 14.5 dBA@1m SPL would normally suggest.
The peaks at 200 and 300 Hz are plainly audible despite the low SPL. |
After the load testing was done, I wanted to open up the unit
for photos and to determine whether the fan was responsible for the tonal noise.
In the process, I ended up picking up the power supply while it was still powered
up… and noticed that the tonal noise stopped when I was holding it. A bit
more experimentation revealed that one of the side panels was very slightly
loose in fit, and it vibrated in sympathy with the fan (at least at the default
700 RPM) to cause the tonal noise. Placing my hands on the sides and squeezing
them together was enough to stop the tonal noise. This was dramatic enough when
up close — like you have to be when holding the PSU — that I made
a recording of the effect.
MP3: Super Flower
Gold Green 350W PSU – Demo/Elimination of Panel Hum — Note that
this recording was made with the microphone about 18" away; it cannot
be fairly compared with any other PSU noise recordings, which are made with
the mic a meter away. It starts with the PSU running normally, then about
4.5 seconds in, I squeezed the sides to eliminate the tonality. At about 9
seconds, I let go of the PSU. (Note that distracting noises like the rustling
of my clothes or my breathing were edited out.) SPL was essentially unchanged
with the reduction of the tonality; the difference would not show up in a
sound level meter without a frequency spectrum display.
This confirms that my continued attention to the physical integrity
of the casing in PSU reviews remains worthwhile for those interested in all
the acoustic details. It also suggests that the tonal hum may not be present
in all samples; perhaps this was a sloppy sample (though the fit was still pretty
tight). In most cases, eliminating this tonality, if it arises, should be fairly
simple — just jam a piece of closed cell foam tightly between the offending
side panel of the PSU casing and the case side panel. That should apply enough
damped pressure to stop the PSU panel from vibrating and causing the tonal noise.
Cooling in this PSU was not a problem, despite the steady 700
RPM speed of the fan through to maximum load. With room temperature at 23°C,
the maximum temperature of the exhuast air was only 34°C.
IN THE HOT BOX
When exposed to the heat of the hotbox, the Golden Green 350W
PSU fan hinted at running faster and making a bit more noise at 300W. After
about 20 minutes at full load, the fan ramped up enough to register 20 dBA@1m,
with exhaust temperature reading 39°C. This is still amazingly quiet.
Super Flower Golden Green 350P14XE SPL: In Hot Box vs. Out | ||||||
Power load | <150W | 150W | 200W | 250W | 300W | 360W |
out | 14.5 | 14.5 | 14.5 | 14.5 | 14.5 | 14.5 |
in hot box | 14.5 | 14.5 | 14.5 | 14.5 | 15.5 | 20 |
Measurements are in dBA@1m |
VERSUS SEASONIC G360
Because of its close similarity in power rating, efficiency, size,
form factor, and price to the recently reviewed Seasonic G360, it’s instructive
to compare and contrast the main data tables for the two products. Hence the
test results for the G360 below.
Test Results: Seasonic G360 | ||||||
DC Output (W) | AC Input (W) | Lost as Heat (W) | Efficiency % | Power Factor | Exhaust | SPL* (dBA@1m) |
21.6 | 31 | 9.4 | 69.5 | 0.96 | 23°C | 13 |
40.9 | 50 | 9.1 | 81.8 | 0.98 | 23°C | 13 |
64.5 | 76 | 11.5 | 84.9 | 0.99 | 24°C | 13 |
89.3 | 100 | 10.7 | 89.3 | 1.00 | 24°C | 13 |
150.8 | 165 | 14.2 | 91.4 | 1.00 | 27°C | 13 |
202.8 | 220 | 17.2 | 92.2 | 1.00 | 28°C | 18 |
250.4 | 273 | 22.6 | 91.7 | 1.00 | 30°C | 24 |
299.8 | 332 | 32.2 | 90.3 | 1.00 | 32°C | 34 |
359.4 | 402 | 42.6 | 89.4 | 1.00 | 33°C | 39 |
Crossload Test (1A on 5V and 3.3V lines; the rest on 12V line) | ||||||
372 | 412 | 40 | 90.3% | 1.00 | 33°C | 39 |
+12V Ripple (peak-to-peak): <13mV @ <150W ~ 25mV @ 360W +5V Ripple (peak-to-peak): <8mV @ <150W ~ 16mV @ 360W +3.3V Ripple (peak-to-peak): <8mV @ <150W ~ 17mV @ 360W | ||||||
AC Power in Standby: 0.4W AC Power with No Load, PSU power On: 7.2W / 0.73 PF | ||||||
* See text discussion about noise. |
And for convenience, the Super Flower Golden Green 350P14XE.
Test Results: Super Flower Golden Green 350P14XE | ||||||
DC Output (W) | AC Input (W) | Lost as Heat (W) | Efficiency % | Power Factor | Exhaust | SPL* (dBA@1m) |
21.8 | 30 | 8.2 | 72.7 | 0.96 | 23°C | 14.5 |
40.5 | 49 | 8.5 | 82.7 | 0.98 | 23°C | 14.5 |
65.3 | 77 | 11.7 | 84.9 | 0.99 | 24°C | 14.5 |
90.5 | 103 | 12.5 | 87.8 | 1.00 | 24°C | 14.5 |
149.9 | 167 | 17.1 | 89.7 | 1.00 | 27°C | 14.5 |
200.0 | 221 | 21.0 | 90.5 | 1.00 | 28°C | 14.5 |
249.9 | 276 | 26.1 | 90.5 | 1.00 | 31°C | 14.5 |
299.1 | 334 | 34.9 | 89.5 | 1.00 | 33°C | 14.5 |
350.2 | 393 | 42.8 | 89.1 | 1.00 | 34°C | 14.5 |
Crossload Test (1A on 5V and 3.3V lines; the rest on 12V line) | ||||||
300.0 | 331 | 31 | 90.6% | 1.00 | 32°C | 14.5 |
+12V Ripple (peak-to-peak): <10mV @ <200W ~ <20mV @ 350W +5V Ripple (peak-to-peak): <8mV @ <200W ~ <15mV @ 350W +3.3V Ripple (peak-to-peak): <8mV @ <200W ~ <15mV @ 350W | ||||||
AC Power in Standby: 0.4W AC Power with No Load, PSU power On: 2.2W / 0.53 PF | ||||||
* See text discussion about noise. |
It may be be awakward to bounce up and down between the two tables, so here’s
a quick summary: The Seasonic has a very slight edge in efficiency through the
load range, it is quieter at loads of 150W or below, and it runs a touch cooler,
though not as much as you would expect given the difference in fan speed at
high load. Ripple is similarly low on both, though the Super Flower has a very
slight edge here, and voltage regulation, standby/no load power, and PF are
all similar good with both. The Super Flower is quieter at >150W load, whether
in a modern well ventilated case or an older case with poorer ventilation. Whether
longevity will be affected by the always-slow fan of the Super Flower will depend
on many factors, including typcal ambient temperature and typical loading during
usage. That Super Flower provides no information about the warranty with the
product or on their web sites is annoying and irresponsible.
COMPARISONS
The comparison table below shows the SPL versus Power Load data
on PSUs tested in ambient room temperature, typically 20~24°C. It is most relevant
when PSUs are used in cases that provide wide open access to cooler outside
air for the PSU cooling fan. Its rank is low, although in a real system up to
~200W load, it is hard to differentiate most of the PSUs on the table on the
basis of noise. The Super Flower 350P14XE is placed low on the table because
its minimum SPL is higher than most… and you may disagree because its SPL
at full power is among the best.
PSU Noise (dBA@1m) vs. Power in Ambient Room Temperature | |||||||||
Model | 90W | 150W | 200W | 250W | 300W | 400W | 500W | 6-700W | 850W |
Kingwin Lazer Platinum LZP-550 | <10* | <10 | <10 | <10 | <10 | <10 | 16 | n/a | n/a |
Seasonic X-400 Fanless | <10* | <10 | <10 | <10 | <10 | <10 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Enermax Modu/Pro87+ 500 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 18 | n/a | n/a |
Corsair AX850 | <10 | <10 | <10 | 11~13 | 12 | 13 | 17 | 24 | 35 |
Seasonic X-650 | <10 | <10 | <10 | <10 | <10 | 16 | 27 | 32 | n/a |
Nexus NX-5000 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12.5 | 14 | 19 | n/a | n/a |
Antec CP-850 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 20 | 24 | 40 |
Enermax Eco80+ 500W | <11 | 12 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 23 | 28 | n/a | n/a |
Antec TP-750 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 27 | 31 | 40 | n/a |
Super Flower 350P14XE | 14.5 | 14.5 | 14.5 | 14.5 | 14.5 | 14.5 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Seasonic G360 | <13 | <13 | 18 | 24 | 34 | 39 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Cougar GX-700 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 21 | 25 | 35 | 35 | n/a |
The comparison table below shows the SPL versus Power Load data on all the
PSUs tested in the hotbox. It’s difficult to rank them, as the measured SPL
varies with power load. The units which are quietest at minimum load are not
always the quietest at midload (100W~300W), which may make them louder in actual
use. Then there’s the noise level at 400W and up, which will determine the quietest
PSUs for high power gaming rigs, during actual gaming. In this environment,
the Golden Green 350W ranks much higher because its fan barely ramps up even
at full rated power.
PSU Noise (dBA@1m) vs. Power in Hotbox/Anechoic Chamber | |||||||||
Model | 90W | 150W | 200W | 250W | 300W | 400W | 500W | 6-700W | 850W |
Seasonic X-400 Fanless | <10* | <10 | <10 | <10 | <10 | <10 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Kingwin Lazer Platinum LZP-550 | <10* | <10 | <10 | <10 | <10 | 16 | 22 | n/a | n/a |
Enermax Modu/Pro87+ 500 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 20 | 23 | n/a | n/a |
Corsair AX850 | <10 | <10 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 25 | 35 | 38 | 39 |
Seasonic X-650 | <10 | <10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 31 | 31 | 32 | n/a |
Nexus Value 430 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 19 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Nexus NX-5000 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 22 | 24 | 25 | n/a | n/a |
Antec CP-850 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 26 | 40 | 44 | 45 |
Enermax Eco80+ 500W | <11 | 12 | 16 | 19 | 26 | 32 | 33 | n/a | n/a |
Seasonic M12D 850W | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 24 | 37 | 42 | 42 |
Super Flower 350P14XE | 14.5 | 14.5 | 14.5 | 14.5 | 15.5 | 20 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Antec TP-750 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 33 | 40 | 40 | n/a |
Chill Innovation CP-700M | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 30 | 34 | 34 | n/a |
Antec Signature 650 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 28 | 36 | 47 | n/a |
Coolermaster M700W | 14 | 14 | 18 | 21 | 25 | 27 | 34 | 34 | n/a |
Seasonic G360 | <13 | 17 | 23 | 30 | 39 | 39 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Cougar GX-700 | 15 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 25 | 32 | 35 | 36 | n/a |
SilverStone DA700 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 23 | 32 | 35 | 41 | n/a |
Nexus RX-8500 | 14 | 14 | 17 | 22 | 28 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 33 |
NesteQ ECS7001 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 23 | 25 | 36 | 37 | n/a |
PCPC Silencer 610 | 20 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 30 | 40 | 50 | n/a |
The green boxes are >30 dBA@1m SPL.
*<10= below the ambient of our anechoic chamber; immeasurably low
@1m in any environment
Caution: Please keep in mind that
the data in the above table is specific to the conditions of our test setup.
Change the cooling configuration, the ambient temperature and any number of
other factors, and you could change the point at which the fans start speeding
up, as well as the rate of the rise in speed. The baseline SPL is accurate,
however, probably to within 1 dBA.
CONCLUSIONS
When the Super Flower Golden Green 350P14XE power supply was
announced a year ago, there was a bit of exceitement on tech hardware forums
about a 90% efficient ATX power supply at this modest power rating and price.
Most PSU brands have focused their 80 PLUS Gold and Platinum efforts on higher
power models, likely following the premise that buyers are already spending
more money on higher power, so a little more for the highest efficiency is not
much a stretch. But this 350W model never made it to the US or Canada (under
the Kingwin brand) and it seems to be already discontinued elsewhere, except
in Korea, where the online shops might be showing old remaining stocks. This
is shame because in most respects, it is a viable alternative to Seasonic’s
newly released G360 that was reviewed here a month ago.
Whether the 350P14XE failed to survive due to inadequate market
demand or inadequate brand visibility and positioning is impossible to say.
Looking back at Seasonic G360 sales a year from now might give us a hint; most
readers would probably agree that Seasonic has a higher profile and greater
pull in the market than Super Flower.
The electrical and acoustic performance of the 350P14XE is generally
excellent, the only hiccup being the tonal hum which arose in this sample from
a slightly less than perfect fit of the casing. As discussed in the review,
the solution to this problem is relatively simple; those with less sensitive
hearing may not be bothered anyway. Assuming the casing vibration tonaility
is an anomaly, the biggest difference between the G360 and the 350P14XE is that
the former is audibly quieter at lower loads (150W or less) and the latter is
much quieter at higher loads. System load and normal use patterns of the user
will determine which is the better choice for the quiet-loving PC user… but
this is moot if the 350P14XE is not available.
Addendum, a few days after review was first posted: An
issue pointed out by forum member multiplexer is the use of lower
quality 85°C capacitors, which can shorten operational life expectancy if used
in a hot environment, like a traditiona PSU-on-top ATX tower without a fresh
air intake for the PSU. The Seasonic G360, in contrast, uses high quality Japanese
brand 105°C capacitors liberally.
Super Flower offers several other Golden Green (80 PLUS Gold)
models at 400W, 430W, 450W and 500W. This is a ridiculously cluttered lineup
in my view, but never mind, we can hope that the
400W version offers similar performance and acoustics for a similar price.
Much thanks to Super Flower for the review sample.
The Super Flower Golden Green 350P14XE is Recommended by SPCR
(The use of lower quality 85°C caps is why it was demoted from Editor’s
Choice.)
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SPCR Articles of Related Interest:
Enermax Platimax 600W
Seasonic G360
bequiet! Dark Power
Pro 10 550W
Kingwin
Stryker STR-500
Seasonic X-400 Fanless
Power Supply Fundamentals
Recommended Power Supplies
SPCR PSU Test Rig V.4
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