Aspire brand PSU, good or bad?

[whateverdude]

anyone have any experiences with this brand? I was looking at this psu for my new system:

Turbo case 520w psu

 

[Zepper]

I've been trying to find out who actually makes them, but the print on their PSU labels is so small that I can't read the UL file number (under the RU symbol, e.g. E123456) from the pix I've seen on the web. If you have that number, let me know and I'll find out.
.bh.

 

[fisheye]

E126556

from an aspire 500W psu (blue w/ clear acrylic)

This one was laying around the house, so instead of buying a new one to replace my 300W seasonic (didn't want to stress it from the new components), I just grabbed this one for 'free'. I would also like to know how reliable the PSUs are.

 

[Zepper]

Well, if this is any help - they are made by Taiwan Youngyear Electronics Co. Ltd. About all you can do to get some idea is to weigh it against a known good equivalent like Fortron or Antec - as weight has long been known as an indicator of quality in PSUs. And open it up and look at the insides - plenty of space for air around the heatsinks etc. See the pic of the insides of a PC Power & Cooling unit on their web site so you'll know what a good one looks like.
. The presence of the TUV seal is also a good indicator as it's always been a tough nut to crack. You might be able to look at the TUV file on the product if they keep the info on line. I haven't done much searching on the TUV site.
. They have garnered some good reviews on some of the techie sites too.

.bh.

 

[Sonic587]

More people wondering about Aspire? Maybe if I should make a new topic to warn everyone! :shocked:

I don't hear much about their PSUs blowing up. What I DO hear is that they are grossly overrated in wattage. They are more like gussied up 300W PSUs in realworld conditions.

Here's a quote from a review at Newegg concerning specs. I'm going to have to take this person's word, because for the life of me I can't even begin to read the labels Aspire slaps on their products. This is from their "520W" model.

I had a hard time deciding to buy this power source, because specs were hard to come by. Some might find these useful:
Maximum current:
+3.3V -- 28A
+5V -- 30A
+12V -- 34A
-5V -- 0.3A
-12V -- 0.8A
+5Vsb -- 2.0A
Combined maximum load on +3.3V and +5V is 200W
Combined maximum load on +3.3V, +5V, and +12V is500W
Total maximum load is 520W
Compatible with ATX12V 2.03, meets the ATX12V form factor

One thing that should jump out at you is that the person had a hard time finding data. That's never a good thing. Aspire's website doesn't even has PDF spec documents! They don't even bother to lists the outputs at all!

Speaking of their site, it looks a little strange, no? Is this even the official address? I do approve of their liberal usage of Alien pictures, but it's quite odd nevertheless.

Link

Also, check out the pathetic 200W combined figure on the +3.3V & +5V rails. That is the same output on a 300W Fortron! Also, a 370W Enermax has a combined output of 240W on those lines. Something's up, hmmm?

A TUV sticker isn't the best indicator of quality, either. Even Powmax, who is litterally the devil when it comes to PSUs, has their approval.

My point is, from what I've seen/heard, these PSUs are too good to be true for their price. They are more like expensive 300W PSUs.

 

[Zepper]

The newer PSUs will have the power split much more heavily weighted to the +12V rail as most CPUs should be powered by +12V (P4-12V connector) as well as drive motors and even some video cards.
So there is really nothing wrong with the power breakdown on the Aspire (note the 30+ Amps on the 12V rail - most older 300W or so PSUs have 10-15 Amps). IAC, even 400W PSUs are gross overkill anymore as long as the power allocation among the rails is proper for today's systems.
.bh.

 

[Sonic587]

Originally posted by: Zepper
The newer PSUs will have the power split much more heavily weighted to the +12V rail as most CPUs should be powered by +12V (P4-12V connector) as well as drive motors and even some video cards.
So there is really nothing wrong with the power breakdown on the Aspire (note the 30+ Amps on the 12V rail - most older 300W or so PSUs have 10-15 Amps). IAC, even 400W PSUs are gross overkill anymore as long as the power allocation among the rails is proper for today's systems.
.bh.

This does not hold water as the Enermax PSU (Well known for their love of +12V) I mentioned has dual +12V rails that add up to 27A. I wouldn't trust ANY rail on that Aspire PSU to deliver even close to the specs they say it will. It's just easier to pick at the 3.3V/5V combined since the max wattage supplied by the +12 wasn't mentioned.

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductdesc.asp?description=17-103-452&DEPA=0

 

[whateverdude]

thanks for all the responses fellas. im not up on all the nuances of psu's so all your jargon is going right over my head. I have a 350w antec right now but just upgraded and figure once I put in a new video card, probably a 6800gt, and factor in oc'ing, that i'll need something more beefy.

guess i'll stick with a more reputable maker, this company seems like it might be on the cheap.