Conclusions
Contents
The Antec VP350 is an “honest” budget power supply that can really deliver its labeled wattage, with superb voltage regulation and outstandingly low noise and ripple levels. The only issue with this power supply is its low efficiency below 80%. However, it presents 80% efficiency if you pull between 40% and 60% of its labeled wattage, i.e., between 140 W and 210 W. This is good enough for users looking for a budget 350 W power supply.
However, we were disappointed, since its sister, the VP450, achieved outstanding efficiency numbers, always above 80%. This occurred because they use completely different designs: the VP350 uses a single-transistor forward configuration with a high RDS(on) transistor, while the VP450 uses a two-transistor forward configuration with transistors with a lower RDS(on).
Since the price difference between the VP350 and the VP450 is so small – only USD 5 – we recommend that you buy the VP450 instead.
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