HEC AcePower 480 W Power Supply
Conclusions
Contents
This power supply is far from being a low-end unit. Its internal design and the components used make it more like a mid-range power supply targeted to users that want a good power supply but are not willing to buy a very expensive model.
The components used internally are really good – the transient filtering stage, for instance, has more components than the necessary. The only thing we missed to say that everything is perfect in this power supply is the fact that its electrolytic capacitors aren’t Japanese. But that would be too much for its price range.
If you don’t mind missing four features found only on high-end models – active PFC, 85% efficiency (this power supply is labeled as having 75% efficiency), Japanese capacitors and modular cabling system – this power supply is one of the best options around..
Since WinPower and AcePower are internally the same product, you can buy whichever is cheaper – unless you really want the two 80 mm fans instead of one big 120 mm on your power supply. You need to carefully research this product price, as you can find big price differences. For example, WinPower 480 W can be found by USD 46 at Shopping.com but by USD 59 at Froogle. On Froogle Ace Power 480 W is quoted at USD 57, so we guess that you can find it cheaper if you look for it carefully at the market. Unfortunately no vendor is announcing this unit on Shopping.com.
Another thing that we liked a lot was the manufacturer’s honest statement on the product manual explaining that this power supply is labeled at 40º C and that above this temperature the power supply maximum output power should drop 1% / º C. It would be also great that the manufacturer posted this on the power supply label, but this is already a big step towards shipping better and honest products to the market.
This is the perfect choice for users assembling a PC and willing to buy a good power supply but don’t want to spend a lot of money. With the money you will save you can add more features to your PC (more RAM memory, for instance).
