Kingwin LZP-550 550W Power Supply Review @ [H]

[SonDa5]

45c ambient temp? is why you see the hot temp of 60c.

ambient incubator, man if the whole room was that hot, i could see you doing benchs in a swim suit lol.

Yeah I noticed that. Very strange conditions for ambient temps.

It those ambient temps were a bit cooler the temps would have probably been extremely impressive.


I like this PSU just not enough power for my needs and priced too high to compete with other decent psus in this price range.


I am tempted to get it though.. but I would rather at least get a 750W platinum series in case I run xfire again.

The reason I am getting so into this PSU is because I like it and I want to upgrade my PSU. Just not sure what to get. I want to get a good deal on something that is top notch the platinum rated ones will probably be expesive as they start to come out.

 

[Cobalt35]

Yeah I noticed that. Very strange conditions for ambient temps.

It those ambient temps were a bit cooler the temps would have probably been extremely impressive.


I like this PSU just not enough power for my needs and priced too high to compete with other decent psus in that price range.


I am tempted to get it though.. but I would rather at least get a 750W platinum series in case I run xfire again.

Did you guys read the review? For that test they put it in a "hot box" to stress it out. SOP for PSU testing here at [H].

The final component of our load testing involves our 8 hour torture test. This test is meant to simulate what gaming or hardware enthusiasts might encounter when they use their systems for extended periods of time under stressful conditions such as 3D gaming or long term stability testing and benchmarking. However though, we do not suggest using your power supply at 100% loads for extended periods of time and our torture test does reflect this. We load the PSU being tested to ~80% of its rated capacity for 8 hours at a temperature of 45c.

 

[SonDa5]

Huh? What you say makes no sense. Heat is all the leftover energy caused by inefficient psus. At any given load, the LZP-550 will produce LESS heat..

It should produce less heat but if the hardware in it can work under higher temps and still shine with high efficiency then the temps don't matter that much. I'm interested in a cool operating PSU because I want my case to be as cool as possible.

My point about the higher rated psus being able to out perform this is because they have a much higher load capacity scale that a 550w psu would not be able to match. 550w just doesn't seem like enough power to fuel a high end gamin system with 2 power hungry GPU's and an overclocked CPU along with other electrical tweaks.

 

[[Spectre]]

Yeah I noticed that. Very strange conditions for ambient temps.

It those ambient temps were a bit cooler the temps would have probably been extremely impressive.


I like this PSU just not enough power for my needs and priced too high to compete with other decent psus in this price range.


I am tempted to get it though.. but I would rather at least get a 750W platinum series in case I run xfire again.

The reason I am getting so into this PSU is because I like it and I want to upgrade my PSU. Just not sure what to get. I want to get a good deal on something that is top notch the platinum rated ones will probably be expesive as they start to come out.

Every single page of the load testing told you what the ambient temperature was. In the future, to steal a phrase, RTFA it makes for more informed discussion.

 

[SonDa5]

Did you guys read the review? For that test they put it in a "hot box" to stress it out. SOP for PSU testing here at [H].

I read it a few times to get it all in. Their load tests were done in a 45c incubator and then they did a torture test in the 45c incubator for 8 hours. Extreme performance. Great PSU just not enough power for my needs. I can find a number of other high end Gold standard PSUs that come very close to platinum and the performance but are not as expensive considering the price of the dollar for wattage load.

 

[SonDa5]

Every single page of the load testing told you what the ambient temperature was. In the future, to steal a phrase, RTFA it makes for more informed discussion.

It's still a strange ambient temp to test in but it makes an argument for extreme conditions performance. Makes the performance of the PSU look extreme. Hard test.

 

[[Spectre]]

It's still a strange ambient temp to test in but it makes an argument for extreme conditions performance. Makes the performance of the PSU look extreme if it can handle it of come out a lose if it doesn't. Tough test to pass.

It is the exact same temperature that we have used for 4 years and has the exact same non-strange reason as is elucidated in the article you are commenting on, and is linked in the testing methodology in this article.

 

[SonDa5]

It is the exact same temperature that we have used for 4 years and has the exact same non-strange reason as is elucidated in the article you are commenting on, and is linked in the testing methodology in this article.

I didn't know that when I first reads the article and I didn't grasp the full review. The incubator 45c ambient test is what I didn't understand. Impressive testing method. Found the [H] Testing method for PSUs page.


The AX850 does have better DC power output qality.

 

[Zero82z]

I think you mean DC output quality, and the difference between them is small to the point of insignificance.

 

[SonDa5]

I think you mean DC output quality, and the difference between them is small to the point of insignificance.

I think it is significant. I would think a Platinum rated PSU would have the best DC power output quality because of how efficient it operates. DC power output quality is the most important factor of all IMO.

 

[Zero82z]

I think it is significant. I would think a Platinum rated PSU would have the best DC power output quality because of how efficient it operates. DC power output quality is the most important factor of all IMO.

And again, you're wrong. 30mV of ripple on the +12V rail compared to 10mV makes absolutely no practical difference. The ATX spec is the way it is for a reason. The limit wouldn't be 120mV if 30mV was too much. Do you even know what the DC output quality means? To be honest, I wouldn't say that a person who has a tenuous grasp on the notion of efficiency is qualified to judge which performance characteristics of a PSU are the most important.

 

[[Spectre]]

I think it is significant. I would think a Platinum rated PSU would have the best DC power output quality because of how efficient it operates. DC power output quality is the most important factor of all IMO.

Secondary filtering isn't dependent on efficiency.

 

[SonDa5]

And again, you're wrong. 30mV of ripple on the +12V rail compared to 10mV makes absolutely no practical difference.

Well I would rather spend my money on the best DC power output quality PSU I can afford and between the AX850 and the LZP-550 I can afford to spend a few dollars more for a higher load capacity and near efficiency with the better DC power output quality.

 

[SonDa5]

Secondary filtering isn't dependent on efficiency.

Not sure what that is right now.

 

[Zero82z]

Well I would rather spend my money on the best DC power output quality PSU I can afford and between the AX850 and the LZP-550 I can afford to spend a few dollars more for a higher load capacity and near efficiency with the better DC power output quality.

So? If you want the AX850, buy the AX850. You don't have to make things up to try and come up with reasons why it's better than this PSU.

Not sure what that is right now.

Have you ever heard of the edit button? It's there so you can add to your previous messages instead of double-posting. You should try it sometime.

 

[SonDa5]

Well, you can buy what you want, but that doesn't mean that you can justify your purchases with made-up facts. If you like the AX850, then buy it. You don't have to fabricate disadvantages for other PSUs just so you feel like you're making the right decision.

I didn't fabricate disadvantages. I read the reviews from hardforum on each PSU. AX850 did in fact have better DC power output quality in reviews.

I'm not trying to justify. I want to buy the best PSU I can afford that meets my needs.

Not trying to start a flame war either. Just discussing the review. Thanks for your help.

 

[SonDa5]

You guys have just about convinced me to buy this PSU.

I used to run Xfire with AMD GPUs but I have come to a point where I prefer a powerful single GPU and an over clocked CPU.

Zero82z do you think this PSU will be enough power to run my current rig in my sig with a liquid loop being pumped with 12v/24W/2Amp pump?

 

[Zero82z]

Of course it would be enough for your PC. And I'm not trying to convince you to buy anything.

 

[merliwolf]

You know this guy seems a perfect example of someone not bothering to actually understand what he's talking about and then ranting like crazy for no reason. I hate when people give strong opinions about things they don't even get. Become the expert, than start stating things, not the other way around.

 

[C'DaleRider]

I think it is significant. I would think a Platinum rated PSU would have the best DC power output quality because of how efficient it operates. DC power output quality is the most important factor of all IMO.

Then you don't understand anything about power supplies or their perceived or tested quality.

Efficiency has absolutely no relation to build quality, DC output quality (of which ripple/noise is a distant second to voltage regulation, imho), or any other metric of DC output you care to blather unknowingly about.

Please spend some time LEARNING something about what you aspire to rant about next time.....you won't look quite so foolish then.

 

[SonDa5]

Then you don't understand anything about power supplies or their perceived or tested quality.

Efficiency has absolutely no relation to build quality, DC output quality (of which ripple/noise is a distant second to voltage regulation, imho), or any other metric of DC output you care to blather unknowingly about.

Please spend some time LEARNING something about what you aspire to rant about next time.....you won't look quite so foolish then.

I wasn't ranting. I was commenting. You coming here to say I look foolish is ranting.



Good thing to me is that I'm almost sold on this new PSU. Looks like a winner.

 

[Tsumi]

I wasn't ranting. I was commenting. You coming here to say I look foolish is ranting.



Good thing to me is that I'm almost sold on this new PSU. Looks like a winner.

To you, it may not seem like ranting. To nearly everyone else on this forum, it is. You seem to be living in your own tiny world with your own justifications for things, and everything else that goes against what you believe, you either deny or make up false things without really knowing your information. And that is what makes you look foolish.

Efficiency has nothing whatsoever to do with DC output quality. True, high efficiency PSU's tend to have better DC output quality, but that is due only to the fact that they generally use higher quality components. A favorite line of statistics: Correlation does not imply causation.

 

[SonDa5]

To you, it may not seem like ranting. To nearly everyone else on this forum, it is. You seem to be living in your own tiny world with your own justifications for things, and everything else that goes against what you believe, you either deny or make up false things...

Well I haven't edited my posts. You can read what I posted. Like I stated before there were a few things about the ambient temps on the non torture test that I didn't catch. The first time. Thanks to the help of a few respected people here I have got a better understanding of the method of the test and I came to the conclusion as stated before that this PSU is a great performer. As stated before I'm even thinking about buying one.

The internet is a big world and there is lots to learn. I never claimed to know everything I just made comments based on my knowledge. I'm much more prepared to buy a high quality PSU now.

 

[Tsumi]

Well I haven't edited my posts. You can read what I posted. Like I stated before there were a few things about the ambient temps on the non torture test that I didn't catch. The first time. Thanks to the help of a few respected people here I have got a better understanding of the method of the test and I came to the conclusion as stated before that this PSU is a great performer. As stated before I'm even thinking about buying one.

The internet is a big world and there is lots to learn. I never claimed to know everything I just made comments based on my knowledge. I'm much more prepared to buy a high quality PSU now.

I read through every single post in this thread (mostly due to lack of better things to do). You were saying things that were completely false as if they were fact. You did not say them in the form of a question, or if you weren't sure of what you were saying. Posting in forums, there is no nuance to detect as there is in speech. A person can detect if you're unsure of yourself, or asking a question based on the tone of your voice, but he/she cannot tell due to a simple post. You lacked any question words, or any indication that you were unsure of yourself in your posts. Because of that, you seemed like an idiot, not someone who is here trying to learn.

Reading back again... are you a native English speaker? Based on your posts, I'm assuming you're not. That may have been a cause of confusion over your intentions in posting here. Unfortunately, there are lots of trolls on the internet, so forgive us for being skeptical.

 

[SonDa5]

Unfortunately, there are lots of trolls on the internet, so forgive us for being skeptical.

No need to ask for forgiveness. No harm done.




I'm done with this thread.

Great review. Great PSU.

 

[FrgMstr]

You know this guy seems a perfect example of someone not bothering to actually understand what he's talking about and then ranting like crazy for no reason. I hate when people give strong opinions about things they don't even get. Become the expert, than start stating things, not the other way around.

Everyone has a learning curve. Ignore the jackasses. Our PSU reviews are not easily understood until you take in our full testing criteria. Thanks for taking the time to do so.

 

[rat]

The reason why I and presumably Flyinfinni would prefer a good sub 300w power supply for a very low power system (think ~60w) is not because we believe that just because we're using a 550w power supply, we're going to use 550W of power. It's beccause of the efficiency curve of power supplies. If you're using a good PSU that is appropriately matched, you can hit over 90% efficiency but you may drop to the 70s even on a good power supply if you've gone overboard on PSU capacity and are only using a tiny fraction of its capacity.

If you notice, a lot of power supplies become LESS EFFICIENT the higher the load is. A huge chunk of the HardOCP power supply reviews show them getting more inefficient the closer they get to their rated wattage. (The fact that they *struggle* to maintain 80-90% efficiency at near capacity indicates that)

You'd probably do better to run a power supply at half (or much less) of what it's rated for if you're shooting for efficiency. When you get down to the range of 60-100 watts, be it 1/3rd or 1/5th of the capability of the power supply, I doubt you'll be seeing as much variance in the efficiency of the units.

 

[merliwolf]

If you notice, a lot of power supplies become LESS EFFICIENT the higher the load is. A huge chunk of the HardOCP power supply reviews show them getting more inefficient the closer they get to their rated wattage. (The fact that they *struggle* to maintain 80-90% efficiency at near capacity indicates that)

You'd probably do better to run a power supply at half (or much less) of what it's rated for if you're shooting for efficiency. When you get down to the range of 60-100 watts, be it 1/3rd or 1/5th of the capability of the power supply, I doubt you'll be seeing as much variance in the efficiency of the units.

Honestly it's really about the 30-50% range when idle unless you're a heavy load user such as someone who runs folding/etc. Psus have worse efficiency both at the high and low end. Most of the 10% of load tests show a noticeable efficiency drop from the 20% mark. Some psus are under 80% efficiency. Of course when your load is that low, the difference is only a few watts. It really won't make a difference for your power bill. So in conclusion, get a psu that lets you sit at idle around 20-30% of max wattage.

 

[Tsumi]

Well, for those of us running SLI/crossfire setups with the top cards out there, that means we should be getting 1.4 kw or higher power supplies by your logic to obtain utmost efficiency. However, a power supply like this would suffer greatly while idling, probably a drop of 5-10% due to running on the extreme low end of the power supply. And the greatly increased costs do not really justify the greater increase in efficiency, it'll take you decades to recuperate the costs.

 

[Vyedmic]

King is dead. Long live the Kingwin!

You know you always mention that you love when the PSU blows during testing. I actually prefer being pleasantly surprised like this. Great review!

 

[^Strike]

Great PSU, and great review