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

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FrgMstr

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Kingwin LZP-550 550W Power Supply Review - Kingwin does not really have too much to say about its new LZP-550 PSU. One thing that will surely catch your enthusiast eye is the fact that this is likely the first 80Plus Platinum rated power supply you have seen in the overclockers realm. Kingwin does mention this unit is "overclocked" as well. 650 watts for the price of 550 watts? Uh, no.
 
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So there ARE PSUs that can meet and even exceed [H] testing.

I will no longer feel pity for the units that don't pass, nor aks for [H] to lower the bar.

I'm sold
 
Stoly said:
So there ARE PSUs that can meet and even exceed [H] testing.

I will no longer feel pity for the units that don't pass, nor aks for [H] to lower the bar.

I'm sold
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"HardOCP’s testing methodology is intended to very much push power supplies to advertised wattage rating in temperatures that will represent some of the hottest computer enthusiast cases. So if a unit passes all our testing it is definitely not something to take lightly. In fact we expect more power supplies to fail our testing than make it through unscathed."

At last count I think we had failed more than 50% as not meeting the advertised specs of the unit.
 
Ultima99 said:
Sounds good, but pricey for the wattage.
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I think this is a very much, you get what you pay for situation. If the cleanest static power supply is what you want, then this is the way to go. I already feel guys putting two of these in their cases. Is it overkill? Maybe. But I guess that depends on the person buying it. Surely Kingwin and Superflower know where this fits into overall PSU pricing, but honestly we salute those companies for bringing this to market. Good to see the bar raised. God knows, if you cheaper is what you want, there are hundreds of PSUs out there to fit that need.
 
Wow, you could say I'm surprised. Kingwin... wow.

I had a Kingwin case once that was actually very nice, but over time I had concluded that it was an anomaly in Kingwin's product portfolio that otherwise consisted of "value" oriented products. So either I concluded wrong or Kingwin has had a change of vision.

Regardless, that's an impressive unit.

Too bad about the price. I have to say that I would not buy it at that price. I'd definitely "settle" for a Corsair for a lot less, and that can hardly be called settling! Hmm... $50 without any meaningful downside? Yes please.

Thanks for the review!
 
Seems like a great psu and you do get what you pay for but a little too pricey for me personally.
 
Dang... Thats very impressive. Its even still pretty dang good at 650W! Now I just wish someone would make a platinum efficiency 300W supply for those of us trying to have low-powered energy efficient machines for when we don't need to be cranking the power with our gaming rigs.
 
wow. and here I was all expecting the "fail" logo

nice job kingwin.
 
flip-mode said:
See, I look at it the other way. As far as I can tell, you guys do nothing more than demand that a product delivers what it claims it will deliver, and the only way you really ask these PSUs to do something "special" is in terms of ambient temperatures that should probably be considered by the manufacturer to be QA targets anyway. Put another way: In my opinion if a PSU fails your testing, there should not be a single reader here that says "well, it's still a good PSU, it's just that HardOCP is putting it though unfair tests".
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I fully agree with you.
 
Flyinfinni said:
Dang... Thats very impressive. Its even still pretty dang good at 650W! Now I just wish someone would make a platinum efficiency 300W supply for those of us trying to have low-powered energy efficient machines for when we don't need to be cranking the power with our gaming rigs.
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It wouldn't be economical to build a low-wattage unit with this level of quality. It would probably end up costing the same amount or marginally less than a higher-wattage model, which would defeat the purpose.
 
darth_vadercopy.jpg


You may get what you pay for and then some, but it's still too much for me to justify on a 550W unit. If it were $40-50 cheaper it would be an insta-grab.
 
Zero82z said:
It wouldn't be economical to build a low-wattage unit with this level of quality. It would probably end up costing the same amount or marginally less than a higher-wattage model, which would defeat the purpose.
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I agree, just wish it would happen. Would love a more efficient supply for my low-powered server thats on 24/7
 
I'm really liking SuperFlower's newest designs. They're in the same realm as Seasonic's X series in terms of efficiency, stability, noise, heat, etc. I think it's good that this has happened, the competition between Seasonic and SuperFlower will hopefully make the consumer the ultimate winner.

EDIT: The price, not so much. For that much you could get an X-850 or a Laser Gold 850 and still have some cash to spare.

EDIT2: To you all who are thinking stuff like 'Kingwin, I would never...', don't let the name on the box fool you. Ultimately, the 3rd party that designs and manufactures the PSU is responsible for the PSU's performance. Kingwin is selling a rebranded SuperFlower unit of unparalleled quality. You're buying a Kingwin made by SuperFlower.
 
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I like the fact HARDOCP confirmed the findings of the Jonnyguru review. It seems pretty clear this unit has set the new bar for psus since not only is it efficient, but it has awesome voltage regulation and extremely good dc output quality. Probably the first unit I can say that clearly beat the Seasonic X-Series. Heck it even beats it on fan noise, since the fan comes on even slower than the X-series. I'm still kind of amazed how this unit came into existence. And hoping these improvements will slowly filter up and down psu lines :)
 
Good review.

The price kills it though...

Right now based on pricing I'd rather have an un over clocked Seasonic X650 or a Corsair AX750/850.


The fan is huge but it still seems to run hot... That might be why they went with the large fan.


The inside components don't looks as well built as Seasonic X series or the Corsair AX models.

This power range seems to be right on for most modern builds with single high end GPU.
 
If I had not read this review I would completely scoff at paying $170 for a 550watt PSU. Now that I've read the review, the Kingwin LZP-550 PSU is worth every penny. Thanks [H].
 
If they released a 400W version for say $110 or so, it would make its way into both of my crunchers and likely many other people's crunchers as well.
 
SonDa5 said:
The fan is huge but it still seems to run hot... That might be why they went with the large fan.
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I don't think you quite understood how the fan functions. It is not hot, and the point of a larger fan is it is quieter (generally) at the same air volume.
 
SonDa5 said:
Good review.

The price kills it though...

Right now based on pricing I'd rather have an un over clocked Seasonic X650 or a Corsair AX750/850.


The fan is huge but it still seems to run hot... That might be why they went with the large fan.


The inside components don't looks as well built as Seasonic X series or the Corsair AX models.

This power range seems to be right on for most modern builds with single high end GPU.
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Uh the fan doesn't even run most of the time. How does the size of the fan even relate? Heck I think this psu could easily be cooled by a 80mm fan running at low speed. Larger fans are more efficient for pushing air at lower noise.
 
merliwolf said:
Uh the fan doesn't even run most of the time. How does the size of the fan even relate? Heck I think this psu could easily be cooled by a 80mm fan running at low speed. Larger fans are more efficient for pushing air at lower noise.
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Based on what I have researched online the Seasonic X650 and Corsair AX750/850 run cooler and also use an algorithm controlled fan but it is smaller at 120mm. The fans don't turn on until a certain temperature is reached. Operation is similar to the Kingwin but the big difference is that under many different power loads the Seasonic X650 and Corsair AX750/850 have been documented to operate much cooler.


Kingwin exhaust was at 60C. That is scorching hot IMO. Also that was only 80% of its rated load capacity. When I see temps this hot and a huge 140mm fan it makes me think that the inside components need the extra cooling of a larger fan.
 
Thanks for the review. The wattage of this is lower than what I'm interested in, but it's always nice to see tech that performs above expectations.
 
Paul_Johnson said:
I don't think you quite understood how the fan functions. It is not hot, and the point of a larger fan is it is quieter (generally) at the same air volume.
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It doesn't need to spin as fast as a smaller fan to generate the same amount of air volume as well. Less spinning on a fan will normally lead to less fan noise which is desirable. Now if you spin up two fans of different sizes at the same RPM the larger fan will have more air volume and more noise. More air volume is better for cooling and that is why I think the choice for 140mm fan on this kingwin PSU was selected because based on the tests in the review the PSU was hot.
 
From what I can see the only really bad thing about this PSU is that you can't get hold of it outside North America or UK, we others can just dream. ;)
 
SonDa5 said:
Based on what I have researched online the Seasonic X650 and Corsair AX750/850 run cooler
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Well, you're wrong. This PSU is more efficient than any of those, and it therefore produces less heat at any given load level.
 
Flyinfinni said:
Dang... Thats very impressive. Its even still pretty dang good at 650W! Now I just wish someone would make a platinum efficiency 300W supply for those of us trying to have low-powered energy efficient machines for when we don't need to be cranking the power with our gaming rigs.
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Pointless. The total wattage capability of the power supply is not what is drawn off the wall when in use. Instead of hoping for a 300W PS for low-power cases, just get the 650W and call it a day. You'll never tax it and energy consumption will still be the same.

If you're not wanting a lower wattage power supply for any other reason than cost, of course.

Case in point, I have a 550Watter in my desktop right now, but my UPS's *TOTAL* Wattage draw (including everything plugged into it: Desktop, Quadcore Athlon II, Monitor, Dockstar server) rarely breaks 200 and almost never exceeds 300 Watts. My desktop itself consumes about 150Watt normal and 200-225Watt peak.

The point is you *want* a power supply that is able to provide a substantially higher amount of wattage than you actually use. This is overhead. (My rule of thumb is at LEAST double what you need) It keeps the power supply from getting as warm during use and won't remain at (near) capcity for as long, if at all. This also allows for a longer lasting, more stable power supply.

So no, getting a 550Watt power supply and putting it in a box doesn't mean it will use more power than a 300Watt power supply in the same box. Consumption is different than capability. After all, the wall outlet that you've got that computer plugged into is a 120v 1800Watt power supply. (Hit or exceed 1800 watts, 15A typically, you trip a circuit as opposed to overloading a power supply when you exceed the 550W it's rated for.)
 
nösferatu;1036916163 said:
Umm...i think you mean 118% ??
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No. From page 6 of the review:


The Torture Test is equal to approximately 80% of the rated capacity of the Kingwin LZP-550 at 45c. This makes the Torture Test equal to 445W by loading the 12v rail to 32a, the 5v rail to 5a, the 3.3v rail to 4a, the +5vsb to 2a, and the -12v to 0.5a. At the end of the 8 hour Torture Test the LZP-550 was still running and do amazingly well just as we had seen in every other test so far. The DC output voltages are coming in right where we expect them to be given our previous results, right around Test #3 levels, while the efficiency is coming in at 90.82%. The exhaust temperature is hitting our peak value of testing once more at 60C.
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However I was basing temps on testing methods from other reviews that were different. I did look up the AX850 review done back in November and it did indeed test hotter at 63C. I had read other reviews and came away with my logic mainly from the reviews at Johnny Guru which showed different testing methods that had the Corsair AX850 operating cooler. Not an 8 hour torture test. So I was wrong....

Still the AX850 was operating with a 675w load in the 8 hour torture test and came away only being 3c hotter than the Kingwin. I'd still go with the Corsair for the price and watt for watt I think the Corsair would be cooler.
 
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Zero82z said:
those, and it therefore produces less heat at any given load level.
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I doubt it. The load capacity of the Kingwin is lower than the capacity of the X650 or the AX750/850 and watt for watt the load will not cause as much heat in the higher rated power supplies.
 
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SonDa5 said:
I doubt it. The load capacity of the Kingwin is lower than the capacity of the X650 or the AX750/850 and watt for watt the load will not cause as much heat in the higher rated power supplies.
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Please go and learn what heat is before you make statements like this. Again, you are wrong. The definition of efficiency is the amount of useful power relative to the total amount of consumed power. The higher the efficiency, the lower the amount of waste heat produced. Since this PSU is more efficient than any of the ones you are referencing, it produces less waste heat as well. The temperature in this case is completely irrelevant.
 
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techrat said:
Pointless. The total wattage capability of the power supply is not what is drawn off the wall when in use. Instead of hoping for a 300W PS for low-power cases, just get the 650W and call it a day. You'll never tax it and energy consumption will still be the same.
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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.
 
this psu seems awesome. little expensive for my taste...

wanted to chime in and say that i still have a kingwin/superflower/ttgi 550w modular psu from like 7 years ago in a backup rig here that still works flawlessly. the rig is an dfi-nf4u/opty165 clocked @ 2.7ghz that was my main gaming system for a while. the psu and system saw 24/7 uptime for almost 5 years all on the same psu since it became my wife's machine after i retired it from gaming.

so i would definitely trust another kingwin/superflower psu!
 
SonDa5 said:
I doubt it. The load capacity of the Kingwin is lower than the capacity of the X650 or the AX750/850 and watt for watt the load will not cause as much heat in the higher rated power supplies.
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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 than the Seasonic X-series.
I think you're completely misconstruing the output temperature. It's half unrelated to the amount of heat in the psu. In fact I think the reason the temp is so high is because the fan is off most of the time or spun extremely slowly. I bet if you increased the fan speed, it would have a much lower temp. Unforuntately hardocp doesn't measure fan rpm, I bet the rpm is like 400-500.
 
SonDa5 said:
Based on what I have researched online the Seasonic X650 and Corsair AX750/850 run cooler and also use an algorithm controlled fan but it is smaller at 120mm. The fans don't turn on until a certain temperature is reached. Operation is similar to the Kingwin but the big difference is that under many different power loads the Seasonic X650 and Corsair AX750/850 have been documented to operate much cooler.


Kingwin exhaust was at 60C. That is scorching hot IMO. Also that was only 80% of its rated load capacity. When I see temps this hot and a huge 140mm fan it makes me think that the inside components need the extra cooling of a larger fan.
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SonDa5 said:
No. From page 6 of the review:







However I was basing temps on testing methods from other reviews that were different. I did look up the AX850 review done back in November and it did indeed test hotter at 63C. I had read other reviews and came away with my logic mainly from the reviews at Johnny Guru which showed different testing methods that had the Corsair AX850 operating cooler. Not an 8 hour torture test. So I was wrong....

Still the AX850 was operating with a 675w load in the 8 hour torture test and came away only being 3c hotter than the Kingwin. I'd still go with the Corsair for the price and watt for watt I think the Corsair would be cooler.
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Quite simply you are absolutely incorrect in your previous assessments of temperature, reasons for the temperatures oddities (they were detailed in this review if you had read it), reason for the selection of fan size in the Kingwin unit. The bottom line:

The Kingwin is not hotter, and the fan controllers in the X Series and the SuperFlower built Kingwin are different and your assertion that "maybe that is why they went with that larger fan" is incorrect. Further, temperatures between these two designs can not be directly compared because the fan operation method is different and it skews the results in our testing in odd ways because of how long the Kingwin heats up before the fan ever turns on and then how it operates after that point.

Also, 60C is not "scorching hot" for a PSU, that is only 15C above ambient.
 
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.
 
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