Published on 18th February 2011 by
Originally Posted by TWeaK@Jr I think it's a good idea, and this is coming from someone who has relatives in the States and grew up with 110V consoles hooked into 230V transformers. The unit cost of a 230V only PSU would hopefully be lower as fewer parts are needed and it might even be more efficient as well - afterall, the max efficiency ratings quoted are those for 230V.
The only thing adding to cost would be having to develop a second model for 110V markets, though for that I imagine they'd just use a dual 110V/230V PSU. I don't think any major PSU manufacturers (Delta, Seasonic, FPS, etc) actually make any 110V only PSUs.
Originally Posted by McSteelIt's probably about saving money on the Bridge Rectifier and the heatsink it's attached to, if any. As you may know, power = voltage x current. The more current needs to pass trough the BR, the more expensive it gets, and the need for it to have a dedicated heatsink grows. A 550W unit would only require a 4A BR (meaning 700W before it burns, assuming 80% efficiency, which is low-ish for a BR) to be perfectly safe. This can be done by taking an 8-10A BR and leaving it without a heatsink (saving money on aluminum), or taking a cheap 4A BR and a slim HS (saving a bit on both). The power supply would actually be able to work on a range of 90-240 V, but the maximum power that you could pull from it safely would drop with voltage. Of course, the bridge rectifier isn't the only component dictating the max available power, but it's a good example.
Originally Posted by BindibadgiYup. (I have no idea but it sounds convincing)
Not only that, they can tweak the internal components for better efficiency at 230V only, while costing no more. ;)
Originally Posted by McSteelIt's confirmed, the savings are indeed mostly on the BR and it's HS.
You can see the bridge rectifier bolted onto the (rather slim) heatsink, with some thermal paste added to the mix. It's that (almost) rectangular black 4-pinned component to the center left of the image. Directly behind it you can make out the holes and markings for a second, identical one, to be soldered in for the 115V market (well, actually for the full range, i.e. 90-240V unit). The BR model used here is unknown for now, but it's probably a GBUx06, with the "x" signifying how many amps the bridge can withstand @ up to 100°C, when used with a heatsink. It's probably 4 to 6 A. that's reasonable enough.
The holes and the markings on the PCB are more clearly visible in this shot, to the bottom leftmost of the image.
I suspect that when the second bridge is soldered in, a bigger heatsink is also used.
Images taken from PCPOP.com, where a detailed review (Google translated to English) can be found.
It's a great PSU, it's only shortcoming is that it has no MOV in it's filtering stage, but that's commonplace in budget PSUs. For the $60 that it's supposed to cost, it's excellent value for money, probably the best in it's class.
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Oh, and, concerning the efficiency point/issue, that's not a major consideration in this case. The VP550(P) isn't 80 Plus certified, and it most likely won't be. It could meet 80 Plus Standard with ease, but certification costs money, and since it's two different units, that would mean a lot of cash to get the 80+ badge.
Originally Posted by McSteelOh, and, concerning the efficiency point/issue, that's not a major consideration in this case. The VP550(P) isn't 80 Plus certified, and it most likely won't be. It could meet 80 Plus Standard with ease, but certification costs money, and since it's two different units, that would mean a lot of cash to get the 80+ badge.
Originally Posted by BindibadgiAntec explained the 80Plus certification program requires a PSU to do both 110V and 230V, but since this only does one they can't submit it. The 80Plus program is the biggest marketing comparison for PSUs so they all do it if they can.
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