Contents
PSI LC-8500BTX
PSI is a brand I’ve never heard of until now. The model number, however, pretty much gives the real OEM away – Solytech (Formerly Deer or L&C). Some of their products can be OK, but they did make the Simbadda SB-380W, one of the worst power supplies we’ve seen here. Hopefully, this one can do better than it did.
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This power supply is really only a single rail unit, unlike the label says. The ventilation is not that great – it just has two rows of slots in the front, and the rear grille is needlessly restrictive. At least it doesn’t have that grainy finish like the Simbadda.
Load Testing
Test 1 (113.59W Load – Cold)
| Rail | Load | Voltage | Ripple |
| 12V | 4.6A | 12.03V | 16.6mV |
| 5V | 5.03A | 5.03V | 11.2mV |
| 3.3V | 10.0A | 3.3V | 13.2mV |
| −12V | 0A | −11.89V | 2.0mV |
| 5Vsb | 0A | 5.04V | 7.0mV |
| AC Power | 150.1W | ||
| Efficiency | 75.71% | ||
| Power Factor | 0.64 | ||
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Test 2 (200.19W Load – Cold)
| Rail | Load | Voltage | Ripple |
| 12V | 9.3A | 12.0V | 20.2mV |
| 5V | 9.96A | 4.98V | 12.0mV |
| 3.3V | 9.97A | 3.29V | 13.4mV |
| −12V | 0.1A | −12.03V | 13.8mV |
| 5Vsb | 1.0A | 4.99V | 4.4mV |
| AC Power | 257.3W | ||
| Efficiency | 77.80% | ||
| Power Factor | 0.63 | ||
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Test 3 (253.24W Load – Cold)
| Rail | Load | Voltage | Ripple |
| 12V | 13.8A | 11.9V | 22.8mV |
| 5V | 10.0A | 5.0V | 12.6mV |
| 3.3V | 9.97A | 3.29V | 15.0mV |
| −12V | 0.1A | −12.29V | 17.2mV |
| 5Vsb | 1.0A | 4.98V | 5.0mV |
| AC Power | 328.5W | ||
| Efficiency | 77.09% | ||
| Power Factor | 0.62 | ||
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Test 4 (305.19W Load – Cold)
| Rail | Load | Voltage | Ripple |
| 12V | 18.3A | 11.81V | 26.6mV |
| 5V | 10.02A | 5.01V | 14.2mV |
| 3.3V | 9.94A | 3.28V | 16.4mV |
| −12V | 0.1A | −12.59V | 24.8mV |
| 5Vsb | 0.99A | 4.97V | 5.2mV |
| AC Power | 400.3W | ||
| Efficiency | 76.24% | ||
| Power Factor | 0.62 | ||
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Test 5 (355.36W Load – Cold)
| Rail | Load | Voltage | Ripple |
| 12V | 22.7A | 11.71V | 33.4mV |
| 5V | 10.06A | 5.03V | 20.2mV |
| 3.3V | 9.94A | 3.28V | 17.0mV |
| −12V | 0.11A | −12.98V | 29.2mV |
| 5Vsb | 0.99A | 4.97V | 10.0mV |
| AC Power | 480.4W | ||
| Efficiency | 73.97% | ||
| Power Factor | 0.61 | ||
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The 12V rail was at 12.03V during Test 1, but dropped to 11.71V during Test 5. This gives us 0.29V (2.4%) regulation and a 0.32V (2.7%) drop. The 5V stayed between 4.98 and 5.03V, which gives us 0.03V (0.6%) regulation, and a 0.05V (1%) variation. The 3.3V rail started out at a perfect 3.30V and dropped to 3.28V, which equates to 0.02V (0.6%) regulation. This is a great result on the 5V and 3.3V rails, but there is room for improvement with the 12V rail.
Like the Codegen, this power supply was extremely inefficient, and never reached 80% efficiency. When I attempted to load it higher than 350W, the unit would shut down. To be perfectly honest, I’m actually a little disappointed. After 3 explosions in a row, I was beginning to think we were on a roll, and wanted another fireworks display.
| Rail | Test 4 (305.19W) | Test 5 (355.36W) |
| 12V |  |
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| 5V |  |
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| 3.3V |  |
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| −12V |  |
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| 5Vsb |  |
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The PSI had even better ripple suppression than the Codegen. The worst we saw was about 33mV on the 12V rail, which is an excellent result.
Disassembly
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The PSI’s input filtering consists of two X-Capacitors, one common-mode choke, and two 1kV ceramic capacitors. There should be an extra choke, and the ceramic capacitors are not safety rated for the application. The bridge rectifier is a 4A part, the switching transistors are Fairchild FJA13009 parts, which are rated for 12A, and the two primary capacitors are 680µF Canicon parts.
The 12V rectifier is a PanJIT SP3060PT Schottky rectifier rated at 30A. Since the label claimed 31A of 12V capacity, a higher rated part should have been used. That said, however, you’d probably get away with pulling 31A from it for short periods of time. The 5V rail has two SB2045CT Schottky rectifiers, which are rated at 20A each, so the 5V rail is easily capable of the 16A claimed by the label. The 3.3V uses an SB3045ST rectifier rated at 30A – again, more than enough for the rating of that rail. The secondary capacitors are all made by Yang Chun – a brand which I’ve had mixed experiences with.
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The fan appears to be from the same manufacturer as the one in the Simbadda SB-380, although this one isn’t as flimsy. The lubricant in the bearings was insufficient – similar to what was in the Codegen’s failing fan. This power supply lacks a fan controller, and was rather noisy. The heatsinks are quite thick, and have reasonable surface to air contact.
Specifications and Conclusions
| Real Wattage | 350W |
| OEM | Solytech |
| PFC | None |
| Price | Unknown |
| ATX Connector type | 20+4 pin |
| Worst-case voltage regulation (12v, 5v, 3.3v) | 2.4%, 0.6%, 0.6% |
| Worst-case ripple (12v, 5v, 3.3v) | 33.4mV, 20.2mV, 17.0mV |
| Worst-case efficiency | 73.97% |
| Input filtering | Inadequate |
| CPU Connector | ATX12V (4 pin) |
| PCIe Connectors | None |
| Molex (Peripheral) Connectors | 6 |
| FDD Power connectors | 2 |
| SATA Power connectors | None |
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Pros: Reasonable voltage regulation, Good ripple suppression
Cons: Can’t deliver labelled rating (−2), Low quality capacitors (−2), Low quality Fan (−1), Inefficient (−1), Noisy (−1), Input filtering needs extra coil (−0.5), Old 5V-Heavy design (−0.5)
Score: 2/10
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