Xigmatek No Rules Power NRP-VC503 500W

The Box

I don’t know about you, but I already have a bad feeling about how this is going to go. I mean, No rules? The unit is obviously not going to follow any of the rules in ATX specifications. Well, at least that’s what the top of the box tells us. Flipping the box over, we can see what’s available from each rail and a list of features and certifications. Our list of features goes:

  • ATX12V Ver.2.2 Form Factor
  • Dimensions: 150(L)*86(H)*140(D)mm
  • 12cm upper cooling fan with smart thermal control
  • Included PCIe connector for graphic card
  • Four SATA connectors are available
  • Protection: OVP, OCP, SCP (No OPP?)
  • MTBF>50,000 hours

The box also includes the UL number (E223918), which translates to a Solytech (aka. Deer) build. Solytech can build some good units, but they have also built some very bad ones too. This unit can be had for around $60 AUD if you shop around, which suggests that it will be somewhere in between.

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On the back of the box, we can see that this unit has a 20+4 pin ATX connector, an EPS12V connector, a 6 pin PCIe Connector, a 6+2 pin PCIe Connector, 5 peripheral connectors, a floppy connector and 4 SATA connectors. Such a cable configuration is OK for an entry level 500W product. The sides of the box don’t tell us anything interesting. Opening the box up, we have the power supply, a power cable and the manual.

The Power Supply

The unit itself is a black, semi-gloss colour, with a fairly boring, black and white label (which we’ll get to in a moment). Although there is very little mention of it on the box, the unit does in fact have PFC. There is a large passive PFC inductor visible through the rear vent. Another feature worth mentioning is the squeezable releases on the peripheral connectors, which makes it easier to remove them from devices that don’t like letting go.

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There’s really not much to say about the label. There’s no fancy colours and it doesn’t tell us anything which the box hasn’t already told us, so let’s move on to the load testing.

Load Testing

Test 1 (118.67W Load – Cold)

Rail Load Voltage Ripple
12v1 2.42A 12.12V 25mV
12v2 2.43A 12.16V 28.1mV
5v 5.13A 5.13V 31.3mV
3.3v 10.06A 3.32V 42.2mV
−12v 0A −11.9V 25mV
5vsb 0A 5.06V 26.6mV
AC Power 146.05W
Efficiency 81.25%
Power Factor 0.71

 

Test 2 (208.26W Load – Cold)

Rail Load Voltage Ripple
12v1 4.84A 12.10V 26.6mV
12v2 4.85A 12.13V 23.4mV
5v 10.16A 5.08V 31.3mV
3.3v 10A 3.30V 39.1mV
−12v 0.1A −12.02V 18.1mV
5vsb 1A 5.01V 15.6mV
AC Power 254.7W
Efficiency 81.77%
Power Factor 0.75

 

Test 3 (265.74W Load – Cold)

Rail Load Voltage Ripple
12v1 7.23A 12.05V 46.9mV
12v2 7.23A 12.05V 40.6mV
5v 10.22A 5.11V 40.6mV
3.3v 10A 3.3V 60.9mV
−12v 0.1A −12.26V 37.5mV
5vsb 1A 5.01V 35.9mV
AC Power 327.23W
Efficiency 81.21%
Power Factor 0.75

 

Test 4 (323.17W load – Cold)

Rail Load Voltage Ripple
12v1 9.6A 12.00V 34.4mV
12v2 9.59A 11.99V 39.1mV
5v 10.32A 5.16V 35.9mV
3.3v 10.06A 3.32V 48.4mV
−12v 0.1A −12.46V 45.3mV
5vsb 1A 5.01V 25.0mV
AC Power 392.7W
Efficiency 82.30%
Power Factor 0.75

 

Test 5 (350.65W Load – Cold)

Rail Load Voltage Ripple
12v1 9.58A 11.97V 46.9mV
12v2 11.95A 11.95V 46.9mV
5v 10.34A 5.17V 35.9mV
3.3v 10.06A 3.32V 57.8mV
−12v 0.11A −12.7V 48.4mV
5vsb 0.1A 5.01V 32.8mV
AC Power 435.9W
Efficiency 80.44%
Power Factor 0.75

 

Test 6 (401.48W Load – Hot)

Rail Load Voltage Ripple
12v1 12.01A 12.01V 51.6mV
12v2 12.02A 12.02V 59.4mV
5v 14.79A 4.93V 31.1mV
3.3v 10.06A 3.32V 56.3mV
−12v 0.11A −13.06V 53.1mV
5vsb 1A 5.01V 37.5mV
AC Power 523.3W
Efficiency 76.72%
Power Factor 0.74

 

Test 7 (453.85W Load – Hot)

Rail Load Voltage Ripple
12v1 14.3A 11.92V ?
12v2 14.34A 11.95V ?
5v 14.73A 4.91V ?
3.3v 10.03A 3.31V ?
−12v 0.11A −13.21V ?
5vsb 1A 5.00V ?
AC Power 619.4W
Efficiency 73.27%
Power Factor 0.74

 

Oh ‘deer’ me. This unit really did break some rules, but lets start with the good news. The voltage regulation was great. No voltages ever came close to going out of spec. The worst performer, as usual, was the −12v rail, although part of the problem is that the load tester currently only allows for 0.1A of load on that rail. The acoustic noise was also very good. It was inaudible throughout the testing. The efficiency was OK. Not great, but just OK. It was above 80% until test 6, where it dropped considerably to 76.72%, indicating that the unit was reaching its limits. It dropped a further 3.45% during test 7. The passive PFC was able to keep the power factor above 0.7 the whole time, which is typical for units with passive PFC, although still no match for active PFC. The ripple, however was a cause for concern. Once we got to Test 3, it was out of spec on the 3.3v rail at 60.9mV. It went down somewhat on subsequent tests, but was still too high. Then we got to Test 7 and things only got worse. As soon as I finished recording the voltages and AC power draw, the unit exploded. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to read the ripple, which is why the question marks in the table for test 7.

Rail Test 6 (401.48W) Test 7 (453.85W)
12v1
12v2
5v
3.3v
−12v
5vsb

 

The Explosion

Below, you can see a video of the explosion. It happens about 14 seconds into the video.

A Look Inside

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I know what you’re all thinking: “What on earth happened to the input filtering?” That’s on a separate PCB attached to the AC receptacle because the large PFC inductor prevents that part of the PCB from being used. It contains two X caps, two common-mode chokes, four Y caps and an NTC thermistor. There are also two MOVs present on the main PCB, hidden between the 820μF Yang Chun primary capacitors and the primary heat sink, plus another Y capacitor after the rectifier. Screwed on to the primary heat sink are two Advanced Technology Electronics D209L transistors (one of which looks rather charred now) rated for 12A at 25°C, although the data sheet doesn’t say what the ratings are at higher temperatures.

On the secondary heat sink, the unit uses a PanJIT SB3045ST Schottky rectifier on the 3.3v rail, a Lite-on SBL3060PT Schottky rectifier on the 12v rail and two more SB3045ST rectifiers on the 5v rail. This means that the unit has twice as much current available on the 5v rail as on the 12v, so it’s more suited to an older PC. Unlike the label and box suggest, the unit only has a single 12v rail. There is only one group of 12v wires and no OCP (unlike what the box says). All of the capacitors in this unit are Chinese, from Yang Chun, another possible cause for concern.

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The fan is branded Xigmatek like the PSU, but the UL number (E154464) points to one of Solytech’s favourite fan brands, Globe Fan. I’m not too concerned about this. Globe fans are usually reliable. Rather than the usual birds eye view of the internals, I’ve included a picture of the heat sinks to the right of the fan. Note the burn marks and melted legs on the two outer transistors on the primary (bottom) heat sink. Closer inspection revealed that the middle transistor was also burned and cracked, indicating that all three failed almost simultaneously.

Specifications

Real Wattage 400W
OEM Solytech
PFC Passive
Price $60 (AUD)
ATX Connector type 20+4 pin
CPU Connector EPS12V (4+4 pin)
PCIe Connectors 1× 6 pin, 1× 6+2 pin
Molex (Peripheral) Connectors 5
FDD Power connectors 1
SATA Power connectors 4

 

Conclusions

Pros: Good voltage regulation, quiet, squeezable releases on peripheral connectors, input filtering

Cons: Can’t deliver 500W, Low quality capacitors, Ripple on 3.3v rail too high

Bottom Line: It won’t get the fail award, but it’s not a recommended product.

Score: 5/10

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Review sample source: Lower Clarence Computers