Packaging

The package that protects the Venom 550W is small and features a nice design. On the front side, with a large badge Akasa advertises the 80% efficiency of the unit which however cannot be certified officially by the 80 Plus organization; nevertheless we are able to certify if Akasa's claim about efficiency stands and will do so, of course. The capacity description is highlighted with big green fonts and the interested user will also find out that this PSU has a single +12V rail and utilizes a modular cabling design. The rear side offers some additional info about the unit's specifications/features and also a list of the connectors can be found there. Overall a nice package which will be appealing to consumers who are impulse buyers, buying directly off shelf, based on the design of the box.

Contents

Two small packing foam pieces protect the PSU along with a nylon bag. The modular cables reside right next to the unit and unfortunately there is no bag to store them. All in all the bundle is really poor and includes only a thin AC power cord and a set of fixing bolts. We think that at least some zip ties should be included.

Exterior

The dark finish of the unit is nothing extraordinary but the single yellow, side decal along with the same color cooling fan make an interesting match which looks nice, at least to my taste. On the front a red sticker informs us that the power input is restricted to 220-240VAC range, so this unit is intended only for the EU market. On the rear side we meet the modular panel which has only two PCIe sockets and four peripheral ones. Thankfully the fixed cables are limited to the main ATX cable and a single EPS. Both are fully sleeved back into the housing and a grommet protects them from the edges of the cable exit hole. Finally the power specification label is installed on the bottom side of the PSU, so it won't annoy users with windowed cases.