Specifications

This unit's efficiency is 80 PLUS Gold, which goes to show that the time for really affordable Gold units is finally upon us since there are two higher available efficiency certifications, Platinum and Titanium. Gold-certified PSUs deliver an excellent efficiency-per-buck ratio and are to be recommended to those on tight budgets. The efficiency difference between a good Gold-certified unit and a much more expensive Platinum unit usually also isn't that large; however, such is not the case between Bronze and Gold units.

The PSU is rated at 40 °C (104 °F) for continuous full power deliver even though the ATX specification recommends a rating of 50 °C. Budget units have lower temperature ratings for two reasons - they use lower-grade components that are more affordable and lower operation temperatures allow for much more relaxed fan profiles. The GX-S mostly addresses the German market, after all, and most German users avoid buying noisy products.

All protections but OTP (Over Temperature Protection) are present. OTP's absence is a big omission, especially since this PSU only has a temperature rating of 40 °C. Excessive operating temperatures can easily destroy a PSU, which should have every manufacturer include OTP. Unfortunately, only a very limited number of supervisor ICs support OTP out of the box.

The +12V rail is strong enough to deliver this PSU's full power alone, and the minor rails will support every modern system that is covered by a 550 W PSU. The 5VSB rail is also a little stronger than is usually the case.

Cables & Connectors, Power Distribution

There are an adequate number of connectors for a 550 W PSU that lacks any modular cables. These cables are also long enough, but their peripheral connectors are too close together. All connectors use 18AWG gauges.

Since this PSU features a single +12V rail, we do not have anything to comment on when it comes to its power distribution.