The Seasonic Core GX-500 is an interesting product, but had its price increased as I was reviewing it. Unfortunately, due to the increased demand for parts and limited production, prices of all products have increased. The GX-500 performs decently, with good ripple suppression and incredibly tight load regulation at +12 V, the most important rail. Build quality is high for all but the single-sided PCB and sleeve bearing fan, though both are by good brands. Seasonic has also backs this product with a seven-year warranty.

The primary downside of the GX-500 is its increased price, which puts it up against strong competitors like the Corsair TX550M. While it has a semi-modular cable design, capacity is also 50 W higher; in fact, overall performance is higher, too. Another strong competitor is the Cooler Master MWE 550 Gold V2. The GX-500 would be more competitive with a better transient response on all the rails but 5VSB, where the GX-500 performed well. Transient response is of immense importance since it is a major part of the daily routine of a power supply. There are no static loads in real life, only dynamic ones, and if you add a modern GPU to the equation, things get tough. Moreover, the low PF readings with 230 V input were disappointing. Unfortunately, several platforms have failed to pay proper attention to 230 V input since they are certified with 115 V, so their APFC converters are not adequately tuned for higher voltage input. Finally, the 5VSB rail should be more efficient.

At close to $50, the Seasonic GX-500 can be a good choice, but it is way too expensive at its current asking price of $70–80. Seasonic should also fix the APFC converter's performance with 230 V input, and if they want to make it more competitive, improve the transient response.