TOP-500P7 U12 (500W)

The first PSU in this review that is selling under Topower’s own brand is a model with a 12cm fan. A little while ago I would regard an 8cm fan as a classic solution but now 12cm models can be called such because the newest PSUs are often equipped with 14cm fans.

The case has a dark glossy – and easily scratchable – coating. It is noticeably longer than the typical ATX power supply, which is rather unusual for a model with a rather low wattage rating because there should be no problem to assemble one in a case with the standard 145cm length.

Indeed, there is quite a lot of free room on both sides of the PCB. The reason is not quite clear. Installing 80mm fans (for PSUs with such a cooling solution) or power connectors (for PSUs with detachable cables) would require a different case anyway, so the manufacturer can save but little on product unification, and this doesn’t agree with the retail pricing of Topower PSUs.

The PSU features the long-classic circuit design with a half-bridge transformer. This time-tested design is not very efficient, though. The output voltages are regulated independently as is indicated by the three chokes in the left part of the photograph (there would be only two in a PSU with joint regulation).

The PSU has neither passive nor active power factor correction. It doesn’t have a mains voltage switch and can only work in 200V power grids. The quality of manufacture is high, I have no complaints about it.

The label shows specifications for four models that vary in wattage but are based on the same platform. The name of the given model is printed on a sticker above the main label.

The TOP-500P7 U12 is an ATX12V 2.0 power supply that allows a current of 33A (396W) on the +12V rail but doesn’t split this rail into multiple output lines. As I have repeatedly noted in my reviews, this kind of splitting is only introduced to comply with the EN-60950 safety regulation and has no effect on the stability of the PSU.

The PSU is equipped with the following cables and connectors:

• Mainboard cable with a 20+4 connector (44cm)
• CPU cable with a 4-pin connector (44cm)
• CPU cable with an 8-pin connector (44cm)
• Two screened graphics card cables with 6-pin connectors (44cm)
• Two cables with three Molex connectors and one mini-plug for a floppy drive on each (44+15+15+15cm)
• Two cables with two SATA power connectors on each (46+15cm)

The graphics card cables are screened and sleeved into transparent plastic tubes (they are rather stiff as a consequence). The mainboard cable has a plaited tube on. The other cables are just twisted like a twisted pair.