Seasonic G Series 550 SSR-550RM 550W 80+ Gold ATX12V & EPS12V Semi-Modular SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 105 °C Japanese Capacitor 5 Year Warranty Power Supply

UPDATE - Jan 2015This PSU has been quietly doing it's job in my system since the day I installed it. No problems whatsoever. This actually probably is a beefier PSU than I really needed for this system, since I'm not a gamer and don't even have an add on graphics card (I have an AMD A6 APU). I bought this particular PSU not necessarily for the extra power and efficiency but simply because it's overbuilt. Well, actually, it's just built like all PSUs should be but compared to just about anything else for the same price, it's overbuilt.END UPDATE----------------ORIGINAL REVIEWOK. I just received this today from Amazon so this review (for now) will consist of my initial impressions of the product.First things first, I bought this power supply after I had to return a less expensive Seasonic, which I also bought from Amazon. The problem with that power supply was that it started tripping my breaker after a day or so. I don't believe it was a problem with that model. It was just bad luck I think. Really bad luck, I guess (since Seasonic is so well regarded).I did a ton of research before I finally chose this one. I have to say it was more than I really wanted to spend but if it lasts, it was worth it. A good power supply is obviously very important.So. Right to the point.PROS....1. Obviously, modular is a huge plus.2. The modular cables are nice, flexible ribbon cables. While I suppose durability might be questionable, I personally like them much better than the really stiff, thick cables. Those are OK for the 24 pin but when it comes to dealing with SATA cables, these are just so much easier to work with.3. Seasonic quality. I believe the Japanese capacitors alone are worth a premium, considering it's very tough to find a reasonably inexpensive power supply that doesn't use cheaper capacitors of very questionable quality and durability. Considering a capacitor is probably among the first things that will fail in a PSU, it's kind of scary how many manufacturers use the cheapest ones they can find.4. This PSU is quiet enough for me. It's probably not dead silent but the fan in this is easily the quietest fan in my case and certainly doesn't make as much noise as my hard drives. My old PSU had a lot of miles on it and it had two 80 mm fans so it was much noisier. I'd have to say you probably don't have to pay $100 to get close enough to this quiet though.5. The ball bearing fan was another selling point for me. I just don't trust sleeve bearings. Many manufacturers simply don't use ball bearing fans on their more value oriented PSUs. If you combine that with other aspects of the build quality, the lower end Seasonic units get harder and harder to beat.CONS...1. I suppose the modular cables could have been even better. While the build quality of the PSU is apparently top notch for the price, I think they could have probably spent a little more on the cables. I'm not complaining much though because they could be a lot worse and I like them.ConclusionThat's all for now. I'll be updating this periodically as I have more to say.

Seasonic has a history of making some of the best PSU out there, even some of corsair best are made by Seasonic.This PSU is one of the best PSU in the market below $100, its very efficient PSU, 160mm so it should fit almost all cases fine, its semi modular, but the none modular cables are the 24pin (mobo) and the 8pin (cpu), in essence what most build will always use, so its not a big deal not being modular. The rest of the cables are modular, but not like the usual sleeving from seasonic, but more like Corsair HX/AX series, which is more plastic cover than a sleeve, still very good though, personally i like more like this on a black interior case as less will show. One big plus this PSU has also is that is a single rail, while there is nothing wrong with multiple rails, in my experience its best to have single rail for high power components and not worry how to balance each rail depending on whats inside your build.The fan will start when you power your PC, doesn't move much air but feels adequate the air coming out is not hot at all, its very quiet even under load, while the higher end Seasonics are semi passive, this is always active, in my build with a Fractal Design Define R4, i wanted to place the PSU fan bottom, so i was looking for a quiet PSU that will start with the PC, as passive or semi passive PSU are recommended to be placed fan up, so they naturally dissipate heat by convection of hot air rising (when the fan is off), on the G550 there is no passive state, so for me was better for a bottom mounted PSU case that will draw air from the bottom of the case. Heat is the worst enemy of electical components, sometimes i do worry about my X660 when its fully passive, in terms of taking extra heat that i dont mind the fan starting, but thats how its design and havent had an issues, but for having the fan running gives me piece of mind on the G550.Overall i cant see anything wrong, specially for $80 that i paid, the higher end Seasonics start at $125, which is almost 45% of what i paid for this, most people want higher watt PSU now a days, but with CPU/GPU bieng more efficient every gen, there is less need of high watt psu, a 500W is more than enough to power the best CPU and GPU out there, even overclocked, the only reason that i would go higher than this 550W psu is for SLI/Xfire.

Last year I was working on my first PC build. All I had was PC Building For Dummies and a dream. I agonized over my components and especially over what power supply to buy. It didn't take long in my research to learn this fact....All things flow from the power supply. So I decided I would go with arguably the most trusted name in power supplies...Seasonic. As I hit that order button on Amazon a sick feeling and a cold sweat came over me. Should I have spent half as much on an EVGA? Are real genuine Japanese capacitors worth double the cost? Did I just get suckered in to paying premium price for a NAME? These are the tough questions one must ask. When build day arrived and I began assembling the Hive Mind (my new computer) a certain peaceful feeling came over me. I called for my niece to bring forth the holy power supply and upon feeling it's weight and viewing it's splendor I knew I had made the right choice. Can man love machine? Yes he can. Anyhow..I with the aid of PC Building for Morons I had everything installed into my Corsair Spec 02 case. I called the family in for the ceremonial first boot and indeed a light shown down from the heavens and the hallelujah chorus was heard as it booted up without any problem. All kidding aside..This is a great power supply..Love the semi modular design and found it had all the wiring I would need for my build. It's so quiet you will wonder if it's even on. So as of the writing of this review the Hive Mind has run perfectly with this power supply for going on 5 months. I will be using Seasonic on all my builds in the future till I have reason not to. If you liked my review please hit the helpful button below. My advice..skimp on something else in your system but buy a good quality power supply...For Confucius say " All things flow from the power supply"