2003 Power Supply Roundup Part II: Better Faster Cheaper

We saw the elegant and simple TruePower a few months ago, so we were pretty excited to see if Antec had any other products in the PSU industry we could include in our roundup.  The TrueControl 550 is Antec’s highest end product, allowing fan control through a designated 5.25” bay controller.  Memories of our Sound Blaster LiveDrive instantly came to mind.

The controller itself is very utilitarian looking, but it seems to get the job done. For all Antec's worth, they probably could have made the controller look a little more appealing.

Antec clearly spared no expense on the 550W TrueControl, and we noticed this is a very different supply from the 430W TruePower we saw several months ago. Several interesting things caught our attention.  First, this is the only power supply we have seen with an external rear molex connector.  We are not really sure why, but there must be some applications for such a feature.

Also present were black molex connectors.  Almost every power supply we have seen to date uses white or clear molexes.  Besides the 7 standard molex connectors, the unit comes with 2 fan only connectors (also present on the TruePower 430W).  The forward bay allows for control on the internal fans, as well as the fans along these designated fan control rails as well.  A very interesting feature, but it is perhaps limited in usefulness.  A motherboard fan control connector is also included.

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Also, the TrueControl 550 comes with dedicated molexes for fan control. The 5.25" bay is capable of controlling these fans through the power supply. This is defiantly a nice touch since we have previously questioned whether the dedicated fan molexes were worthwhile.

Again, Antec makes the point of demonstrating that the TrueControl 550 has separate lines for each of its 3 main rails. The real element that separates this power supply from the ThermalTake PurePower is the variable voltage on the fan controller. Using the included tool, the unit allows you to modify your voltage settings to adjust within %5 each of the three main rails (+12V, +3.3V, +5V). While this is incredibly useful if you are a die hard overclocker, it can be very hazardous if used incorrectly. For example, underpowering your +12V rail might result in underpowering your P4 or video card, which will eventually damage your components if not careful.

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Wattages

On paper, the theoretical combined 530W maximum impresses us.  Remember, the unique feature about a lot of Antec power supplies is that they have separate rails for each of the three main power lines.  The advertised +12V rail comes in very respectably at 288W. This power supply will work well for the hungriest of AMD or Intel systems. Die hard overclockers will enjoy the control over each rail, which is also offered on the PC Power and Cooling TurboCool. Be warned though, variable pot controls can seriously compromise your system's stability.

Unfortunately, this supply also weighs in as one of our most expensive units.  This is somewhat against the grain of our last Antec power supply which was priced very moderately.  For $130 you get the fan controller, and a lot of extras.  The dedicated power rails are worth it for a serious overclocker, so albeit expensive, the TrueControl 550 still does not disappoint.