In Vinga's assortment, you can find both openly budget 400-W power supplies priced from $12, as well as more expensive models with an 80 PLUS certificate (500 – 600 W) and even "gold" solutions with power from 550 to 750 W. Ahead of us is an introduction to more affordable models, but in the current review, we will talk about the 550-W creation of the brand with an 80 PLUS Gold certificate – the Vinga VPS-550G power supply unit.

We have tested many products from well-known companies with extensive experience in creating such devices. Therefore, our readers know well what to expect from them, but this is our first time with a power supply from Vinga. So, we unveil what can be found inside the highly efficient novelty and its practical capabilities.

Specification

Packaging and Supply Kit

The color scheme of both the packaging and the PSU itself clearly hints at the prestigious certificate. Unfortunately, the good printing lacks informativeness. The same situation is observed on the official website, which, however, is easy to fix.

Inside the box, there is a lot of free space, but to preserve the device during transportation, there is a seal on the lid.

The kit contains the necessary minimum and a pleasant bonus:

• power cord;
• screws for mounting the PSU inside the case;
• pouch with brand logo.

Since a modular cable system is not provided here, the nice pouch will remain unused by most users.

Appearance

Is an original design necessary for a power supply that is usually located deep inside the case? It's a debatable question. However, if your answer is positive, then the Vinga VPS-550G clearly deserves attention in this regard. Streamlined edges, round holes of different diameters, removable side panels – other similar solutions simply do not come to mind. But let's take it step by step.

The device measures 190 x 153 x 87 mm, which means it won't fit in every case. Of course, it could have been made significantly more compact, but the desire to achieve an impressive design won over practicality.

The perforated bottom panel is a non-removable part of the case. From the perspective of air intake and exhaust, the layout is quite standard. Instead of honeycomb-shaped holes, there are circles - larger in diameter in the center and smaller near the sides. The power input socket and power button are in place.

The sticker on the bottom panel of the PSU indicates the use of a single 12-volt rail with a power of 504 W (42 A), which equals 91.6% of the source's nominal. The value is not record-breaking and is closer to the figures of expensive 500-watt or affordable 600-watt devices. Also, the key advantages of the device are listed on this label, though not without minor translation errors.

The removable elements of the case are represented by two side panels, which are fastened with screws.

Near the output wires on the case, you can also notice round holes, but they are not through - just a beautiful decoration. All conductors are directly output from the power supply, which allowed for some savings. Another example of cost reduction is the use of regular round wires instead of ribbons. However, they are placed in a nylon braid and have a thickness reserve - gauge 18 AWG (1.02 mm in diameter with a cross-sectional area of 0.82 mm²). Their length will easily help perform hidden routing.

The main connectors are represented by a 20+4-pin ATX and a 4+4-pin ATX12V. Almost any modern video card can be connected using a pair of 6+2-pin PCIe cables, and in the case of peripherals, the needs of the vast majority of users will be satisfied by six SATA (on two separate wires) and three PATA with the ever-living FDD.

The complete cable system configuration looks like this:

Internal Structure

To get inside the Vinga VPS-550G, you will need to unscrew two side covers. This way, you will gain access to the screws that secure the board to the case. However, removing it won't be easy - you'll also need to desolder the wires going to the input socket.

The internal components are cooled by a 120 mm Aobos AAM1225S1AN fan (12 V, 0.22 A, 2.64 W) based on a sleeve bearing. Given the price of this PSU, this is quite expected. However, considering its size, a 140 mm propeller could have been accommodated here.

High-frequency interference emitted into the network by the source is smoothed by an electromagnetic filter. In this case, it contains all the necessary components: two Y and one X capacitors near the input socket, as well as a varistor, a pair of coils, a pair of Y, and another X capacitor, which are soldered on the main PCB.

Voltage rectification is performed by a diode bridge GBU1006, rated for a current of up to 10 A. It is carefully mounted on a black-painted heatsink, sharing it with the high-voltage section's power elements. Nearby is the choke of the active power factor correction (APFC) module in a plastic case.

The high-voltage section's storage capacitor in the Vinga VPS-550G is a model from the reputable Japanese company Nippon Chemi-Con (270 μF x 450 V). This capacitance value is often found in slightly lower power solutions, but its belonging to the high-temperature series is pleasing, as is the manufacturer's reputation.

The voltage of the main +12V rail is formed by a synchronous rectifier, from which other necessary voltages are produced by DC-DC converters.

Most of the DC/DC converter components fit on a small daughterboard. This includes transistors, the ANPEC APW7159 PWM controller, and capacitors. The coils are soldered to the main PCB.

Output voltage filtering in the low-voltage section is performed using electrolytics from the high-temperature series by the same Nippon Chemi-Con, as well as reliable solid-state solutions. Overall, the quality of the capacitors used inside the new product is very pleasing.

The manufacturer's official website mentions the presence of the following protections:

• overvoltage protection (OVP);
• short circuit protection (SCP);
• overpower protection (OPP).

The Sitronix ST9S429-PG14 supervisor chip also allows for undervoltage protection (UVP) and overcurrent protection for each channel (OCP). However, the manufacturer does not mention whether these microchip capabilities were utilized or not.

Cross-Load Characteristics

According to the ATX12V standard, the allowable voltage deviation range for all power lines is ±5% of their nominal.

During cross-load tests on the main power lines of the Vinga VPS-550G, the following voltage deviations were recorded:

• +3.3V line: from +1% to +3%;
• +5V line: from -2% to +2%;
• +12V line: from 0% to +2%.

The voltage stabilization unit performs its task very well. In all three cases, the deviations did not exceed the permissible norms. The state of the most demanded 12-volt line, with a narrow range of output value changes and without any drops below nominal, was particularly pleasing.

Noise and ripple across the entire voltage range

For the ATX12V standard, the following permissible norms regarding ripple level (peak-to-peak) are provided:

• +3.3V and +5V lines: 50 mV;
• +12V line: 120 mV.

The low ripple level also left a pleasant impression, as on all three lines they did not exceed the 50 mV mark. For the +12V channel, this is an exemplary indicator.

Standby power line +5VSB

The state of the standby power line of the Vinga VPS-550G did not cause any remarks. Depending on the load, the voltage on it changes within permissible limits: from 5.16 to 5.02 V, not exceeding ±5%.

PFC

Table showing the change in PFC depending on the load of the power supply:

Load* − load as a percentage of the power supply's nominal power.

The APFC module of the power supply performs its task very well. Already at a consumed power of 170 W, the PFC coefficient reached 0.93, with the maximum value (0.98) recorded at nominal load.

Efficiency

The real efficiency test at different loads confirmed the compliance of the Vinga VPS-550G with the 80 PLUS Gold standard for 230 V voltage. At loads of 20%, 50%, and 100% of nominal power, the power supply's efficiency exceeded 88%, 92%, and 88%, respectively.

The source proved to be most efficient at loads from 190 to 310 W – in this range, the owner can expect an efficiency of over 92%, and the cooling system will need to dissipate from 15 to 25 W of thermal power. For example, in nominal mode (550 W), this indicator will already reach 62 W.

Cooling system and temperature mode

The noise level of the device can be indirectly assessed by the fan's rotation speed at different load levels. The interval after which the rotation speed was measured and the subsequent power increase was about twenty minutes. The measurement results are marked with points on the graph. At the same time, the ambient temperature for the power supply was approximately 27°C. It should be noted that the air inside the computer case can be hotter, with a temperature of 40°C being quite acceptable. At the same time, the load created by the computer system is variable, which eases the power supply's temperature mode.

The Vinga VPS-550G propeller starts rotating at a frequency of 640-660 RPM up to the 100 W mark. Then its speed sharply increases to 1000 RPM, with the noise level created being characterized as very quiet. Further load increase from 150 to 250 W is accompanied by still quiet operation, and up to the nominal 550 W, the fan does not exceed the maximum comfortable limit below the average level, rotating at 1440 RPM.

At the same time, the heating of the components did not exceed 55°C, which allows for a long service life. Especially considering the quality of the selected element base.

External noises during power supply operation

As practice has shown, across the entire range of nominal power, the Vinga VPS-550G does not produce additional noise in the form of annoying coil whine or characteristic transformer hum.

OverLOAD

We increased the load on this model to an impressive 750 W (+36% to nominal). At the same time, the output voltages remained within the norm, and the source operated properly. However, we did not dare to continue the experiment further.

Practical tests on a real configuration

To build a real computer system, a powerful 6-core Intel Core i7-4960X processor operating in nominal mode was used. As a video accelerator, we used the ZOTAC GeForce GTX 480 AMP! model with factory overclocking. It should be noted that the purpose of this experiment is to reproduce real loads of a high-performance PC and to check how the power supply behaves in practice.

Measurements were carried out in two modes: "Idle" and "Maximum load," which was created using Linpack and FurMark 1.10.4 utilities. During testing, the total power consumption of the system was measured using the Seasonic PowerAngel device, and the voltage on the +12V, +5V, and +3.3V power lines was recorded using the MASTECH MY64 multimeter.

As a result of measuring the output line voltages, the following values were obtained:

The output indicators of Vinga VPS-550G under load (mode "Burn") and when the system is idle (mode "Idle") can be characterized as very good. No drops were recorded on any of the lines, let alone exceeding the permissible values.

Power consumption in idle and off state of the computer

The power consumption of the Vinga VPS-550G power supply in the off state of the computer and in sleep mode corresponds to the indicators of other similar power solutions that have been in our test laboratory.

Conclusions

With a price tag below $75, the Vinga VPS-550G power supply is one of the most affordable "gold" models with a power of 550 W on the domestic market. For this money, you will get a solution capable of powering a system with one video card and a powerful processor, that is, the absolute majority of gaming and work computers. Naturally, the question arises: "Is it worth buying such a source and what did the manufacturer save on?"

Yes, you will not find a modular cable connection system here, the cables themselves are made of ordinary round conductors, and a cheap sliding bearing is used in the propeller base. However, inside the novelty, we found exclusively high-quality Japanese electrolytic capacitors or polymer solutions, the number of conductors and their length is enough for hidden laying and connecting peripherals, not to mention that all nodes are equipped with a full set of necessary elements.

So it is not surprising that in combination with modern circuitry, we get excellent indicators at the output. When powering a system based on a processor with TDP 130 W and a video card with heat dissipation over 250 W, no problems or any line drops below nominal values were noticed. Therefore, if you want to get a real "gold" solution without significant budget losses, the Vinga VPS-550G power supply is a good candidate for purchase. Especially since not all manufacturers in this price segment provide a 3-year warranty. Just keep in mind that with a length of 190 mm, it will not fit in every case.

Advantages:

• high efficiency level (80 PLUS Gold certification);
• good power reserve (up to +36%);
• good voltage condition on power lines;
• small deviations when changing the load on the 12-volt channel without drops below nominal;
• already low ripples;
• presence of main types of protections;
• separate power stabilization system;
• high-quality element base, which includes Japanese capacitors and solid-state solutions;
• ability to work in a wide range of network voltage;
• low power consumption in sleep mode and off state of the computer;
• use of long conductors;
• very efficient and quite quiet cooling system;
• original design;
• active reactive power compensation method.

Features:

• the length of the device is 190 mm, which should be considered when choosing a case.

Disadvantages:

• use of a propeller based on a sliding bearing.

Author: Oles Paholok 
Translation: Yuriy Koval

We express our gratitude to BRAIN Computers, the official representative of Vinga, for providing the power supply for testing.

We express our gratitude to ASUS, Intel, Thermalright, Transcend, Western Digital and ZOTAC for providing the equipment for the test bench.