FSP Blue Storm 500W Power Supply Review - PAGE 2

Packaging

From my initial glance at the box, I was struck with how similar it looked to OCZ's ModStream 520-watt PSU sans removable cabling. FSP Group has decided to go with the blue LED/energy look for their packaging and the Blue Storm moniker is displayed prominently everywhere on the box. In the upper-right corner, is a "Designed for ATX12V V2.0" badge which is looking to be more important with boards like the DFI nF4 Ultra and SLI-DR requiring a 24-pin ATX connector.

In terms of accessories, the AX500-A seems a tad slim, but then again there's not much to accessorize with unless it is a "moddable" power supply:

• English/Chinese/German/French manual
• 5 mounting screws
• Power cable
• 24-pin to 20-pin adapter cable (BTX to ATX)

Features

While there is nothing astounding about the AX500-A on the accessories front, its feature set is actually quite impressive:

• Meets ATX12V V2.0 specification
• Attractive mesh sleeving on all output cables
• Flexi Connect with 6x "Smart Housing" Molex connectors
• 2x SATA power connectors
• BTX 24-pin connector (for all of those 24-pin motherboards that are showing up)
• PCI-Express external power connector
• Vaguely-sparkly and metallic blue, scratch-resistant casing (I really like this casing!)
• "Silent" 120 mm fan (<23dBA @ <=50% load)
• Blue-LED-lighted power switch
• Over-voltage Protection
• Over-current Protection
• Short-current Protection
• Passive Power Factor Correction (PFC)

I would like to go into detail about a few of these features.

Firstly, the "Smart Housing" Molex connectors are not something I have ever seen on a power supply before. Looking at the simplicity of this feature, it makes me wonder why no other manufacturer has included something like this on their products. FSP Group's "Smart Housing" connectors have two curled pieces of rigid, but flexible, plastic on the top and bottom parts of the plug. When you want to unplug the Molex connector from a device, you merely grab the plug with your thumb and forefinger, and give a firm squeeze. The curled plastic flattens out, and pushes the plug out of its receptor.

Not a big deal, you say? Consider all of those times you've wrestled with a tight Molex connector, only to have it finally come loose and cause you to slam your hand into a power supply, heatsink, or whatever else you have in your case. I've done this a countless number of times trying to unplug my CD burner at home. Thanks to the power supply on the opposite site of my case, I always end up going to the bathroom to wipe blood off my skinned knuckles. The Smart Housing feature is definitely something I'd like to see on more future power supplies. Nice little touch by Fortron here.

Next on the list is the cable sleeving. The AX500-A's cable sleeving is navy-blue in color, and not too rigid as to prevent easy flexing of the cables inside. At the end of each section of sleeving (where the plugs begin), FSP Group has installed very cleanly-cut heat-shrink tubing in order to properly finish off the sleeve effect. All of the individual cables coming out of the power supply are well-separate and organized, giving the entire power supply and extremely clean look. One major complaint I have about my Antec TruePower 380S at home is the fact that the individual red/yellow/orange/black cables coming out of the power supply are a huge mess. Shealthing on the Antec unit only begins after the first 8 centimeters. I prefer the approach that is taken by the Blue Storm.

The AX500-A also has it going on in the casing department. OCZ's ModStream 520 W had an extremely sexy graphite-reflective casing, and I haven't seen something yet that I covet as much, but the AX500-A comes close. As opposed to being reflective, the Blue Storm has a matte, navy-blue casing that is very smooth to the touch. Upon close inspection, it seems vaguely grainy due to the bluish-sparkles embedded into the finish, but is as smooth as any metal. Don't worry when I say "sparkly" though; there's nothing girly about this at all.

Lastly, I'd like to mention the presence of passive Power Factor Correction. I've discussed PFC and its importance extensively in my previous power supply reviews, but a quick explanation is warranted. Power Factor Correction allows for the power supply to more efficiently utilize the AC input, automatically adjust itself for AC fluctuations, reduce "talk-back" interference on the AC line, and use a full range of input voltages without the need to flip a switch on the back. The last few power supplies that have come to my attention are all including some form of PFC - a welcome addition.

Specifications

The tables of raw specifications as given by FSP Group are as follows:

Input Power

Output Power

Over-Voltage Protection

Over-Current Protection