Taking Risks on a Cheap PSU: $30 Thermaltake 430W SMART Power Supply Review
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We bought a $30 top-selling power supply from Amazon to review - the Thermaltake SMART 430W. Without going off-brand and while staying in 80 Plus territory, this is one of the cheapest power supplies that might power a low-end gaming PC (e.g. a GT 1030, Intel Arc A380, RX 6400, etc.) or a home office PC. People always say "don't cheap out on a power supply," so we wanted to see how cheap we could reasonably go while still getting something that operates "fine" for low-end parts. In this review, we'll also walk through some basics in the tear-down for more education on power supplies in general.
We previously posted a budget power supply round-up! Learn about some of the best $50 to $80 power supplies over here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weFJd8dzxAE
PSUs need a new rating system - 80 Plus isn't it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrhuOwNdkA4
Watch our power supply review & testing playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftF8V6Di84s&list=PLsuVSmND84QtHZ6WXQ4-4YJhq9VVkOOtw
Which PSU do you want us to look at next? Post below!
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RELATED PRODUCTS [Affiliate Links]
We bought all of the below PSUs ourselves for review. None of these were review units.
Thermaltake SMART 430W PSU on Amazon: https://geni.us/ihQc
Seasonic FOCUS GM-650 on Amazon: https://geni.us/tVRUm9
Fractal ION Gold 550W on Amazon: https://geni.us/Dj1Fx
EVGA 700 BQ on Amazon: https://geni.us/tw9nw
Corsair CX650M on Amazon: https://geni.us/r3TWaN
Corsair CX650 on Amazon: https://geni.us/XhD9y7
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Going Cheap on a PSU
01:09 - But Not Too Cheap
03:37 - Fan Quality & Tear-Down
05:54 - Incorrect Specs!
06:32 - Misleading Capacity!
08:25 - Tearing Down the Cheap Power Supply
09:28 - Transient & Voltage Spike Filtering
10:57 - Limited Lifetime Bulk Capacitor
12:15 - Rectification & Group Regulation
14:18 - Protections & Standby
14:58 - BENCHMARKS
15:34 - 12V Voltage Ripple
16:33 - All Other Ripple
17:06 - Power Efficiency Benchmarks (Thermaltake Smart 430W)
18:13 - Voltage Regulation
18:47 - Crossload Regulation
19:34 - Power Factor Results
19:59 - Protection & Safety Testing
21:13 - Shorting Components
21:43 - Over-Current & Power Protection
23:12 - Packaging & Quality
24:10 - Cable Ratings & Quality
25:06 - Conclusion
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Host, Writing: Steve Burke
Testing, Writing: Patrick Stone
Video, Camera: Andrew Coleman
Video Editing Assistance: Mike Gaglione