The price of the Mars Gaming MPB550 ATX power supply seems to be just too good to be true. Let's take a closer look at this super cheap PSU and try to find out, what's wrong with it.
UPDATE: Meanwhile I tested this PSU inside out. In my test it worked 12 hours at over 360W of constant load (Ryzen5 + RX480 of rendering work) without a slight hick up. Unfortunately I have no equipment to bring it up to 550W, but at the named 360W it was absolutely cool and quiet. The voltage was stable and the ripple on the 12V rail was under 70mV that is really good. To compare with my three times more expensive BeQuiet, that was at around 100mV. The active PFC is also true and is working, I tested it as well. Furthermore this PSU was tested and certified in the EU, I checked for the official registration and test results. They are not faked, like with many other cheap PSUs, but this PSU is only (!) certified for the EU and only for 230V. As far as I understand, this PSU is not available in the US. I guess, the world wide certification would be just too expensive for such a price. Still the missing short circuit protection on +5V rail worries me and in my opinion the cables should be thicker for the full 550W load, but I might be wrong in that regards. Unfortunately the missing over current protection seems to be a weakness of many modern PSUs today, even of the expensive ones. Otherwise this PSU was an absolutely positive surprise for me. It delivered better overall performance, than my much more expensive BeQuiet PSU and I definitely would buy it again. Here are some EU certification test reports: clearesult5.sharepoint.com/:b:/s/PLS/EVJ7AiRuNEpFvPJhwapt7m8BlMEXsGzlGmQ9m7d4_vjALQ?e=YI2CMY
Was looking for this PSU (650W version) for my Sapphire rx570 8go and i5 3570k. My actual 450W thermaltake is taking age and need to be replaced. Honest video, i like it! Thank you!
Gutsy move with the needle nose :Oo It has never crossed my mind to "test those specs". Sounds like something we-all should know. However I'd like to find a more "restive complaint load" (wink) to try that with. I'm not a professional but I do play one on TV. I do appreciate you making this point in such a dramatic fashion. I WON'T FORGET, PROMISE. Cheers from the US, 3rd House On the Right
I once bought a cheap 5 dollar PSU which was advertised as 450W but was 180W but it passed all short-circuit and burn-in tests except the OCP which was set too high. I still have it from 12 years back its just it rails voltage is low due to ageing capacitor.
Is it possible the 5V rail does have protection, but the resistance of the cables meant it didn’t trigger? Just thought it was unusual 12V and 3.3V both had it but 5V didn’t!
Unfortunately it is very common today. To common if you ask me. I don't know why, but many manufacturers just don't do any protection on the 5V rail. It is not used so much on modern PCs, so may be because of that, but I think, it is irresponsible though and I will never understand that.
@@necro_ware I have noticed a lot of new PSU's have the 5 volt rail powered by the 12 volt rail using a dc-dc converter. That could explain why there is no short protection.
I am surprised about how many UK and EU products that do not have power factor correction, I found out that all the LED lights in my house are under 0.6
Ich hatte mal ein ähnliches, billiges Netzteil von Xilence in meinem HTPC. Das war wirklich richtig gut. Vor allem unter den widrigen Umständen. Bisher hatte ich drei PSUs von Be Silence, die alle zu meiner vollsten Zufriedenheit ausgefallen sind. Spätestens nach zwei Jahren. Der Mist kommt mir nie wieder ins Haus. Wenn es was Gutes sein muss, geht nichts über Seasonic, die waren schon in den 1990ern das beste vom besten und sind es heute immer noch. Einmal brannte mir ein Netzteil fast ab, als ich nicht zu Hause war. Schlimmstes verhinderte der Blitzschutzadapter, der durchbrannte, bevor das Netzteil in Flammen aufging.
All tests I did so far didn't show any issues except the 5V short protection, which I was talking about. Meanwhile I even checked the ripple on load and it was only under 50mV on 12V rail. People can say what they want, but this is really an impressive PSU for the price. I didn't expect that.
Great video - just a bit of extra info. This is not an 80 plus PSU. This manufacturer has only had one model certified and that was MPB1000 in 2015 at gold. So this one may theoretically meet the spec but they should not be using 80 plus badging on it. You can check at the 80 plus site clearresult. Everyone should check that site before they buy a PSU to make sure that at best the same model is certified, or at worst that the manufacturer has lots of models certified.
Thank you very much! I didn't know, that this information is openly available. However, I just found this PSU on that site, it was registered as Bronze for 230V EU in 2019. I would assume, that messing around with such things in EU is a bad idea, since you can buy this PSU openly in the stores here.
@@DaveVelociraptor Yes, they seem to have registered only the MPB1000 for 115V/US, but if you select 230V EU, you will see a longer list of products including the one, I'm talking about in the video. Anyway thanks for the hint, I will save the link for the future.
It's theoretically even 5V/18A=0.27 Ohm. I didn't measure the resistance of the cables, but they get very hot very fast if I try to short the 5V rail. And the PSU definitely doesn't turn off, so if I do it couple of seconds longer, the cable will stand in flames. Eventually it doesn't matter so much why it happens, but that it happens at all. As I said, this video was just a basic test to give the people an idea what they get. Unfortunately, if you compare this PSU with the other known names, which cost 50-70€, you will notice, that this PSU is at least just as good or bad, depending on the point of view.
@@necro_ware so, to close all questions, you can shurt 3-4 5V lines on case of PSU - it will garantee low resistance I'm suppose it just to tiny wires and PSU can't catch shurt on wire
@@run4restrun259 I'll try this by occasion, but that wouldn't be real life test, where usually only one cable gets shorted. In such case you'd get a stinky fire in about 10 seconds :)
I was too curious :D Shorted two cables with the same result. No short detection. I also measured the resistance and got 0,2 Ohm from the end of one cable to the end of another (they are bound in the PSU on one end). So, with one cable, it should be 0,1 Ohm. That should be low enough to be detected as a short in my opinion. Unfortunately, it's the finest result I can get with my multitool.
@@necro_ware what's why wee need to see what's inside of PSU :)) It's classic schematic on trans with 12 and 5 Volt output or modern 220V > 400V > 12V output, plus two DC-DC 12V > 5V and 12V > 3.3V
Great review. Please do more of that ;-) I'd also recommend the Neodymium Magnet test on the wires next time. I have several PSUs and MolexPCIE adapters with apparently copper cladded steel wires or some other material that is clearly magnetic but looks like copper. Also, those MolexPCIE adapters can be of very bad quality if you're unlucky. If you have one that feels extra light then strip the wires and check the gauge. I have some with extremely thin strands inside that get warm and cause a considerable voltage drop.
Nice ideas, thank you. Especially the non destructive ones. As long as my channel is as small, I'd prefer not to destroy the electronics which I buy. If I don't like it, I still can send it back, but if I destroy it, it will be not possible.
Not to add anything to the table but this tip might be helpful. Thank you very much for tip. I have this PSU that could theoretically supply 480 watts and I was somewhat disappointed when the voltage drops more than 1 volt across a rather short span of wires. The wires itself is thinner than usual and this PSU caused my GPU to "crash" due to not getting proper voltage
The moment I heard "35€ power supply", I automatically thought "garbage caps". Do you happen to have an oscilloscope? Even with a very old scope, you can measure the output ripple for each voltage.
@@warrax111 120mV on 12V is absolute maximum as per ATX spec, and most decent PSUs stay (far) under 50mV, so 95mV is pretty crappy tbh especially considering that's at just roughly half load (265W)
Why does the lack of 5v protection not actually bother you? You brought it up, yet still recommended this thing? I don't understand or agree with the conclusion.
Yes ofc, evga 450 bt, corsair cx 450, sharkoon shp 500w they are all about 40euro price range, they are real psu, the corsair is even a DC to DC CWT platform
I have a 1000W Mars Gaming PSU - works fine, but is noisy as hell under load. My system is a Xeon W3690 on a Gigabyte UD4P paired with a RTX3060OC. Might switch it for a BeQuiet 750 just for the acoustics
There are different versions, it is very important to take the MPB and not the MPII version. The last one is loud and inefficient. The MPB got an official EU certificate and is very good. The one from this video is currently running in a Ryzen 5 5600 system with a RTX3070 Ti. Absolutely cool and silent.
@@flensburgerpilzproductions3141 Well, that one was only certified for 115V US, but not for the 230V in the EU. At least I can't find it in the lists. Looks like the most powerful Mars Gaming PSU, which was certified for 230V EU is the MPB850. Probably, there is something odd about the MPB1000, that it got no certificate in the EU. You can search here if you want: www.clearesult.com/80plus/manufacturers/115V-Internal
7:59 80 plus is a certification. It guarantee that it has a 80% or more efficiency between 20%~100% load. Bronze only requires: 82% efi at 20% load 85% efi at 50% load 82% efi at 100% load So their 90% efficiency claim is most likely a lie. You only start to see 90% efficiency at 50% on 80 Plus Gold and you only see 90% plus efficiency thought the entire load range at 80 plus titanium.
@@necro_ware Funny how according with the test results it should get a 80 Plus Silver certification but they label it as Bronze. It came very close from passing the Gold certification.
Not quite, you have to take a closer look at the certificate. This is a 230V EU 80 Plus Bronze. The EU is important, since it has slightly higher requirements, than the normal 230V 80 Plus Bronze. For the EU Silver you need to get to over 87% of efficiency at 100% of declared load. This PSU gets only 86% hence "only" the EU Bronze. You can find a good overview here: www.tomshardware.com/news/what-80-plus-levels-mean,36721.html
Used before a Mars mpII 850. Often my computer booted, and got BSOD, restarted and it was fine, but when i moved the mouse, had a silent, high pitched noise from the psu. I buyed a new one, since then, i have no problems at all. I not recommend using this modell.
This is a MPB line not a MPII. The last one was a complete crap and the new one is a complete redesign. This time much better and with a real license and registration in the EU.
They are neither good nor bad. You have to search for particular model in the European register. The ones which were registered, like the one I showed in the video, are good, the others not. This company seems to have different models with huge quality deviation.
@@necro_ware Dude my computer vendor is selling me Mars MP II 750w 85modular for $20 brand new. As for me I don't have any special or specific knowledge of computer hardware. So what do you suggest should I go for it or not? My Pc specs I5 6500 Motherboard h110 16gb ram Rx 590 Nitro+ Sapphire 8gb 128ssd 500hdd
I've seen a deep test on this PSU on an italian RU-vid channel and he says that this PSU stop working at 300w and has very bad power efficency be careful
On exactly this one? I found two tests of this PSU here in Germany and they said, that the efficiency was superb :) Anyway, for what I'm doing it's more than enough and as I said, my review was just basic. I have no proper equipment to stress it more than I did. At least at 265W the PSU didn't even got warm after more than 12 hours of benchmarks.
Yes, I saw that. It was a different PSU. But anyway, I also would think, that for the price, it shouldn't be able to handle 550W. However, I'd be curious to know how much it would really do... the MPB seems to be a newer line, than what Dante tested.
It is as always. A good quality PSU needs much more and heavier parts. A active PFC needs extra coils and higher power needs bigger transformers. So a good PSU is much heavier than a low quality one. Cheap PSU´s have the "high power" only printed on the case.
That's simply not true. Older PSU for example used heavy coils for passive PFC filtering and we're much heavier, than modern ones with active PFC circuit. That doesn't mean, that older PSUs were better. Deciding if an electronic part is better or worse comparing it's weight, means completely ignoring the progress. This very PSU, which you see in the video is currently powering a Ryzen 5 5600 with an RTX3080 Ti. Absolutely stable, cool and quiet. It was also officially tested and got an EU certificate delivering over promised 550W. All the data can be obtained from the official sites.
You are the second one, who asks :D I was fixing my dish washer and cut my finger on a metal edge inside. I recorded parts of this video in parallel as I was making the video about the GTX770. So it is already two weeks ago and meanwhile everything is fine, bat thank you for asking! ;)
funny that they had to state active PFC if it is rated as 80+ bronze. Also the use of "90% efficient" is a dead give away that this thing is not gonna be good. Bronze and 90% efficient is not a thing. more like 80 at best.
It's funny by that price, but I really have no plausible reasons to say that. Meanwhile I opened it and it looks all just fine, I measured the voltage ripple and it is well within the specs. I didn't get manage to load the PSU with up to 550W, but at least at about 300W it behaved absolutely cool and stable over 24h of continuous stress tests. Still, everybody should understand, that for that price, there must be some "compromises" and nobody should expect some kind of magic. But I'd say for a low budget PC this PSU is may be good enough. And talking about reputable PSUs, I had an expensive BeQuiet PSU, which is IMHO quite reputable, I guess. That one exploded in fire after 4 months and took down my mainboard with it, so you can't rely on that. I was working in my life in a couple of very reputable companies, and once I've seen, what happened behind the scene, I stopped believing into the names ever since. Not everything is good or bad, don't get me wrong, I don't want to over-simplify it, but I saw no-name cheap Asian products, which were thousand times better, than the super expensive European pendants. Unfortunately you really know it first, when you take a closer look at both side by side.
I guess, that into this psu is guts from very bad knowing Aerocool VX, it has similar board and unsafe 5v line. This psu us very bad, i saw a lot of dead vx in my life.
My rule is don't run a cheap PSU on anything I can't afford to loose. My 3950x + 2080TI is on a pretty expensive 80+ titanium rated supply. What you have looks just fine for what your using it for.
Just as opposite example. Couple of years back I bought an expensive BeQuiet PSU, because I didn't want to have troubles with my main PC. After 4 months it exploded in fire and I didn't only have to throw away my whole PC, but also renovate my working room. Unfortunately, price doesn't mean much today as well. As I told in the video many PSU today, which you can buy don't have short circuit detection on 5V. Even the expensive ones :(
the rating is meaningless about durability and you don't need to go expensive to be safe. Just buy from respected manufacturers, like seasonic, evga, corsair (not the VS), superflower ecc..
@@gigigigiotto1673 I buy mostly all Seasonic. Having a strong electronics background I can spot the garbage most of the time. Want to blow up a PSU, use a modified sinewave UPS with Active Power Factor correction in the PSU.
Talking of price, I think, if you bought 3950x + 2080ti, there is no need to talk about how cheap the PSU should be. I don't think, that +/-50€ would make any difference in the overall costs :) I think, this is more interesting for someone, who is really on low budget.
I buy only ATX power with JAPAN or USA made capacitors! Made in China is......My experience, it is not worth buying cheap things and it does not matter if it is from a proven manufacturer! My ATX are 670 and 710watt. Then it cannot happen that individual branches do not give the required value at high hardware load or overclock! For example Fortron produced 550watt this Fortron HYDRO GE 550W with japan capacitors. Fortron give on some types 10years waranty! I trust them more than any tests.
At least since I was working for a German company which had a cooperation with another Japanese company, which sold a very expensive home electronics, I don't believe in that fairy tale anymore. Expensive doesn't necessarily mean good and cheap doesn't mean bad. In addition to that, a lot of products from China made a huge step into the direction of quality in the recent years. Many things can still be bad, but I wouldn't judge by the price or the country of manufacturing anymore. Also a lot of stuff with "Made in Germany" imprint is a total crap today.
You go and buy a 600€ PC and power it up with a questionable PSU that cost 25€? I mean the Capacitors may work, but how long 1 Year? because your overusing them? Buy dirctly a cheap Corsair, BeQuiet or FSP, and you are on the safe side.
I have two PCs with Ryzen 5 3600 RX570 and one Ryzen 5 5600 RTX3070 and guess what? Expensive BeQuiet PSU in the first PC died after 7 months and this cheap one powered for half a year one test machine and now runs since half a year in the second Ryzen 5 5600 machine. Cool and quiet. However, I don't suggest anything, just sharing my experience so far. Still waiting when the cheap PSU dies, simply out of curiosity.
[1] 500w can't even power a 980ti. [2] Just by looking in the vents, you can tell it's poorly made AliExpress junk. So i wouldn't believe anything printed on that box or in their ads.
@@necro_ware gut aber das logo ist trotzdem fake weil so gibt's das nicht mit 230 EU aber ich lass mcha uch gerne beleheren wenn Seasonic oder co. so ein logo mit 230v EU hat
@@the_sjdo Dann belehre ich Mal ;) Es ist kein Fake. Es gibt dieses sog. 230V EU Internal Logo und bedeutet, dass das Netzteil so nur für EU zugelassen wurde. Hier ist die Registrierung: clearesult5.sharepoint.com/sites/PLS/Shared%20Documents/Forms/AllItems.aspx?id=%2Fsites%2FPLS%2FShared%20Documents%2FMARS%20GAMING%20%5FMPB550%5F550W%5FEU%2D472%2E1%5FReport%2Epdf&parent=%2Fsites%2FPLS%2FShared%20Documents&p=true EDIT: Die Netzteile, die offiziell getestet, registriert und zugelassen wurden findet man hier: www.clearesult.com/80plus/manufacturers/230V-EU-Internal Dort bitte auf 230V-EU-Internal klicken und z.B. Mars eingeben um die Liste der registrierten Netzteile einzusehen.
@@necro_ware danke für die Aufklärung wusste halt wirklich nicht das es so ein komisches logo gibt naja was neues gelernt. Aber wir wissen dadurch nicht ob ein Golden Sample war bei 80 Plus das sagt es leider nicht aus.
@@the_sjdo Ja dafür ist mein Kanal da, ich lerne von den Zuschauern und die von mir. Eine Win-Win Situation :) Ja, ob es ein Golden Sample war, wissen wir natürlich nicht. Bin aber im großen und ganzen wirklich sehr positiv überrascht bisher von dem Netzteil. Hätte für den Preis so etwas gar nicht erwartet.
I'd say stay away of these cheap chinese PSU:s. If you are on budget, go for a hunt for used ones etc. I bought mine from thrift store for 10€. Cooler Master GX750 is what I got, only issue with it was the fan, I replaced it with new one and works fine :)
Exactly, but it should make you think, that the efficiency is at least 80%. Anyway, unfortunately, I'm limited in my ability of testing it, so who know, if it's true?! However, I'd say it is at least quite efficient, since running benchmarks for over 12 hours without even getting warm was quite impressive.
I still don't know, if it can handle 550W, however this PSU turned out as a total surprise. Meanwhile I tested it at over 360W constant load over 12 hours. The PSU remains stone cold, super silent, stable and delivers very low ripple. I still can't believe how good it is. Don't be confused by the price. I learned that lesson a long time ago. In my main PC I have a BeQuiet PSU, which is 3 times as expensive and that one delivers worse ripple and gets a lot warmer. On the bad side though, I think the cables could be thicker and the missing protection on the 5V rail.
