Introduction

Unfortunately, the power supply is often one of the most overlooked components in the entire PC. However, this is quite ignorant as a power supply can be all that separates a stable and unstable system. It is important that you purchase a power supply that can handle its specified maximum output current. For example, some of the cheaper 300watt units will not even handle a load of 250watt. If you ran this power supply in a machine that draws more than 250watt, you will find yourself experiencing random reboots or simply won't be able to boot up the machine at all.

For this reason, there are a number of trusted brands of power supply that enthusiasts can rely on for quality products. For years now, one of the most popular brands of power supply has been Enermax, providing a wide range of quality products that always run at their specified rating and beyond.

Antec have recently entered the enthusiast power supply market with their TruePower product range. TruePower PSUs come in 330watt, 380watt, 430watt, 480watt and 550watt models, and are in direct competition with the range from Enermax. We have managed to obtain Antec's 550watt model and over the past few weeks have put it through an array of torture tests to determine if the unit has got what it takes to compete in an already competitive market. Want to know our verdict? Read on to find out!