Rosewill Hive 550W
by Martin Kaffei on March 17, 2012 9:42 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- PSUs
- 550W
- 80Plus Bronze
- Rosewill
- Hive
Conclusion
The Hive 550W is the first product from Rosewill we've tested. It provides an acceptable voltage regulation and quality. We like the look more than the design from other Sirtec models, and even better is that the Hive 550W is available for about $70. That's a decent value for a good all-around PSU, which is similar to most other solutions in this performance class.
The power supply uses a well known layout from Sirtec, and it's a cheaper design. The PSU is nothing special, corresponding to what we have seen in many other models. The EMI filtering is well equipped, and a varistor in the entrance is a good idea. All cables should be protected with heatshrinks, and while some of them are we would like to see the others protected as well. The relatively low-end Teapo capacitors on the secondary side are acceptable for a PSU in this range, while the fan is pretty low-end as well. Rosewill promised to use a Japanese main capacitor but this time they used Teapo.
As our test shows, the power supply can provide the rated output without any complications. The efficiency at 5% could be somewhat higher, but few will notice the loss of a few extra watts. The voltage regulation on our crossload test 1 (+3.20% at +5V) could also be better, but all results are still within ATX specification. The ripple and noise voltage is always low on +5V and +3.3V, and the power factor is high at all loads and input voltages.
The package includes all the important accessories for installation and a user guide. All the cables have lengths of 45cm or more, so this PSU will work well in most cases. It includes two PCIe connectors and 16 peripheral ones (8 SATA + 6 Molex + 2 FDD), plus a very long CPU cable. The black cable sleeving is quite cheap. Apart from that the black finish of the case and those unusual ventilation holes on the top look well.
All in all, the Rosewill Hive 550W is a decent mainstream PSU. It doesn't have any special features beyond respectable voltage quality and a remarkable case design. The Hive's strongest competition comes from XFX. The Core Edition PRO550W comes with Japanese capacitors but without modular cables. Furthermore Seasonic offers a very good PSU with 520W (M12II 520 Bronze) which is probably the best solution in this price range. Seasonic provides Japanese capacitors and modular connectors. However, the modular Rosewill Hive 550W is still an attractive offer when money is tight.
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LeftSide - Saturday, March 17, 2012 - link
Whenever you do a review on a Power Supply, is their any way you can get a retail version to check and make sure you are getting the same results? I just feel like if a company sends in a power supply to you, they are going to send the absolute best performing power supply they have. It might not always be reflective of real world results.Graphics cards and CPUs are different. The performance will be the same. Although I never trust the overclocking results. Again the company sending you the product is going to send the lowest voltage part they have, giving the review the best OC results possible. I wait to read the forums about how well they OC in real life.
pc_void - Saturday, March 17, 2012 - link
I agree. PSUs are too often cherry picked. Takes away from the review in the end.Martin Kaffei - Saturday, March 17, 2012 - link
This PSU has no Japanese main capacitor as promised. So nobody checked this sample.ssddaydream - Sunday, March 18, 2012 - link
While I agree that retail units will often differ from review samples, I disagree that CPUs and GPUs would be the same. Performance characteristics at identical clock speeds would be the same, but overclocking and thermal characteristics could differ significantly.AnnonymousCoward - Sunday, March 18, 2012 - link
uhh, he said CPUs and GPUs are different.ssddaydream - Sunday, March 18, 2012 - link
I am saying CPUs and GPUs vary largely.Swirlser - Sunday, March 18, 2012 - link
The OP is saying CPUs and GPUs vary.OP: "Graphics cards and CPUs are different."
ssddaydream: "I disagree that CPUs and GPUs would be the same."
Just1Jay - Sunday, March 18, 2012 - link
No, sir. ;- )I think you are being waaay too picky. ;- )
Anyway, many reviews are done with manufacture demos which we hope are the same as the retail items. No matter what the component.
Just my input.
Jay
Spacecomber - Saturday, March 17, 2012 - link
I'm not familiar with this manufacturer. Do they have their own retail line (as do Seasonic and Fortron, for example)? What would some typical brands be (and maybe models) that make use of this company for the manufacturing their products. Looking at their web site, I get the impression that they make a range of components for the electronics industry, but I couldn't easily get any further specifics. (They are a Taiwanese company with much of their manufacturing done on the mainland.)Peanutsrevenge - Sunday, March 18, 2012 - link
Try reading the article before asking questions that already answered in the article:"Sirtec (High Power) is the manufacturer of the Hive-series."