Cougar PowerX 550W

Overview

TechSpot Metascore

Based on 6 expert reviews

Excellent:

0
Good:

4
Average:

2
Bad:

0

Pros:

Build quality.
Near excellent rail stability.
Good noise levels (even at 112%).

Cons:

Availability inside the USA.
Performance of the 3.3V rail on Advanced Transient Response Tests.

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Last revision on March 30, 2015

Reviewers Liked

Build quality
Near excellent rail stability
Good noise levels (even at 112%)
Size
80Plus bronze certified
Price (for some)
Fine ripple suppression
Good voltage regulation

Reviewers Didn't Like

Availability inside the USA
Performance of the 3.3V rail on Advanced Transient Response Tests
Lower than 16 ms holdup time
Found only one Japanese cap
Spotted some “intrusive” solder joints on its internals
The colored finish of the casing scratches easily
Sleeve bearing fan makes me wonder about its potential lifetime

Expert reviews and ratings

Today we take a look at the Cougar PowerX 550W power supply. Never heard of Cougar? well they are a retail subset of parent company HEC. The PowerX 550W is a 80 Plus Bronze certified, compact, non modular design built into a brightly coloured...

By Kitguru.net on September 01, 2013

After a quick look, the MSRP of the PowerX-550 looks rather high for a non-modular Bronze unit with a capacity of 550 W, but I was, after I finished all the tests and had the necessary data to make the performance-per-dollar chart, surprised to see...

By techPowerUp! on March 25, 2013

Though marred by some pretty obvious build quality issues, this here Cougar somehow manages to rise above and deliver some pretty impressive performance numbers. Ripple suppression was outstanding, regulation was well above average for any unit let...

By JonnyGuru on February 18, 2013

The power requirements of enthusiast and gaming PCs have increased dramatically over the last few years, due to the development of ever more powerful and sophisticated CPUs and graphics processors. More power can often mean higher energy bills, and...

By Pureoverclock on January 09, 2013

Starting with the build quality and design of the PowerX 550w we have a unit which is very clearly aimed at providing a low cost solution. That can be seen from the minimal packing inside the box, through the reasonably basic chassis to the components...

By HardwareHeaven on December 31, 2012

The PowerX 550W is certainly not enough to power SLI/CF configurations and I wouldn't recommend it for such use but it does exactly what it's supposed to do and that is to provide up to 550W of power with near excellent rail stability and rather low...

By NikkTech on July 03, 2014

Those who are interested in pimping their gaming rig will gravitate towards the COUGAR PowerX 550W PSU's clean, elegant design. Its bright red and matte black colour scheme will suit case that are either black in colour or feature either yellow or...

By Tech ARP on September 30, 2013

“Cougar aren't the first name that come to mind when we think of power supplies but their Power X 550W power supply shows us that they really are strong contenders and a force to be reckoned with in this market. If you are looking for a clean and stable...

By eTeknix on August 14, 2013

It is natural for an enthusiast to be dazzled by monsters such as the Corsair AX1200i and the Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 1500W ; however, even the majority of the enthusiasts would not actually purchase such a beast. It is (or should be) common...

By Legit Reviews on June 21, 2013

The Cougar PowerX 550W power supply obviously is a product designed to entice users into upgrading from a cheap unit of unknown (and, usually, extremely poor) quality to one of acceptable quality and performance standards. Considering that the MSRP...

By Legit Reviews on January 18, 2013

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