Spire BlackDragon SP-R-400WTB-PFC 400W

Overview

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Browse 5 expert reviews so far

Excellent:

0
Good:

2
Average:

0
Bad:

0

Pros:

Blue LED fan, Enough connectors, despite its low wattage.
Delivered full load at 49.6°C, Good voltage regulation overall, Low ripple at 12V, Low noise output, Decent efficiency at low loads, LED fan (for the users that actually like it)

Cons:

No 80PLUS certifications, High MSRP for such a low wattage
High MSRP price, Short warranty, Mediocre performance at Cross Load tests, Low efficiency at 5VSB, Over 1W power consumption at standby, Kept shutting down at Advanced Transient Response tests

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Last revision on January 31, 2014

Reviewers Liked

Blue LED fan, Enough connectors, despite its low wattage
Delivered full load at 49.6°C, Good voltage regulation overall, Low ripple at 12V, Low noise output, Decent efficiency at low loads, LED fan (for the users that actually like it)

Reviewers Didn't Like

No 80PLUS certifications, High MSRP for such a low wattage
High MSRP price, Short warranty, Mediocre performance at Cross Load tests, Low efficiency at 5VSB, Over 1W power consumption at standby, Kept shutting down at Advanced Transient Response tests

Expert reviews and ratings

Overall the Spire BlackDragon 400W PSU is a decent power supply. The low wattage power supply still provides ample power for basic gaming computers. However, this 400W PSU has a very high MSRP at $79.99. The power supply isn’t modular and...

By ThinkComputers on March 06, 2012

In this review I had the chance to test a PSU from Spire for the first time. The BlackDragon series mainly targets the budged oriented users who seek for a decent performing PSU that carries some bells and whistles (e.g. the LED fan). The 400W member...

By techPowerUp! on February 09, 2012

Recently when we've tested power supplies we regularly received comments about the fact that we test the efficiency of PSUs beginning at 200 watts. That's because the energy consumption of modern desktop PCs with Ivy Bridge or Haswell processors...

By uk.hardware.info on August 06, 2013

When you're assembling a basic system with or without an entry-level card you don't need more than 300-450 watts to power it. These PCs also benefit from a good and stable PSU, but there's a lot of junk available in this lower segment. We...

By uk.hardware.info on May 13, 2013

At first glance, the Spire BlackDragon 400 W looks like a good entry-level power supply, with a good cable configuration and the manufacturer promising 86% efficiency.Efficiency was between 77.8% and 83.1% on our tests. It’s not as high as...

By Hardware Secrets on September 13, 2012