Page 2 - Physical Look - Outside
The FSP Raider 550W is not meant to fascinate users with its design. The basic “black box” conservative design is seen here, with no strings attached (Actually it has wires attached, but I’ll get to that later). All FSP Raider power supplies are exactly the same in appearance, save for the ratings label. In my opinion, this is perfectly fine for products of this nature, especially since it is usually hidden in the background of any desktop computer. The power supply has a nice smooth matte finish, with the letters “FSP” engraved on the side. The FSP Raider features a 120mm ball-bearing fan for intake cooling and a honeycomb mesh design for exhaust heat dissipation.
The power supply measures to be 87 m x 140 mm x 150 mm (H x L x W), which is also quite standard in sizing compared with other power supplies of the same caliber. Sizing should be of no worry when installing the power supply into your case, even if it is placed in a mATX chassis. With the FSP Raider being a non-modular PSU and having a 12 cm internal fan rather than 14 cm definitely helped out with its packaging. Four Phillips-head screws hold the casing together, with one covered by the warranty sticker. If you choose to remove that screw, your warranty will be voided, so it would be best if you put your curious fingers aside during the warranty period.
As aforementioned, the back of the power supply reveals the honeycomb-design which allows for good flow of heat, since there is only a single bottom-mounted fan without any auxiliary fans to get the extra heat out under more extreme circumstances. This honeycomb-design is quite standard with other PSUs, and is meant to maximize airflow while minimizing air resistance. The standard on/off switch is placed next to the male power input connector. This power input features an automatic full range (100 to 240V) AC line voltage selection, so users need not worry about adjusting a switch to fit the input voltage based on where they live.
The FSP Raider is a non-modular power supply. The six cable lead out location is as seen above. While non-modular power supplies may make for a messy cabling job, especially if not all the connectors are utilized, it does mean that there is reduced electrical contact lost at the connectors. External build quality of the FSP Raider 550W is relatively decent, but it is really nothing special – not that we have expected so. On an interesting note, while reviewing the power supply, I found it quite easy to open the power supply, but very difficult to actually close it back up. It took three of us to finally place it in the correct position before screwing all the sides in, haha.
Following the power formula P = IV (Where power equals current times voltage), the +3.3V can deliver up to 24A, equaling 79.2W. The +5V rail delivers a maximum of 22A, resulting in an output of 110W. The total combined output for the +3.3V and the +5V rail is 125W. Therefore the power combination for each must fall within the specified limits, but cannot exceed 125W in aggregate. The single +12V can output a maximum current of 42A, summing to a maximum power at 504W. This is very decent, as approximately 92% of the power is available here, close to its 550W maximum specification. The maximum output power given by the power supply is a not-so-surprising 550W.
The FSP Raider 550W is an 80 Plus Bronze certified, meaning it is certified to be at least 82%, 85%, 82% efficient at 20%, 50%, and 100% load, respectively. Higher certifications are available for power supplies at press time, including 80 Plus Silver, 80 Plus Gold, and 80 Plus Platinum.
As aforementioned, as the FSP Raider is a non-modular power supply, all six cables are permanently attached to the unit. The Raider is definitely not to be put in a league with its older brother, the FSP AURUM Pro (Or even the AURUM Gold, for that matter), so understandably it does not have any extra bells and whistles. Four out of six cables are sleeved with a fine mesh, which keeps all the wires from tangling with each other. It would have been nice to sleeve them all, but it is not necessary. The six included cables are as is:
-1x ATX 24-pin, ~50cm
-1x ATX 4+4 pin, ~60cm
-2x PCI-e 6+2 pin, ~50cm
-1x SATA, 4 connectors, ~55cm to first connector, ~5cm spacing thereafter
-1x SATA/Molex/Floppy, 2 SATA, 3 Molex, 1 Floppy, ~55cm to first connector, ~15cm spacing thereafter, Floppy 4-pin attached to the end of the daisy chain
All these measurements are approximate, but should be accurate measured from end to end. Most users should find no issues with these lengths, but users with larger cases may require extension cables to reach the connectors. After observing all the external features and specifications, I decided to whip out the Phillips-head screwdriver and delve deeper into the power supply.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Minor Tests and Conclusion
