Verdict: A 400W PSU in name alone

While we concentrated on reviewing PSUs from known manufacturers in this Labs test, we also wanted to review a PSU that represents the huge number of available generic PSUs. You'll find that most electronics retailers sell generic PSUs, and they often tempt uneducated buyers because of their bargain price tags.

However, at less than half the price of most equivalent branded PSUs, you'd be right to suspect that a generic PSU may not be all that brilliant. The label of this 400W model makes the bold claim that the 3.3V rail can deliver 30A, the 5V rail 34A and the 12V rail 22A. As a point of interest, it claims to have the same 12V rail as the generic 600W PSU we also tested. There are only four Molex plugs, no S-ATA or PCI-E plugs - just old-fashioned 20-pin ATX and 4-pin ATX12V motherboard plugs. As most new motherboards have 24-pin ATX sockets, and some LGA775 boards require an 8-pin EPS12V connection, this PSU isn't suitable for powering a modern PC.

Performance from this PSU was dismal. Hooked up to the Fast Auto FA-828ATE testing machine, it passed the 50 per cent (200W) and 75 per cent (300W) load tests, but switched off when we attempted the 100 per cent load test (400W).

These tests show that this 400W PSU is in fact a 300W PSU. So if you're ever tempted to buy a generic PSU, steer well clear. Even at only £12, it's an expensive paperweight.

• Cases - 21st November 2008
• Motherboards - 24th October 2008
• Gaming Headsets - 26th September 2008
• Dream PCs - 24th September 2008
• Headphones - 12th September 2008
• Media PC components - 22nd August 2008
• PSUs - 14th July 2008

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