Aspire Chameleon 550w PSU

Conclusion

Published: 22nd April 2006 | Source: Aspire | Price: | Author: James Napier

Conclusion

The Chameleon is a good looking power supply with some nifty features. However it is let down by a lack of connectors and its unstable voltages on the +12v rail.

At around £35-40, this unit is a good alternative to the generic £20 units you see around on eBay and other sites, but don't expect it to be able to power your high end SLI or Crossfire machine.

Aspire do have a new range of 600w and 680w PSU's entering the UK market soon. Hopefully these will be able to keep up with the demands of the modern power hungry PC.

Pro's
- UV Sleeved Cables
- UV Molex's and ATX connectors
- Switchable fan colours
- Adjustable fan speed
- Mesh casing for increased cooling performance

Con's
- Poor performance on +12v rails
- Lack of second PCI-E connector
- Lack of SATA connectors
- Buzzing noise under load

Reviewed

Thanks to Aspire for providing this Unit for review :)

Discuss this review in our Forums...

Most Recent Comments

25-04-2006, 07:01:36

Jim

Looking for high power and 'bling' to match? We test out Aspire's PSU, so see if it cuts the mustard.

Review Here

25-04-2006, 07:11:48

WC Annihilus

Nice review man. Shame bout it, though as you said, should make a decent alternative to generics for lower level rigs.

25-04-2006, 15:19:26

NickS

I've had one before, the 20p version. I bought it back when I had my P4/6800 rig, to replace my Enermax 350w. I didn't replace it cause I needed to but because I was going to upgrade to s754 soon and I wasn't sure. So I got it, popped it in, and ran 3D01. It emitted a LOUD high pitched squeal but was stable. So, I RMA'ed it and got another one. Same thing! So I RMA'ed that and demanded it be replaced with the Enermax Noisetaker 420w that I had for so long.

Yeh, they aren't that good