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Comparison be quiet! System Power 9 BN246 vs Cougar STE STE500

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be quiet! System Power 9 BN246
Cougar STE STE500
be quiet! System Power 9 BN246Cougar STE STE500
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Power500 W500 W
Form factorATXATX
Specs
PFCactiveactive
Efficiency89 %83 %
Cooling system1 fan1 fan
Fan size120 mm120 mm
Fan bearingslidingsliding
Certification80+ Bronze
without 80+ /not certified/
ATX12V version2.4
Power connectors
MB/CPU power supply24+8 (4+4) pin24+8 (4+4) pin
SATA65
MOLEX22
PCI-E 8pin (6+2)22
Cable systemnon-modularnon-modular
Cable length
MB550 mm
CPU600 mm
SATA900 mm
PCI-E500 mm
Max. power
+3.3V24 А16 А
+5V15 А18 А
+12V124 А38 А
+12V220 А
-12V0.3 А0.3 А
+5Vsb3 А2.5 А
+12V456 W465 W
+3.3V +5V110 W110 W
General
Over voltage protection (OVP)
Over power protection (OPP)
Short circuit protection (SCP)
Noise level28 dB
Manufacturer's warranty3 years2 years
Dimensions (HxWxD)86x150x140 mm86x150x140 mm
Added to E-Catalogaugust 2018july 2018

Efficiency

Efficiency, in this case — the ratio of the power of the power supply (see "Power") to its power consumption. The higher the efficiency, the more efficient the power supply, the less energy it consumes from the network at the same output power, and the cheaper it is to operate. Efficiency may differ depending on the load; the characteristics can indicate both the minimum efficiency and its value at an average load (50%).

It should be noted that compliance with one or another level of 80PLUS efficiency directly depends on this indicator (for more details, see "Certificate").

Certification

The presence or absence of an 80+ certificate for the power supply. This certificate indicates high energy efficiency: to obtain it, the efficiency (see above) must be at least 80%, and in different modes (20%, 50% and 100% of the maximum load). There are several degrees of 80+:

80+. The original version of the certificate, assuming an efficiency of at least 82% (at least 85% for 50% load).

80+ White. The second name of the original 80+ certificate (see above).

80+ Bronze — efficiency not less than 85% (for half load — 88%).

80+ Silver — respectively 87% (90% for half load).

80+ Gold — 89% (92% for half load)

80+ Platinum — 90% (94% for half load).

80+ Titanium — 94% (96% for half load).

The power factor (see "PFC Type") must be at least 0.9 for the lower levels and at least 0.95 for the Platinum level. Also note that for redundant power used in server systems, the efficiency requirements are somewhat lower.

ATX12V version

A standard for power supplies that supplements the ATX specifications regarding power supply along the 12 V line. Introduced into use since the time of the Intel Pentium 4 processor. In the first series of the standard, the +5 V line was mainly used; from version 2.0, the +12 V line was introduced to fully power the components computer. Also in the second generation, a 24-pin power connector appeared, used in most modern motherboards.

SATA

The number of SATA power connectors provided in the PSU.

Nowadays, SATA is the standard interface for connecting internal hard drives, and it is also found in other types of drives (SSD, SSHD, etc.). Such an interface consists of a data connector connected to the motherboard, and a power connector connected to the PSU. Accordingly, in this paragraph we are talking about the number of SATA power plugs provided in the PSU. This number corresponds to the number of SATA drives that can be simultaneously powered from this model.

+3.3V

The maximum values of current and power that the PSU can provide on individual power lines.

The power line can be simply described as a pair of contacts for connecting a particular load; one of these contacts is “ground” (with zero voltage), and the second has a certain voltage with a plus or minus sign, this voltage corresponds to the voltage of the power line. In this paragraph, it is + 3.3V (such power is present in 20- and 24-pin connectors for motherboards, in SATA power connectors and some other types of connectors).

In general, power and currents are rather specific parameters that the average user rarely needs — mainly when connecting high-power components such as video cards, as well as when starting a PSU without a computer to power other electronics (for example, amateur radio stations). It is also worth mentioning that the sum of the maximum powers on all lines can be higher than the total output power of the PSU — this means that all lines cannot operate at full power at the same time. Accordingly, when the PSU is fully loaded, some of them will produce less power than the maximum possible.

+5V

The maximum current that the PSU is capable of issuing + 5V to the power line. For more information about power lines in general, see "+3.3V". Also note here that + 5V power, in addition to connectors for motherboards (for 20 and 24 pins), is also found in Molex and SATA plugs, as well as some other specific types of connectors.

+12V1

The maximum current that the PSU is capable of delivering to the first power line is + 12V.

For more information about power lines in general, see "+3.3V". Here it is worth mentioning that 12 V is the most popular voltage among computer power connectors. It is used in almost all such connectors (with a few exceptions), and some plugs (for example, additional PCI-E power for 6 or 8 connectors) use only 12-volt lines — and in the + 12V format. And the division of + 12V power into several separate lines is used for safety purposes — in order to reduce the current flowing through each individual wire, and thus prevent excessive load and overheating of the wiring. However, some manufacturers do not specify the maximum current for individual + 12V lines and give only a general value in the characteristics; in such cases, this number is indicated in this paragraph.

+12V2

The maximum current that the PSU is capable of delivering to the second power line is + 12V.

For more information about power lines in general, see "+3.3V". Here it is worth mentioning that 12 V is the most popular voltage among computer power connectors. It is used in almost all such connectors (with a few exceptions), and some plugs (for example, additional PCI-E power for 6 or 8 connectors) use only 12-volt lines — and in the + 12V format. And the division of + 12V power into several separate lines is used for safety purposes — in order to reduce the current flowing through each individual wire, and thus prevent excessive load and overheating of the wiring. However, some manufacturers do not specify the maximum current for individual + 12V lines and give only a general value in the characteristics; in such cases, this number is indicated in the paragraph "+12V1".

+5Vsb

The maximum current that the PSU is capable of issuing + 5Vsb to the power line.

For more information about power lines in general, see "+3.3V". Specifically, the + 5Vsb line is used to power the computer electronics in standby mode, when the main and only task of the system is to respond to pressing the power button. This does not require high power, so this figure rarely exceeds 3A.
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