Conclusion:
Cooler Master has proven once again they can make a quality product. This iGreen power supply ran perfectly in my tests, and I had no issues with it in either of my systems, which is uncommon. Each of the rails was stable, and did not fluctuate much at all during testing. In addition to the solid power readings, the high efficiency and active PFC are two very desirable features which help to make this power supply a top rated component.
There is only one issue that I would take into account when rating the Cooler Master iGreen Power 500W power supply; the underpowered 5V+ rails. The readings were within the +/- 5% tolerance, however they are still below 5V. Even though the rail was underpowered it was still solid during my tests, and did not fluctuate. Each of the rails does their job really well considering the biggest drop from idle to load was .02V.
The only other improvement I could recommend on the iGreen Power 500W is changing the 120mm case fan to a LED fan, but that is my personal preference.
A search of
PriceGrabber did not return any results. Cooler Master is expecting the price of the 500W iGreen to be under $120, although I did see it listed at ZipZoomFly for $129 (despite being out of stock). In addition to the 500W unit tested, there are also 430W and 600W versions of the Cooler Master iGreen PSU to consider. You could obviously get a cheaper alternative, but these may not provide the efficiency or stability that the iGreen series provides.
I award the
Cooler Master iGreen 500W Power Supply a final score of four and a half out of five stars and the rating "Recommended".
Final Rating (4.5 out of 5 stars):
Pros:
» Solid performance
» Long cables
» Quiet 120mm Fan
» Active PFC
» High efficiency
Cons:
» Slightly underpowered 5V+ rail
» Cable wrapping easily pulled out
» No LED fan (personal preference)
» Not Modular (not designed to be modular and again personal preference)
Special thanks to
Cooler Master for providing the iGreen 500W power supply Bigbruin.com for review!
