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L&C 350watt PSU Review
Date: January 18, 2002 |
| Provider: Color Cases |
| Manufacturer: DEER |
| Author: Mikhail Ivanenkov |
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Before I begin I'd like to thank Matt Douglas from Color Cases for sending over this power supply. Another power supply arrived at my door with another case. This time it's a 350watt model by L&C. Or so I thought. After searching all over for specs on this model I got some very valuable feedback and it turns out that L&C is just another name for DEER, the infamous manufacturer of not-so-great power supplies. Not to be critical or anything, but over the past year I've had the chance to play around with three different DEER models. While none have crapped out on me, each one was very loud and had some serious heat and design issues. With an already established negative reputation, DEER decided to manufacture newer models under a different name. The idea was to create better units and not have customers dissuaded by the name. Let's see if this was accomplished.
At first sight it's impossible to see any similarities. However, some older L&C models still have DEER embossed in the aluminum casing. Naturally, the specifications are the same. And here's a small part of a presentation they use to provide information to possible distributors. Notice L&C is in there. Everyone makes mistakes and some deserver a second chance. So I'll stop ranting on how bad DEER power supplies were and give them an unbiased once-over with the LC-A350ATX. Initial impressions were pretty good. It's not nearly as heavy as some 400watt models. On the other hand, there seems to be a shortage of cables, both in length and in number.
The rear is pretty much what you see on all models. You have the on/off switch, the AC plug and a 115/230v switch for U.S. and European outlets, respectively. The fan guard isn't all that great. While it doesn't inhibit airflow greatly, a chrome grill would have been the way to go as it would provide the most unrestricted current and would make cleaning out the fan a possibility without opening the PSU. This can easily be taken care of with a dremel and a few minutes of your time. Just be sure to cover up the PCB and all the insides before you start cutting else you may regret it later.
Here's the biggest surprise. The front has superb grating. Hexagonal holes are the best in terms of airflow distribution. They're strong enough to retain their shape without breaking yet at the same time allow optimal amounts of air to enter. This in turn allows for the use of a slower/quieter fan with the same cooling results. QuietPC's 300watt model follows the same principle except that they use round holes which aren't as strong as hexagonal ones. One more thing to note: like pretty much all new power supplies, the L&C 350watt model does support the Pentium IV. Also, if you want to remove the casing for some kind of mod or mere curiosity, you'll end up tearing the "void if removed" sticker. Oh well.
The only sticker identifying the power supply is the small L&C one found on the top (not the side like most models). The combined output is 190watts. While less than the 220watts of a 400watt Antec, this is still pretty good for a 350watt model and should get the job done fairly well. Here's some more stuff I found:
AC INPUT VOLTAGE: 95 TO 130 VAC OR 180 TO 260 VAC USER SELECTABLE SW AC INPUT FREQUENCY: 50/60 Hz AC INPUT CURRENT: 2A RMS MAX. FOR 115VAC / 1A RMS MAX. FOR 230VAC MAXIMUM INRUSH CURRENT : 30A FOR 115VAC COLD START/ 60A FOR 230VAC COLD START LINE REGULATION: -1%--+1% LOAD REGULATION: -5%--+5%(-5%,-12V -10%--+10%) MINIMUM CURRENT: +5V/1.5A,+12V/0.3A,-12V/0A,+3.3V/0A, +5sb/0A RIPPLE &NOISE: +5V,+5Vsb,+3.3V/50mv,+12V/120mv,-12V/100mv EFFICIENCY: 70% MINIMUM AT FULL LOAD HOLD UP TIME: 12 mS OPERATING TEMPERATURE : 0 DEG.--+50DEG. COOLING: NATURAL CONVECTION STORAGE TEMPERATURE: -10 DEG.--+75 DEG. CENTIGRADE STORAGE HUMIDITY: 5%--95% MEAN TIME BETWEEN FAILURE : 30K HOURS MINIMUM AT 25 DEG. AMBIENT
These are the specs for DEER models but, as previously mentioned, they're the same thing and what's visible on the sticker and in the list matches up.
Being impressed up to this point I decided to open up the L&C to examine the entrails. The first thing that caught my eyes were the heatsinks. Older DEER models had a straight slab of aluminum extending from the resistors. That's it, just blocks of aluminum. That's why they heated up so much and required a higher output (and louder) fan: the surface area to volume ratio was very small so heat dissipation was greatly inhibited. The new model changes all that. There are a good deal of fins on each slab which, when coupled with a good intake grating, will cool down the PSU quite effectively. These aren't the best I've seen but are nevertheless a huge improvement over what I've had to deal with in the past.
What's even better is the huge pair of capacitors. Within the past couple of weeks I've reviewed three power supplies and this once has the largest ones which is a clear indication of stability. Unlike the CWT-420 there's no plastic "wall" separating the capacitors from the neighboring heatsinks, but fortunately they're positioned almost an inch away and are very strongly bonded to the PCB below so the possibility of a short or other malfunction is next to nil. Being 680uF rated these are some heavy duty units as well.
An even bigger surprise to me was the roominess of the L&C. After examining several other models I seriously thought something important was missing when I opened up the unit. Nope, everything is there. This large space is ideal for cooling as air can move pretty easily throughout. The simplest explanation for this is the lack of features: the heatsinks aren't super large, the amount of ATX connectors is limited and there's not fan control center. The fact that the fan isn't temperature controlled eliminates the necessity of a whole other PCB and a great deal of wiring. Speaking of the fan, the thing is completely silent. Freakishly silent. I'm thinking under 25dba, maybe around 22 or so. Again, a pleasant surprise when compared to the 30dba+ unit found in the older DEER models. Of course this means the airflow is pathetic and I seriously doubt it's over 20cfm, but it's more than enough to keep the unit nice and cool. After almost a day of non-stop load the air coming out was slightly above room temperature and the casing was still cool to the touch. Because of the easy access of components within the PSU, a fan mod would work out nicely but you'll have to rewire it because the current model is attached to the PCB using a custom 2-pin plug.
Unfortunately, one thing that hasn't changed are the connectors. First off, there aren't that many. You only get four 4-pin (as opposed to the six that come with other good models), a 3-pin, the ATX and an AUX (for server boards) and the Pentium IV 12v line. But the biggest problem is their length. These things are super short, so if you own a full tower getting the L&C is definitely out of the question. If you're building a mid-range computer this is a good model to invest in, but for higher level rigs I would advise something better. So on to the testing of voltage fluctuations. I measured the results as reported by the VIA Hardware Monitor and Motherboard Monitor, respectively. Here's the test setup:
And the results:
The findings are nearly identical to other tested models: pretty stable. All three lines didn't even show a 1% jump which is very respectable. So this is what everything comes down to: Pros
Cons
DEER really surprised me with the L&C 350watt model. While not the best of the best, it's a huge improvement over the relatively low-quality models I've seen from them in the past. So who would need this model and why? Someone building a mid-range system on a budget using a mid-tower. If you don't have a huge case and need a quiet and reliable power supply, the L&C will get the job done. However, the number of connectors and the lengths of the cables is nothing to get exciting about. Overall, if you don't have a ton of cash, go for it. Otherwise I suggest you look elsewhere. I'd like to thank Matt Douglas from Color Cases for sending over the L&C 350watt PSU and if interested you can get yours here. If you have any questions or comments let me know here or post in the forums or both. Thanks for reading and enjoy the site! |
L&C POWER SUPPLY
