Antec EarthWatts 500 W provides one of the best cost/benefit ratios for the average user: it is a relatively cheap 500 W power supply that can deliver up to 577 W at 46º C, has high efficiency (between 84% and 85% if you pull up to 300 W; 82.1% if you pull 400 W; but drops to 79.8% if you pull the full 500 W from it - it is clearly not a power supply to be working at 500 W but it is an excellent product for the average user with a mainstream PC), very low electrical noise level, is silent and provides two power cables for video cards. And it survived to our stress tests without burning.

It is an outstanding product and don’t let its simple look that reminds generic units fool you.

The number of cables provided by this power supply is more than enough for the average user, but users that need more than four SATA connectors will need another product or use adaptors to convert the regular peripheral power plugs into SATA power plugs. But in our opinion this kind of user will look for a more high-end product anyway.

If you are a normal user that just want an honest power supply and don’t want to pay extra for a fancy paint job then this is the power supply you should buy.

Another option you have is buying Antec Sonata III 500 case, which costs around USD 120 and comes already with this power supply installed. This is an outstanding deal.