Huntkey Green Star 450 W (LW-6450G) is in fact a 360 W power supply. This wouldn't be a problem if the power supply didn't explode if you try to pull 450 W from it (we tested two power supplies with two different 450 W load patterns). Also while delivering 360 W its efficiency drops below 80% and its electrical noise increases a lot, but still inside specs.
If you use this power supply with a PC that pulls only up to 270 W it will have an excellent efficiency.
This is without questioning the worst "branded" power supply we've seen. Thermaltake PurePower 430 W NP is another power supply that can't deliver its labeled power, but at least this Thermaltake model doesn't explode if you try to pull its labeled power.
This is probably the worst “branded” power supply we’ve seen in our life:
It uses an obsolete design, the same one used by Jurassic AT power supplies. Seventeam ST-420BK and Kingwin ABT-450MM also use the same obsolete design, but these two power supplies could deliver their rated power and didn’t explode.
Its wires are thinner than required (20 AWG vs. 18 AWG).
It can’t deliver its maximum labeled power (450 W), being in fact a 360 W unit (the labeled 450 W is peak power, which can only be pulled for a few seconds).
It explodes if you try to pull more than 80% of its load (360 W).
It doesn’t offer any kind of protection (or it wouldn’t explode).
Its efficiency is very good (i.e. above 80%) if you pull up to 60% of its maximum load (270 W), but if you go over this it drops below 80%.
Does this mean that Huntkey is making false claims and should be sued? Unfortunately no, as the manufacturer doesn’t say the methodology they used to label their power supply – maybe they labeled the unit inside a freezer in China, who knows? The fact is that under real-world conditions, with a room temperature between 45º C and 50º C this power supply can't deliver 450 W continously.
In summary, would you buy a 450 W power supply that can only deliver 360 W and explodes if you try to pull more than that?
