Cougar LX 500w Bronze Fully Modular Power Supply Review

Mike Sanders / 6 years ago

Final Thoughts

Pricing

Retailing for around £58.99, the Cougar LX provides some excellent value in terms of it being a bronze rated power supply. For those looking for a strong, compact performer, this definitely represents some excellent value for money. Do not forget as well that this product carries a 3-year guarantee which I understand may even be extended to 5-years for residents inside the EU. For less than £60, you simply cannot fault how much you get for that little money.

Overview

During this review, I am fully aware of the number of comparisons I made to the prior STX model. There was, however, a reason for that. The STX was pretty bad and this Cougar LX model carried a lot of similarities. When testing this one I had more than a passing interest to see just how much improvement had been made on this and I was not disappointed. In practically every area, the Cougar LX is an improvement. Even the packaging, which is hardly a major factor, has been improved to look sharper and more eye-catching.

The Cougar LX is designed better, it is fully modular and it fully warrants the bronze rating it has achieved.

Efficiency and Beyond

The Cougar LX, despite being a compact 500w power supply gave excellent results in almost every area. With this being bronze rated, certain requirements have to be made to warrant such a branding and our testing did not find this power supply wanting in any area. In terms of performance and efficiency, the Cougar LX ticks all the right boxes.

Should I Buy One?

You should always avoid going cheap on power supplies. Often they are badly made with terrible parts and will not have the performance you want or the reliability to back it up.

The Cougar LX, however, is exactly where you want to be if you’re on a limited budget, but need a power solution for your PC. At £58.99 you will struggle to find a bronze rated power supply for less. Given the massive improvements Cougar has made since we last checked them out, it’s clear that the company has the long-term future in mind. As such all the changes we have seen here are for the better. While Taiwanese capacitors are not on the same standard (as a whole) as Japan, they are certainly an improvement on the previous Chinese ones.

If you’re looking for a 500w power supply that gives excellent performance and efficiency on a budget that is a little restricted, the Cougar LX is an excellent option for you.