Cougar RX Series 500W 80 PLUS PSU Review – Keeping The Budget Gamer In Mind

The Cougar brand has been around for just over five years and has already made a significant impact in the gaming community, not only because of the quality products that are created for a very competitive price, but for their elaborate designs and color palette on nearly all cougar products. One can spot a Cougar product from its competitors simply by the orange and black colour design, whether it be a computer case, fan, or power supply unit.

Cougar RX Series 500W Gaming PSU 80 PLUS

Cougar’s mandate has always been to provide innovative and cutting edge products while deviating from the traditional black box-like computer hardware that has been around for decades, while still maintaining competitive price-points. To further this point, we present the 500W Cougar RX Series 80+ PSU, which targets the needs and functionality of first-time builders and gamers alike.

Cougar RX Series 500W Gaming PSU 80 PLUS

The Cougar RX Series has only two PSU models – a 500W and a 600W. This review will focus on the 500W power supply unit, although both models are essentially identical in terms of hardware and aesthetics used –  an all black PSU exterior with orange fan cover and lettering; a dramatic yet stylish Cougar Trademark, followed-up with a three-year warranty for a modest $60 price tag.

SPECIFICATIONS AND PACKAGING

Cougar RX Series 500W Gaming PSU 80 PLUS SPECS

The 500W Cougar RX Series 80+ certified PSU has a high 82% efficiency at 50% PSU loading, making it quite competitive with other 500W 80+ certified models. It remains very desirable due to its very competitive price point of approximately $60 while still providing its consumers with the aforementioned three-year warranty.

Cougar RX Series 500W Gaming PSU 80 PLUS schematic

The packaging is quite unique as it is formed after the looks of the PSU itself. The front reveals the 80 PLUS rating, while the back has a great layout of features, specifications, and efficiency graphs:

Cougar RX Series 500W Gaming PSU 80 PLUS Cougar RX Series 500W Gaming PSU 80 PLUS

Opening the box we have the 500W Cougar RX in bubble wrap along with a quick start guide and mounting screws. A confusing omission is the standard three-pin 125V power cord that is needed to power the unit. We are not sure why Cougar did not include it as it is vital to get the PSU running in the first place.

Cougar RX Series 500W Gaming PSU 80 PLUS Cougar RX Series 500W Gaming PSU 80 PLUS

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