Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

Linear vs switching power supply

Updated: October 2026

You are looking at a £50 bench unit, and a forum thread has told you that a switching supply will spoil the measurement. A linear vs switching power supply decision is narrower than that warning. In this amazon.co.uk set the compact boxes under about £80 are switch-mode. A linear rail with a published millivolt figure is a different purchase, and a bullet that says linear is not that figure. Prices and the watt ceiling stay on our [laboratory power supply comparison](/hub/workshop/laboratory-power-supply). Products Compared did not lab-test these units. The ripple figures below are owner measurements in UK reviews on 16 October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are looking at a £50 bench unit, and a forum thread has told you that a switching supply will spoil the measurement. A linear vs switching power supply decision is narrower than that warning.

Our top picks

Jesverty Jesverty SPS-3010V

Best overall

Jesverty Jesverty SPS-3010V
8.6/10about £50.99
View offer
WANPTEK WANPTEK 30 V 10 A

Alternative

WANPTEK WANPTEK 30 V 10 A
7.8/10about £50.92
View offer
StonyLab StonyLab 30 V 5 A

Alternative

StonyLab StonyLab 30 V 5 A
5.0/10about £299
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Two ways to make a DC rail
  2. 2.What owners measured
  3. 3.When to leave this set
  4. 4.Listings that look like a way out

Two ways to make a DC rail

A linear supply takes the mains through a transformer, rectifies it, and drops the spare voltage in a series regulator that turns the difference into heat. A switching supply chops the energy at a high frequency and smooths it with a filter. Keysight's comparison puts the practical difference in size and noise. The Jesverty SPS-3010V title says switching. The compact Wanptek and Nankadf units sit in the same £40–£60 band, about 1.1–1.5 kg. The StonyLab 30 V 5 A, listed at £299, is the unit whose bullets say linear, with no review line and no ripple figure. The £50 units are the switchers.

What owners measured

Products Compared did not connect a scope to these supplies. On the Wanptek 30 V 10 A, listed at £50.92, a UK reviewer measured about 100 mV peak-to-peak at 7 A. On the Nankadf WPS3010H, listed at £59.99, a reviewer measured about 200 mV peak-to-peak near 40 kHz, and about 80 mV at 24 V and 300 mA. Those are single-owner traces on two models, not a survey of every listing. They are peak-to-peak, not rms, and not a 1 mV specification. An audio preamp, a radio front end or a sensor you are reading in millivolts can treat that residue as the signal.
Jesverty Jesverty SPS-3010V

Testsieger

Jesverty Jesverty SPS-3010V
8.6/10about £50.99
View offer

When to leave this set

Leave this set when the job needs a stated millivolt noise figure. GPS LTD describes its own linear range at about 1 mV rms ripple. That range is not in this amazon.co.uk comparison, and the figure is rms, so you cannot lay it beside an 80 mV peak-to-peak trace and declare a ratio. The word on a bullet does not measure the output.

Listings that look like a way out

The 400 V RUZIZAO is the other false exit: its bullets say switching, and the voltage is a shock hazard, not a cleaner 12 V rail. For digital work under 30 V, use a switcher from this £50 band once the watt ceiling and the plug match the bench power supply buying guide. When the noise is acceptable, the current limit belongs on the bench power supply for electronics repair page.

Common questions

Are the cheap UK bench supplies linear or switching?
The compact units in the £40–£60 band of this amazon.co.uk set are switching supplies. The Jesverty SPS-3010V title says switching, and the Wanptek and Nankadf boxes sit in the same class, about 1.1–1.5 kg. The StonyLab at £299 is the listing whose bullets say linear. That word is unverified: the listing has no review and no ripple figure. Products Compared did not open the cases.
How much ripple did owners actually measure?
A UK review of the Wanptek 30 V 10 A, at £50.92, reports about 100 mV peak-to-peak at 7 A. A UK review of the Nankadf WPS3010H, at £59.99, reports about 200 mV peak-to-peak near 40 kHz, and about 80 mV at 24 V and 300 mA. These are owner measurements on two models, not a Products Compared lab test. Leave them as peak-to-peak. Do not convert them into an rms specification.
When is switching ripple a problem?
It is a problem when the circuit can mistake the residue for the signal. Audio stages, radio front ends and sensitive analogue readings sit in that group. A digital board, an Arduino or a coil usually does not. One Jesverty owner found the supply quiet for amateur radio. That single test does not replace a millivolt specification.
Is the £299 StonyLab a proven linear supply?
The bullets call it a linear 30 V 5 A supply, and the amazon.co.uk price is £299. The listing has no review line and no ripple figure, so the claim is not proven here. If you need about 1 mV rms, that is the class GPS LTD quotes for its own linear range, outside this set. Skip the StonyLab until a figure and a review exist.
Will a switching bench supply run an Arduino?
For ordinary digital work, yes. A switching supply in this £50 band is what this set points at for microcontrollers and logic, because those circuits tolerate the residue owners measured. Set the voltage the board expects, and set a current limit before you connect. The switcher is the wrong default when you need a published millivolt noise figure.
What should I buy for audio or radio?
Buy a supply that states a millivolt ripple figure, which means leaving this £50 switching band. GPS LTD's own linear range is described at about 1 mV rms, and that product is not in this comparison. One amateur-radio comment on the Jesverty is a single owner's impression. The StonyLab's linear bullet, with no review and no ripple number, does not fill the gap.
Does a four-digit display show the noise?
The display shows the voltage and current you set. It does not show the peak-to-peak residue an owner measured near 40 kHz. A reading of 12.00 V can sit on about 80 mV of that residue and still look steady. If the project cares, you need a stated noise figure or your own measurement.

Related pages

How to use a bench power supply

Laboratory power supply

Best bench power supply UK: top pick and value pick

Bench power supply buying guide: watts and the plug

Bench power supply for electronics repair: set a limit

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison, retrieved in October 2026. Listing prices, stars, and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines in this set.

  1. Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 (retrieved October 2026)
  2. BS EN 61010-1:2010+A1:2019 (retrieved October 2026)
  3. HSE, frequently asked questions on portable appliance testing (retrieved October 2026)
  4. HSE INDG236, maintaining portable electric equipment (retrieved October 2026)
  5. Electrical Safety First, plugs and fuses (retrieved October 2026)
  6. Keysight, linear versus switching power supplies (retrieved October 2026)
  7. Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002 (retrieved October 2026)
  8. Institution of Electronics, constant voltage and constant current (retrieved October 2026)