For as long as I can remember, power supplies have been coming to my load tester in the same old rectangular boxes. Once in a while the size of the box will change, but never the form factor itself. Thermaltake has dropped their latest and greatest into my lap today, and to my surprise they've actually tried to do something different. The Toughpower Grand series doesn't just come in a regular metal box, it comes in a box with fancy rounded corners.
Let's find out right now if those rounded corners compromise performance or bring with them a refreshing change in the world of power supplies.
Most of the time, we find ourselves testing out the biggest and the baddest power supplies money can buy. Often, however, something different crosses our path. Such is the case today when I take a look at my first fanless power supply in almost a year. Today's review sample is the brand new Seasonic X-400 fanless unit. This is an 80 Plus Gold 400 watt unit based on the X series topology. Let's see how it does.
Today I have Antec's newest power supply. A power supply so new.. it won't be available until October. So new.. the unit I received didn't even come in a retail box. But at least I got a PDF representation of a box! The power supply we're looking at today is the Antec High Current Pro 1200W, or HCP 1200 for short.
It's been a long time indeed since we last reviewed an NZXT product here at jonnyGURU.com. Indeed, the last time yours truly saw an NZXT product on the bench was way back in 2007 when I was just getting started here, when I took a peek at their Duet home theater case.
Today, all that changes. NZXT has released a new line of 80 Plus Gold power supplies under the Hale90 moniker, and I have the 850 watt model under the microscope. It is second only to its 1kW big brother in terms of power output at NZXT. Let's see how it performs.
The Corsair AX850 power supply comes in a box that is 15.5" long. That's 390MM! And wow! Talk about setting the bar high. "Mission-critical stability", "one of the best", "90% efficiency at 50% load".... That's why we're here today folks!
This week, a very small package came was dropped off on my doorstep by FedEx. At first I thought it was more Gloria Jean's coffee for the Keurig coffee maker, but it turns out that SilverStone's latest SFX power supply was inside of this package. SFX power supplies are used in MicroATX and FlexATX chassis. They're considerably smaller in size than ATX power supplies and because of this they tend to be lower power. Typically SFX power supplies are typically around 300W. This SilverStone, on the other hand, is a 450W unit.
Once upon a time, Enermax dropped off a package at my door that contained one of the best units I've ever tested - the Revolution 85+ 1050W. Recently, they decided that this most excellent line could use freshening up. So, they've come out with a new platform at 920W and 1020W to use with the Revolution 85+ moniker.
I've got the new 1020 watt model on the bench right now. Let's see if the new platform can improve on what were already some of the best units I've seen before or since.
Our odyssey into a sea of 80 Plus Gold continues today with what is only the second power supply I've looked at to clear the Gold level at 1200 watts. The Coolermaster Silent Pro Gold series is a brand new line that looks very promising. Let's have a look and find out if Coolermaster has a winner here.
Lately, there have been a lot of new 80 Plus Gold power supplies coming to market. I've already looked at several of these, and no doubt will be looking at several more in the coming months. Today, I'm revisiting one of the first Gold rated platforms to hit the market in the Seasonic X Series. You may remember that I've already had the 650 watt model on the bench. Let's take a good look at the 750 watt model.
Everybody's jumping on the 80 Plus Gold bandwagon these days. And why not? Technology has now gotten to the point where such an achievement is no longer the stuff of fairy tales. Kingwin is the latest to make an attempt at Gold, with an update on their Lazer series. I seem to remember the last Lazer being a pretty good unit indeed. Let's see what's changed in the new Gold version.
