The last time Antec released a new product, we were blessed with a look at the most awesome High Current Pro 1200W model, which was arguably one of the best units of the year. But, Antec has also gone back to the drawing board to give us some new, more affordable gamer oriented units, too. Today I'm looking at just such a creature, the High Current Gamer 900 watt unit. I can't wait to see what kind of performance Antec has in store for us today.
AcBel Polytech is a name that is unfamiliar to many people in North America, mostly due to the fact that they don't have a retail presence on this continent. But there are parts of the world where these units are popular. For those people, I have gotten my hands on a brand new R9 900W unit. This is an 80 Plus Gold independently regulated unit that promises great things. Let's see if it can deliver.
A new name in power supplies comes to us today in the form of the Arctic Cooling Fusion 550RF. With headquarters in Switzerland, where my family's ancestors came from before settling in Kansas, I'm hoping that Arctic Cooling's 550 watt unit here proves to be a silent, cool, and stable performer. It's even got a special fan on it that promises to keep the unit cool but not keep the unit loud. Let's find out what it can do.
Today we're going to do a round-up, but a very different kind of round-up for jonnyGURU.com. The popularity of mini-ITX continues to grow as people build media centers and in car entertainment systems that don't require as much power as a standard, full sized ATX computer needs, and doesn't have the room to accommodate a full sized ATX power supply. Also, mini-ITX platforms are getting more powerful with new processors from Intel (the Atom), Nvidia (the Ion) and even VIA (the Nano, C3 and C5). We're also seeing more powerful mobile processors used in small footprint desktop PC's (Intel's Penryn and AMD's Turion). This means that basic, yet powerful PC's can be built for office tasks and Internet use using very small PC's. But how does one power these small PC's?
The well known memory manufacture GeIL has launched a new brand of high performance power supplies, Thortech Power. They currently have two series listed on their site, the Thunderbolt Plus and Thunderbolt. The Thunderbolt Plus series has the advantage of coming with a 5.25" Bay mounted iPower Meter, while both series are stated to be 80 Plus Gold certified. Today we are going to take a look at one of the Thortech Thunderbolt Plus 800W units. Will the Thunderbolt Plus 800W Gold have what it takes to live up to its name sake, Thor - the Norse god of Thunder?
Kingwin has enjoyed some recent success thanks to the Lazer Gold series of power supplies. We've looked at this line of units before in the flagship 1kW model, and that unit performed quite well. Based on an 80 Plus Gold line of Superflower units, the 1kW came looking to impress, and it did. Now, on this chilly Halloween, I'm looking at the 850W model in the line. Will it live up the lofty standards set by big brother? We'll see.
If there's one thing readers of mine ask for more than anything else, it's a review of something that seems almost guaranteed to go bang when used. This time I wanted to do something a bit different. Many people advocate using reviews from retail sites to base one's hardware purchases around. I want to see if this faith is justified, so I have gone out and bought a very popular unit just to see what it can do. Today's sample has a four star average rating from more than 370 Newegg users. Today's sample is the Sunbeam/Casegears Black Steel 580W.
Seasonic comes to us again today with another model in the X Series lineup - the X-560. Like the other members of the family, this unit boasts 80 Plus Gold certification, full modularity, and a single 12V rail almost as powerful as the total rated capacity of the unit. It is also currently the lowest powered unit in the line that has a fan, with its 460W and 400W little brothers operating completely without a fan. Let's see how it does.
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.
