Introduction

We would like to thank Thortech for supplying the review sample.

The initials GEIL stand for Golden Emperor International, a really traditional and at the same time classy name for an IT company. GEIL is a large memory manufacturer that desired to enter the Power Supply Unit market but didn’t want to include the new products in their traditional memory related brand. So they used Thortech, a company with over 15 years of experience in this field, as a trojan horse to step into this market. Currently Thortech has only two PSU series and both of them include only units with high-end characteristics. The main difference between Thunderbolt and Thunderbolt Plus units is that the latter include a device called iPower meter, through which vital information about the PSU can be obtained. The Thunderbolt Plus series consists of four units with capacities ranging from 800W to 1200W and in this review the test victim will be a Thunderbolt Plus 1000W or TTBPK00G.

The TTBPK00G is 80 Plus Gold certified, has a single +12V rail which can deliver up to 83Amps, it uses a semi-modular design with rather many fixed cables, all of its capacitors are Japanese and the cooling fan uses ball bearings so it enjoys a longer lifespan compared to a sleeved bearings one. The unit shares the same compact dimensions with its 1200W big brother so it will not face any compatibility problems with most chassis/cases. Finally, like all Thortech Plus units its most fascinating characteristic is of course the iPower meter device which provides lots of interesting information including Watts drawn from the unit, efficiency, current, voltage readings per rail etc.

Specifications

All protections are present, even OTP. This is very good news especially if you combine it with the unit's ability to deliver full continuous power even at temperatures that reach 50°C. The cooling fan has 135mm diameter and it is equipped with ball bearings, so most likely it will last long. The unit's dimensions are pretty compact and only by its weight someone can figure out, without noticing the labels of course, that its capacity reaches one kW. Since it has only one +12V rail it is not compliant with the ATX 2.31 spec but this is nothing to lose sleep over. Finally, the warranty is long enough at five years but the price is very high, mainly due to the iPower meter that comes along with the unit. With a rough estimation this meter increases the price for at least $30-$40.


Almost the full unit's power can be delivered by +12V alone and this is very convenient because contemporary systems mainly draw power from this rail. Nevertheless the minor rails are quite strong too, with 150W max combined power. The 5VSB rail inherited the power of the 1200W model so it will have no problem feeding energy demanding devices like iPads etc. Finally even the rarely used, almost meaningless, -12V rail is stronger than the average.

Cables & Connectors, Power Distribution

Apparently the TTBPK00G inherited, among others, the cable configuration of its bigger brother so it has a huge number of cables and connectors. Eight PCIe and two EPS connectors available at the same time is pretty amazing even for a unit with one kW capacity. On top of that the user has twelve SATA connectors along with six peripheral ones at his disposal. The 24 pin ATX connector is a little short and we would like it to reach 600mm. We would also like to see longer EPS cables since usually these are the ones causing compatibility problems with large, full tower, cases. Thankfully the PCIe cables are long enough and strangely Thortech chose not to install two connectors per cable, on the contrary each connector uses a dedicated cable. Regarding SATA and peripheral connectors, their length is sufficient and the distance among all connectors is adequate. Finally all cables consist of 18AWG wires, which are the recommended ones according to ATX spec.

Since this PSU features a single +12V rail we do not have anything to comment about its power distribution.

Packaging

The packaging uses exactly the same design as the one that in the bigger TTBPK20G. On the top two cloth straps play the role of the handle and will help you move the somehow heavy box. On the front we are informed about the series name and the capacity of the unit. There also three badges representing 80 Plus Gold certification, the five year warranty and NVIDIA's SLI certification. If you want to learn more about the unit's technical specifications and features then you better take a look at the rear side of the box. There you will find also the power specifications table and a description of the available connectors. In general the packaging is luxurious and provides the future buyer with some relief, since it makes him feel that his money was spent on something worthy.