OCZ's new ZT series fills a gap between the ZX and ZS series. The ZT units feature a fully modular cabling design, 80 PLUS Bronze efficiency, five year warranty and an affordable price for what they have to offer, so the deal sounds sweet. But before we jump into early conclusions let's first see if the OCZ ZT 750W will manage to impress with its performance, too.
Recently Thermaltake has added three new models to the Toughpower series, which are intended for power hungry systems with triple or even four-way SLI or Crossfire configurations. Today our load testers will have some extra work to do since we are going to test a monstrous Toughpower unit with 1500W capacity.
Strictly power is Antec's primary slogan for the new members of their Basiq PSU series, the VPx50P units. As it seems only three things were the main concerns during the design/manufacturing of these PSUs: quality, performance and high price/performance ratio.
After the Maxrevo series Enermax hits again with the Platimax. The members of this series meet the 80 PLUS Platinum certification requirements so they are among the most efficient units on the market. In today's review we will take a detailed look at the Platimax 850W which, among others, uses a semi-modular cabling design and promises reliable performance even at 50°C ambient.
In Win's first Commander power supplies were built by Channel Well Technology. The second generation, which we are reviewing today, uses Andyson as OEM. Internally the Commander II uses a modern design based on DC-DC converters, which promises high efficiency and stable voltage supply.
Antec's new Basiq series offers affordable power supplies that are engineered for 230VAC only, to maximize price/performance. While we don't see fancy colors, sleeved cables, modular connectors or LED lighting, the VP550P features great performance characteristics and good component selection like japanese capacitors.
In Win Glacier is a new modular PSU series which focuses on efficiency and reliability. The Glacier 900W is the first released model and provides up to seven PCIe power connectors for maximum expandability. Warranty is a whole seven years which shows the confidence In Win has in their product.
OCZ, having the value-oriented user in mind, recently released a new PSU series. According to OCZ the ZS series PSUs offer affordable power solutions to value-oriented gaming systems.
Be Quiet, as the name implies, specializes in the construction of silent PC components like CPU coolers, fans and power supplies. In this review we will test the Pure Power CM L8 730W, a modular PSU that targets the tight budget users since it features an affordable price, it is 80 PLUS Bronze certified and is equipped with four PCIe connectors. On top of that it promises quiet operation even at full load thanks to the SilentWings fan technology.
OCZ is very busy lately releasing new PSU models. Today we have the chance to test the OCZ ZS 650W. The main difference compared to the bigger ZS 750W, besides capacity, is the reduced number of available PCIe connectors, only two. Like all ZS units it has 80 PLUS Bronze efficiency, its OEM is Sirfa and it uses a non-modular cabling design.
The new Corsair TX M lineup is an evolutionary step forward from the Corsair TX V2 Series. It introduces modular connectors and a new fan grill design. Internally, the platform provider has been changed from Seasonic to Channel Well Technology. Overall the TX750M is a rock solid performer that comes at only a moderate price increase.
Today we have a chance to test the Super Flower Golden Silent SF-500P14FG, a fanless power supply with 500W capacity which can be overclocked to 600W. In order to achieve this, the PSU will drop a bit in effiency: from Platinum to Gold.
Thortech is GeIL's power supply brand which has 15 years of experience in designing PSUs for industrial use. Today we will test the Thunderbolt Plus 800W, a PSU with Gold efficiency and a shiny iPower Meter device. The iPower Meter displays voltages, power, current and efficiency on a small panel which mounts in a 5.25" bay and also lets you control the PSU's fan speed.
The Kingwin Stryker 500 W is an amazing little PSU. It is one of the few models that offers 80PLUS Platinum efficiency, which means well over 90%, even at low load. In addition to that the power supply is completely fanless, emitting no noise at all - great for a quiet office PC or media PC system.
FSP decided to enrich the successful Aurum series with three new models that feature more wattages and a semi modular cabling system. The latter will be of great interest to many, since nowadays more and more users seek a modular PSU in order to avoid the extra effort needed for cable management with non modular units.
Thermaltake recently decided to join the elite PSU category with high power units that feature equally high efficiency levels. One of the most recent additions in Thermaltake's arsenal is the ToughPower Grand 1200W, which currently is the company's most powerful PSU that meets the 80Plus Gold requirements.
The Enermax MaxRevo EMR1350EWT promises Gold efficiency, 1350W full power and up to 1620W peak power! We will test this PSU to its max to verify if the peak power claim holds and whether the new model can compete with Antec's and Corsair's high-end offerings.
ADATA's HM-650 PSU is built upon a proven platform by the OEM Channel Well Technology. It impressed us with good voltage regulation and great price/performance ratio. One unique aspect is the LED lit fan which changes color depending on the PSU load.
In today's review we will take a look at Antec's HCG-520 power supply, which addresses tight budget users with not so high power demands. The PSU is able to provide up to 40 A on its single 12 V rail which is plenty for up to two graphics cards.
Antec's High Current Pro HCP-1200 is famed as being one of the best high-end power supplies on the market. With 1200 W capacity it's a great choice for systems with three or four graphics cards. We took Antec's flagship for a spin with our upgraded, fully programmable, load tester. The $250 HCP-1200 powerhouse performed admirably, and we love it.
Most of you will probably know Scythe from its cooling products, but the company also has several power supplies in its arsenal. Today we will test the second strongest PSU from the Chouriki 2 Plug-In line, which has 850 W capacity and is 80 Plus Silver rated. All Chouriki 2 Plug-In PSUs use a semi-modular cabling design and are backed up by a five-year warranty.
At Computex 2011 Corsair revealed a new model for the Professional HX series, the HX1050 which will replace the successful HX1000. The OEM remained the same, Channel Well Technology, the capacity increased by 50 W and efficiency remained at 80 Plus Silver. It seems like this PSU has what it takes to be a cost-effective alternative to the Corsair AX1200.
Recently, Cooler Master released their new GX Gold Series. The two most significant improvements of the new models are the change of the OEM from Seventeam to Enhance and the upgraded efficiency from 80 Plus to 80 Plus Bronze. The test subject of today’s review will be the CM GX650W Bronze, which offers similar specs as the previous model but sports the popular 80Plus Bronze certification.
Be Quiet's Straight Power E8 400W is a non-modular power supply coming at a very aggressive price point. According to the manufacturer it boasts an impressive 89% efficiency, also the unit is very quiet - no surprise, given the company name.
Club 3D has recently entered the PSU market. Their new CSP-X1200CS is a high-end 1200 W model which addresses users with up to three graphics cards. Compared to the CSP-X1000CS the CSP-X1200CS, offers more power and better efficiency with its 80PLUS Silver certification.
