The SuperNova 600W power supply from AXP (in Europe) and Xion (in the US) is designed to be a cost effective solution for people who do not use things like CrossFire and SLI in their system. Another important feature of this modular power supply is that it has a number of LEDs placed in vital spots to give that PSU a really pretty outward appearance.
Sirtec's new RockSolid 1000W PSU is engineered to deliver high quality stable power to your components. Its modular approach lets you start small and attach just the cables you need as your power requirements grow. For a price of only $200 you get a solid PSU that has up to six PCI-Express VGA connectors.
GIGABYTE's Odin GT line of power supplies is the world's first PSU series that allows software control and monitoring. From within the GIGABYTE P-Tuner software you can adjust voltage levels, fan speed and get detailed monitoring info about your PSU like power draw. In addition to that we found out that the unit also has a very high efficiency of over 84% and good voltage stability.
Akasa's new PowerMax Family of power supplies offers power for demanding gamers and enthusiasts. We test the 1000W version today which has a large number of connectors on extremely long cables in an ATX standard sized case. The unit boasts a high efficiency of over 82% which may even help you save some money on your electricity bill.
Zalman's new ZM850-HP PSU uses two heatpipes to transfer heat away from the hot components on the PCB to the rear of the unit. The hot air is then exhaust by a slow running 140 mm fan. This design allows Zalman to run their fan much slower than the competition. In the end this results in one of the quietest PSUs we have ever used, especially if you consider the 850W maximum load.
Corsair's brand new VX450W power supply comes with a maximum load of 450W. While this may not sound much it is absolutely sufficient to power most of today's systems. The PSU has a very high efficiency of over 83% which allows the fan to run slower because there is not so much excess heat to get rid of. In our fan noise testing this extremely silent unit leads by a large margin over all other PSUs tested so far.
PC Power and Cooling is without doubt one of the best power supply manufacturers out there. Recently they have been bought by OCZ and we are now seeing the first products which are geared for the masses. The Silencer 750W Quad CF comes with an ATI CrossFire certification and boasts four PCI-E power connectors. In our testing we saw excellent regulation qualities and very high efficiency of up to 82%.
The Silverstone Strider 850W is a power supply designed with gamers in mind. It comes with a modularity feature and allows up to eight PCI-Express video card connectors to be used. As fan a 135mm variant is employed, together with the high efficiency of 80%+ it allows the unit to be very quiet, considering the maximum power output of 850W.
The Thermaltake Toughpower 1200W is a massive power supply that can deliver power to any system you could build or dream of. With a total of 99 amps (!) on four 12V rails it easily exceeds any specifications and should be a good choice for a high-performance system with multiple video cards.
While Mushkin is traditionally a high performance memory manufacturer they also have several power supplies in their lineup. Today we take a look at the Mushkin HP-580AP which offers 580W of power output as the name suggests. For a sub $100 price you get sleeved cables, a modular design and Rail Fusion which keeps your system stable, even if you go beyond the rated maximum load.
OCZ's ProXStream is an extremely capable power supply that offers up to 1000 Watts of output. As you would expect it comes with four PCI-E power connectors and is CrossFire/SLI ready. In our testing we come to the conclusion that this PSU will be able to power any system you could think of while still maintaining stable output voltages at all times.
The be Quiet! Dark Power Pro 750W is a PSU of the next generation. It has four independant 12V rails which can supply 20 Amps each. You can connect up to four PCI-E video card connectors which makes this a great PSU for a GeForce 8800 GTX SLI rig. The power supply uses a modular concept which is a great way to keep the cable mess in your case at a minimum level. With over 30 connectors available this PSU will be able to power all peripherals you may have.
The OCZ EvoStream 600W is a powerful PSU that comes with modular connectors to help you reduce the cable mess in your case. On top of that you get four independent 12V rails that can supply all the power your video cards may ever need. In our testing on a Crossfire system the 12V line was exceptionally stable, making this unit a great choice for overclockers.
The Thermaltake Power Express 250W is a video card power supply specifically designed for the needs of current high-end video cards. When you have an older PSU you may not be able to run Crossfire or SLI because the PSU can not supply enough power for the video cards to run stable. When installed, the Power Express will supply 12V to your video card(s), taking a lot of strain off your main power supply.
The be Quiet Straightpower 700W is a high-quality power supply for power hungry gamers and overclockers. It sports features like two PCI-Express power connectors and an 8-pin CPU power connector. A temperature controlled fan helps keep the system noise level at a minimum. During testing we found out that this PSU's inside is identical to an OCZ PSU.
OCZ is well known for their great overclocking memory. But they also had a PSU product a long time ago. Now the power supply line of products gets a refresh with new products. The first of them is the OCZ GameXStream 700W which is designed with gamers in mind. It is SLI Ready and certified by ATI for use with Crossfire.
The chinese manufacturer Sansun isn't too well known yet, because they are a rather new company. If they continue delivering such solid products, I'm sure that this will change in no time.
For a price for which you often get only a plain and unsleeved power supply, Sansun is giving you dual 12V rails and a modularity feature which is usually found only on much more expensive PSUs. All cables are sleeved as well which helps keep your case look clean. Also the important qualities of a PSU like voltage stability and fan noise look good.
The Thermaltake ToughPower offers 550 watts to satisfy all your power needs. Two 6-pin PCI-Express connectors are available for SLI or Crossfire. On top of that you have four SATA and eight 5.25" connector. Two independent 12V rails can supply a total of 38A. During our testing we saw impressive voltage stability and very small ripple.
MGE targets the extreme gamer/modder niche and the build-your-own mainstream market of PC enthusiasts with this power supply. It features a unique blue anodized design with side windows in the PSU case. A PCI-Express video card connector is available, all cables are sleeved. During our testing we found that the PSU can supply stable clean voltage. Another plus is that the retail price of $60 is quite competitive.
Cooler Master has engineered a great PSU which has a PCI-Express Power connector and can supply 12V from three rails. Most PSUs have only one or two. For the visual aspect there is a Watt Viewer which goes into a drive bay and automatically displays the current power consumption of your computer - without the need of additional software.
Sirtec may not be one of the known big players of the PSU industry, but in fact they are a huge OEM producer of power supplies, for example for Thermaltake and Chieftec. We test Sirtec's 410W unit which offers a beautiful chrome finish and a low-noise fan at a very competitive price.
Thermaltake has put together a nice package consisting of a PSU with modular cables, a 5.25" drive bay real-time Watts Viewer and an additional 120mm case fan.
Today we have a very special PSU on the test bench - it is completely passive. Fortron trusts their design so much that they say a backup fan is not needed.
I was surprised to see the Fortron Sparkle ZEN power our demanding test platform without any load problems. While the electrical noises were definitely annoying, they are only noticable on higher power systems.
Silent and powerful? Is the included CPU HSF worth it?
The 5V and 3.3V lines are exceptionally stable. The 12V line tends to fluctuate a bit, but stayed above 12V at all times. All lines are well within the limits set by the ATX Specification.
