Introduction

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




Rosewill has many high-performance PSUs in their portfolio, and we had the chance to review some of them in the past. Their budget Platinum series is called Fortress and currently consists of four members with capacities ranging from 450 W to 750 W. In this review, we will evaluate the strongest Fortress unit, which isn't only affordable, but also features a single +12V rail and a non-modular cabling design, to provide you with a lower price. Rosewill even speaks of up to 94% efficiency and claims the same unit to offer very good performance under even tough conditions since it can deliver its full power continuously at up to 50°C. We already tested the Fortress-550, and it left a very good impression on us, so we expect its 750 W sibling to perform equally well.

The Fortress-750, like every modern unit, exploits DC-DC converters to generate the minor rails and supports the C6 and C7 low-power states Intel's Haswell CPUs introduced. Although it doesn't feature a semi-passive operation, it is silent enough while operating normally because of its silent fan, and another crucial feature of all Fortress units is the incredibly long warranty Rosewill provides with them. Seven years will leave you worry-free as it is also indicative of generally high reliability. The only compromise are the non-modular cables; however, since the Fortress-750 doesn't have as many cables, it won't be a very tough burden to bear in its particular case.

Specifications

Efficiency is Platinum, and the PSU can deliver its full power continuously at up to 50°C ambient, which is as the ATX spec recommends. In order to save money, all cables are affixed, which some users won't care about, although full or semi-modular PSUs are very popular nowadays since even a semi-modular PSU is often significantly easier to install, so most of us probably will fault this unit for its fully modular design. The Fortress-750 is Haswell ready because its VRMs (Voltage Regulation Modules) generate the minor rails, and OTP, although crucial, is, according the unit's official specifications, missing.

The cooling fan uses double ball-bearings, which will have it last longer than a plain sleeve-bearing fan. The unit is also pretty compact, and its price looks good if you take the hefty seven year warranty into account.

The single +12V rail can deliver the unit's full power alone, a typical situation in modern PSUs which utilize DC-DC converters to generate the minor rails. Speaking of the latter, their maximum combined power is low, although it will definitely suffice for your now-standard system. The 5VSB rail can delivers 2.5 A, which is considered the minimum for the rail.

Cables & Connectors, Power Distribution

The Fortress-750 comes with the for a unit of its category typical number of connectors. Some newer high-end PSUs feature six PCIe connectors, but we think that four are fine for 750 W unit. Regarding cable length, the main ATX connector should be closer to 60 cm long to avoid any problems with full-tower cases. All other cables are pretty long, and the distance among connectors is good, although some of you would probably prefer its SATA connectors to be closer to one another. The 24-pin ATX connector uses AWG16 and AWG18 wires, while the EPS and PCIe cables utilize AWG16 gauges up to their first connector and AWG18-sized connectors afterward. All other connectors use AWG18 gauges.

Since this PSU features a single +12V rail, we do not have anything to comment on when it comes time to talk about its power distribution.

Packaging

This PSU comes in a small box with a glossy finish. On its face is a photograph of the unit with the fan exposed, and near the bottom-left corner are two large badges for the unit's 80 Plus Platinum efficiency and seven year warranty.


There is a plastic handle on top of the box.


The PSU series is displayed on this side.


On the rear of the package are a features list, a table of all available connectors for the Fortress line of units, and each unit's power specifications table. The rear side's design is, as such, obviously the same for all members of the series.

Contents

The PSU is well protected and comes wrapped in plastic.


The bundle includes two sets of screws, of which one is a thumbscrews, several zip ties, a single Velcro strap, an AC power cord, and a user's manual.