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80 Plus Gold

A SilverStone PSU so small it uses an 80mm fan

Subject: Cases and Cooling | March 14, 2013 - 06:11 PM |
Tagged: PSU, Silverstone, SFX ST45SF-G 450W, SFF, 80 Plus Gold, modular psu, SFX PSU

If you are looking to power a small form factor system and need a fully modular PSU in order to get it into a tightly packed case as well as high efficiency the SilverStone SFX ST45SF-G 450W is a decent choice.  It is Fully modular and is an SFX PSU, which as you might remember from Lee's review means that it lacks a -5V rail, not a necessary feature in today's systems.  [H]ard|OCP granted an award to this PSU, not because it is the best 450W PSU available, which is not, but because it is the best fully modular SFX PSU they have seen and they realize sacrifices have to be made in a PSU which is barely able to fit an 80mm fan inside.  Check out the full review to see if you think this PSU is worth the price premium or if you might just consider a larger PSU for your HTPC.

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"Silverstone is one of our favorite computer power supply builders as the company has a tremendous track record when it comes to high quality and quiet power for our desktop systems. Today we look at something a bit different in terms of scale, a PSU pushing 450 watts of power in a package half the size with its sights on the SFF market."

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Source: [H]ard|OCP

OCZ Technology Adds New 750W and 850W Power Supply Models to Its PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk III Portfolio

Subject: Cases and Cooling | January 28, 2013 - 02:21 PM |
Tagged: psu. ocz, silencer mk III, 80 Plus Gold

When OCZ first purchased PC Power & Cooling there were concerns that the quality could suffer and when you invest in a 750W or higher rated PSU you probably expect that you will be using it through a few system hardware upgrades.  Since the new Silencer Mk III PSUs come with a 7 year warranty it would seem that OCZ has plenty of confidence in their products.  Not only will these PSUs perform quietly in most situations, the 80 PLUS Gold rating ensures the efficiency of the units as well.

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SAN JOSE, Ca. – January 28, 2013 - OCZ Technology Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:OCZ), a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) and power management solutions for computing devices and systems, today announced that it has added 750W and 850W power supply unit (PSU) models to the award-winning Silencer Mk III Power Supply Series from PC Power & Cooling. With these new high-wattage options, the Silencer Mk III provides a professional-grade power solution rated for industrial usage and provides the performance and stability required for demanding computing environments.

“Building on our highly reputable Silencer Mk III core architecture, we are very pleased to deliver new high-wattage options that provide the ultimate in efficiency and stability while delivering ultra-quiet operation and a modular cable design for which this portfolio is highly regarded,” said Bob Roark, Vice-President of Power Management for OCZ Technology. “With the addition of 750W and 850W models, the Silencer Mk III Power Supply Series once again defines the ultimate power management solution for today’s professional and enthusiast users.”

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The Silencer Mk III 750W and 850W are rock-solid power supply solutions that meet the stringent 80 Plus Gold certification for exceptional energy-efficiency ratings and support over 90 percent efficiency under typical workloads. Featuring its popular Dual Thermal Control System (a sophisticated operation that allows either PSU model to be switched seamlessly between normal and silent modes), the Silencer Mk III works in conjunction with the load and temperature controlled fan for ultra-quiet operation. Additionally, the entire Silencer Mk III Series combines a single +12V rail, premium components (including 100 percent Japanese 105°C capacitors), rigorous protection circuitries, continuous stable output at a demanding 50°C ambient temperature, and heavy-duty chrome finish metallic cable connectors to provide excellent conductivity and lower resistance when compared to other power supplies on the market.

Where industrial-grade durability meets a sleek modular design, the Silencer Mk III 750W and 850W models are available immediately and are backed with PC Power & Cooling’s complete confidence in reliability and supported by an industry-leading 7 year warranty.

Source: OCZ Technologies

Seasonic's new G-series PSU is rated gold in more ways than one

Subject: Cases and Cooling | January 14, 2013 - 03:26 PM |
Tagged: PSU, 80 Plus Gold, Seasonic G-Series, G-550

Seasonic's G-550W provides a bit more than just 550W and a 45A 12V line, modular cabling and an 80 PLUS Gold rating are also included in the $85 price tag.  Those features do not in themselves guarantee that this PSU is worth picking up which is why [H]ard|OCP strapped it into their torture chamber to test the quality of power you can expect from the PSU.  The news is good for Seasonic's G Series, once the power was shut off and the testing completed this PSU walked away with an Editor's Choice Gold Award as [H] felt that not only does this PSU deliver everything they expected it to, in some cases it was "fighting above its weight".

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"The Seasonic G Series PSU is here for review in its 550 watt capacity and it looks to be a return to basics for the company with this being basically a "no-frills" unit that has been released without much fanfare. But the basics for Seasonic usually outline what you truly need in a PSU; reliable clean power with a low sound profile."

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Source: [H]ard|OCP

EVGA Launches NEX1500 Classified PSU, Overclocks to 1650W

Subject: General Tech | August 23, 2012 - 10:31 AM |
Tagged: PSU, power supply, evga, 80 Plus Gold, 1650W

EVGA, a company most well-known for its line of graphics cards and enthusiast motherboards, has rounded out its computer offerings by announcing a power supply product. The NEX1500 Classified power supply (PSU) is a first for the company, and is released under the company’s high-end “Classified” series.

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The NEX1500 Classified is a fully modular power supply that is able to run off of 110 or 230 VAC. When run on 110 volt, the PSU is rated to provide up to 1500 watts. Even better, EVGA claims an efficiency rating of 80 PLUS Gold. Interestingly, the PSU is “overclockable,” in the sense that it can deliver up to 1650 watts when hooked up to a 230 volt circuit. The overclocking is done in a piece of SuperNOVA software. The software allows the following monitoring and adjustment functions:

  • Monitor voltage
  • Monitor current draw for each rail
  • Monitor power used
  • Monitor efficiency
  • Change fan profile
  • Adjust the +12V rail (and configure single or multi rail mode) 

Other features of the EVGA power supply includes Japanese capacitors throughout and a fully modular design–even the 24-pin ATX cable is modular which is nice to see.

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The cables are all sleeved in the black and red EVGA color scheme. It comes with the following cables:

  • 1 x 24-pin ATX
  • 2 x 8-pin EPS12V (the CPU power socket on the motherboard)
  • 16 x 6+2-pin PCI-E
  • 3 x 6-pin PCI-E
  • 12 x SATA
  • 8 x Molex
  • 2 x Floppy
  • 1 x USB (that’s one I’ve not seen before on a PSU!)

The EVGA NEX1500 is packed with lots of features that enthusiasts like to see, but it will cost you. It has an MSRP of $449.99 USD and will be available later this month (August 2012). Fortunately, EVGA seems confident that this will be the only PSU you will need for a while as it comes with a 10 year warranty. You can find more information and photos on the EVGA product page.

The EVGA SuperNOVA software for monitoring the PSU

It is interesting that the company’s debut product is one on the very high end of the market. It could be a good thing, however. If reviewers find it to be a quality product, it will be the ideal platform for the company to work from to create lower cost (and lower wattage) models for the rest of the computer market. 

Source: EVGA

Seriously short on power? LEPA has a 1600W solution for you

Subject: Cases and Cooling | June 18, 2012 - 08:00 PM |
Tagged: kilowatt, lepa, G Series 1600W, 80 Plus Gold

If you have quad SLI/Crossfire, dual CPUs and dozens of hard drives you might find yourself in a position where a 1600W PSU is something you actually need.  That is where the LEPA 1600W PSU come in, with 10 eight pin PCIe connectors and 14 SATA connectors as well as numerous molex connectors for your fans.  [H]ard|OCP's testing showed that this PSU did deserve it's 80 PLUS Gold rating and more importantly it provided solid power.  It sports a decent price, in fact it is almost the same price as several PSUs which are rated at 250W lower.  There was something about the unit which kept it from earning a Gold Award but you will have to read the full review to see why [H] decided on Silver for this PSU.

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"LEPA is an Ecomaster company and Ecomaster distributes Enermax products and has Enermax design the LEPA PSU line. So what are our expectations from the current ultimate desktop PSU packing a whopping 1600 watts? Should it be better than a four year old 1600 watt power supplies on the market?"

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Source: [H]ard|OCP

Can CoolerMaster actually provide 1300W of Silent power

Subject: Cases and Cooling | April 3, 2012 - 06:50 PM |
Tagged: Silent Pro Hybrid 1300, modular psu, kilowatt, coolermaster, 80 Plus Gold

It seems hard to imagine that a PSU that provides more than a kilowatt of power can be considered quiet but Cooler Master goes even further with their Silent Pro Hybrid 1300 Watt PSU.  Rated for 80 Plus Gold and able to provide 1260W @ 105A on its single 12V rail this beast of a PSU and its eight 6+2 pin PCIe power connectors should be able to power any graphics system you might want to dream of setting up.  Part of the Silent comes from a unique fanless mode, when load is under 200 watts and the temperature below 25C the fan powers off.  The other modes are manual and auto, which anyone with a recent video card will be familiar with.  From the 5 year warranty to the solid power that this PSU provides, Hi Tech Legion found a lot of things to like about this premium PSU.
 

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"With the Silent Pro Hybrid 1300 Watt PSU, Cooler Master has actually added usability features to a category typically limited to simply watts and amps. The Cooler Master Silent Pro Hybrid 1300 Watt PSU goes beyond being an 80+ Gold, 105A single 12V rail behemoth, and incorporates a 7V chassis fan rail along with a 5.25” Dual Fan Control Module. After all, if you have need for 1300 watts of power, odds are good you are going to have more than a fan or two running in your case, and what better place to power and control them from than directly from the PSU? In addition to a single-channel, continuously variable controller for up to three chassis fans, the fan control module offers PSU fan control in addition to “PSU Fanless Mode”."

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Source: Hi Tech Legion

(80+) Gold Plated PSU roundup

Subject: Cases and Cooling | March 26, 2012 - 05:22 PM |
Tagged: 80 Plus Gold, PSU, modular psu, coolermaster, Silent Pro Gold 600W, Cougar, GX G900, Cougar GX G1050, OCZ ZX 1000W, Seasonic SS-850KM

X-bit Labs assembled a wide variety of PSUs which all share one characteristic for a round up.  From the lowest powered 600W to the over the top 1050W model, these PSUs all have an 80 Plus Gold rating.  You have probably seen the Seasonic, OCZ and CoolerMaster PSUs around before but the Cougar models are a little less common.  All but the Seasonic model generated positive reviews, the problem with the Seasonic model being its price; it costs more than the others but does not offer extras to justify that heightened price point.  The 600W PSUs are definitely recommended as many mid-range PSUs do not sport the 80 Plus Gold rating.  Read on to see how stable the power they provide is.

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"Today we are going to talk about five power supply units from Cooler Master, Cougar, OCZ and Seasonic certified according to 80 PLUS Gold standard. Their wattage ranges from 600 to 1050 W, which provides a choice to everyone who is looking for a quality PSU."

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Source: X-Bit Labs

Enermax doesn't feel the need to brag about the efficiency of the new Revolution87

Subject: Cases and Cooling | March 1, 2012 - 02:54 PM |
Tagged: PSU, modular psu, enermax, Revolution 87, 80 Plus Gold

The Enermax Revolution87+ 1000W PSU can distribute almost its entire peak capability across its four 12V rails at a maximum of 83A.  After their testing [H]ard|OCP proclaimed that this is another step forward in PSU design for Enermax, retaining solid construction and power generation needed by users as well as increasing efficiency and lowering noise.  Perhaps the most laudable thing Enermax did with this unit was to market it as 80+ Gold even though it actually meets Platinum standards.  That is the opposite of most PSU marketers whose PSUs tend to barely meet the claimed efficiency or to not meet it at all when tested by reviewers.

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"Enermax is and has been a favorite brand with HardOCP for many years now. Today it is showing off its new Revolution 87+ series suggesting 87% efficiency or better at all times. Coming in at a full kilowatt of supplied power, designed with ZERO LOAD sleep states in mind, and 24-7 at 50C performance, this should be one tough PSU."

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Source: [H]ard|OCP

NZXT reveals a full Hale hand of PSUs

Subject: Cases and Cooling | February 7, 2012 - 05:09 PM |
Tagged: PSU, nzxt, modular psu, HALE90-750-M, HALE90-1000-M, HALE82-850-M, HALE82-750-M, HALE82-650-M, 80 Plus Gold, 80 Plus Bronze

X-bit Labs collected five PSUs from NZXT's HALE82 line including the HALE82-650-M, HALE82-750-M, HALE82-850-M, NZXT HALE90-750-M and HALE90-1000-M.  All of the PSUs are rated at least 80+ Bronze with the HALE90 models reaching 80+ Gold ratings.  This is a definite boon for those who plan on running the 1000W model.  All are 12V PSUs, with an internal converter to provide 3.3V and 5V, which means that these PSUs can provide in the neighbourhood of 99% of its maximum amperage to the 12V line to keep those GPUs fully fed.  Head on over and read through the whole review or else choose the PSU with the wattage appropriate for you to examine.

You can also catch Lee's thoughts on the 850W version in his latest review.

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"Today we are going to talk about five power supply units from NZXT ranging in capacity from 650 W to 1000 W and certified according to 80 PLUS Bronze and Gold standards."

Here are some more Cases & Cooling reviews from around the web:

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Source: X-Bit Labs

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