Antec fully supports Haswell

Subject: General Tech, Cases and Cooling | May 31, 2013 - 05:27 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: antec, haswell, PSU

Antec released two lists today covering the compatibility of both their PSUs and their notebook chargers.  If you are worried that your current hardware will not support the new low power states implemented in Haswell check through the list and if your product is listed you are good to go.  If not you can treat these as shopping lists for your next PSU or notebook adapter.

PSUs

Notebook Adapters

German PSU Manufacturer Be Quiet! Lists Its Haswell-Ready Power Supplies

Subject: Cases and Cooling | May 21, 2013 - 10:50 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: sleep state, PSU, Power Supplies, haswell, c7, c6, be quiet

Be quiet!, a power supply manufacturer based in Germany, has announced that almost all of its recent power supply lineups are fully compatible with Intel's upcoming Haswell processors. The PC Perspective team has talked in-depth about the new C6 and C7 sleep states used by Haswell CPUs. However, for the uninitiated, the new Intel processors have two new low power sleep states. The lowest state, C7, draws as little as 0.05A from the 12V PSU rail. That is a good thing, but not all power supplies will be compatible with the new sleep states as such low load on the 12V rail was not a concern when the PSUs were designed and manufactured. Notably, even incompatible power supplies will still work in Haswell systems, but those computers will not be able to enter the lower-power C6 and/or C7 sleep states.

There is good news for users of Be Quiet! Power supplies, however. The following power supplies are fully compatible with Haswell and the new sleep states:

• Dark Power Pro 10 Series (all models)
• Straight Power E9 Series (all models)
• Pure Power L8 Series (all models)
• System Power 7 Series (all models)
• Pure Power L7 Series (the 630W and 730W models only)

Older Be Quiet! power supplies will still work in Haswell systems, but use of the lowest power C7 state is not recommended. Fortunately, most desktop users can live without the new low power states (which, while nice to have, the new sleep states are more beneficial to laptop users).

As the launch of Haswell approaches, more and more PSU manufacturers are releasing compatibility information. So far, the following companies have put together compatibility lists.

• Corsair
• Enermax
• Seasonic

Seasonic Releases Information On Its Haswell-Ready Power Supplies

Subject: General Tech, Cases and Cooling | May 11, 2013 - 09:17 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: seasonic, haswell, Power Supplies, PSU, 0.05A

Following the announcements from other power supply manufacturers, Seasonic has now released a list of its own power supplies that are compatible with Intel's upcoming Haswell processor. The new Haswell CPUs, set to launch June 3rd, incorporate new C6 and C7 sleep states that draw as little as 0.05A from the 12V PSU rail. Because of the low load, some existing power supplies will have issues with the new sleep states and could result in system instability. In light of that, many manufacturers are validating their existing lineups to determine which ones are compatible.

As of the time of publication, the following power supplies from Seasonic are compatible with Haswell and the new sleep states.

Platinum Series

• 1200W
• 1000W
• 860W
• 760W

Platinum Fanless Series

• 520W
• 460W
• 400W

X-Series

• 1250W
• 1050W
• 850W
• 750W
• 650W

G-Series

• 650W
• 550W
• 450W
• 360W

M12 II Evo Edition Series

• 850W
• 750W

Stay tuned to PC Perspective for more information on PSU and Haswell compatibility.

• Haswell-compatible PSU list(s):
  • Corsair PSUs
  • Enermax PSUs

Corsair has, well, Haswell PSU support chart

Subject: Editorial, General Tech, Cases and Cooling, Processors | May 10, 2013 - 04:23 PM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: c6, c7, haswell, PSU, corsair

I cannot do it captain! I don't have the not enough power!

We have been discussing the ultra-low power state of Haswell processors for a little over a week and how it could be detrimental to certain power supplies. Power supply manufacturers never quite expected that you could have as little as a 0.05 Amp (0.6W) draw on the 12V rail without being off. Since then, companies such as Enermax started to list power supplies which have been tested and are compliant with the new power requirements.

Above is Corsair's slightly incomplete chart as of the time it was copied from their website, 3:30pm on May 10th, 2013; so far it is coming up all good. Their blog should be updated as new products get validated for the new C6 and C7 CPU sleep states.

The best part of this story is just how odd it is given the race to arc-welding (it's not a podcast so you can't Bingo! hahaha!) supplies we have been experiencing over the last several years. Simply put, some companies never thought that component manufacturers such as Intel would race to the bottom of power draws.

Enermax Power Supplies Are Ready For New Haswell CPU Sleep States

Subject: General Tech | May 3, 2013 - 08:59 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: zero load, PSU, Intel, haswell, enermax, cpu, c6, c5

Earlier this week, it was revealed that Intel’s upcoming Haswell processors would feature new C6 and C7 sleep states that draw as little as 0.05A on the 12V rail. Such low power draw on the 12V rail may cause problems for existing power supplies, which are not accustomed to facilitating such low power draw (especially on the 12V line). In an attempt to clear up a bit of the confusion for its customers, Enermax has put together a list of its mid-range and high-end power supplies that meet the standards required to support the new low-power processor states.

According to the press release (seen below), the Enermax power supplies use so-called Zero Load technology that uses a DC to DC converter to support low wattage power draw. This technology has been in Enermax power supplies since the Revolution85+ series which was launched in 2008. The company claims that the power supplies deliver “rock solid voltages” down to 0W load, which is within the Intel specification of 0.05A for the CPU alone.

The list of compatible Enermax power supplies is as follows:

• Enermax Platimax Series
  • Platimax 500W (EPM500AWT)
  • Platimax 600W (EPM600AWT)
  • Platimax 750W (EPM750AWT)
  • Platimax 850W (EPM850EWT)
  • Platimax 1000W (EPM1000EWT)
  • Platimax 1200W (EPM1200EWT)
  • Platimax 1500W (EPM1500EGT)
• Enermax Revolution87+ Series
  • Revolution87+ 550W (ERV550AWT-G)
  • Revolution87+ 650W (ERV650AWT-G)
  • Revolution87+ 750W (ERV750AWT-G)
  • Revolution87+ 850W (ERV850EWT-G)
  • Revolution87+ 1000W (ERV1000EWT-G)
• Enermax MaxRevo Series
  • MaxRevo 1200W (EMR1200EWT)
  • MaxRevo 1350W (EMR1350EWT)
  • MaxRevo 1500W (EMR1500EGT)
• Enermax Triathlor Series
  • Triathlor 385W (ETA385AWT)
  • Triathlor 450W (ETA450AWT)
  • Triathlor 550W (ETA550AWT)
• Enermax Revolution85+ Series
  • Revolution85+ 850W (ERV850EWT)
  • Revolution85+ 920W (ERV920EWT)
  • Revolution85+ 950W (ERV950EWT)
  • Revolution85+ 1020W (ERV1020EWT)
  • Revolution85+ 1050W (ERV1050EWT)
  • Revolution85+ 1250W (ERV1250EGT)
• Enermax Modu87+ Series
  • Modu87+ 500W (EMG500AWT)
  • Modu87+ 600W (EMG600AWT)
  • Modu87+ 700W (EMG700AWT)
  • Modu87+ 800W (EMG800EWT)
  • Modu87+ 900W (EMG900EWT)
• Enermax Pro87+ Series
  • Pro87+ 500W (EPG500AWT)
  • Pro87+ 600W (EPG600AWT)

The list includes power supplies from a number of series over the past few years that range from 500W to 1250W. I'm sure between now and the launch of Haswell in the first week of June that other PSU manufacturers will be announcing which models are compatible and which are not. Stay tuned to PC Perspective as more information becomes available!

Triathlor? Seriously Enermax?

Subject: Cases and Cooling | April 25, 2013 - 06:06 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: PSU, modular psu, enermax, TriAthlor, 650W

Platimax, Triathlor and NAXN; perhaps Enermax is not gifted at picking names for their PSUs but for the most part they are known for creating solid PSUs which do the job they are intended to.  Setting aside the name, this 650W mostly modular PSU has four 12V rails that combine to a peak of 54A, 648W which is certainly enough to power a modest multi-GPU system.  [H]ard|OCP put it through their own special brand of torture and were pleased with the results, a pass on all of their testing albeit results which trail the competitions offerings.  That keeps this PSU in the running as far as performance but at a current cost of $120 and perhaps higher in the future, it is hard to recommend this PSU over ones that do not cost as much and provide power of a quality at least equal to if not better than the Triathlor.

"Today we bring you an "athletic" power supply from Enermax that weighs in at 650 watts. The new Triathlor series sports plenty of features that enthusiasts will like including Silent Cooling, Flexible Cable Management, is marketed as being Rock Stable at All Loads. Enermax ads that, "The Triathlor FC is not a blinky poser."

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

CASES & COOLING

• Corsair CX Series Modular CX600M 600 W @ techPowerUp
• Enermax Platimax 1350w Modular Power Supply @ FunkyKit
• Rosewill SilentNight 500-Watt 80 PLUS Platinum @ Tweaktown
• PC Power and Cooling Silencer MK III 750W Power Supply Review @Hi Tech Legion
• Rosewill Fortress 750-Watt 80 PLUS Platinum @ Tweaktown
• Enermax Triathlor FC 650-Watt 80 PLUS Bronze @ Tweaktown
• Corsair AX1200 Fully-Modular 1200W Power Supply Review @ ModSynergy
• Corsair AX and AXi Series Power Supplies Review: Small Letter Big Difference @ X-bit Labs
• Cooler Master V Series 1000 W @ techPowerUp
• Antec Mobile Products A.M.P. Mobile Power Roundup @ eTeknix

The upper echelon of the Seasonic X-Series, 850W of solid power

Subject: Cases and Cooling | April 15, 2013 - 06:54 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: seasonic, Seasonic X-Series, 850W, PSU, modular psu

One drawback to impressing [H]ard|OCP with the quality of one of your PSUs is that the bar is now set that much higher for the next model they review.  Seasonic is one such company that has a great reputation that they have to live up to with their new X-850 PSU.  The half dozen PCIe 6+2 power plugs are a good start, as is being able to provide up to 99% of total power to the four 12V rails and the fully modular cabling is always appreciated.  The real question is how it fared on the test bench, so go find out if it just makes it or if it passes the torture test with flying colours.

Seasonic is a long time favorite of HardOCP editors as you will find a Seasonic PSU in many builds we have done over the years. Today Seasonic pushes its X-Series forward just a bit more building its first gold efficiency rated fully modular enthusiast power supply. But will it blend?"

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

CASES & COOLING

• Silverstone Strider Essential ST50F-ES 500 W @ techPowerUp
• Corsair CX430M Modular Power Supply Review - What $25 Can Buy @ Legit Reviews
• Corsair Builder Series Modular CX600M @ Kitguru
• Fractal Design Newton R3 1000 Watt 80-PLUS Platinum Power Supply Review @ Hi Tech Legion
• In Win Commander III 700W Power Supply Review @ Hi Tech Legion
• Enermax NAXN ADV 650-Watt 80 PLUS Bronze Power Supply @ Tweaktown
• Compact Power: Review of Five Low-Profile PSUs from Seasonic and Enhance @ X-bit Labs
• Fractal Design Integra R2 650W Power Supply Review @ Hi Tech Legion
• CyberPower PR1500ELCDRTXL2U Professional Rackmount Series UPS Review @ NikKTech

XFX claims there is something different about their ProSeries 650W

Subject: Cases and Cooling | March 27, 2013 - 03:17 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: xfx, PSU, ProSeries 650W

The XFX ProSeries 650W PSU is mostly modular, with only the ATX connector attached, has a 135mm cooling fan and can send 98% of its total wattage to the single 53A 12V rail.  With four 6+2 PCIe power connectors you will be able to handle multiple GPUs and the 8 SATA connectors should allow you as many storage devices as you need.  Unfortunately [H]ard|OCP discovered something about the 5 year warranty which greatly displeased them; unless you register your PSU within 30 days of purchase, you only receive a 2 year warranty.  If you are strictly concerned about the quality of the power this PSU delivers and are ambivalent towards the warranty, this PSU passed [H]'s torture tests handily which is something not every PSU can claim.

"XFX has long and actually very solid history of producing high quality enthusiast power supplies. We have consistently found XFX PSUs worthy of [H] Editor's Choice Awards. Today the XFX ProSeries 650W promises "One Rail, One Setup" in a PSU that is different. Let's see if that is good or bad."

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

CASES & COOLING

• Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 1000W PSU Review @ Hi Tech Legion
• NZXT Hale 90 V2 1000 Watt Power Supply @ Modders-Inc
• Zalman ZM500-GS / ZM500-GT PSU @ Hardware.info
• Cougar PowerX 550 W @ techPowerUp
• Cougar PowerX 550W Power Supply Unit Review @ NikKTech
• Fractal Design Newton R3 800 W Power Supply Review @ Hardware Secrets
• SilverStone Strider Plus 600 W (ST60F-PS) Power Supply Review @ Hardware Secrets
• Enermax Triathlor FC 550 W @ techPowerUp
• Thermaltake Toughpower Grand Platinum 700-Watt 80 PLUS Platinum @ Tweaktown
• AZZA Platinum 1000-Watt 80 PLUS Platinum @ Tweaktown
• Silverstone Zeus 1350-Watt 80 PLUS @ Tweaktown
• NZXT HALE90 V2 850 W Power Supply Review @ Hardware Secrets
• Antec High Current Pro Platinum 1000W Power Supply Unit Review @ NikKTech
• Thermaltake Dr.Power II ATX Power Supply Tester @ Modders-Inc
• Cooler Master 120W NA 120 Universal AC Adapter Review @ Hi Tech Legion
• eXtreme Power Supply Calculator Update