Introduction and Features

Thermaltake continues to evolve their Toughpower line with the XT Series, which adds LED status indicators and a fan delay feature. This new PSU delivers excellent voltage regulation and good efficiency but struggles with AC ripple under heavy loads.
Introduction
           
Thermaltake Toughpower XT Series 850W Power Supply Review - Cases and Cooling 39
(Courtesy of Thermaltake)
       
Thermaltake currently has seven power supplies in their new Toughpower XT Series, which range in output capacity from 650W to 850 watts and come with either fixed or modular cables  These new models all feature a large 140mm cooling fan, high efficiency, active PFC, quiet operation, and ATX12V/EPS12V compliance.  In addition, the XT Series power supplies incorporate three LED status indicators on the side and a small 3-position switch on the rear to control the cooling fan run delay time.  We will be taking a detailed look at the Thermaltake Toughpower XT Series 850W PSU with cable management (W0230RU) in this review.

Thermaltake Toughpower XT Series 850W Power Supply Review - Cases and Cooling 40
(Courtesy of Thermaltake)

Here is what Thermaltake has to say about their new XT Series power supplies:

Toughpower XT, the most advanced and no-compromise power supply!  Each power supply is individually tested to insure utmost compatibility with all of today’s most advanced gaming processors such as Intel Core i7 or AMD Phenom II series and power hungry graphic cards from AMD or NVIDIA.  Premium features such as FanDelayCool and S.P.T. Status Indicator give the users all round control and visibility into the power supply’s performance and reliability.  No matter what your critical application demands, Toughpower XT delivers an incredible breakthrough in gaming performance that is second-to-none.

Thermaltake Toughpower XT Series 850W PSU Key Features:

•    850 W DC output at 50°C
•    S.P.T. Indicator provides Standby, PG and Temperature status
•    FanDelayCool enables users to control fan run time after shutdown
•    High quality Japanese made capacitors provide superb performance and reliability
•    Single +12V rail provides the best compatibility for the latest components
•    S.F.C Quiet technology insures the 140mm fan operates at optimal speed
•    High efficiency (80 Plus Bronze certified)
•    Compliant with ATX12V 2.3 and EPS12V 2.92 standards
•    Supports dual 8-pin and dual 6-pin PCI-E connectors
•    Active Power Factor Correction (.99 PFC)
•    Thermaltake quality 5-year warranty for parts and service

PSU Testing Methodology

Establishing an accurate load is critical to testing and evaluating a PC power supply.  PCPerspective’s power supply test bench can place a precise 2,000 watt DC load on the PSU under test.  Each power supply is tested under controlled, real-world conditions up to its maximum rated load, using both 115 VAC and 240 VAC line voltage.  Our current suite of tests includes:

•    DC Load Regulation
•    DC Line Regulation
•    DC Cross-load (unbalanced load)
•    AC Ripple and Noise
•    Power Factor
•    Efficiency
•    Differential Temperature
•    Noise

Thermaltake Toughpower XT Series 850W Power Supply Review - Cases and Cooling 41

The Thermaltake Toughpower XT Series 850W power supply was evaluated on both features and performance.  A full range of equipment was used to test the power supply under controlled load conditions. 

•    (2) CSI3710A Programmable DC load (+3.3V and +5V outputs)
•    (4) CSI3711A Programmable DC load (+12V1, +12V2, +12V3, and +12V4)
•    Extech MultiMaster MM570 digital multimeter (Accuracy ±0.02%)
•    Extech 380803 Power Analyzer (Accuracy ±0.5% of full scale)
•    DS1M12 “StingRay” digital oscilloscope (20M S/s with 12 Bit ADC)
•    Powerstat Variable Autotransformer, 1.4 KVA, 0-140 VAC
•    Extech Model 407738 digital sound level meter (Accuracy ±1.5 dB)
•    Custom PC60 enclosure to simulate real-world operating conditions




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