by Grace on 13/11/2009
Today we bring you the review of the least powerful product of the series, the X4 500W unit. It is a product designed to offer the high quality and aesthetics of the X4 series to enthusiasts looking something a bit above the ordinary for their mainstream home and office computers.
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by Grace on 06/11/2009
Today we are going to have a look at a product from Nesteq a German computer products designer, the ASM Xzero 500W power supply. What makes the Xzero unique is that although it has a cooling fan it only uses it when the internal temperature rises above a certain temperature, making it what we would call a semi-passive running unit. It also ships with a variety of distinct features which we will analyse thoroughly in our review today.
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by Grace on 02/11/2009
Today we bring you the review of the latest and highly anticipated Corsair PSU; the TX950W. We reviewed many units of this series in the past, such as the TX850W and the TX650W, and they always were able to deliver an awesome price to performance ratio to potential customers. The company claims that the TX950W can deliver best-in-class performance at a very reasonable price.
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by Grace on 22/10/2009
Today we are going to have a look at one of Spires premium power supply units, the Blackmoon XP 600W. The Blackmoon XP (or eXtreme Precision) series is aimed towards enthusiasts and power users, therefore we expect to see the 600W model which we are going to review today delivering more than just middling performance.
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by Grace on 19/10/2009
Recently Ultra released an entirely new series of power supply units, the X4. As the name suggests, the X4 series is the successor to the very successful X3 series. It is the 1200W version of the new X4 series unit which we are going to thoroughly test and review today, seeing how much of an improvement it is over an X3 series unit and how competitive it can be in todays very demanding technology market.
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by Grace on 18/10/2009
Enermax are one of the world's most reputable PSU manufacturers and their products are considered to be some of the best that money can buy, so much so in fact that the new, highly rated Sapphire range use designs based on Enermax products.
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by Grace on 04/10/2009
Today we will be reviewing a power supply from a new comer to the particular market segment, Azza. Even though most European and Asian enthusiasts might have not heard of Azza before, the company was founded back in 1999 and is well known to the North American market.
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by Grace on 28/09/2009
A few weeks ago Sapphire made another move into the PSU market. This time their move was much bolder, as the company released an entire new series consisting of four new products. Their new Pure series of units are designed to catch the attention of all kinds of technology enthusiasts.
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by Grace on 22/09/2009
At the time of this review the Everest series consists of no less than 11 products, with their power output ranging from a modest 400W all the way up to 1010W. FSP is also the only company who has two products of the same series sharing the exact same power output and base design, but of different electrical efficiency.
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by Grace on 15/09/2009
Unlike most units around its power range, Thermaltake didnt design the Evo Blue with maximum electrical performance in mind. This product is designed to catch the eye of modders and thus they intended it to be as aesthetically pleasing as possible. That said, no enthusiast would buy a power supply unable to offer good electrical performance, no matter how good it looks ā€“ so today we find out if it manages to do both.
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by Grace on 09/09/2009
XFX's first PSU, the Black Edition 850W boasts features and specifications that could easily make it one of the best possible choices around its power range. Today we will find out if XFX successfully enter a traditionally tricky market sector with a competitive and capable power supply for the discerning enthusiast user. Success or flop? you can be assured we will get the answers today ...
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by Grace on 01/09/2009
FSP have released a great number of new consumer power supplies during recent months. We already reviewed some of their new products from their mainstream Epsilon series and the passively cooled Zen series a while ago. Today we are going to have a look at a product from their premium series, the Everest 800W 80Plus unit.
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by Grace on 27/07/2009
Today we will have a look at a unit from their ultimate performance range, the UCP 900W. The UCP (Ultimate Circuit Protection) series is designed to offer the best possible electrical performance and reliability to the most demanding of users. Today we will find out just how good the unit is.
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by Grace on 20/07/2009
Today we will take a look at the (currently) least powerful Enermax product, the Eco 80+ 350W. The units of the Eco 80+ series are designed to offer great overall quality and performance for regular home and office users.
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by Grace on 08/07/2009
Today we are going to have a look at one of Tagan's new products, the PipeRock II 680W. Designed to be a high performance modular unit, the PipeRock II boasts some very interesting specifications on paper and currently carries a very tempting price tag.
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by Grace on 18/06/2009
Today we will review the larger and more promising of the two newly released models - the HX850W, a product loaded with features and boasting some very strict specifications.
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by Grace on 05/06/2009
The reputation of PC Power & Cooling as a PSU manufacturer is legendary, ever since the company has been founded they have consistently delivered products with the highest electrical performance.
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by Grace on 01/06/2009
Being an aggressive company BFG have now released a very high performance 1.2kW+ unit aimed at the most hardcore of enthusiasts. Today we will thoroughly test it and see what kind of performance it can deliver to this demanding segment of the market.
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by Grace on 15/05/2009
It has been more than a year since Thermaltake diversified into the power supply market. We reviewed a few of their mainstream supplies back then and found them to be competitive and appealing products. Today we will have a look at a PSU from their latest high performance series, the Toughpower XT 850W.
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by Grace on 30/04/2009
Today we will review one of their higher end products, the M12D 750W PSU. The M12D 750W boasts some very impressive specifications, but at the same time its retail price requires it to compete against the best products of its class. We will soon find out if it can take on some of the finest PSUs released in the retail market to this date.
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by Grace on 28/04/2009
Most American computer enthusiasts are familiar with Rosewill who are a sister company to one of the largest online retailers, Newegg. Rosewill's primary goal is to offer (through Newegg) a very wide variety of products, ranging from card readers to computer cases, all at very competitive prices.
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by Grace on 24/04/2009
Today at DriverHeaven we have one of Enermax's latest mainstream products, the Liberty Eco 500W unit. The Liberty Eco is a modular PSU, designed to offer good overall performance and superior reliability at a competitive price.
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by Grace on 06/04/2009
Just a few weeks ago (and several years after the first TruePower units were released) Antec introduced the new TruePower series. The new TruePower units are based on an entirely different design and boast superior performance and a lot of new features.
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by Grace on 30/03/2009
Today we review one of Sapphire's new products and their first PSU, the FirePSU 625W unit. The company claims that the PSU is optimized for workstations and it boasts some very good features and specifications, but is it good enough to compete against the many renowned companies in today's PSUs market?
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by Grace on 18/03/2009
Today we will review the 600W version of the Silent Pro M series, a slightly improved product over the 500W version of the same series which we reviewed several months ago. The Silent Pro M 500W rated very well back then, so we have high hopes for the 600W version.
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by Grace on 16/03/2009
Hiper have three different series of PSUs, the Type-R MKII series consisting of modular high performance units, the Type-M series consisting of non-modular high performance units and the Type-S series consisting of simpler, mainstream units. We reviewed most of the Type-R and Type-M ranges in the past couple of years, but today we are going to take our very first look at their new S series with the S625 unit.
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by Grace on 14/03/2009
Even though many enthusiasts have heard of Sunbeamtech before, less so are familiar with Tuniq. Tuniq is a subsidiary company to Sunbeamtech, dedicated to designing and producing high performance and stylish products for a more demanding audience. Today we are going to have a look at their product range with a review of the Potency 650W PSU. The Potency is a mid range product with very interesting specifications and Tuniq promises excellent overall performance.
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by Grace on 07/03/2009
We reviewed no less than three high output power supply products from Xigmatek in the past few months all of which were premium products and received glowing reports. Today we will test the performance of a mid-range product from Xigmatek, the NRP-MC651 650W. The NRP-MC651 is sourced from the same range as the MC851 850W which we reviewed not long ago.
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by Grace on 27/02/2009
Even though Xigmatek are a new player in the market, their innovative cooling solutions and high quality power supply units have quickly earned the company a good reputation. We reviewed several of their products in the past and they all were high quality items.
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by Grace on 29/01/2009
Today we will take a look the new flagship PSU, the Revolution 85+ 1250W. Enermax never fail to impress when releasing new products and once again their new Revolution85+ range boasts better performance figures than we've ever seen to date. We will find out today if new records are going to be set.
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by Grace on 27/01/2009
Throughout 2008 Corsair released a great range of power supplies which quickly earned them a strong reputation as a quality provider in the market. Today we will take a look at Corsair's tenth power supply product, the TX850 850W PSU. The TX850 is a newer, upgraded version of the very popular TX750 which we reviewed a few months ago.
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by Grace on 26/01/2009
Akasa have released a very large number of PSUs during the past few months, taking a piece of the pie from every market category. We have also received a large number of their PSUs to review, ranging from low-priced products aiming for the best possible value to efficient and silent mid-range PSUs to expensive enthusiast-oriented units featuring a monstrous output.
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by Grace on 15/01/2009
Today we will have a look at their latest PowerBird 1100W PSU, a high performance modular unit. The PowerBird 1100W is designed to compete in the most demanding category of the computer industry market and appeal to the most hardcore of enthusiasts. The big question remains however, is it able to compete with other high end offerings such as the Corsair HX1000W?
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by Grace on 13/01/2009
FSP (also known as Fortron-Source) are one of the most experienced computer PSU manufacturers on the planet. Even though they usually keep a low profile and aren't particularly aggressive in the retail market, FSP recently released a very wide range of self-branded retail products. Today we will have a look at one of the most interesting products they released, the Zen 400W Passive PSU.
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by Grace on 12/01/2009
Arctic Cooling owes their good reputation almost entirely to high performance cooling products, but they are making concentrated efforts to diversify their product range. Today we will have a look at a new product from them, the Fusion 550R PSU. Carrying an interesting name and boasting high performance and many features, it is the one and only PSU Arctic Cooling released. Is it worth being on a shortlist in such a competitive section of the market?
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by Grace on 23/12/2008
During the past few months FSP have released many new retail products and replaced many of their existing series with newer, upgraded versions. Today we are going to have a look at the Epsilon 600W PSU, a quality mainstream product. The Epsilon series was released well over a year ago, but according to their specifications they still can easily compete in today's market. The 600W unit is based on a recent design and it is an 80 Plus approved PSU.
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by Grace on 22/12/2008
In Win were established back in 1986 and they never tried to diversify beyond designing and building computer cases. Merely a few months ago the company released a long line of high performance PSUs, the Commander series. Today we take a look at the high end 1200w model.
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by Grace on 16/12/2008
While Lian Li focus heavily with chassis they have slowly began to design and manufacture other products as well in the last couple of years. These products have been mostly accessories and usually were better suited for their own cases.
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by Grace on 08/12/2008
Today we will have a look at another PSU from Akasa, the Power 80+ 500W. As the name suggests, the Power 80+ is a series of PSUs designed to deliver high efficiency and well balanced overall performance to mainstream users.
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by Grace on 03/12/2008
Hiper have just released a very promising product, the M1000. Hiper claims that the M1000 is a very high performance 1kW unit regardless of the relatively low price of the product. Let us see how well the latest and most powerful Hiper PSU will perform.
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by Grace on 17/11/2008
Today we will have a look at the CP-700M PSU, a product from a smaller Danish company called Chill Innovation. They are not a new company as they were founded back in 1996, but they aren't very well known worldwide as until recently they have focused primarily on the Scandinavian market.
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by Grace on 10/11/2008
Recently Antec have released a new PSU series dubbed Signature which don't come cheap, however Antec claims that they are implementing cutting-edge technology and quality currently available for consumer PSUs. We will examine if these claims are true in this review as we will be pushing the Signature 850W unit to its limits.
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by Grace on 28/10/2008
Today we will have a look at the TX750, a high output PSU designed to offer great electrical performance at the best possible price to performance ratio. Corsair released the TX750 several months ago but it still is considered to be one of the best choices anywhere close to its retail price. We will stress it to its limits in this review.
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by Grace on 09/10/2008
Today we're testing another AXP PSU, the 1000W model of the Supernova series. The 800W and 1000W models are much alike and share the same base design, but AXP tuned the newer 1000W version further and improved several of its key performance points.
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by Grace on 26/09/2008
Today we will have a look at one of their latest and better PSUs, the Supernova 800W unit. The Supernova units are made to deliver good performance as well as a unique design at a competitive price.
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by Grace on 25/09/2008
Today we will have a look at the Dark Power Pro 1200W unit from Be Quiet, a product optimized for the best possible acoustics performance despite its monstrous power output. The Dark Power Pro P7 series 1200W is the most advanced and powerful unit Be Quiet currently produce and it has some remarkable specifications.
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by Grace on 23/09/2008
Today we will have a look at the NRP-MC851, a very high performance product with a maximum power output of 850W. This "No Rules Power" series PSU boasts some remarkable specifications which should easily catch the attention of any enthusiast browsing for a good product. We will see if the MC851 unit can perform as well as Xigmatek claims it does in this review.
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by Grace on 18/09/2008
Today we will have a look at one of their best units, the Real Power Pro 1250W PSU. The Real Power Pro is primarily designed to offer the best possible electrical performance over low noise or good aesthetics ... it is aimed at the most demanding users of all; hardcore overclockers.
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by Grace on 15/09/2008
Xigmatek are a relatively new company mostly getting a great reputation for their proficient cooling solutions. Lately however Xigmatek has made a great foray into the power supply sector with units having extreme specifications and aggressive prices. Today we will take a look at their most powerful PSU, the NRP-HC1501 1500W.
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by Grace on 12/09/2008
Today we are going to take a break from reviewing high performance products aimed towards enthusiasts and test a value PSU from Akasa, the Essential Power 350W. This product is meant to be not much more than a reliable power source for entry-level PCs at the lowest possible cost.
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by Grace on 08/09/2008
Enlight are a well known manufacturer of PC components and peripherals, albeit not very popular among hardcore enthusiasts. They are a conservative company with few high end products and they mainly aim at the value and mainstream segments of the market.
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by Grace on 04/09/2008
Today we will take a look at a unit from their latest series, the Silent Pro M. This product range consists of high quality, modular units with down to earth wattage outputs and very low noise figures. There are three models ranging from 500W to 700W and they appear as if they are the perfect choice for the mainstream users who are after a high performance but silent power supply.
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by Grace on 01/08/2008
Hiper have three different series of PSUs, the Type-S series consisting of low output and simple units, Type-R MKII series consisting of modular high performance units and the Type-M series consisting of non-modular high performance units. Setting the Type-S series aside, the main difference between the Type-M and Type-R MKII units are the modular cable connectors. Today we will take a look at one of the most powerful Type-M series units, the 4M780.
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by Grace on 29/07/2008
NorthQ are a relatively newly formed Danish company who have a diverse range of products ranging from PC cooling solutions to power supply units. We have reviewed many NorthQ products in the past, including several power supply units which we found to be very capable. Today we will take a look at another NorthQ power supply, the Black Magic Flex 650W. This is a modular PSU selling at a very competitive price.
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by Grace on 21/07/2008
Everyone knows Corsair for their high quality ram modules however recently their power supply units have been getting a lot of attention. The initial units were a great success and some of them survived for many months without any revisions. Corsair launched only a small series of power supplies aimed towards enthusiasts, dubbed the HX series¯, these have been a great success.
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by Grace on 16/07/2008
There is a lot of competition in the power supply market today, especially in the enthusiast segment where every manufacturer has released at least one 1kW+ performance unit to cope with ever increasing demands from the high end sector. Even though Akasa are better known for their cooling solutions, we have reviewed several of their PSUs in the past and found them to be very capable products, able to compete against any other brand in their league.
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by Grace on 11/07/2008
Silverstone are one of the biggest players in the computer PSU market and have been for quite some time. We recently reviewed two of their most powerful products, the 1200W versions of the Decathlon and Zeus series. Today we will step down the scale a little and take a look at a more popular (and affordable) unit, the 700W version of the Decathlon series.
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by Grace on 30/06/2008
Today we will review one of the higher end new OCZ units, the EliteXstream 800W supply. The EliteXstream is a high performance PSU, designed to appeal to hardware enthusiasts who above all else value top electrical performance. How good is it? Lets find out.
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by Grace on 18/06/2008
BFG, a company renowned as a VGA card manufacturer have recently released several PSU products, mostly aimed towards enthusiasts and power users. Today we will review one of their higher end units, the ES series 800W power supply.
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by Grace on 09/06/2008
The Zeus ZM1200M is not a revamped version of the Decathlon DA1200 unit; it's an entirely different design down to the core. It is also one of the very few PSUs which have six 12V lines, but it also has the ability to merge all six lines into one, manually.
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by Grace on 04/06/2008
CoolerMaster became famous due to their excellent high end cooling solutions and computer chassis, however lately their reputation as power supply designers is also coming to the fore. Our experience with their Real Power M series would certainly prove this to be justified.
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by Grace on 30/05/2008
Enermax has been long known among PC enthusiasts as one of the most reliable and proficient computer PSU manufacturers, in fact for every kind of computer PSU, Enermax units are considered to be some of the best money can buy.
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by Grace on 23/05/2008
PC Power & Cooling is one of the most reputable high performance PSU manufacturers, if not the most reputable. This good reputation is no doubt helped by them not offering budget products, only mainstream and high end models.
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by Grace on 20/05/2008
Cooler Master are a company that is very well known for cooling solutions however in the last couple of years they have developed a very competitive line of PSU products. The Real Power M700 is perhaps the most important unit in Cooler Masters current range as it is aimed at enthusiasts and overclockers who usually require a unit within the 600-800W output range.
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by Grace on 16/05/2008
Enermax is one of the worlds most reputable switching PSU manufacturers and their products are considered to be some of the best that money can buy. Recently they released two new product lines, the Pro 82+ and Modu 82+ series.
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by Grace on 30/04/2008
Ultra's X-Pro range consists of many units with a power output ranging from 600W to 800W. Today we will take a look at the two most powerful units of this particular series, the X-Pro 750W and the X-Pro 800W. Today we will find out if they should be in your shortlist for an upgrade or for a brand new high end gaming system.
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by Grace on 29/04/2008
Ultra have some high end power supplies available on the market, such as their mind boggling 1.6kW unit, however for the majority of enthusiasts this is overkill. Today we will take a look at the more modest X-Pro 600W, a unit Ultra have designed for budget-conscious enthusiasts. According to Ultra, the X-Pro 600W offers high performance within its output range and they back it up with a lifetime warranty.
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by Grace on 18/04/2008
While many people might not have heard of HuntKey before, they are currently the largest Chinese switching PSU manufacturer. They design and produce almost every kind of switching power supply currently available, including PC power supplies. Although they are not well known in the US and EU markets yet, their units have slowly been finding their way to store shelves. Today we will take a look at the HK650, a unit HuntKey designed for enthusiasts who want a powerful, yet inexpensive PSU. We will soon see if its worthy of your time and, most importantly, money.
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by Grace on 17/04/2008
It was many months ago that ThermalTake released their first PSUs, these were good enough for them to start gaining a strong reputation in this highly competitive market. Today we will take a look at their affordable, mid-range PSU, the ToughPower 500W. The ToughPower 500W is a modular and silent PSU, but is it good enough to compete in the wide spanning but budget minded mid-range market?
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by Grace on 09/04/2008
Today we will take a look at a very powerful PSU from Silverstone, the Decathlon 1200W. Silverstone have taken the core of a slightly older server-oriented Olympia 1200W PSU, and have re-designed it to suit the requirements of hardcore enthusiasts, thus the 1200W Decathlon was born. Silverstone are renowned among for building products to the highest standards, so with that in mind let us see if the 1200W Decathlon can deliver the goods.
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by Grace on 25/03/2008
Zalman have released several high end units lately and today we will examine the most expensive unit they currently produce, the ZM1000-HP. There are a few things about the ZM1000-HP which make it unique but the most important of them is the cooling system. Zalman have used their expertise with cooling to create a heatpipe system able to keep the powerful 1000w power supply cool and silent at the same time.
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by Grace on 31/01/2008
Today we will take a look at the ECS7001, a powerful 700W PSU featuring a patented cable connecting system. It may look like yet another modular PSU but unlike all other modular PSUs you don't have to connect each cable directly to the unit; you can connect each cable right where another cable ends. Interesting? We think so.
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by Grace on 22/01/2008
Sirtec have recently launched the “High Power” division, parallels of which could be made with Micron and Crucial; a branch of the main company marketing and selling products under their own umbrella. Sirtec’s move is very bold since they have already registered several patents and have a large product range. Today we will take a look at the most powerful Sirtec unit, the High Power RockSolid 1200W (HPC-1200-G14C) the specifications of which are quite promising.
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by Grace on 20/01/2008
Attempts to diversify are common among PC component manufacturers, but these are not always marked by success. One of the most successful diversification attempts was made by Corsair nearly a year ago. Corsair, being a highly reputable RAM manufacturer at the time, released a small range of high class PSUs aimed towards enthusiasts, with the "HX series" moniker. We reviewed the HX620W unit back then which we found an excellent choice for enthusiasts and a year later the HX620W is still one of the best choices for performance systems. Because of the great success of the HX series, Corsair launched the VX series back in August and the TX series shortly after that. The VX series units are aimed towards the value-conscious PC users, however our review of one of the first VX450W units was a surprise because of its remarkable performance.
The TX series consists of high output units but without unnecessary features or aesthetic add-ons, aimed towards enthusiasts who are seeking to get the best value out of their purchase.
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by Grace on 10/01/2008
If a poll was conducted amongst PC enthusiasts about which PSU manufacturer they prefer, Enermax would certainly be in the top three. They are one of the oldest and most reputable PSU manufacturers, continuously releasing products that never cease to please the perpetually unsatisfied hardcore PC users. Today here at DriverHeaven's we have one of their new high class range PSUs, the Infiniti 720W unit. The Infiniti series is not the most powerful series that Enermax currently produces, but it is loaded with pretty much all features a PSU can have.
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by Grace on 14/12/2007
Not everyone needs a monstrous 750W+ power supply unit for their everyday home or office PC, but most people would pay for a little extra in order to own a low power, high quality unit. Silverstone hope to address this with the release of the ST35F. The ST35F has a maximum power output of only 350W, more than enough for an average home or office PC which is not designed for heavy gaming or overclocking. Let us have a closer look at it and see if it’s worthy of the extra money over an OEM unit.
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by Grace on 06/12/2007
Hiper were first known within enthusiast cycles for their Type-R PSU series released back in early 2005. We reviewed two of these units a few weeks ago and found them to be good products. That said, the Type-R units were marketed firmly at enthusiasts and could not compete against aggressively priced units in the value conscious sector. To address this Hiper introduced the Type-M series back in early 2007. We have a Hiper Type-M 630W unit for review today.
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by Grace on 18/11/2007
Hiper were first known within enthusiast cycles for their Type-R PSU series released back in early 2005. Its many features, good looks and relatively competitive price made it a very reasonable choice of unit for a powerful system of the time. Three years have passed and Hiper have decided to completely redesign and revive the Type-R series, announcing the Type-R MKII units. These MKII units are entirely different than their predecessors, both in terms of features and appearance. Today we will thoroughly examine two Type-R MKII units, the HPU-5K880 and the HPU-5B680.
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by Grace on 23/10/2007
Ultra have redesigned their first modular PSU several times in order to keep up with the progress of personal computers and now are marketing the third generation of their modular PSUs, the X3 series. We reviewed the powerful 800W, 1000W and even the monstrous 1600W X3 units in the past, and we found them to be excellent performers. Not everyone has the funds to buy one of these units however so today to complete our coverage we will review the Ultra X3 600W.
The Ultra X3 600W unit is the only unit of the series which offers a very competitive price/performance ratio with its price tag being nearly half that of the 800W unit directly above it. The big question is however, is it any good?
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by Grace on 22/10/2007
We have reviewed many high quality power supply units from a wide array of manufacturers on DriverHeaven this year. Today we will put another power supply unit under the spotlight, one from High Performance Group (or Hipergroup). Hipergroup is a relatively new PC components manufacturer; however their highly competitive products have allowed them to grow very quickly in the market.
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by Grace on 16/10/2007
We reviewed several very powerful units during the past few months from various companies. Today we will take a look at another very powerful 1kW PSU designed and built by Akasa, the PowerMax 1000W. The PowerMax 1000W is the first 1kW+ unit Akasa have released and there is also a 850W model.
The PowerMax 1000W unit promises high power output, low noise operation and high efficiency in one unit.
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by Grace on 28/09/2007
We have tested and reviewed many top end power supply units here at Driver Heaven. However, most people do not need a wallet sapping 1kw unit. For example, buying a unit which can output 800W+ for a PC which is used for office applications or web browsing is insane. Today we have an interesting unit from NorthQ for review, the Silent Lightning 400W. While the 400W maximum output makes it suitable only for low to middle range systems, NorthQ have attempted to create a good looking unit, to make it stand out from the crowd.
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by Grace on 26/09/2007
Today, a large percentage of enthusiast user is trying to build a very quiet or even inaudible computer system. We all know that quiet cooling fans are only a part of the "silent solution"; an efficient, quiet power supply unit is a must when building a low noise computer. Although still not very well known to enthusiasts worldwide, Be Quiet (a subsidiary company of Listan which originates from Germany) designs and builds some of the best noiseless power supply units out there. Be Quiet units have never disappointed us in the past, but while they perform extremely well by any standard, they also tend to cost quite a lot. Today we will take a look at the most powerful silent unit they have available, the DarkPower Pro 1kW.
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by Grace on 06/09/2007
Ever since the company’s birth they have been producing some of the best power supply units that money can buy and you will find they don't sell any "cheap" products. This has earned them a high pedigree reputation within enthusiast circles and many devotee's worried when OCZ bought PC Power & Cooling not long ago, standards might change. It seems that OCZ is not interested in doing that as PC Power & Cooling resumes their business as they always have. Today we will examine their most powerful unit of the Silencer series, the 750W Quad. The PC Power & Cooling 750W Quad unit is being marketed as high performance and reliable, but also ultra-quiet. An ultra quiet unit cooled by a single 80mm fan!
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by Grace on 29/08/2007
We have reviewed NorthQ products before and their range is diversing consistently as they try to gain more and more market share. Today we will review one of their latest and greatest power supply units clearly aimed towards enthusiasts, the Giant Connector 850W. The Giant Connector 850W is not only a powerful unit but it is also a modular one.
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by Grace on 29/08/2007
Today we will examine one of the strongest power supply units available today, the OCZ ProXstream 1000W. The best consumer available power electronics technology is implemented inside, allowing it to significantly exceed the power specifications and efficiency of its predecessors. The 1kW rating is more than enough to power any hardware configuration right now, however the question we will be answering today is if the power can be properly controlled as well.
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by Grace on 23/08/2007
Is a 1kw power supply just not enough? If you are the ultra-hardcore PC user who is not satisfied with a mere 1000w and just want the most power you can possibly have, Ultra have expanded their X3 Modular PSU line for you! Their latest and greatest X3 unit is rated at 1.6kW output, which is probably enough to power a small city. The 1.6kW output rating makes it the most powerful consumer PSU currently available. Let us see if it can live up to the insane rating.
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by Grace on 13/08/2007
CoolerMaster is one of the oldest companies who have a good reputation with enthusiasts mainly because of their high end cooling solutions and chassis designs. They also offer many other products however, including high end power supply units. Today we will take a look at their best power supply product, the M1000. The M1000 is a high class modular unit capable of delivering 1kW continuous power and has a peak power rating of 1.2kW. Although we reviewed several 1kW units lately, the M1000 kindled our interest because of its weight and the fact that it has no less than six 12V power lines, the largest number of 12V lines we have seen on a power supply.
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by Grace on 09/08/2007
Ultra is a company who offer one of the widest selections of computer related products, ranging from modding lights and cables to RAM modules and hard drives. Their biggest success story however has been their power supply units. Ultra were one of the first companies to offer modular power supply units, a trend that was quickly followed by other makers. Today Ultra offers a great number of high end power supply units up to 1kW maximum output, most of which are modular. We will take a look at the best modular units Ultra currently offers, the X3 800W and 1kW units.
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by Grace on 01/08/2007
Corsair are renowned for their RAM modules and have also built a strong catalogue of hardware components in other sectors, including power supplies. The HX620W unit is the latest and greatest Corsair unit, a very good enthusiast power supply which has survived for many months without revisions. Today Corsair is taking a different approach with the release of the VX450W and VX550W units, which are designed with optimal value in mind, not extreme performance. The big question, "So is it any good?" will be answered today.
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by Grace on 31/07/2007
OCZ has released a great number of power supply units lately, each targeting a particular market. We had the chance to test several powerful units from their line-up here at DriverHeaven, most of which were top of the line products. Today we will take a look at a more versatile unit, the ModXstream 780W. It offers a little bit of everything; high efficiency and power output combined with good aesthetics and low noise operation. So in theory, the ModXstream unit is the perfect unit for everybody. Sounds a bit too good to be true, doesn’t it?
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by Grace on 23/06/2007
Akasa have made a good name for themselves in the computer PSU market with their PaxPower series. While Akasa mainly offer fans and other computer modding parts, their first entry in the PSU market was a success as the PaxPower units were not only powerful but also exceptionally silent. Akasa recently revised most of their units and increased the number of models they offer. Today we will take a look at one of their new units, the Power+ iQ P650FH 650W unit. It has four 12V lines and boasts a load of features. Through the review we will try to find out if this particular unit can live up to the Akasa’s hard earned reputation throughout enthusiast circles.
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by Grace on 03/05/2007
Here at Driver Heaven we strive to provide you with useful and thorough reviews and for that we have built a custom power supply testing station which allows us to efficiently analyse any consumer and industrial AC to DC power supply unit available.
"High Performance Group, most commonly referred to as Hiper, is a newly found UK based company which has became well known for their high performance power supply units. Hiper acquired most of their fame for the Type-R series which was released a few years ago. The Type-R series were high performance modular units but a lot of attention was given on their aesthetics factor. Today we will take a look at another approach from Hiper, the Type-M series. The Type-M series are not modular and look quite simple, but they are considerably cheaper than the Type-R series and apparently perform just as well or even better. We will soon see if they are worth your time and money."
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by Grace on 30/03/2007
If you want to build an entirely silent PC, you have to (logically) either take out or replace everything that generates noise. Every moving part inside a PC generates noise, mainly fans and hard disk drives. A common source of noise that comes from a PC is the power supply unit. These high power devices require cooling and so there are fans installed inside them. A cheap, less efficient or extremely powerful unit is commonly cooled by a fast, noisy fan. As of late, companies try to make their units more ‘user friendly’, making them more efficient so as to require less cooling, and therefore to be as quiet as possible. Nevertheless, for something to be entirely quiet, it has to be missing any moving parts. And so some companies introduced extremely efficient, fanless power supply units which generate no noise at all, for the most demanding of users.
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by Veridian3 on 13/03/2007
When it comes to power supplies in the mainstream market it would be fair to say that the name “Zippy” wouldn’t be the first to spring to mind, however since 1993 they have been manufacturing PSU’s for servers as well as redundant power supplies. They also produce a range of keyboards, mice, ceramic components and switches - they are a versatile company in the truest sense of the word.
Recently Zippy launched a range of Gaming PSU’s and today’s review product is one such model. The (HP2-6500PE(G1) ) is a 500w SLI certified model which is aimed at mainstream systems rather than the ultra high end. Let’s see if Zippy can take the reliability of their server PSU’s and add gaming performance to the mix.
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by Dyre Straits on 28/02/2007
Today’s PC gaming rigs require Herculean muscle to get things working like they should. This is especially true with the recent next-gen games. This constant increase in demand is causing a lot of debate among gamers as to whether it’s worth the effort and cost to keep upgrading a PC to take advantage of all the new eye candy and physics that are evident in the 3D environment. Many previous die-hard PC gaming fans have opted to go with consoles in an effort to avoid the constant cost of upgrading.
However, those of us who love our PCs and love the games they play, eventually bite the bullet and put out the funds to keep feeding the beast. The rewards are often received with mixed reviews, but, once the dust settles, many of us find no better satisfaction in gaming than on our own private PC.
One company that is very keen to listen to the demands of the PC gamer is ULTRA. Arriving on the scene very recently, ULTRA has pushed the envelope to provide what the demanding public wants: More POWER and then some!
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by Dyre Straits on 06/02/2007
We’re going to be reviewing one of the Ultra Power Supplies (PSU) today. They offer a Limited Lifetime Warranty on all their Power Supplies. Keep in mind, however, that to qualify for the extended lifetime warranty, the product does have to be registered with the company within 30 days of purchase. We have yet to determine how stringent this requirement is, but it does pay to read the fine print.
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by Veridian3 on 13/01/2007
We have been using an Enermax Noisetaker PSU in one of Driver Heaven’s benchmarking rigs for some time now and it has performed flawlessly. Since we installed that PSU every component in the system has been upgraded and while the Noisetaker still performs admirably (even when powering a 8800GTX SLI system) we felt it was time to move to something more powerful for futureproofing … their Galaxy 850w supply.
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by Grace on 08/12/2006
The introduction of quad core processors along with multi CPU and multi GPU systems has dramatically raised the demand for strong power supply units. With the introduction of units rated as high as 1KW, it is clear that 300-350W power supply units are becoming a thing of the past.
Today we will take a look at the Ultra X-Connect VS 700W power supply, those with good memories will remember Ultra introduced modular power supply units to the PC world. As strange as this may sound to some, this is not a power supply unit for the hardcore enthusiast but mostly aimed towards gamers and modders.
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by Grace on 23/10/2006
Corsair is a company whose name is synonymous with quality RAM, however they have slowly tried to diversify by creating water-cooling systems for enthusiasts (the highly acclaimed Nautilus). Today we are looking at another product in this expanded range, one of their new high quality power supply units, they offer two models in this range, the HX520W and the HX620W. We received the higher specification 620w unit for testing today, so let us see if it lives up to the high standards we associate with the Corsair brand name.
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by Grace on 11/10/2006
Ultra is a well-known manufacturer of computer components even though they are relatively new on the scene. They has a vast product line and mostly focus on power supply products, since these are the products that put them squarely on the map. Ultra virtually invented the modular power supply units after all and their first modular power supply units were a great success. Today we have two new power supply units from Ultra, the X-Finity 500W and the X-Finity 2G 600W. Ironically, neither of them are modular, but still both of them are high class units.
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by Grace on 28/09/2006
Spire is an old and well known company specializing in creating computer component cooling products. They have a very wide range of cooling products consisting of various heatsinks, fans and special accessories. Recently Spire expanded their products range with designer computer cases and power supply units. Today we are going to have a look at their best power supply unit, the Rocketeer VI. The Rocketeer VI is the most powerful unit Spire currently offers and by far the one with the most features.
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by Veridian3 on 24/09/2006
When building a high performance system quite possibly the most important choice of component is the power supply. There is no point in building your very own home made supercomputer to have it powered by a low end supply that has problems holding a good rail. Many users fall foul of the misconception that “the higher the wattage the better” where as others feel they can save money on something they deem as unimportant. When building our Driver Heaven review systems we take time to look at the variety of supplies and to decide whether they can take the extreme load we have to throw at them when reviewing the highest end hardware. When deciding to build a gaming system based around the latest array of hardware such as AM2 and Conroe with either SLI or Crossfire delivering the graphics it is extremely important to purchase a unit which will ensure you end up with a stable system.
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by Grace on 15/09/2006
There are hundreds of power supply units currently on the market ranging from the cheap to the expensive, from the beautiful to the ugly and they all come with various output ranges in classic or modular design. Only a few of them however offer special features and functions which can make them that little bit different. Today we will take a look at a unit from NorthQ which comes supplied with a remote control. A pioneering feature for a power supply unit, meaning you do not have to keep your case close to you (or even a case at all) in order to turn the system on and off.
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by Chaos on 07/08/2006
Today we get to look at a new power supply from Cooler Master in the form of the the iGreen 500w PSU. This power supply is designed to meet the latest environmental emissions regulations by adhering to both Energy Star and Blue Angel standards.
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by Asmoday on 03/08/2006
We recently reviewed the Zalman CPU coolers CNPS8000 and CNPS9500 AM2 here at Driver Heaven, and were very pleased with how they performed. Now its time to have a look at another of Zalmans recent products: the 460W Noiseless Switching Power Supply.
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by Grace on 31/07/2006
Be-Quiet have impressed us in the past with their high quality power supply units. Their DarkPower series have always been a very good choice for power users, enthusiasts and those of us addicted to silence. It would be fair to say that Be-Quiet have not been able to compete in the mid range sector because their power supply units, although very reliable and powerful, tend to cost too much for the “average” user. Be-Quiet have decided to address this situation by releasing the StraightPower series, which retain many of the features of the DarkPower series with extremely competitive pricing.
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by Grace on 16/07/2006
Today we have another product from North Q on our review bench, the best power supply unit they offer, the 4775-500S “Godzilla”. While it is not likely to be crowned the best power supply unit that was ever built, it has several distinctive features and boasts specifications which should satisfy all but the most demanding enthusiasts.
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by Chaos on 28/06/2006
Today we get to take a new offering from the folks at Ultra. We are going to take an up close look at their newest modular SLI ready power supply the Ultra X-Connect X2 550w PSU. Unlike the standard power supplies that have all the cables attached, the Ultra X-Connect comes “naked” with no cables attached. Thanks to the modular approach that Ultra takes, the cables are separate and can be plugged in only as required. Not only will this help reduce clutter inside your PC but it also leaves you with the option to add additional cables only if you add new devices to your system. Another beauty of the modular design is increased airflow within your PC chassis.
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by Asmoday on 22/06/2006
Cooltek is a European based brand with various cooling products but with Main focus on power supplies. The products are designed in Scandinavia and Germany and produced in selected factories in China. Here are some words from our Swedish Cooltek representative Jesper Brenner:
“We are dedicated in using high quality components inside our power supplies and only working with manufacturers we know can make products with a high, consistent quality.
We visit all manufacturers’ factories as well, to control their routines and to ensure that the employees have a decent working environment. I'm telling you all this because I would like you to know that we are not just another "re-labelling" brand! Our power supplies may be a little bit more expensive than the competition, but they offer real wattages and stable voltages combined with low-noise, quality (Papst) fans."
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by Zardon on 14/06/2006
It’s always fun to wake up at the crack of noon after hearing a loud knock at the door and opening it to discover the postman bearing gifts, and I didn’t even have to blackmail him for a change! Clutched in his sweaty hands was the object of my review, the Game XStream PSU sent to me from the nice folks at OCZ. OCZ are very well known for their excellent line of memory for overclockers and enthusiasts who want to get the most from their machines and have recently branched out into offering other quality products such as power supplies.
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by Grace on 09/06/2006
We recently had the chance of taking a closer look at the Dark Power P6-470W power supply unit from Be-Quiet, a company based in Germany. For this review we will be concentrating on a similar power supply unit by the same company, the Dark Power Pro 530W. The Dark Power Pro line is not intended to replace the Dark Power P6 line; it's merely an evolution of the latter with more features. There are several differences between the two units, with the main difference being the fact that the Dark Power Pro unit is modular, where the older P6 was not. The Dark Power Pro is designed to be as silent as possible while delivering high power loads and reliable enough to be an assessable part in high end systems.
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by Chaos on 20/05/2006
To follow up on the success of the Real Power 450W PSU, Cooler Master has released the new Real Power 550W SLI. It complies with both the Intel standard ATX 12V V 2.01 and SSI standard EPS 12V V2.1. They recommend the Real Power 550W as a viable solution for high end workstations and gaming rigs that contain those power hungry dual graphic card solutions based on SLI or Crossfire technology. The Real Power 550W PSU has dual output connectors for PCI Express VGA cards and has intelligent fan speed control and “real power" capacity that will help to maintain the stability and reliability of your computer system even at the most demanding moments.
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by Grace on 11/05/2006
The Xion PowerReal 600W v2.01 is a high end, SLI ready unit which boasts a number of features, primarily aiming towards the enthusiast sector. The list of features is extensive, ranging from fan speed control to dual 12V rails. The unit is not modular and this might drive away some of the hardcore modders or HTPC users instantly.
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by Grace on 29/04/2006
Today we will take a look at two power supply units from NorthQ in the shape of the 4001EXT and the 4775-400, which are rated for 400W maximum output. Although their rated total power output is the same and their basic architecture is akin, we will soon see that they are two entirely different units. Let us have a look at the specifications first.
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by Grace on 12/02/2006
Many people want or need a completely silent PC for their home or work. Unfortunately, as computers become faster, their power requirements and heat dissipation also grows higher. Both of these problems affect the power supply units, which have to provide more power while remaining quiet and cool. Cheap power supply units have to use powerful fans for cooling, which makes them rather loud for using in HTPC systems or other systems which need to be quiet. Thus many companies strive to design more powerful and efficient power supply units, which not only are able to provide great amounts of power but also to dissipate less heat and require less cooling. Be-Quiet is a rather new German company, subsidiary of Listan, which focuses on creating computer related products, like coolers and power supply units, made to reduce the noise output of your PC without compromising quality and/or performance. Today we have the latest version of their power supply unit line, the P6 DarkPower PSU. Let us take a close look at it.
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by Asmoday on 13/01/2006
The Neo HE is somewhat different to most other power supply units and we do not mean that because it is a modular type power supply unit as there are many of these around these days. The Neo HE is relying on its own high efficiency factor to solve all of the problems that a power supply unit may face and it is this that makes the Neo HE so different.
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by Veridian3 on 29/12/2005
We’ve looked at numerous supplies here in the past and on the whole they have all been high specification units and those generally come at an equally high price. It goes without saying not everyone has a huge budget to work with, however stability is still an important factor. So today we are going to look at Enermax’s mainstream model which comes in at 400w. Enermax are not a company known for skimping on quality so we should be in for a treat at a very reasonable price.
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by WxChaser on 03/12/2005
In 2005 another of Thermaltake's innovative products entered the retail scene, in the form of a well thought out modular power supply. The Thermaltake PurePower PST 520W series was introduced, and is totally compliant with published ATX 12v 2.0 version standards. The Power Station 520W PSU consists of the 5.25 inch P.S.T. (Power Station) that fits into an available 5 1/4 inch drive bay, and includes a mini-P.S.T. for connection of low power accessories such as case lights, fans, etc. The only connections that are made to the parent power supply are an 8-pin power connector which reaches from the power supply to the 5 1/4 inch Power Station, and dual connections are inherent for the 6-pin PCI Express power connectors on the back of the PSU itself.
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by Asmoday on 30/09/2005
Mike has spent some time with a pretty impressive looking power supply unit from MGE.
How does 500w with 30a on the 12 volt rail with almost silent noise levels, a funky looking blue LED, copper heatpipe design backed by a lifetime warranty sound?
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by Veridian3 on 03/07/2005
Based on the results of our testing to say the Enermax 535w All In One has strong +12 and +5v performance would be a complete understatement. The figures shown are actually the highest we have seen achieved by a PSU to date. This includes the higher spec 600w models previously tested. Throughout the testing period there was not one stage where the Enermax unit dropped below +12v, generally maintaining a voltage of 12.16 or above and the +5v results never wavered from 5.107v. These results are spectacular and indicate complete stability within the unit.
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by Veridian3 on 19/02/2005
I’ll be honest, before being given the option to review the Vortec PSU I’d never heard of MGE Company (XG – Extreme Gamer) so was a little sceptical as I headed to their website… what I wasn’t expecting was a product catalogue of such cool looking components as the Vortec PSU and the Dragon/Viper cases. You can’t help but be impressed, So with great anticipation I accepted the Vortec 500w PSU as a review item and waited for it to arrive…
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by Zardon on 18/12/2004
This 600w varies from the Xconnect model we reviewed in the fact it doesnt use the modular xconnect style connectors but the more traditional design as seen in the images directly below. Ultra also offer a 3 year warranty with their products which isnt to be sniffed at.
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by Veridian3 on 03/12/2004
A few months ago we looked at our first Ultra product, the Ultra Xconnect PSU. The quality of the unit came as a complete surprise to us considering we’d never heard of Ultra before that point. Since then we’ve looked at a few other Ultra components, such as MP3 players and Cases and each time we’ve come away impressed. Today we have an updated model of the X-Connect in for testing. Essentially it’s the same internal components and performance as the older model so we will only be summarising the new PSU design here. We recommend that you read the full Ultra X-Connect review for detailed information on the unit.
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by Zardon on 13/11/2004
The PowerStream range is made for OCZ by ToPower under a close manufacturing deal that means OCZ are the only supplier that will have the PSU with these specs.
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by Veridian3 on 08/08/2004
When building a PC there are usually 2 schools of thought. The first group just wants a bog standard PSU that "works" and for the most part a generic PSU will suffice and these generally cost £20-£40 ($35-$60). The second group want a high end supply that can handle the highest spec components costing around £100 ($150). The PSU we are looking at today is made by Ultra who claim it delivers high end performance for a reasonable cost ($110/£80). It also sports some unique features combined with a very appealing appearance.
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by Zardon on 29/05/2004
OCZ are famous for making some of the highest quality memory on the market and over the last year ive had the pleasure in reviewing many of their modules, they have also been diversifying their product range with heatsinks, ram-sinks and most recently they have made a bold step into the power supply enthusiast sector. I am taking a look at the new PowerStream 420 (OCZ-420ADJ) PSU.
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