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Before
we go into the individual models, I want to cover the common
features they all share, like the connectors.
While
the type and colour of the braiding differs, all three power
supplies come with the following connector configuration:
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The
Connectors
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As
you can see in this image, the Silver Label PSU used for
the picture uses steel braiding beneath plastic for each
wire bundle. There are eigth 4-pin Molex connectors, two
floppy, two SATA and a 4-pin auxilliary. There's no PCI-Express
this time around. E-Z grip connectors make removing the
plugs so much easier than traditional Molex plugs simply
by squeezing them but they can also add strain to the auxilliary
connectors on graphics cards that use them. You might want
to cut off one of the grips in these situations.
One
thing that took me by surprise when I looked at the ratings
was that these units come with dual 12Volt rails! This is
becoming increasingly popular at the moment but it's still
far from common.
I
have to say that I'd be seriously concerned about the idea
of four Molexes on a single cable were they not each fed
independantly.
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Ratings
Label
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The
two 12V lines combined can output a healthy 34Amps and up
to 350Watts, for the record, Tagan's TG480-U01 480Watt PSU
manages 28Amps on the +12V line while Antec's True480 weighs
in with 22Amps. It could be argued that the +5V rail is
a touch low but I can't really imagine a situation where
it would lbe likely to be an issue. Most tricked-out PC's
are loading the 12V rail excusively.
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Ratings
Label
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With
a claimed peak output of 530Watts, the numbers are certainly
healthy enough. Let's see if they have the looks to match
the muscle.
Silver
Label:::...
No
prizes for guessing which colour scheme the Silver label
PSU follows. Like all the units in the range, the casing
is wide open using a very effective honeycomb design that
simply can't help but aid cooling.
The
first surprise comes when you open the box. Nestled neatly
inside is not only the power supply and power lead, but
also a pair of single-feed IDE cables and a chrome-effect
matching 80mm fan. Also in there are a 24 to 20-pin ATX
adapter and a manual printed in a commendable ten languages,
though the fact it remains so thin gives some idea how little
information it actually conveys.
I'm
not a fan of the adaptor idea because it's quite clumsy
looking when used, and unless you're running a server you'll
probably need to use it. And for most of us those single-connector
IDE cables will be about as much use as an ashtray on a
motorbike. I'm guesing very few of the people in this product's
target market have one optical drive of a single hard drive
in their PC.
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The
Contents
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The
power supply itself looks glorious in its highly reflective
chromed livery with a single 120mm fan supplying all the
component cooling.
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The
Power Supply
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The
Surface Finish
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No
voltage selector or fixed voltage warning label confirms
this as being an active PFC full range input unit. A larger
honeycom design is used hear to help the air eaxhaust with
minimum resistance. A smaller hole pattern is used elsewere
to increase the structural strength of the case. I didn't
notice ant CE certification and wonder how well this case
design copes with EMI.
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The
Back
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The
120mm fan looks right at home with its chrome-effect blades.
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The
Top
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All
three PSUs use a Dynaeon Top Motor DF1212025SWL, where the
"D" means DC, the "F" means fan, the
"12" means 12Volt, the "12025" means
120mm x 25mm, the "S" denotes sleeve bearings
and finally the "L" means low speed. So now you
know!
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The
Fan
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According
to the specs, this fan can shift 62.70 CFM of air at full
rotation but creates 34.28 dBA of noise in return. This
means either Hiper's noise ratings are seriously optimistic
or this fan never gets it's full compliment of power.
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