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A
Closer Look:::...
Considering
the X-connect was shipped in the actual box with no outer
box over it, it arrived in surprisingly good condition.
The
box design looks more "commercial and eye-catching"
than "professional and high-end", and I'd probably
opt for the "professional and high-end" option
myself, but it looks good all the same.
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The
Box
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Inside
the main box is another, smaller box along with the power
supply and user manual. At this point I could so easily
have had my impressions of Ultra dashed for good when I
tried to open the manual and found the pages had been slipped
into the cover the wrong way around with the opening edges
stapled shut and only the folds to flick through. Yes it's
a minor point but mistakes like that don't exactly fill
you with faith that the expensive kit you've just bought
wasn't assembled by 10-year-olds earning a few Euros a month
in some remote sweatshop somewhere. You don't win a reputation
as a prestige manufacturer by screwing up simple things
like your user manuals!
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In
The Box
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One
of the unique features of the X-connect is its modular design,
which means rather than having the usual mass of wires with
a full compliment of connector pre-wied on them whether
you need them or not, the X-connect lets you plug in only
the connectors you actually need to use. This of course
means no more tying up all the unused cables and trying
to tuck them somewhere in your case where they can't be
seen. It also means neater cable routing, better airflow,
and simpler power distribution.
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Cable
Kit Contents
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Set
your drool glands to stun. Shiny, high gloss power supplies
are far more common than they once were, and they always
tend to look glorious, but with no bundle of spaghetti spewing
from the rear and that slightly domed and very distinctive
fan grill, the Connect-X is simply a cut above. Dig out
the cotton gloves for handling this one, in fact go for
the full hair cap and paper suite if you have them available,
you don't want hair or dead skin cells spoiling the look.
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The
Power Supply
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A
honeycomb style grill sits behind the slightly obstructive
logo, but I'll gladly swap a little airflow for a little
bling when it looks this good. It probably didn't cost a
fortune to create this fan grill, and it certainly isn't
an essential requirement, but it's a great demonstration
of how a little care, vision and design flair can turn a
fairly mundane object into a thing of beauty.
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Logo/Fan
Grill
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I'm
assuming that the 230V sticker is an indication that this
isn't a full range input unit. The box however states that
Ultra have now implemented active power factor correction
which should please some.
Neither
of the two fans is LED lit. Many of Ultras PSUs do feature
LED fans however so this was obviously a design decision
not a cost-cutting or technology issue.
The
master power switch is oversized compared to most power
supplies, though other than making it slightly easier to
find by reaching round the back I don't know if that makes
it any more robust than usual.
I'm
not quite sure where it would go but I think a 4-pin Molex
connector on this side of the PSU would really be a great
addition, ideal for powering external 12V peripherals.
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The
Power Supply
- Rear View
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The
impression of elegance even extends to the slightly retro
looking silver on black trim around the cable connectors.
All the connectors come fitted with rubber dust caps to
keep out the airborne nasties. By luck or by design it all
hangs together terrifically well cosmetically.
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The
Power Supply
- Front View
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The
only thing I'd be tempted to change at the back here would
be to put little rubber hinges on the rubber dust covers
like you get on most digital camera lately. This means they
could fold out of the way to plug in a cable but would stay
connected, stopping them getting lost every time one gets
removed or knocked off when working inside your case.
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