Cougar GX 1050W Power Supply Review

1. Introduction2. Cougar GX 1050W (Bundle & Cabling)3. Cougar GX 1050W (External)4. Cougar GX 1050W (Internal)5. Testing Methodology and Results6. Closing Thoughts7. View All Pages

The Cougar GX 1050W power supply is an interesting design, presented inside top quality packaging and with an appealing chassis design. The cabling quality is top drawer and we love the overall appearance, it really does stand out in a crowded marketplace.

Technically, the Cougar GX 1050W is a decent design, but it does fall down in a few areas. Noise suppression via the +5V output is quite high, barely achieving figures set out in official guidelines (50mV borderline result). We don't think it is a big deal in the real world as we loaded the supply heavily over the course of a week, with an overclocked 990X and dual HD6990's and didn't experience any issues, but it does raise an eyebrow, especially when compared directly against flagship supplies from other leading manufacturers.

One area is does excel in is with noise emission. This is a quiet supply and clearly there are some benefits from adopting Hydro Dynamic bearing technology … the 140mm fan does a stellar job of keeping everything in check.

Overall we do like the supply, it is well built and looks great. In the real world it had no problems powering an ultra high end computer with multiple HD6990's in CrossfireX, but we do have a few minor concerns over noise suppression which means it can not win our highest award.

As this is a 80 Plus Gold Certified product, there is a price premium to pay, and retail prices in the UK now, are around the £200-£210 mark.

Pros:

• looks stunning
• cabling is great
• quiet
• internal design is clean
• capable of powering ultra high end systems without problem

Cons:

• efficiency isn't quite as high as we hoped
• Noise suppression could be better

Kitguru says: A very good power supply, if you can pick it up at the right price, then its recommended.

EDIT: We had some queries from the public regarding the Hydro fan in this review. HEC said the following. POWERLOGIC SAYS: Powerlogic make it the same code name between sleeve & Hydro, because of the safety registration issue they will specially mark “Hydro-Dynamic” under the model number in the fan label.

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