Kolink Continuum KL-C1050PL 1050W Platinum Review

1. Introduction2. Bundle & Cabling3. External4. Internal5. Testing & Methodology6. Closing Thoughts7. View All Pages

Kolink are a relatively new brand to market, however I was impressed with their 1200W power supply, which I reviewed in November 2016 – today we look at the new 1050W model. These products are controlled by Hungarian Kellytech, a sister company of European based Caseking – who have exclusive distribution rights. Unsurprisingly they are sold in the United Kingdom by Overclockers UK.

Kolink currently are producing power supplies, cables, cases and accessories with plans for further expansion this year. There is a full range of their products visible at this page.

Today we take a look at their second high end power supply due for release in early March. This time its a 1050 watt unit made by High Power (Sirtec/Sirfa) – an OEM who have created some very good power supplies in the past.

There is a 5 year warranty offered with the Kolink Continuum KL-C1050PL power supply.

Specification

• Dimensions: 150 x 86 x 180 mm (W x H x D)
• Fan: 140 mm (automatic control, semi-passive)
• Colour: Black (power supply, fan)
• Efficiency: at least 92/90/89 percent 50/20/100 percent utilization. Meets the requirements of 80 Plus Platinum. Efficiency in the European 230-volt power is up to two percentage points higher
• Active PFC
• Form Factor: ATX12V 2.4 / EPS12V 2.92
• Power: 1050W
• Protections OVP / UVP (protection against overvoltage and undervoltage), SCP (Short Circuit) OPP (overload) OCP (overcurrent on the rails +12, +3.3 and +5 volts)

Price: £169.99 inc vat @ Overclockers UK HERE.

Review photography handled in house at KitGuru with a Leica S series medium format camera and S series prime lens.

The Kolink Continuum KL-C1050PL ships in a dark box with high resolution artwork visible on the front. An 80 Plus Platinum certification badge is visible bottom left.

The back of the box gives a brief overview of the product, in multiple languages.

Inside the main box is a smaller box labelled ‘Cables & Accessories'.

– 1 x 20+4-Pin ATX12V/EPS12V
– 1 x 8-Pin EPS12V
– 1 x 4+4-Pin ATX12V/EPS12V
– 6 x 6+2-Pin-PCIe
– 8 x SATA
– 8 x 4-Pin-Molex

The cables are the same structure as the 1200W model we reviewed at the end of 2016. They are ribbon style which makes routing easier during the build phase. There are 6x 6+2 pin PCIe connectors with the 1050w edition. The 1200W edition shipped with a staggering 12. There are also a 4+4 pin and an 8 pin 12V EPS connector to deliver power to two high end processors.

The Kolink Continuum KL-C1050P is finished to a high standard although I do find all the green accented stickers on the panels a little unnecessary. Less is more in this case.

A large 140mm fan takes centerstage behind a black grill. Kolink company branding is shown in the middle. We will take a closer look at the fan when we open the chassis.

One side of the power supply is vented, with a power connector and switch offset to the side.

The modular bay is well laid out, and clearly labelled for system builders. I said it in the last review, but the mismatch of red coloured connectors and green labels looks gaudy. Make them all either red, or green.

As we can see, this is a pure modular power supply, with no cables hardwired into the chassis. The 1200W unit power supply has connectors the full width of the chassis, but this 1050W model has a vertical row (of three) removed on the far left. The CPU and PCIe connectors are red, while the peripheral connectors are in a single row of five 3+3 pin.

Kolink Continuum 1050W PSU
DC Output	+3.3V	+5V	+12V	-12V	+5Vsb
Max Output	25A	25A	87.5A	0.3A	3A
Total Power	130W		1050W	3.6W	15W
	1050W

The single +12V rail is able to deliver 87.5 amps which is plenty for any Crossfire or SLI system build I can imagine. The larger 1200W Continuum model is capable of delivering 100 amps.

Kolink are using a 140mm Globe Fan. The model number is RL4Z B1352512M, rated at 12V, 0.28A. This a ball bearing fan with ‘golf surfaced blades'. We have seen this kind of rough surface treatment before on Sharkoon Silent Eagle fans. The point of this design is to try and reduce noise levels.

The fan in the 1200W unit is RL4Z B1352512H. This H model in the 1200W power supply is rated higher at 0.33A, so it is likely to have the potential to spin faster under extreme load.

Below - a High Resolution Gallery of the internal layout of the Kolink Continuum KL-C1050PL

First impressions are positive. This Highpower/Sirfra OEM design is actually built to a high standard. Soldering on the main PCB and modular daughtercard is very good.

There are several rows of heatsinks in place to help maintain safe temperatures, without blocking airflow from above. As this is a high efficiency Platinum unit, there is really no need for a plethora of heatsinks anyway.

The design uses very high grade Japanese RUBYCON 105C rated capacitors in the primary stage. These capacitors are rated 400v 560uF each – so 1120uF in total. Secondary stage capacitors are also 105c rated which is good to see. The 1200W Kolink Continuum adopted Japanese Nippon Chemi Con capacitors, but I rate both Rubycon and Chemi Con at a very high level, so Kolink are clearly using whichever is available at the time. Not a TEAPO capacitor in sight, which gets a big thumbs up from me.

Correctly testing power supplies is a complex procedure and KitGuru have configured a test bench which can deliver up to a 2,000 watt DC load. We test ambient temperatures at 35c in our environment to greater reflect warmer internal chassis conditions.

We use combinations of the following hardware:

• SunMoon SM-268
• CSI3710A Programmable DC load (+3.3V and +5V outputs)
• CSI3711A Programmable DC load (+12V1, +12V2, +12V3, and +12V4)
• Extech Power Analyzer
• Extech MultiMaster MM570 digital multimeter
• SkyTronic DSL 2 Digital Sound Level Meter (6-130dBa)
• Digital oscilloscope (20M S/s with 12 Bit ADC)
• Variable Autotransformer, 1.4 KVA

DC Output Load Regulation
Combined DC Load	+3.3V		+5V		+12V		+5VSB		-12V
	A	V	A	V	A	V	A	V	A	V
105W	0.87	3.33	0.96	5.02	7.68	12.02	0.50	5.02	0.20	-12.03
210W	1.60	3.33	1.63	5.02	15.75	12.02	1.00	5.02	0.20	-12.04
525W	3.00	3.32	3.14	5.02	40.68	12.01	1.50	5.01	0.30	-12.04
788W	4.00	3.32	4.14	5.01	61.66	12.00	2.00	5.00	0.30	-12.04
10500W	5.00	3.31	5.25	5.01	82.46	11.97	2.50	5.00	0.50	-12.05

Load regulation is very strong indeed, holding within 1.5%

Kolink Continuum KL-C1050PL	Maximum Load
	1177W

We managed to get another 127W from the power supply before the protection circuitry kicked in. The supply was undamaged and it was ready to fire up again when we dropped the load to a more realistic level.

Next we want to try Cross Loading. This basically means loads which are not balanced. If a PC for instance needs 500W on the +12V outputs but something like 30W via the combined 3.3V and +5V outputs then the voltage regulation can fluctuate badly.

Cross Load Testing	+3.3V		+5V		+12V		-12V		+5VSB
	A	V	A	V	A	V	A	V	A	V
885W	2.0	3.34	2.0	5.02	72.0	11.95	0.2	-12.04	0.50	5.02
240W	20.0	3.30	24.0	4.97	2.0	12.02	0.2	-12.03	0.50	5.01

The Kolink Continuum KL-C1050PL power supply delivered a strong set of results in the demanding Cross load test, as shown above.

We then used an oscilloscope to measure AC ripple and noise present on the DC outputs. We set the oscilloscope time base to check for AC ripple at both high and low ends of the spectrum. ATX12V V2.2 specification for DC output ripple and noise is defined in the ATX 12V power supply design guide.

ATX12V Ver 2.2 Noise/Ripple Tolerance
Output	Ripple (mV p-p)
+3.3V	50
+5V	50
+12V1	120
+12V2	120
-12V	120
+5VSB	50

Obviously when measuring AC noise and ripple on the DC outputs the cleaner (less recorded) means we have a better end result. We measured this AC signal amplitude to see how closely the unit complied with the ATX standard.

AC Ripple (mV p-p)
DC Load	+3.3V	+5V	+12V	5VSB
100W	5	10	10	5
200W	10	10	10	5
400W	10	10	15	5
600W	10	15	20	5
800W	15	15	25	10
1050W	15	15	30	10

Ripple suppression is excellent. All rails held well within the rated industry parameters. The +12V rail peaked around 30mV which is a very good result indeed.

Efficiency (%)
100W	85.2
200W	88.9
300W	93.0
500W	94.1
800W	93.2
1050W	92.0

The overall efficiency results are excellent, peaking at 94% at 500W. This drops close to 92% efficiency at full load, a very impressive result.

We take the issue of noise very seriously at KitGuru and this is why we have built a special home brew system as a reference point when we test noise levels of various components. Why do this? Well this means we can eliminate secondary noise pollution in the test room and concentrate on components we are testing. It also brings us slightly closer to industry standards, such as DIN 45635.

Today to test the Power Supply we have taken it into our acoustics room environment and have set our SkyTronic DSL 2 Digital Sound Level Meter (6-130dBa) one meter away from the unit. We have no other fans running so we can effectively measure just the noise from the unit itself.

As this can be a little confusing for people, here are various dBa ratings in with real world situations to help describe the various levels.

KitGuru noise guide

10dBA – Normal Breathing/Rustling Leaves
20-25dBA – Whisper
30dBA – High Quality Computer fan
40dBA – A Bubbling Brook, or a Refrigerator
50dBA – Normal Conversation
60dBA – Laughter
70dBA – Vacuum Cleaner or Hairdryer
80dBA – City Traffic or a Garbage Disposal
90dBA – Motorcycle or Lawnmower
100dBA – MP3 Player at maximum output
110dBA – Orchestra
120dBA – Front row rock concert/Jet Engine
130dBA – Threshold of Pain
140dBA – Military Jet takeoff/Gunshot (close range)
160dBA – Instant Perforation of eardrum

Noise (dBA)
100W	<28.0
200W	<28.0
400W	30.4
600W	32.3
800W	33.1
1050W	35.4

Under normal conditions, the Kolink Continuum KL-C1050PL is actually a reasonably quiet power supply. The fan doesn't spin that fast until the load demand hits a sustained 800 watts or greater. At full load, we measured 35.4dBA which is clearly audible . The fan pitch is quite low which helps mask the noise a little inside a normal system build.

Temperature (c)
	Intake	Exhaust
100W	35	38
200W	35	41
400W	37	46
650W	44	52
800W	46	56
1050W	51	64

Temperatures are well controlled as the fan spins actively once load hits 700W load and beyond.

Maximum load	Efficiency
1177W	91.6

Pushing the power supply above its rated limits generates an efficiency level of around 91.6%. This is not a viable ‘real world’ situation, but its interesting nonetheless.

Kolink are a relatively new brand on the market, however the future is bright for them if they can continue to release supplies at the level of the 1050 watt and 1200 watt models we have reviewed in recent months.

First impressions for me were mixed. The build quality is good, but I really don't like the appearance at all. There are large stickers on the side panels, with bright green accenting. The modular connector bay has some red ports which clash with the overall colour scheme.

I know this seems like I am picking holes, but for those people who like to coordinate the colours of their system build (and there are many based on reader builds we have seen shared on our social media), this is going to be a black mark against a possible purchase. We hope Kolink actually spend a little more time working on the appearance of their supplies when they come to do new models, or refreshes.

Technically there really is little, if anything I can fault. High Power as an OEM have been a little erratic throughout the years, but this particular design for Kolink proves stable and more than capable. These 1050W and 1200W Highpower/Sirfra designs have been some of their better supplies in recent years.

Ripple suppression and load regulation are both very good, and the efficiency results are excellent. This particular unit handled the intensive stress test without a problem.

Generally the 1050W is a fairly quiet unit, although when the demand reaches 800 watts the fan is actively spinning to compensate, and its clearly audible. Thankfully the pitch is quite low, so it never is that intrusive.

You can buy the Kolink Continuum KL-C1050PL from Overclockers UK for £169.99 inc vat HERE. The more powerful 1200W model is £20 more, at £189.95 inc vat HERE. This is some of the most competitive Platinum/modular pricing we have seen in the last year.

Pros:

• good build quality.
• technically its a very solid unit
• pure modular design.
• good cable quality.
• delivered 1177W before shutting down.
• competitive price point.
• 105c Japanese capacitors throughout.

Cons:

• Not the prettiest design.

Kitguru says: The Kolink Continuum KL-C1050PL is not the prettiest looking power supply, but inside is where it counts. All round performance is rock solid and Kolink have adopted high grade Japanese capacitors throughout. It is one of the most competitive priced 1000W+ Titanium, pure modular power supplies on the market today.

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