best power supply 2018 | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Mon, 08 Apr 2019 16:21:07 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png best power supply 2018 | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 FSP Hydro PTM 650W Power Supply Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/power-supplies/aris-bitziopoulos/fsp-hydro-ptm-650w-psu-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/power-supplies/aris-bitziopoulos/fsp-hydro-ptm-650w-psu-review/#respond Tue, 23 Oct 2018 12:15:52 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=386053 Its quite an expensive unit, but is it technically a good one to buy?

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The Hydro PTM 650W is a mid-capacity power supply that targets a very competitive market. It is offered at a good price and the provided warranty is ten years but is the performance good enough to go after the highly popular Seasonic Focus Plus Platinum and the top-notch EVGA 650 P2 models?

FSP's Hydro PTM line consists of three models with capacities ranging from 550W to 750W, mostly addressing mid-level systems with not so energy hungry components. Despite the ‘Hydro' naming (ὕδωρ), which means water in ancient Greek, all those units use air cooling. Only the Hydro PTM+ models utilize a hybrid cooling solution where both air and water cooling can be combined.

The FSP HPT650M is an attractive looking power supply and it is equipped with plenty of cables and connectors, with all of them being modular. FSP are obviously confident with the internal design and the choice of components given the long warranty they are offering, so it will be interesting to take it apart later in the review.

For those of you who are not familiar with the PSU market, we should note that FSP is one of the largest power supply manufacturers and besides desktop PSUs it also makes server units, power adapters and special purpose power supplies (e.g. telecommunications, medical PSUs etc).

This means that the platform of the HPT650M is designed and manufactured by FSP and not by a third party as usually is the case with many other units. Nowadays the list of known power supply manufacturers is not that long, with the majority of brands selecting a platform and asking for some modifications before they re-label it.

Some major brands, like Corsair for example can set specific requirements for a project and actually take part in the production phase, since they have engineers on their payrolls. Apparently it is too expensive to have a PSU manufacturing line so it is better to subcontract one for your needs, if you want to offer something different.

Read our How We Test Power Supplies HERE

Specifications

Manufacturer (OEM) FSP
Max. DC Output 650W
Efficiency 80 PLUS Platinum, ETA-A (88-91%)
Noise LAMBDA-A (20-25 dB[A])
Modular (Fully)
Intel C6/C7 Power State Support
Operating Temperature (Continuous Full Load) 0 – 50°C
Over Voltage Protection
Under Voltage Protection
Over Power Protection
Over Current (+12V) Protection
Over Temperature Protection
Short Circuit Protection
Surge Protection
Inrush Current Protection
Fan Failure Protection
No Load Operation
Cooling 135mm Fluid Dynamic Bearing Fan (MGA13512HF-A25)
Semi-Passive Operation
Dimensions (W x H x D) 152 x 88 x 172mm
Weight 1.7 kg (3.75 lb)
Form Factor ATX12V v2.4, EPS 2.92
Warranty 10 Years

The HPT650M is 80 PLUS Platinum while in the Cybenetics scale it meets the ETA-A and LAMBDA-A requirements in efficiency and noise output, respectively. Given the noise certification we can easily state that this is a silent unit, although it doesn't feature a semi-passive operation, which is not absolutely necessary though for low noise operation.

The cooling fan is of very high quality and it uses a fluid dynamic bearing, so it will last for quite long, under normal operating temperatures at least. Lastly, all necessary protection features are present while the unit's dimensions are quite large, given that the similar capacity SSR-650PX measures 32mm less in depth.

Power Specifications

Rail 3.3V 5V 12V 5VSB -12V
Max. Power Amps 20 20 54.17 2.5 0.3
Watts 120 650 12.5 3.6
Total Max. Power (W) 650

The +12V rail can deliver the unit's full power alone, something typical in PSUs with DC-DC converters for the generation of the minor rails. The 5VSB rail has enough capacity for a mid-level system, while the minor rails are set at 120W max combined power.

Cables & Connectors

Modular Cables
Description Cable Count Connector Count (Total) Gauge In Cable Capacitors
ATX connector 20+4 pin (600mm) 1 1 18-22AWG No
8 pin EPS12V (700mm) / 4+4 EPS12V (+150mm) 1 1 / 1 18AWG No
6+2 pin PCIe (650mm+150mm) 1 2 18AWG No
6+2 pin PCIe (500mm+150mm) 1 2 18AWG No
SATA (500mm+150mm+150mm+150mm) 2 8 18AWG No
SATA (500mm+150mm) / 4-pin Molex (150mm+100mm) 1 2 / 2 18AWG No
SATA (500mm+150mm) / 4-pin Molex (150mm) / FDD (+150mm) 1 2 / 1 / 1 18-22AWG No
AC Power Cord (1400mm) – C13 coupler 1 1 16AWG

It is good to see a couple of EPS connectors, but FSP should install them in separate cables. Given that each EPS connector can deliver up to 336W on paper and considering that this PSU can work with a server mainboard equipped with a couple of high core processors, then you will most likely have to deal with melted cables, with the connectors following next.

FSP should set a power limit for the couple of EPS connectors residing on the same cable.

As long as you use a single CPU (even if it is an AMD Threadripper) and you are not planning on seriously overclocking it, we don't believe that you will run into any problems.

All cables are long enough and the distance between all peripheral connectors (apart from a single 4-pin Molex) is ideal at 15 cm. What strikes us as odd is the addition of a fixed FDD connector in one of the modular cables. FSP should add instead a 4-pin Molex and provide an inexpensive 4-pin Molex to FDD adapter. This would also raise the number of 4-pin Molex connectors to four.

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Asus ROG Thor 1200W PSU Review – a heavily modified Seasonic! https://www.kitguru.net/components/power-supplies/aris-bitziopoulos/asus-rog-thor-1200w-psu-review-a-heavily-modified-seasonic/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/power-supplies/aris-bitziopoulos/asus-rog-thor-1200w-psu-review-a-heavily-modified-seasonic/#respond Mon, 22 Oct 2018 11:31:47 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=391179 This is ASUS first entry into the PSU market -and cor blimey what a unit it is too!

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The moment has come – Asus have entered the PSU market for good, through its ROG sub-brand. Today we find out if the Thor unit has what it takes to go after marketing leading products such the Seasonic Prime 1200 Platinum and the much older, but still top-notch, Corsair AX1200i. With the decline of GPU mining, the market for power supplies is finally becoming more competitive, so we find out today if the new ASUS THOR 1200W has what it takes to attract an audience of buyers.

Everyone who reads KitGuru knows Asus. What probably most of you don't know is that this famous brand, responsible for some of the best mainboards ever made (I still remember my first Asus mainboard, a CUSL2 which made its debut almost 18 years ago) decided to enter the PSU market only very recently, through its highly prestigious ROG brand.

Since Asus didn't have the time, or simply didn't want to devote resources to build its own platform, it decided to cooperate with one of the best PSU manufacturers on the planet – SeaSonic by adopting its top-notch Prime platform. Asus is familiar with power supplies since its engineers have to deal with the design of VRMs (Voltage Regulation Modules) that equip its mainboards and graphics cards, however it was much safer to go with an already tested platform considered among the best that money can buy today.

‘THOR' is a pretty cool brand name for a power supply after all Thor was the Norse God of War – known for his lightning, storms, and strength. The ROG Thor series line currently consists of two units, with 1200W and 850W capacities available. In this review we will fully test the strongest member of the line, with model number RTSS01-1200P1.

The ROG Thor 1200P is based on a heavily modified version of the similar capacity Seasonic Prime Platinum model, featuring larger heatsinks internally and a micro-controller feeding real-time power draw data to an OLED screen installed on the unit's side. There is also addressable RGB lighting and Aura Sync compatibility, for those of you that want a fancy power supply this certainly looks to tick all the boxes!

Read our How We Test Power Supplies HERE

Specifications

Manufacturer (OEM) Seasonic
Max.DC Output 1200W
Efficiency 80 PLUS Platinum, ETA-A (88-91%)
Noise LAMBDA-A+ (15-20 dB[A])
Modular (Fully)
Intel
C6/C7 Power State Support
Operating Temperature 0 – 50°C
Over Voltage Protection
Under Voltage Protection
Over Power Protection
Over Current (+12V) Protection
Over Temperature Protection
Short Circuit Protection
Surge Protection
Inrush Current Protection
Fan Failure Protection
No Load Operation
Cooling 135mm Double Ball Bearing Fan (PLA13525B12M)
Semi-Passive Operation (selectable)
Dimensions (W x H x D) 152 x 88 x 192mm
Weight 2.37 kg (5.22 lb)
Form Factor ATX12V v2.4, EPS 2.92
Warranty 10 Years

The Thor unit is 80 PLUS Platinum and ETA-A certified by Cybenetics. In the noise section it scores a LAMBDA-A+ rating, which is great for a 1200W power supply. The same capacity Seasonic Prime model has a much higher overall noise output (LAMBDA-S, 43.25 dB[A]). Apparently the new cooling system that Asus utilized has done a marvelous job!

The max operating temperature is 50°C, however it is not clear whether the Thor 1200P is able to deliver its full power continuously at such a high temperature. Seasonic derates its SSR-1200PD model to 80% of its max-rated-power at 50°C, for continuous load delivery, stating that only at 40°C the unit is able for continuous full load delivery.

The cooling duties are handled by a double ball-bearing fan, which will be able to cope better under tough conditions than a fluid dynamic bearing fan. It is impressive to see such low noise output with a DBB fan, which is more noisy compared to a similar spec FDB. Finally, the provided warranty is very long at ten years, while the PSU's dimensions are quite large with 192mm length. This is 20mm more than the SSR-1200PD.

Power Specifications

Rail 3.3V 5V 12V 5VSB -12V
Max. Power Amps 25 25 100 3 0.3
Watts 125 1200 15 3.6
Total Max. Power (W) 1200

The minor rails are strong and the single +12V rail can deliver up to 100 Amps if/when needed. The 5VSB rail has 15W capacity and in real life it can deliver much more, without sweating.

Brands tend to keep the official capacity of this rail low though, just to be safe since under high loads its components will get quite hot; remember that the 5VSB rail operates with the PSU in standby, hence the cooling fan is not in operation.

Cables & Connectors

Modular Cables
Description Cable Count Connector Count (Total) Gauge In Cable Capacitors
ATX connector 20+4 pin (610mm) 1 1 18-20AWG No
4+4 pin EPS12V (650mm) 2 2 18AWG No
6+2 pin PCIe (680mm) 4 4 18AWG No
6+2 pin PCIe (680mm+70mm) 2 4 18AWG No
SATA (350mm+150mm+150mm+150mm) 1 4 18AWG No
SATA (400mm+115mm+115mm+115mm) 2 8 18AWG No
4-pin Molex to 2x SATA (150mm) 1 2 18AWG No
4-pin Molex (350mm+120mm) 1 2 18AWG No
4-pin Molex (450mm+120mm+120mm) 1 3 18AWG No
FDD Adapter (+105mm) 1 1 22AWG No
RGB Cable (800mm) 1 1 22AWG No
RGB Sync Cable (800mm) 1 1 24AWG No
AC Power Cord Type (1380mm) 1 1 18AWG

A great amount of cables and connectors equips the Thor unit, including two EPS and eight PCIe connectors. It is nice to also see four dedicated PCIe connectors, meaning that each of them is installed on its own cable for lower voltage drops. If you plan to highly overclock your graphics cards and install “only” a pair, then those cables should be preferred.

The number of SATA connectors is adequate and one of the cables provide large enough distance between the connectors, while the other two are ideal for situations where the drives are installed next to each other.

The SATA adapter with the pair of SATA connectors supports SATA 3.3-based drives. This means that in this cable the 3.3V rail is absent from the SATA connectors, since it doesn't exist on the four-pin Molex connector which feeds them power.

The 4-pin Molex connectors are placed 120mm apart. It would be nice to see at least 150mm distance given that the components (e.g. case fans) that are fed from those connectors, are usually installed far away from each other.

The ATX along with both EPS and four PCIe connectors use individually sleeved wires, while all the rest use flat, ribbon style, cables. ROG also teamed up with CableMod to offer a 20% discount, for a limited time though, to the users that want something fancier. So if you want something even nicer than the provided cables, or if you require custom length cables, then you better hurry up.

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Riotoro 1200W Builder Edition PSU Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/power-supplies/aris-bitziopoulos/riotoro-1200w-builder-edition-psu-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/power-supplies/aris-bitziopoulos/riotoro-1200w-builder-edition-psu-review/#respond Wed, 17 Oct 2018 15:39:20 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=389816 It's a 1200W unit from Riotoro - but is it worth the £180 asking price?

The post Riotoro 1200W Builder Edition PSU Review first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
The Riotoro 1200W Builder Edition has been released for users who aren't bothered about RGB lighting, distinctive external design or other extras. It packs high power at a fair price – something that was the holy grail a few months ago, when mining with GPUs was still profitable. However, the situation has changed and with GPU mining seemingly in the past now, is this unit worth the £180 asking price?

Riotoro's Builder Edition series has so far consisted of mainstream PSUs, suitable for a run of the mill system. This makes the addition of a 1200W model look slightly odd, since the performance and wattage gap between the next tier down (a 600W unit) is huge. It seems Riotoro wanted to capitalise on the solid bang-for-buck rating its Builder series has been achieving, and thus created the 1200W model we have for review.

The impact of GPU mining was significant not only in the GPU market, but in power supplies as well, so naturally many brands wanted a piece of the pie and released high capacity PSUs, which were in high demand. The problem nowadays is that there is lots of stock of unsold PSUs with over 1kW capacity and the companies that invested money and resources into releasing similar models might never see a profit- or at least the expected one.

While that means it was understandable to go after the high capacity PSU market last year, this target market is not really a focus for the major brands anymore. There is still a market for super strong units, however this is still much more niche compared to the market for low and mid-capacity PSUs.

Read our How We Test Power Supplies HERE.

Specifications

Manufacturer (OEM) High Power
Max. DC Output 1200W
Efficiency 80 PLUS Gold, ETA-A (88-91%)
Noise LAMBDA-S+ (35-40 dB[A])
Modular (Fully)
Intel
C6/C7 Power State Support
Operating Temperature (Continuous Full Load) 0 – 50°C
Over Voltage Protection
Under Voltage Protection
Over Power Protection
Over Current (+12V) Protection
Over Temperature Protection
Short Circuit Protection
Surge Protection
Inrush Current Protection
Fan Failure Protection
No Load Operation
Cooling 135mm Double Ball-Bearing Fan (RL4Z B1352512HH)
Semi-Passive Operation
Dimensions (W x H x D) 152 x 87 x 182mm
Weight 1.95 kg (4.3 lb)
Form Factor ATX12V v2.4, EPS 2.92
Warranty 5 Years

Riotoro chose High Power as the OEM for its flagship PSU, mainly because this manufacturer is able to provide decent performing products at affordable prices. The registered efficiency is 80 PLUS Gold and ETA-A, while in the noise section Cybenetics awarded it with a LAMBDA-S+ badge.

All important protection features are provided, while the unit's cooling is handled by a 135mm double ball-bearing fan. Apparently Riotoro had tough conditions in mind, like mining, so it chose a DBB fan over a fluid dynamic bearing one, which can offer a quieter operation. Finally, there is no semi-passive mode available, which is a shame in such a high capacity PSU since it could help minimise the noise output under light loads.

The dimensions are normal for a 1.2kW power supply and the provided warranty is long enough at five years. More popular brands offer ten or even twelve years warranty, however we do believe that such long periods are unrealistic for PSUs.

Power Specifications

Rail 3.3V 5V 12V 5VSB -12V
Max. Power Amps 25 25 100 3 0.3
Watts 130 1200 15 3.6
Total Max. Power (W) 1200

The minor rails are quite strong for today's needs, while the +12V rail can deliver up to 100 Amps if/when needed. Finally, the 5VSB rail should be a bit stronger since this is a powerful PSU.

Cables & Connectors

Modular Cables
Description Cable Count Connector Count (Total) Gauge In Cable Capacitors
ATX connector 20+4 pin (550mm) 1 1 16-22AWG No
4+4 pin EPS12V (650mm) 2 2 16AWG No
6+2 pin PCIe (2x600mm) 2 4 16AWG No
6+2 pin PCIe (600mm+150mm) 1 4 16-18AWG No
SATA (500mm+100mm+100mm+100mm) 3 12 18AWG No
4-pin Molex (500mm+100mm+100mm) 2 6 18AWG No
FDD Adapter (+160mm) 1 1 22AWG No
AC Power Cord (1400mm) – C13 coupler 1 1 16AWG

A large number of cables and connectors are provided, including two EPS and eight PCIe connectors along with twelve SATA cables. There are also six 4-pin Molex connectors spread across two cables.

Ideally the ATX and EPS cables should be a little longer, reaching 60cm and 70cm respectively, so as to ensure they are long enough for even the biggest of modern cases. Thankfully larger, 16AWG, gauges have been used in cables that have to deal with increased amperage to lower voltage drops, though the distance between the peripheral connectors is too short at only 10cm. It should be 14-15cm at least.

The PCIe cable that uses a single 12-pin socket from the PSU's modular board, and provides four 6+2pin connectors, does trouble us as well. This implementation can put too much stress on the socket and the corresponding connector.

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