X-bit labs

Ten Kilowatts of Power: 1000W+ PSU Roundup (page 13)

Category: Other

by Oleg Artamonov

[ 01/18/2008 | 09:40 AM ]

Thermaltake Toughpower W0133RE (1200W) and W0171RE (1500W)

The wattage rating of the 1300W model discussed in the previous section was impressive enough, but now I’m going to talk about the absolute leader among all PSUs I have tested so far. It is the 1500W Toughpower W0171RE. In my imaginary rating list, it is slightly superior to my home vacuum-cleaner, yet still far inferior to the electric iron and electric kettle.

The 1500W model came along with a 1200W W0133RE. Both being based on the same platform, I will discuss them together.

These PSUs are almost as large as the Enermax Galaxy DXX, but have much higher wattage than the latter. The exterior is traditional for the latest generation of PSUs from Thermaltake: a dark-beige matte case, aluminum labels on the sides (which make it hard to dismantle the unit: there are two screws under the label, and aluminum is not a simple paper sticker “Warranty Void…”), and a punched-out but pretty-looking fan grid.

The rear panels of the PSUs offer four connectors for peripherals and as many as six for graphics cards. It is indicated what +12V lines power what connectors, and there are appropriate labels on the cables, too.

The photo of the internal design is quite an extraordinary view: each PSU consists of two halves each of which is a full-featured 750W power supply! I haven’t seen this kind of design before. Yes, there are PSUs with multiple regulators or even two power transformers, but here we have two PSUs, each with its own high-voltage section even, packed into a single housing!

One of these sub-PSUs is responsible for the +5V rail and three +12V lines. The other provides the +3.3V rail and three more +12V lines. Each of the sub-PSUs is absolutely independent. Each has its own active PFC device even.

The junior model can yield all its output power, 1200W, via the +12V power rail. To be more exact, there are two +12V power rails (distributed among the sub-PSUs as described above) with a load capacity of 600W each.

The senior model can provide 1440W via the +12V rail, which is slightly less than the full output power. The difference is small, though, especially for such big numbers.

The PSUs are equipped with the following cables and connectors:

• Mainboard cable with a 20+4-pin connector (45cm)
• CPU cable with a 4+4-pin connector (55cm)
• CPU cable with an 8-pin connector (55cm)
• (1500W model only) Graphics card cable with 8-pin and 6-pin connectors (50+15cm)
• Six connectors for graphics card cables
• Four connectors for peripherals

Included with the PSUs are:

• Three graphics card cables with one 6-pin connector on each (50cm)

• Three graphics card cables with one 8-pin connector on each (50cm)
• Three adapters from 8-pin to 6-pin connectors for graphics cards
• Two cables with four Molex connectors and one floppy drive plug on each (50+15+15+15+15cm)
• Two cables with four SATA power connectors on each (50+15+15+15cm)

Thus, the senior model offers two more graphics card connectors (8 as opposed to the junior model’s 6) by means of the non-detachable cable.