X-bit labs

ATX Power Supply Units Roundup. Part VIII (page 3)

Category: Other

by Oleg Artamonov

[ 12/11/2007 | 10:04 AM ]

HEC (Ascot) Silent Pro A-460 (460W)

I didn’t include this PSU into the previous section because it differs, even though not by much, from the A-360 and A-420.

The A-460 has exactly the same housing as the lower-wattage models of the series: a standard gray color, a punched-out fan grid, and additional fastening screws (you can see their heads on the side panel) that compensate the low rigidity of the thin metallic panels.

The interior is different, even though not fundamentally. The PSU has the same functionality (it lacks PFC and has joint voltage regulation) but uses another PCB.

Well, this difference must be due to the impossibility to install a passive PFC device into the A-460. Most of the A-360’s PCB was intended for it and some components had to be moved forward. In the A-460, there is just no place to fit a PFC device into. Thanks to that, the heatsink with switching transistors (the left one in the snapshot) has become longer, so you can expect this PSU to work successfully under full load, unlike the A-420 model.

This is an ATX12V 2.0 power supply. It provides a max current of 32A (i.e. 384W) on the +12V rail (which is split into two virtual output lines).

The cables are the same as in the Ascot A-420:

• Mainboard cable with a 20+4 connector (44cm long)
• CPU cable with a 4-pin connector (45cm)
• One cable with two 6-pin connectors for graphics cards (45cm+15cm)
• Two cables with two Molex connectors and one mini-plug for a floppy drive on each (45+19+19cm)
• One cable with two SATA power connectors and two Molex connectors (45+19+19+19cm)

The mainboard cable is sleeved; the other cables are tied up with nylon straps.

Again I don’t share the manufacturer’s affection towards Molex plugs. Of course, we have all got used to them in the last decade and there are large stores of such connectors at the storehouse, but why? A new modern PC does not have a single device that would need a Molex. Graphics cards with this connector are long obsolete and PATA drives are about to become such. The assortment of optical drives with a SATA interface isn’t frugal anymore. The PSU manufacturer doesn’t even have to make any effort to transition from Molex to SATA power connectors – they just have to put the other type onto the same cables! Well, I don’t have anything against two or three Molex plugs for the sake of backward compatibility, but you don’t need more of them. I just hope this situation will change as soon as possible.