X-bit labs

ATX Power Supply Units Roundup. Part IX (page 8)

Category: Other

by Oleg Artamonov

[ 03/28/2008 | 02:47 PM ]

As opposed to the above-discussed products, the Odin Pro features detachable cables. The connectors for them are located at the back panel. There is also a switch there to turn on the blue highlighting of the PSU.

So, the PSU is equipped with the following cables and connectors:

• Mainboard cable with a 24-pin connector (47cm)
• CPU cable with 4- and 8-pin connectors (50+15cm)
• Two connectors for graphics card cables
• Four connectors for other cables

Included with the PSU are:

• Two graphics card cables with one 6-pin connector on each (60cm). Note that the connector that plugs into the graphics card is marked as PCI-E – it differs from the connector that is plugged into the PSU
• One cable with two Molex connectors and one floppy-drive plug (49+14+15cm)
• One cable with three Molex connectors (60+14+14cm)
• Two cables with three SATA power plugs on each (60+14+14cm)

The mainboard connector is equipped with a rubber “head”. The other connectors are ordinary enough.

Alas, the PSU proved to be incompatible with our UPS. Together with an APC SmartUPS SC 620 this power supply worked at loads up to 360W when powered from the mains. But when powered from the batteries, the UPS reported overload even at a load of 250W.

The PSU passed the full-load test successfully, though.

The output voltage ripple is within required limits.

The Odin Pro features dedicated voltage regulation as is confirmed by this test. None of the voltages deflect more than 3% from the nominal value even at greatly misbalanced loads. That’s an excellent result.

The fan maintained a constant speed of 980rpm up to a load of 400W. Although this is not the lowest speed I’ve seen, the Odin Pro can be viewed as a very quiet PSU.

The PSU is 85% efficient through a wide load range, and its power factor is 0.99. The latter fact is somewhat spoiled by the incompatibility of the Power Factor Correction device with our UPS.

So, Gigabyte’s debut on the PSU market can be considered a success. While the Superb 550 is a rather unexciting ordinary model, the Odin Pro, without a doubt, is a more serious product. It’s got a quiet fan, detachable cables, a nice selection of connectors, and very stable output voltages. The only thing I complain about is the poor compatibility of this PSU with uninterruptible power supplies.