Maximum PC

i was wondering if this psu would be good for a sli rig , i love how easy it seems by the reviews but i want consumer opinion
( http://coolerguys.com/840556061038.html )
( http://www.ultraproducts.com/product_in ... 89cf710910 )

It is the X-connect psu from Ultraproducts (www.ultraproducts.com)

NO.

NO.

Just stick with a reliable brand such as Antec, Thermaltake, PC Power & Cooling, OCZ etc etc.

You're going to get mixed opinons. MaxPC gave it a 4 out of 10 in their PSU roundup and various complaints have popped up regarding odor, failures, etc. On the flipside, I've also seen quite a few users come out of the woodwork with praise each time an Ultra X-Connect thread is started.

Personally, I would recommend spending your money elsewhere. While it's possible that MaxPC simply received a lemon, you'd think they'd verify prior to shipping that the PSU works. Also, you have to consider that MaxPC tested worst case scenarios which end up highlighting potential problems. Normal usage owners aren't likely to see the same things, so you have to take user opinions with a grain of salt.

Regarldess, there's a lot of worthy options out there so decide for yourself whether you feel it's a gamble or not.

advertising for this psu is on the back of this months issue of max pc. Alienware and many other major companies and internet stores gave this psu a great reviews and awards like max pcs kick ass award just as a thought, iv read about 40 different articles on this psu hmmm its a hard decision anyone else have any good input?

i would never buy one.

I personally will stick to the popular brands of psu manufacturers. Brands like X Connect just came into the market and is trying to get a slice of the pie that the big boys are enjoying. I have a PC Power&cooling TurboCool 850 sitting down in my room waiting to be transplanted into my tower for the upgrade in 2006.

You do realize that the editors of MaximumPC have nothing to do with the ads, right? This is what they had to say regarding the unit - LINK.

Some other threads of interest:
Linkage
More Linkage
And More Linkage

Just do a search for 'X-Connect' and you'll pull up a wealth of threads with a variety of opinions.

Maximum PC, unlike the United States government, they do have a seperation of State and Church. See, the Lab at Maximum PC does not interact (at all) with the Marketing deparment.

With that said; I do remember the 4 M-PC gave to the X-con becasue of some critical factors, but I red throught the whole article and it seems like they even gave a not so good score to some of the crow's favorite OCZ PowerStream 520. 7, i f you ask me that's not a good score. Also seems like the most important factor on all the PSU is that they must have an "Active Power Factor Correction" (PFC).

I would say, if you want a good PSU for your next system, I would go for:
1-THERMALTAKE PurePower W0023R ATX 560W Power Supply. PLUS= over volatage protection.
2-OCZ ModStream OCZ52012U ATX 520W Power Supply. PLUS=26A in the +12V.
Note that both PSUs have Active PFC.

The OCZ ModStream series does not have active PFC in the US. only the european models have it, check OCZ's site and youll see.

Just for clarification, "etc etc." also means Enermax.

Good one Athlon, you're right about the OCZ's not having PFC, neither do the Powerstream 520's....I was just about to buy one today but now I am back to looking....also the fact that I have sent 4 emails to OCZ tech with a question, and they have not bothered to reply in a week leads me to look for something else....I am about ready to screw the pooch and spend the xtra $ on a pc power and cooling and at least i will have something to be buried with when my time comes

hey Thug, any chance you could give an Enermax recommendation for a psu?

I have
Amd 3500
6800 gt vga
maxtor 3 250 s/ata
MSI n4 platinum sli
1 gig Corsair

I want a psu that will handle another 6800gt down the road in sli config, so I want enough power to handle this stuff and maybe another card down the line, without having to upgrade to another psu

thanks for any help

What email addy are you sending to? OCZ has some of the best customer service around. Try cruising by their Support/Sales Forum, or dropping a line to support at ocztechnology dot com.

ah yeah! Of course.. heh.

I hear very good things about the Enermax Noisetaker series.

I don't see the lure to those xconnect PSUs. They look really cheezy to me and if the modular feature is what draws most people, most companies sleeve their cables now anyway.

Maybe I'm missing something.

The PCP&C psu's do not have active pfc either and active pfc isnt even that big of a deal really. i am still going to go with the PowerStream520.

Same here. I've got the Ultra X-Connect at work only because that's what my boss ordered for me. I ended up having to use all of the connectors.
Actually, with the plastic/rubber/whatever it's made of sleeving that they use on it makes the cables a bit thicker which makes the cables a bit more difficult to bend and if anything would probably hinder airflow. :shrug:

As for reliability, this is the only one I've ever used and it's only been in service for ~4mos (24/7) so it's hard to say. So far so good though.

Since you want to do SLI, I suggest the EG701AX-VE SFMA 2.0 SLI (600W). Enough power, and dual PCI-Express power connectors. product link

What email addy are you sending to? OCZ has some of the best customer service around. Try cruising by their Support/Sales Forum, or dropping a line to support at ocztechnology dot com.

I've sent them to whatever the email was at their website, I don't have it in front of me. I thought that their support was top notch too, according to what I have been reading about the companies products and founder....just don't know why they haven't responded???

Athlon, I was just at the pcp&c site and it says the 510 sli does have active PFC....so it really doesn't matter then if the psu has it or not???
have you decided what you're going to get or have you purchased it already....

Thanks ,I'll check out the Enermax's later tonight.....

For the life of me, I read basically most of the posts in the forums here, and with all the info it was really easy to pick out all of the components for my build......BUT on this pos psu I have been going back and forth all week and just can't decide, this is the last thing I need and everything else was a piece of cake

and again, I'm leaning to spend the extra $ on the pcp&c 510 sli, after all it's my first build and i went with pretty top of the line components, you only live once and besides I WILL take it to the grave with me

Well, i did not know that the PCP&C SLI did have active pfc, im glad i know now though. it would be an amazing PSU, i just dont think its any better than the OCZ PowerStream 520. And as long as your using a UPS, active pfc is a negligble feature. i dont think its needed really, and it wont make me buy a psu with it over one without.