Maximum PC power supply RSS Feed

Corsair Launches Highest Wattage TX Series PSU Yet

Paul Lilly — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:30:30 -0500

Corsair on Tuesday announced the launch of its new TX950W power supply, which takes its place as the flagship model in Corsair's TX series. The only higher wattage PSU the company offers is the modular HX1000.

The company's PSUs have earned a reputation as being reliable, and Corsair says this newest unit is "built using industrial-grade components to ensure clean and stable voltages." It comes with a dedicated +12V rail rated at a whopping 78A (936W), which the company says equates to 98.5 percent of the PSU's total power output.

Other specs include 80 PLUS Bronze certification (at least 85 percent energy efficient at typical load levels), six 6+2-pin PCI-E cables, active PFC, and a five year warranty.

No word on price or availability, though we'd guess it to be in the ballpark of $225.

Image Credit: Corsair

Corsair Releases 650W Modular PSU, Targets Core i5/i7 Platform Builders

Paul Lilly — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:55:00 -0500

Corsair today added to its Professional Series of power supplies with the release of its HX650W modular PSU. The 650W unit edges out the HX620 and settles behind the HX750W, HX850W, and HX1000W, all of which boast a low profile modular cable set, low noise levels, and high efficiency ratings.

"The Corsair HX650W is ideal for enthusiasts and gamers who are looking for a highly efficient, quiet, modular power supply, but don't need the higher wattage offered by the other PSUs in the Professional Series," said Jim Carlton, VP of Marketing at Corsair. "The HX650W offers the same unmatched quality standard and 7 year warranty, but at a power level more suitable for mid/high-spec PC builds, such as those based on Intel's Core i5 and Core i7 'Lynnfield' processors."

The new PSU serves up 52A through a single +12V rail, which Corsair claims has been tested and guaranteed to operate at 100 percent load at an ambient temperature of 50C. Other specs include an 82 percent efficiency rating (enough to earn the 80 PLUS BRONZE certification), 4 PCI-E connectors, and support for both SLI and CrossFire X setups.

No word yet on price or availability.

Inmage Credit: Corsair

Help Cooler Master Design a Kickass Case, Cooler, or PSU

Paul Lilly — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 12:45:35 -0500

Nothing to see here, just an empty, desolate post.

BFG's New 1000W Power Supply Only Available at Best Buy

Paul Lilly — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:15:09 -0500

Adding to its EX power supply line, BFG this week launched its new EX-1000, a 1000 watt modular power supply that you will only be able to purchase at Best Buy stores or through BestBuy.com.

The modular unit boasts 80 Plus Bronze certification, which calls for PSUs to retain 85 percent power at a 50 percent load, and never drop below 82 percent at any load level. According to BFG, out of the 1,627 power supplies certified to be 80 Plus efficient, only 175, or less than 10 percent, are 1000W or greater.

Connectors consist of 12x SATA, 2x 4-pin floppy, 9x 4-pin Molex, 3x 8-pin (6+2) PCI-E, 3x 6-pin PCI-E, 1x 8-pin CPU 12V, 1x 4-pin CPU 12V, and 1x 24-pin (20+4-pin) motherboard. Other features include quad +12V rails, a "silent" 135mm intake fan, a handful of Velcro straps, and a lifetime warranty (when registered within 30 days of purchase date).

The EX-1000 is available now from Best Buy / BestBuy.com for $200.

Image Credit: BFG

OCZ Goes for the (80+) Gold (Certification) with Z-Series PSUs

Paul Lilly — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:07:29 -0500

Adding to its growing power supply line, OCZ this week announced the immediate availability of its new Z-Series Gold power supply line. Each new model boasts 80+ Gold certification, which means they must remain at least 90 percent efficient at 50 percent load, and never drop below 87 percent efficiency at any load level.

The new models are available in 850W and 1000W in either modular or non-modular form. Taking a page from PC Power & Cooling, which was acquired by OCZ in 2007, the Z-Series sports a single, beefy +12V rail (83A on the 1000W and 71A on the 850W) rather than spreading the amperage through multiple +12V rails.

All the other standard essentials are accounted for, including active PFC, a large cooling fan (135mm), oodles of SATA connectors, and SLI certification.

The Z-Series is available now for $300 (Z1000M), $290 (Z1000), $240 (Z850M), and $220 (Z850).

Image Credit: OCZ

Enermax Pushes For 90%+ Efficiency Power Supply Rating

Andy Salisbury — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 16:59:53 -0500

Currently, power supply vendors are rewarded by having power efficiency of 80 percent. But, Enermax is taking this one step forward by boasting efficiency rates of 90 percent and higher.

In today’s PSU market, there are bronze, silver and gold labels for 80-Plus certification, with gold landing anywhere between 87 and 93 percent efficiency. Enermax is suggesting that there be a true 90-Plus certification, so that customers can identify premium power supplies easier. They also plan to take a majority of their power supplies above 90 percent by Q4 of this year.

If you’re interested in one of these 90 percenters, be sure to check out PSUs from Enermax’s Revolution series, which are available now.

Image Credit: Tom's Hardware US

BFG Expands Trade Up Program to Include Power Supplies

Paul Lilly — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:04:21 -0500

For those of you not familiar with BFG's Trade Up program, registered owners of qualified videocards have 100 calendar days from the date of purchase to trade their card in for a faster, more expensive model and pay the price difference. Now you'll be able to do the same with BFG-brand power supplies, assuming you meet the criteria.

"This program only applies to BFG power supplies purchased after June 1, 2009," BFG states. "This program may not be available to all customers, and rules/restrictions may apply. The Program is currently only available in the U.S. and Canada."

For a limited time, BFG is extending the offer to include PSUs purchased as far back as January 1, 2009. The company doesn't say how long the offer will remain valid.

More terms and conditions here.

XFX Will Make Fashion Statement with New PSU Line

Paul Lilly — Mon, 25 May 2009 12:57:50 -0500

XFX has been full of surprises this past year. Five months ago, the one time Nvidia partner announced it would start selling ATI-brand videocards, and now the GPU maker wants to start dabbling in power supplies. An increasingly popular segment, OCZ, Corsair, and BFG are all semi-recent entrants into the PSU landscape.

For XFX's part, the GPU maker looks to kick off its PSU line with the XFX 850 Black Edition (XPS-850W-BES). According to a PowerPoint being shown at Computex, the modular unit boasts "high quality Japansese brand capacitors (105C)," 850W of continuous power at 50C, up to 88 percent efficiency (enough to qualify for the 80 Plus Silver badge), and a single +12V rail providing up to 70A, or 840W.

Though modular, the Black Edition PSU will sport a handful of fixed connections, namely a single 20/24-pin ATX connector, both a 4/8-pin and 8-pin EPS12V connector, and two 6/8-pin PCI-E connectors. Modular cables include two more PCI-E 6/8-pin, a whopping 11 SATA connectors, eight 4-pin Molex connectors, and two 4-pin FDD connectors.

Image Credit: Crisp Brand Agency via PCPerspective