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The wise guys and gals over at Thermaltake rolled out a total of seven new "Smart" series power supplies. Three of them are modular, including 450W, 550W, and 650W models, and the other four are wired and include 430W, 530W, 630W, and 730W models. Modular or not, each Smart unit boasts features to help you "outsmart your bills," Thermaltake claims.
Harold Camping totally blew it when he calculated the world would end in October (and every earlier date as well), but had he predicted this would be the year PC Power & Cooling finally launched a modular power supply, he would have looked like a genius. PCP&P, as many of you are familiar with, takes a no-nonsense approach to PSU design, and maintained that philosophy even when it was acquired by OCZ. The new Silencer Mk III is the company's first ever modular PSU, and purportedly just as reliable as any other unit sporting a PCP&P label.
The power supply scene is inundated with options, both big and small, as well as wired and modular. Your choices dwindle drastically, however, if you're looking for a fully modular PSU where every single power cable is detachable, including the main 24-pin ATX cable. That's what OCZ's new ZT Series of power supplies bring to the cable, along with modest wattage ratings at pedestrian price points.
It's generally a good idea to let your power supply decide when it needs a burst of air to keeps its internals nice and chilly, but if you'd rather take matters into your own hands, Cooler Master's Silent Pro Hybrid Series is a new line of fully modular power supplies that come bundled with a fan controller. With it you can turn off your PSU's fan and control up to three system fans. Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen, except Cooler Master put a safe guard in place.
Why go for the gold when platinum is within reach? That's the question Enermax asked itself when designing its new Platimax power supply series, which brings the 80 Plus Platinum certification bling, the highest 80 Plus certification available in the U.S. What that stamp means is that the Platimax line has been certified at least 95 percent efficient at 50 percent typical load and no less than 91 percent efficient when fully loaded.
Thermaltake's new Toughpower XT Platinum and Gold power supplies mean business, at least on paper. These new high-output PSUs come in three wattages -- 1275W, 1375W, and 1475W -- two of which are 80 Plus Gold certified (1375W and 1475W), with the other receiving an 80 Plus Platinum stamp.
Don't have a fortune to plunk down on a power supply? Fair enough, but don't use that as excuse to roll the dice with a generic label promising high watts for pennies on the dollar. Cheaply constructed units do fail, and when it happens, it's not pretty. With that in mind, OCZ's hoping PSU shoppers with modest coin to spend will turn to its new ZS line.
Can you remember the last time you utilized every single cable on your power supply? For most, it's probably been awhile, which is why modular power supplies are so popular, even if you don't suffer from OCD. If you've been eyeing up Corsair's Enthusiast Series PSUs and wishing they too came with modular cables, today's your lucky day.
Lian Li isn't afraid to take a design risk every now and then, even if it might lead to ridicule. This was proven with the release of the
The Maximum PC mindset is one that unapologetically goes overboard at every opportunity. We're talking hexacore CPUs, gobs of RAM, and multiple solid state drives in a RAID 0 configuration. And to power all this gear? We want a power supply that darkens the entire city every time we push our PC's power button. The obvious downside to going over the top is cost, and in terms of the PSU, getting too carried away doesn't net any kind of return. Have you ever wondered what size PSU you really need? Check out eXtreme Outer Vision's online PSU calculator.








