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Thermaltake Toughpower 1000Watt Power Supply Review
Author: Jim Manis
Published: Monday, September 22, 2008
Power Output and Observations
Here at Ninjalane we don't own an expensive PSU analyzer so our observations are more from an end user perspective and wont’ be based solely on technological aspects full of charts and graphs. Instead we approached this review with the intent providing a users with a perspective of the abilities of this unit in a real world setting,
During testing I pushed my rig farther than I had ever gone before, 5350mhz with all four cores going strong. This was followed up by running a full suite of 3dmark benches at over 5ghz while using three cards and multiple HDD's and basically had no power issues at all.
A brief look at the power specifications show the tremendous power available. This is no lightweight. In the manual is a chart explaining the power distribution.
During testing I pushed my rig farther than I had ever gone before, 5350mhz with all four cores going strong. This was followed up by running a full suite of 3dmark benches at over 5ghz while using three cards and multiple HDD's and basically had no power issues at all.
A brief look at the power specifications show the tremendous power available. This is no lightweight. In the manual is a chart explaining the power distribution.
Here is a rundown..
24 pin +12v - 12v1
4+4 pin +12v - 12v2
8 pin +12v - 12v2,12v3
Peripherial and Floppy - 12v4
6 pin PCI-E - 12v3
6 pin PCI-E - 12v3
6 pin PCI-E - 12v4
8 pin PCI-E - 12v3
8 pin PCI-E - 12v4
8 pin PCI-E - 12v4
12v3 and 12v4 rails are the largest rails at 36 amps maximum each which makes them perfect for videocards. The table below gives you a rundown of the power distribution and helpls to explain Thermaltake's reason for dividing up the six PCI-E cords onto the rails in the way they did.
24 pin +12v - 12v1
4+4 pin +12v - 12v2
8 pin +12v - 12v2,12v3
Peripherial and Floppy - 12v4
6 pin PCI-E - 12v3
6 pin PCI-E - 12v3
6 pin PCI-E - 12v4
8 pin PCI-E - 12v3
8 pin PCI-E - 12v4
8 pin PCI-E - 12v4
12v3 and 12v4 rails are the largest rails at 36 amps maximum each which makes them perfect for videocards. The table below gives you a rundown of the power distribution and helpls to explain Thermaltake's reason for dividing up the six PCI-E cords onto the rails in the way they did.
Multi Rail vs Single Rail
There are two schools of thought on multi-raill PSU's versus single rail. Most of the debates are based in a time when manufacturers used the multi-rail design to exaggerate the power their unit was actually able to handle, and while in theory they could produce the numbers they often required that each rail be configured to maximize the 5v in order to elevate the 12v to the quoted numbers. Most of this was a simple numbers game designed to "fool" customers into thinking their model had enough juice for their needs.
Today’s larger units have mostly alleviated the problems of past models however the multi-rail arguments still abound on the web.
With Nvidia and ATI giving their approval to components it has helped with the buying decision. Most modern PSU'S have passed many industry standard tests and the Thermaltake 1kW is no exception and definitely makes a buyer feel more secure in their purchase. Let’s face it the power supply is about the only part of your computer that can die and take everything else with it and is not an area you want to skimp on.
Today’s larger units have mostly alleviated the problems of past models however the multi-rail arguments still abound on the web.
With Nvidia and ATI giving their approval to components it has helped with the buying decision. Most modern PSU'S have passed many industry standard tests and the Thermaltake 1kW is no exception and definitely makes a buyer feel more secure in their purchase. Let’s face it the power supply is about the only part of your computer that can die and take everything else with it and is not an area you want to skimp on.
