Free Weekly Tech Newsletter

shadowbreaker513 · 03-15-2005, 04:50 PM

The ones made early in 2004 were actually pretty good. Starting around July though, they turned into total crap power supplies. Cooking many builds on the first boot.

fudtone · 03-15-2005, 05:10 PM

My Thermaltake 420 takes random (every couple days) big dips on the v3.5 rails when playing what seem to be "easy" for my PC games. I understand this is the most important rail... Is it going to fry my system?

fedz · 03-16-2005, 05:31 PM

I thought 12V was the most important

That could be a problem, I'm not sure the components will like it

How big are the dips anyway? They may be due to inconsistent mains power, although that would affect all the rails

fedz

fudtone · 03-16-2005, 05:36 PM

Im not sure how big. They seem large to the point where my PC slows for a few seconds while this is happening.

nogaard777 · 03-17-2005, 10:55 PM

I'm having trouble finding the review in MaximumPC but their own user rating is 4/5 stars. Maybe Ultras had trouble in the past but I cannot find a horrible review for the X-Connect line, let alone a bad one. Please post a URL if there is one (I may switch back to the Sparkle 550w) I googled Ultra X-connect and all I can find is good reviews. I do know that I run 3 IDE HDs, 1 burner, 2 lights, 5 fans and a 6800Ultra with little variances in the 12v rail. If this isn't loading the PS I don't know what will.

fedz · 03-19-2005, 07:14 AM

If it works for you, then don't change it.

The review was in one of their magazines, I don't remember exactly what happened or what issue it was in. Anyway, the only two PSU's that withstood their tests without fluctuating alarmingly were the Antec Neopower (it didn't fluctuate at all) and a PC P&C 510 series PSU (slight fluctuations, but within the norm). I believe their Tagan and Ultra PSU's blew spectacularly, and the others also failed in similar fashion. This is surprising considering what they ran on it (I believe it was 3 HD's, 2 opticals, a GFX card and a single CPU). However, all components were being stressed at the same time, so there was a lot of power draw.
The funniest thing about the review was their choice of HDD's - they used a pair of IBM deathstars

- thought they'd know better

fedz

netnamakan · 03-19-2005, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fedz

The funniest thing about the review was their choice of HDD's - they used a pair of IBM deathstars

- thought they'd know better

They probably didnt want em' in thier systems so they ended up on the bench rig

nogaard: I am not speaking from experience, I was just going by what I had read about the x-connects, they may be ok psu's however I dont think I could trust anything made by Ultra and or Powmax... only way to find out is to try

namakan

Kov-Ice · 03-20-2005, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nogaard777

I'm having trouble finding the review in MaximumPC...

January 2005, pg. 54

"The Ultra X-Connect is like a bad first date. Its sleek, intricate fan grill and shiny silver finish are immediately impressive, but after about 20 minutes, it clearly comes up short on inner beauty."

Lowest power factor rating in the round-up tested. MaximumPC Verdict = 4

Use at your own risk, and cross your fingers that it doesn't burn up any of your other components when it decides to croak.

fedz · 03-20-2005, 07:09 PM

Great, thanks Kov-Ice! Do you have any more info on that?

fedz

Kov-Ice · 03-20-2005, 11:35 PM

Antec NeoPower 480 received a 10 and a Kick-Ass rating.
PC P&C Turbo-Cool 510 Deluxe a 9 and a Kick-Ass.
Cooler Master RS-450-ACLY an 8.
OCZ PowerStream 520ADJ a 7.
DeVanni (?) DP-568FL a 6.
Ultra X-Connect got ripped with a 4.
Vantec Stealth VAN-520A even worse with a 3.

shadowbreaker513 · 03-30-2005, 02:16 AM

Been reading some research that people have done on other forums and it seems that Maddog psus are made by TTGI/Superflower, and Xiclo are made by Channel Well. Channel Well is hit or miss as they made Antec's Truepower and Smartpower lines.

Locuus · 04-01-2005, 12:54 AM

You don't have Ultra powersuplies int hat list:O)

http://www.ultraproducts.com/index.php?cPath=69_70

I got one just to see how they are, and so far i can detect only 3-5% deviations in the voltages that they claim.
Has been going very stable for about 6-8 months now.
I overclock and do alot of gaming, so it's not like the PC is used for inet browsing only ;O)

shadowbreaker513 · 04-01-2005, 12:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Locuus

You don't have Ultra powersuplies int hat list:O)

http://www.ultraproducts.com/index.php?cPath=69_70

I got one just to see how they are, and so far i can detect only 3-5% deviations in the voltages that they claim.
Has been going very stable for about 6-8 months now.
I overclock and do alot of gaming, so it's not like the PC is used for inet browsing only ;O)

You must have gotten yours right at the end of the good ones. The past few months they have been some of the worst power supplies on the market.

jayb1234 · 09-05-2005, 11:41 PM

I've noticed a lot of posts where people using the newer motherboards were choosing older PSUs that aren't compatabile with the new ATX 2.0 specs. Here is a link to Intel's tested power supply list. I don't know if AMD has a list like this or not, but it should be useful for the people building Intel systems.http://www.intel.com/cd/channel/rese...ence/35829.htm

JayC · 11-15-2006, 04:48 AM

very helpfull...thanks!

03-15-2005, 04:50 PM	#121
shadowbreaker513 Soopa Squishy Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 1,175	The ones made early in 2004 were actually pretty good. Starting around July though, they turned into total crap power supplies. Cooking many builds on the first boot. __________________ Intel Core 2 Duo E6420 / EVGA NF68-T1 680i SLI / EVGA 320mb 8800GTS / Western Digital Raptor 74GB / 4x1024 Mushkin eXtreme Performance / OCZ Modstream 520w / Antec P180

03-15-2005, 05:10 PM	#122
fudtone Got Privilege? Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: IA go Hawks Posts: 1,257	My Thermaltake 420 takes random (every couple days) big dips on the v3.5 rails when playing what seem to be "easy" for my PC games. I understand this is the most important rail... Is it going to fry my system? __________________ P4 2.8E \| 1.5GB ddr400 VR dual channel \| Sony CD-R/RW \| Windows XP \| ATI X1950pro \| Viewsonic P95F \| Intel D865PERLX \| WD 36g Raptor \| MCHSI 3mb Cable "Computers are useless. They can only give you answers." Pablo Picasso (1881 - 1973) "Absence of proof is not proof of absence." William Cowper (1731 - 1800) Wisdom Speaks: Have in your mind that which would constitute a miracle for you. Get the vision. Suspend disbelief and skepticism. Allow yourself to take the journey toward real magic.

03-16-2005, 05:31 PM	#123
fedz GFX Techman Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: The kingdom United Posts: 1,316	I thought 12V was the most important That could be a problem, I'm not sure the components will like it How big are the dips anyway? They may be due to inconsistent mains power, although that would affect all the rails fedz __________________ If it's broke, fix it If it ain't, overclock it ------------------------- http://img64.exs.cx/img64/309/mypc8ursmall2ts.png

11-15-2006, 04:48 AM	#135
JayC Member (6 bit) Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 49	very helpfull...thanks! __________________ ____________________________ -Intel P4 3.2 GHz Processor with Hyper-Threading Technology and Intel D865GBF MotherBoard -500 GB Serial ATA Hard Drive -120 GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive -2 GB PC3200 Dual Channel RAM -BFG FX 5700 Ultra 128GB Video Card -Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS -HP DVD+R/RW & DVD/CD-RW -Memorex DVD/CD-RW drive -Floppy Drive -Antec SP-450 -Clear Acrylic Computer Case -LG Electronics 17" LCD Panel -Logitech z680 Speakers

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Display Modes	Rate This Thread
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode	Rate This Thread:

Need Some Help? Type Your Keywords Here:

Still Need Help? Type Your Keywords Here:

Free Weekly Tech Newsletter

03-16-2005, 05:36 PM	#124
fudtone Got Privilege? Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: IA go Hawks Posts: 1,257	Im not sure how big. They seem large to the point where my PC slows for a few seconds while this is happening.

03-17-2005, 10:55 PM	#125
nogaard777 Member (5 bit) Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 22	I'm having trouble finding the review in MaximumPC but their own user rating is 4/5 stars. Maybe Ultras had trouble in the past but I cannot find a horrible review for the X-Connect line, let alone a bad one. Please post a URL if there is one (I may switch back to the Sparkle 550w) I googled Ultra X-connect and all I can find is good reviews. I do know that I run 3 IDE HDs, 1 burner, 2 lights, 5 fans and a 6800Ultra with little variances in the 12v rail. If this isn't loading the PS I don't know what will.

03-19-2005, 07:14 AM	#126
fedz GFX Techman Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: The kingdom United Posts: 1,316	If it works for you, then don't change it. The review was in one of their magazines, I don't remember exactly what happened or what issue it was in. Anyway, the only two PSU's that withstood their tests without fluctuating alarmingly were the Antec Neopower (it didn't fluctuate at all) and a PC P&C 510 series PSU (slight fluctuations, but within the norm). I believe their Tagan and Ultra PSU's blew spectacularly, and the others also failed in similar fashion. This is surprising considering what they ran on it (I believe it was 3 HD's, 2 opticals, a GFX card and a single CPU). However, all components were being stressed at the same time, so there was a lot of power draw. The funniest thing about the review was their choice of HDD's - they used a pair of IBM deathstars - thought they'd know better fedz

03-20-2005, 07:09 PM	#129
fedz GFX Techman Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: The kingdom United Posts: 1,316	Great, thanks Kov-Ice! Do you have any more info on that? fedz

03-20-2005, 11:35 PM	#130
Kov-Ice Member (12 bit) Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: St. Louis, Missouri Posts: 3,296	Antec NeoPower 480 received a 10 and a Kick-Ass rating. PC P&C Turbo-Cool 510 Deluxe a 9 and a Kick-Ass. Cooler Master RS-450-ACLY an 8. OCZ PowerStream 520ADJ a 7. DeVanni (?) DP-568FL a 6. Ultra X-Connect got ripped with a 4. Vantec Stealth VAN-520A even worse with a 3.

03-30-2005, 02:16 AM	#131
shadowbreaker513 Soopa Squishy Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 1,175	Been reading some research that people have done on other forums and it seems that Maddog psus are made by TTGI/Superflower, and Xiclo are made by Channel Well. Channel Well is hit or miss as they made Antec's Truepower and Smartpower lines.

04-01-2005, 12:54 AM	#132
Locuus Member (2 bit) Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 3	You don't have Ultra powersuplies int hat list:O) http://www.ultraproducts.com/index.php?cPath=69_70 I got one just to see how they are, and so far i can detect only 3-5% deviations in the voltages that they claim. Has been going very stable for about 6-8 months now. I overclock and do alot of gaming, so it's not like the PC is used for inet browsing only ;O)

09-05-2005, 11:41 PM	#134
jayb1234 Member (12 bit) Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 2,509	I've noticed a lot of posts where people using the newer motherboards were choosing older PSUs that aren't compatabile with the new ATX 2.0 specs. Here is a link to Intel's tested power supply list. I don't know if AMD has a list like this or not, but it should be useful for the people building Intel systems.http://www.intel.com/cd/channel/rese...ence/35829.htm

Subscribe to THE INSIDER

Need Some Help? Type Your Keywords Here:

Still Need Help? Type Your Keywords Here:

Free Weekly Tech Newsletter