![[H]ardOCP](/images/blank.gif){kind=small}
- Date:
- Wednesday, April 25, 2007
- Author:
- Paul Johnson
- Editor:
- Kyle Bennett
- Google +1
Thermaltake ToughPower 1200W
Having a PSU that is rated at 1200 watts is a big deal. Having a PSU that will give you 1200 watts under stressful conditions is quite another. We put the Toughpower 1200w into the oven and see if it stands up to its 1200 watt power claims. Don't miss this one.
Build Quality
As we already know from Thermaltake’s packaging the Toughpower 1200w features a single fan design. The Toughpower 1200w has a single 140mm fan that is in the same vein as the preferred standard of a single 120mm fan, only larger, for quiet cooling due to its ability to move a larger volume of air at lower RPM than a smaller diameter fan. This is the largest fan we have ever seen in a power supply and is used by only a few other brand/manufacturers such as SuperFlower. Additionally, given the size constraints of the ATX12v form factor a 140mm fan is most likely the largest size fan that can fit in a standard width ATX power supply. The 140mm fan should give excellent cooling and be very quiet so long as it is paired with a good fan controller. At the same time, the key criteria in our evaluation is whether or not the cooling solution is sufficient, not necessary it’s sound level or form factor.
External Build Quality
Cosmetically the Toughpower 1200W looks like it was designed by the military. It has the flat slightly textured finish in a rather drab color with the fan grill punched from the cover as opposed to using a screw on grill. It features a modular design, though the ATX, 8pin EPS, and 4pin AUX/P4 connectors are fixed, with the modular cables sheathed in black mesh. Also of great interest on the exterior is the label that indicates which modular connector is fed by which 12v rail. This is a feature that would benefit hardcore enthusiasts a great deal on modular and fixed units both, as often this information is only in the user manual if available at all. Thermaltake did not stop there; in fact each modular cable is labeled with which connector it goes to on the unit as well! Hopefully we will see this feature catch on with other brands that utilize multiple 12v rail designs as for modular supplies it is a life saver but would also be useful on fixed units as well.
The Toughpower we are reviewing today is part of the CableManagement series and is therefore a modular version of the Toughpower. The cables that are fixed have a serviceable length of ~19inches (482mm).
Overall the Thermaltake Toughpower exterior is not as flashy as some people would like but it seems to be all business with its rugged looking construction and finish. However, purely cosmetic characteristics are not weighted in our evaluation, though functional additions such as labeling the 12v rails on the modular interface are very much welcomed!
Internal Build Quality
In order to begin our internal examination we simply remove the 8 screws (4 on top and 2 on each side) securing the fan housing to the power supply, remove the cover, and begin our examination. This power supply is much different internally than the other power supplies we have examined to date as becomes immediately apparent from the multiple transformers. In fact it even differs in layout than our recent Enermax Galaxy DXX which also featured a multiple transformer design. The layout of the Toughpower makes it look almost like there are two power supplies sitting side-by-side in one housing. Following the different trend the overhead pictures reveal something we have not seen before in a power supply review we have done, a smattering of solid capacitors being used in auxiliary roles. The single large 140mm fan is branded Thermaltake but is provided by Yate Loon and rated at 0.7A at 12v with a capability of 140cfm.
Here on the “primary side” we see our two primary capacitors surrounded by heatsinks making it very difficult to access. However, the primary capacitors are a pair of Nippon Chemicon capacitors rated at 390uF 400v 85c. This is a little lower temperature rating than the desired 105c found on most power supplies sporting the tagline "industrial components" but if the solution works long term term, and for Thermaltake's sake one would hope so with that 5 year warranty, that is the primary concern. The use of high quality Japanese capacitors though is a great relief in a CWT build. In the center of the power supply instead of the single transformer we have seen the most of to date we have a pair of transformers. If we go back to the power table it would appear that each transformer is feeding 2 of the 12v rails. This design is shared by the Enermax Galaxy DXX but is the first time we have seen this design type from CWT during our testing program.
Due to the layout of this power supply the secondary is much harder to see than usual but we find the secondary side populated by Nippon Chemicon capacitors like the primary side. Additionally, on the “secondary side” we see the back of the modular interface being fed by both banks of the power supply and the four 12v rail solder points. The last thing we see is rather a let down after seeing such a well built and unique design and that is the wiring. While the housing is slightly rolled where the wiring exits the housing the sheathing doesn’t come all the way into the housing leaving the wires exposed to damage. This is not as ideal solution as we would hope for from such a well built power supply, and the inclusion of a rubber/plastic wire guard would add little to the production cost. Obviously, this is an issue that would be very easy for Thermaltake to remedy and you will likely see it done on future production units.
Overall, it appears that Thermaltake has done very well in switching from Sirtec to CWT for this unit. CWT has been well known for having well designed independently regulated power supplies, however the brands their units have been sold under have at times be dogged by poor component selection including capacitors and fans. This CWT design though appears to rectify many of those issues (save for the 85c primaries but the Nippon Chemicon selection is far better than capacitors that have been found in other CWT builds) and it will be of great interest to see how a well designed, well built, high quality CWT design does in our testing.