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- Date:
- Wednesday, October 24, 2007
- Author:
- Paul Johnson
- Editor:
- Kyle Bennett
- Google +1
Kingwin ABT-800MA1S Mach 1 800w PSU
Kingwin is better known for hard drive enclosures and 12v case fans than computer power supplies. Is that coming to an end as it steps into the high end PSU ring with a very flashy unit that brings with it a hopefully stable 800 watts of power?
Build Quality
As we already know from Kingwin’s packaging the ABT-800MA1S features a single fan design. The ABT-800MA1S single 140mm fan is in the same vein as the preferred standard of a single 120mm fan. The 140mm fan is obviously larger and used 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 SuperFlower was one of the first manufacturers to begin using this design, but recently companies such as CWT have begun to as well. 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 its sound level or form factor.
External Build Quality
Externally the Kingwin ABT-800MA1S is clad in a brushed finish that is rather attractive and as it turns out rather resistant to scratching. Additionally, the unit is absolutely dominated by the 140mm fan used for cooling the power supply, and as noted above the fan is almost the exact same length and width as the unit itself. On the rear of the unit we find that it has a voltage selector switch indicating that the unit does not have APFC and is not full range. Given that the unit has 6-pin and 8-pin PCI-Express connectors it seems odd that the unit would not have APFC unless the primary side of this unit is now a rather dated design. Moving over to the front of the unit we see the modular connector interface. Now, while the Molex/SATA connectors have 5 pins per cable on the modular interface the 6-pin and 8-pin PCI-Express connectors only have 4 meaning that these are going to have to be tapped in the cable in order to split off the correct number of wires in the final connectors. This is certainly not the ideal way to do this but it has been seen before in power supplies with these types of modular connectors such as those marketed by Hiper.
The Kingwin ABT-800MA1S itself is ~6 3/8 inches long while the fixed cables provide a serviceable length of ~15 inches and the modular cables provide a serviceable length of ~17 inches to the first connector. The modular cables on this unit rank as some of the best we have seen; bar none. The sleeving is complete and well secured unlike a lot of units, while the connector on the housing end uses coax style metal connectors that actually have to be screwed down ensuring a complete connection. While this inflexibility does add some length to the unit the security that this connection type offers far outweighs that issue. Additionally, for those users interested in a little flash to their power supply the coax connectors have rings with blue LEDs that light up when a cable is connected and being used to match the blue LEDs in the 140mm fan.
Internal Build Quality
Once we remove the screws securing the housing we see typical SuperFlower neatness. While it isn’t the single most meticulously put together unit we have seen, this unit (and SuperFlower units in general) are some of the more neatly put together units in their price range. We also can see the absolutely mammoth 140mm fan that Kingwin/SuperFlower are using in this unit coupled with the golden SuperFlower heatsinks for cooling duty. The 140mm fan in this unit is a sleeve bearing fan by GlobeFan rated 0.60A at 12v. While sleeve bearing fans are great for noise they typically aren’t as long lived as ball bearing fans. In the overhead view we can see that SuperFlower has elected to use a small PCB at the input receptacle to houses most of the input filtering components along with some of the filtering being on the main PCB.
Over on the primary side we see that the design here strongly resembles the old Plug-N series of power supplies that SuperFlower was shipping back in 2005. We also see that there are a pair of Fuhjyyu capacitors rated at 1500uF 200v. This is a step up in capacitance from those older Plug-N series models which typically featured 1000uF or 1200uF primary capacitors of various brands like JenPo. Also, as with previous modular designs from SuperFlower the rectifying bridge has its own heatsink which is good to see.
On the secondary side we see something rather interesting. This unit’s secondary is filled with CEC International Holdings Limited capacitors which we have seen only in Enermax power supplies before today in our reviews and in a small selection of other power supplies in general. In this same area we see the solder points for the “4” 12v rails. Furthermore, we see that all the wiring is of the appropriate gauge, is neatly bundled, sleeved, secured and protected by a wire guard for those cables that are fixed. Before moving on we also see that the fan controller is housed on the small add in PCB located in the middle of the secondary. Looking at the back of the modular interface we see a very clean interface and PCB which is not adding much in the way of clutter to this unit.
The overall build quality of this unit is going to rank as one of the oddest to date. The unit has a new method of employing modular cables that is just fantastic while featuring a single 140mm sleeve bearing fan that they first introduced in modular power supplies with the Plug-N series a couple of years ago. Continuing with that trend the unit’s primary side looks very similar to the design employed in the Plug-N series but with beefier components including the Fuhjyyu capacitors now rated at 1500uF for the pair. However, as is indicated by the two primary capacitors this unit does not have APFC; in 2007. In 2005 when the Plug-N series launched, lacking APFC wasn’t such a big deal but in two years time it seems that SuperFlower hasn’t changed the design much. Now, while I am all for not messing with a good thing, this design could use a refresh as it is stepping squarely out of the era when most top shelf power supplies where still below 80% efficient. With the power supply being billed as only 75% efficient (coupled with the primary side of this unit seeming rather dated) it isn't looking like that is a conservative rating. On the secondary side we see that the unit is stocked with CEC International Holdings Limited capacitors which have served well in Enermax power supplies for a period of time now so this is certainly a welcome change in this power supply. We also see that unlike the old Plug-N series this unit features “4” 12v rails in another nod towards progression. Finally, in typical SuperFlower neatness the modular interface was well executed and very clean which is always a welcome sight. Overall, the unit is clean and the design was good when introduced but how has it weathered the last couple of years with just these few refreshes and no major overhaul?