Robots are grand things, as such I've devoted a lot of my life to them.
Robots are grand things, as such I've devoted a lot of my life to them.
Member since:11.12.2005
Reviews:39
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This review looks at the item in the title, however the author realises that the device is somewhat technical and therefore has effectively written two reviews in one. The first part looks at general themes about the device and explains specifications. It is designed for the less technically minded. The second section looks towards the more technically minded and discusses things like installation procedures and manufacturing standards. The third and final section is information taken from the Hiper website and is put there purely for reference. Also the author has decided to write this review in the third person past imperfect tense, because he knows he needs to practice it since it is used for anything remotely technical in both academia (where he currently is) and the engineering professions.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Part 1 - Overall product evaluation. --------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Hiper group (HIgh-PERformance group) have a reputation for producing impeccable technology designed to meet the highest specifications and indeed this device is no exception. It was designed in the UK and conforms to the following standards; ATX 2.2, Intel BTX, SLi, CE and CB.
CE and CB are merely safety standards and are a legal requirement for sale of any device such as this in the UK.
ATX combines the best functionality from the form factors that dominated the computer industry in the early 1990s: the high integration of LPX and the expandability of Baby-AT. The ATX form factor is essentially a Baby AT motherboard rotated 90 degrees within the chassis enclosure and providing a new mounting configuration for the power supply[1]. ATX 2.2 includes
changes to the main power connector (20pin to 24pin), removed auxiliary power connector and includes a need for a 3.3v tolerance. Effectively ATX2.2 is a a new standard variant based on older designs looking to power newer technologies but also to provide increased power modulation and better tolerances to power deviation.
Intel BTX, another form factor standard that talks about heat sinks, finalised about a year ago. From the point of view of the consumer it makes it harder to have a very small case that complies to all specifications however it should also improve tolerance to heat substantially. From the point of view of the manufacturer it is difficult as it means doing some simple redesigns.
SLi (Scalable Link interface), this is the interesting specification that's going to take some time to explain, though hopefully you will find it worth it. Many people regard this a new idea and that's what Nvidia, a graphics card (internal PC Input/Output card designed to handle what you see on screen) manufacturer would like you to think. However it was done about a decade ago using Voodoo cards. The basic premise of the design is that if you link two graphics cards together and apply algorithms designed to split the load between them you can double your processing ability. Its not really that simple though, with any system like this more data pre-processing requires more processing power and there will always be overheads attached to this. In the end this means that you will achieve about 190% performance. Nvidia are now using the idea with almost all of their graphics cards and it is quite a success. My PC is currently running two graphics cards and it works well. From the perspective of the power supply SLi is expensive two graphics cards need twice the amount of power and it is important that anyone wishing to upgrade their computer in the future to this standard have the right power supply. This is one of the better choices in that respect.
If you look more generally at the device it can be seen that it is of a very high quality. It conforms to many important standards and is of a genuinely high quality. It comes in a little tool box and has lots of connectors. These connectors are excellent for two main reasons, the first being that they are wrapped in shielding and the second being that you can attach or remove as many as you need so there is no need to have a case filled with wires that don't go anywhere. Which means better airflow and therefore a cooler computer. The device is nearly silent under operating conditions however does continue to run its fans for a few seconds after shutdown. Furthermore the main power switch is red and has a light behind it. You just don't see attention to detail like that any more all you normally get is a feeble little black switch and to be honest given that this is a power carrying device one would expect a warning light when the device is powered.
The device uses two integrated fans, one of 120mm and one of 80mm, it is made from anodised Japanese steel, coming in many colours (in my case red) , it does come with and LED but then again who cares and it will happily connect to 4SATA (Serial ATA, a connection standard capable of upto 3Gb/s transfer speed) Hard drives and 8 other devices. Oh and allegedly all the cabling is reactive to UV light.
Overall the power supply is worth the £60 price tag, it is of a high quality, it is stable and after testing using some multimeter's and an oscilloscope does produce the power claimed on the box. This is a high grade device that should serve its owners well.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Part 2 - Extra value techno babble. --------------------------------------------------------------------------
Installation of the device is tricky as with many power supplies simply because of the possition in the case they usually have and because it needs to connect to everything. This device is deeper than your average power supply, while it does remain within the standards specifications it may be worth checking the depth of your case to make sure it will fit and be aware that the power cables coming from its back plate will take up some pace. The device is lighter than many other PSUs of its kind which is good for obvious reasons.
It is also worth noting that this device will not support power hungry graphics cards (in an SLi configuration) and an Intel Pentium D extreme edition (Intel D955 or D965). In order to active Hyper threading on the Pentium DExtreme edition processors the extra 6pin graphics adaptor is need by the motherboard to power the chip. This means that you will need to get hold of 4pin adaptors to do this job. However you will be running the device at the top edge of its operational capabilities and therefore may experience unusual instability.
While this is an excellent device for high end computing and modding it is not all powerful as it where and as always caution should be taken when using the absolute top of the range equipment, often if you buy all top of the range toys for your computer they will not enjoy playing together.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Part 2 - Specifications of the device. (Hiper website - for reference only) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unique user friendly modular design to reduce excess cables. Patented design device extension cables. Supports ATX up to v2.2 & Intel BTX configuration. Complies with all Intel & AMD CPU specification requirement. Gold Plated connector, preventing rust & bad connection. High efficiency APFC (Active Power Factor Correction). Connects up to 4 SATA HDD + 8 other component devices. Dedicated PCI-E connector. EZ-Grip Molex connector. Only 18db with 2 fan. Power Train: 580Watt continuous output. (Peak Load 630 watts) Newest ATX 2.2 with 2 x 12V connection Chassis: Full 1.0 mm Japanese Steel Complete Mesh Body High Gloss Titanium Coating Cooling System: Active Thermal Controlled Circuitry. 120 mm Long Life Chromed Blade Fan with LED. 80 Long Life Chromed Blade Fan with LED Power-Off Component Protection design. Note: 80mm rear fan will stay on for a few minutes after shutdown to vacate additional hot air. Power Delivery: Aviation Type heavy duty Enamel Modular Connector (Patent Pending) exTension Device Connection Cable(Patented Design) UL/CE/TUV Grade Cables Gold Plated Connector Pins. Braided Power Cables. EZ On/Off Connectors. Serial ATA Connector. Stability System: Active Power Factor Correction. Electrical Protection: Over Voltage Protection Circuitry. Over Current Protection Circuitry. Short Circuit Protection Circuitry.
1.The Intel corporation, white paper on the ATX form factor, "ATX Specification - Version 2.2", 2003. 2.http://www.hipergroup.com/English/products/hpu-4r580.html
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