Hiper Type R HPU-4R580 Power Supply Unit

Advantages: Modular power connectors, good design, solid build, designed in the UK.
Disadvantages: Large

...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...

Jon_Farrimond 05.06.2006 · Read review
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Review of Hiper Type-R HPU-4R580 - power supply - 580 Watt

Power to the people

Advantages: Very cheap, 2 fans
Disadvantages: None

...Arguably the most important component inside your PC is its power supply, the power supply unit (PSU) provides the power to every other component inside your computer ie: Motherboard, hard drive, processor, graphics card etc etc... and all these components require a powerful and extremely stable PSU in order to operate as intended. 14 months ago i built my current PC and opted to use the Q-tec 550 watt dual fan gold as its power supply unit, most modern day PC power supplies average around 350 watt and they are predominantly fine for most PC's but as you add extra components to your PC like extra hard drives, or a faster processor or faster graphics card then you may get close to reaching the limit of your particular power supply which can result in either the PSU not functioning properly (causing serious system instability) or in...

Rabid 04.04.2004 · Read review
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Review of Q-Tec Dual Fan Gold power supply - 550 Watt

You get what you pay for

Advantages: Rock solid, with plenty of output cables
Disadvantages: None that I noticed

...I have done a lot of research into power supplies while building a PC from scratch. I have discovered that there are certain things you need to look for, such as 2 fans: 1 at the rear, to exhaust hot air, and a large (the larger the better) fan on the inside, to drag that hot air from your case more easily. I have also found that you should avoid fanless ones at all costs... Not only do they pose a reliability problem, they also do nothing to aid in getting heat (the emeny of computers) out of your case. You may have a case which has lots of air vents, but you can also use more, and this powerpack has very low noise fans. Also, since heat rises (and the majority of of power supplies are located at the top of the case) then exhausting the hot air is even more crucial. Another reason to avoid fanless PSU's: In some cases they have been...

DAkuma 08.08.2008 · Read review
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Review of Seasonic S12-500 - power supply - 500 Watt

Real Power!

Advantages: Modular cables!
Disadvantages: None for me.

...I had to purchase this more out of necessity than want. My old Enermax PSU decided one day that it wasn't going to turn on my PC. I then subsequently went all out and got a complete upgrade. I wanted something that would handle easily what i was going to throw at it. I also wanted a power supply that was 80 Plus compliant (80% efficient) details can be found if you look for the Coolermaster RS-620-ASAA-A1 on 80plus.org. It has one large fan which is quiet and unobtrusive, to be expected it fitted perfectly in my Coolermaster CM690 case. Being a modular PSU is an absolute godsend, why manufacturers never though of it sooner is beyond me. Modularity makes cable management and much easier and airflow much better. You get 2 sockets for graphics card power which can handle 2 x 6 pin and 1 x 8 pin plug very handy if you run an SLi rig...

hairyheppers 07.11.2008 · Read review
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Review of CoolerMaster Real Power M620 Modular PSU - power supply - 620 Watt

Supply teaching

Advantages: Well paid, can work when you want, no planning
Disadvantages: Behaviour, unpaid holidays, lack of social side

...I have been doing supply teaching for over a year now. I thought I?d write about my experiences and give some advice to those who might be thinking of supply work. BACKGROUND: I trained to be a teacher in 2006-7. I had never wanted to be a teacher, it was never something I always dreamed of being. I had always planned to be a lawyer. However, after studying History at university I knew that I wanted to work with the subject. I went on to do a Masters in museum studies and thought seriously about working in that field but the money was really bad and there were a lot of people trying to get very few jobs. I took a year out to think and to earn some money. The ex-Mr Tart wanted to go into teaching (he was also a historian) and I thought that seeing as I wanted to work in History there were worse things I could do. Not...

tartlette83 06.11.2009 · Read review
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Review of Supply Teaching

Pretty standard high quality quiet modular PSU

Advantages: Modular so there's no mess with cables, made by CoolerMaster
Disadvantages: The sheathing around the cables can make them hard to handle

...into tight gaps or go through small spaces. If you're looking for a good quality, quiet stable power supply at a decent price then you can't go wrong with this one. It's also great for a system where minimal noise levels are a requirement. THe only reason this didn't get 5 stars is because although 520 watts is more than enough power for a normal computer system, more powerful (although not necessarily the same quality) PSU's are available for a similar price....

Closeratio 26.04.2008 · Read review
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Review of CoolerMaster Real Power M520 Modular PSU - power supply - 520 Watt

Targus, What CAN I say.

Advantages: It comes with more cables.
Disadvantages: The part that you can not take out of the charger is the weak part.

...Bought it, was happy with the idea that I could use it in England on any laptop, because I am moving from The Netherlands to England. However, I had it, and the iron pin at the end of the wire you put in your laptop broke, leaving the iron piece in my pc. Thank God I do not give a damn about my teeth, I ripped it out of my laptop, and there I was, a iron pin in my mouth, my laptop wanting power and my Targus Adapter shining at me like it did nothing wrong. The store owner did not give a damn, and said it was my fault. There I was, no guarantee, no power for my laptop, and no response from Targus. If you never ever move your notebook, maybe this product is advicable, else I would go for something else, it is worth looking for, trust me. I got blamed, and when I wanted to deny it they already walked away, without the intention to...

GerlofL 06.04.2008 · Read review
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Review of Targus 75W AC Mains Power Supply - power adapter - 75 Watt

My Dream Machine PSU

Advantages: Dual fan, 400W
Disadvantages: No seperate power out for monitor

...the output fan and the second fan has no use, other than pushing the air towards the output fan. But if we assume that they are connected by an airtight seal (which is evidently not the case) and both operating at the same speed, you would have exactly the same airflow as the output fan, on it?s own, with the second fan taken out. So I can conclude that the purpose of the second fan is not to push air out of the computer, but to circulate it within the computer. Any airflow is good, because you?re moving the heat away from components and into the ambient temperature, which doesn?t matter too much. However, this air has now passed over the very hot unit which supplies power. So it?s actually increasing the internal temperature of the computer. This is what I draw from it anyway, obviously it works or the company wouldn?t have built it...

C_W_Monkey 04.06.2004 · Read review
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Review of Q-Tec Dual Fan Gold power supply - 400 Watt

The National Grid must love me!

Advantages: Seems reliable, nice looking and cheap
Disadvantages: i have heard a few to many bad reports about this PSU

...Ok firstly what is a PSU? Well it stands for Power Supply Unit, and it does exactly that, without it there would be no power to any of your PC components, and thus no PC turning on! Secondly, why do i need to upgrade? Well simply you dont if you have no intention of upgrading your PC and your PC is currently working fine. If either two are the case then you probably need a new PSU. PSU's dont often stop working, but sometimes like with everything they can stop working, on the otherhand if you have upgraded your system i.e added a higher power Graphics card/Sound card, or installed RAM, fan controllers, Lights, More cooling solutions such as as system fan, you will find these all drain extra power from your PC's PSU... Result? Often not enough power supplied to the components in your PC case, which can result in system instability...

foehammer 15.12.2005 (28.12.2005) · Read review
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Review of Q-Tec Dual Fan Gold power supply - 450 Watt

Cheap and cheerful PSU, and reliable too

Advantages: Triple Fan, nice gold colour, Serial-ATA cable, cheap, 650W
Disadvantages: None

...When I upgraded to a 64 bit AMD Athlon, I upgraded a few other bits and pieces too. A new graphics card, new hard drive, and new CD-Rom drive, along with the new CPU, my old power supply just wasn't capable. I wanted a strong supply, at a budget price, and Q-Tec seemed to fit the bill quite nicely, at the price I was dubious but the PSU has performed admirably now for well over a year. The PSU is cooled by three fans, 2 x 80mm, and 1 x 120 mm, which you would expect to be noisy, but this wasn't the case. The quoted noise level of 29 dB seems nothing compared to another fan within my case. These fans are temperature controlled, so when the PSU is doing very little, there is little noise coming from the fans. The package contents are, the PSU, and not a lot else. Think a little manual wouldn't have gone a miss, maybe it was...

Danneey 06.06.2006 · Read review
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Review of Q-Tec Triple Fan power supply - 650 Watt