Computer Reviews

The original concept of the modular power supply, which Ultra was the pioneer of, was a really cool way to minimize the clutter in your computer and just make things that much more manageable. Combined with good looks these power supplies made a good buy at a not too high price.

The X2 550W Modular Power Supply with titanium finish takes off where its predecessor left off. It comes with a large, very quiet fan, installed at the top under a grill. The most notable improvement is the changing of the cables. Although the modular idea was cool, the thick rounded cables from before offered a lot of challenge as they were not very flexible and tight corners sometimes made them unusable.

Ultra have addressed this problem by changing the cable into flat style cables. This makes them a lot easier to bend and move around but they still maintain their ability to be taken off when not in use. The cables are UV reactive which is cool for those that like things to glow.

However the same old negatives remain, and although the power supply does well in looks and installation, it doesn’t do so well in efficiency. This makes the most difference for high power users, but is indicative of an area where they could be improved.

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The Thermaltake Silent PurePower 600W only comes in one power rating at that is the 600W model. This is more than enough for anyone running a modern computer, even with the most demanding of components installed.

A 120mm fan located at the top of the power supply keeps a lot of air flow around the power supply and is very silent in operation, keeping your working environment quiet.

The front side of the power supply (the side facing outside the case) is perforated to allow flow of air from the outside into the power supply, another great thing for keeping things cool, especially considering that the power supply is not the most efficient around.

Power supply is consistent with smooth power over all the voltages. Certainly a good power supply for the power hungry.

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The Cooler Master 550W power supply is highly specced power supply that doesn’t quite live up to its claims. Unfortunately like many power supplies, this one claims a little more than it can give. In reality it cannot maintain its 550W power delivery for an extended period of time.

It is however, still a decent power supply. It can deliver its claimed power for a while. That’s not too much of a downer, seeing as the vast majority of computers could never put this much strain on a power supply, and even then, not for that long.

It’s basic list of features are…

• 120mm fan
• 550 watts of power output
• Extra floppy drive sized power meter
• Good cooling

At first looks the Cooler Master 550W power supply might not look like much, but a lot should be expected from a power supply in this range.

The blue LED light might not be to everyones liking, but should be fine for most people. You might not notice it if your case is out of the way or has no window on it.

It provides quiet operation due to its large 120mm fan. Basically a 120mm fan can move twice as much air as an 80mm one, but makes the same noise, so you get better cooling, without adding extra noise, which might happen when adding more fans.

A cool extra that comes with this is a meter that tells what kind of output the power supply is producing. It is a moving needle that pinpoints usage along a little dial. Although not extrememly useful and doesn’t pinpoint any specifics of the power output it will provide some eye candy for those who like lots of little gadgets on the front of their computer case.

Their is a 20pin to 24pin converter included with the package which adds a good amount of compatability with motherboards. The cables are fairly standard offerings.

Basically you can’t go too far wrong with this power supply. It produces the said output and will keep things in your system running smoothly for a good long time.