Thermaltake Tough Power 1200

A PSU that conquers Big Willy. Just.

Although this PSU is basically a 1200 watt version of the stunningly overpriced OEM failures that are the 1500W PSUs, it somehow managed to run Big Willy when the others didn’t. Apart from the sticker wattage, the only other notable difference is that there are no PCI-e six- and eight-pin leads hardwired into the unit and the paint job is different.

It didn’t power Big Willy cleanly, though. It delivered a consistent 3.27, 4.75 and 11.57 volts, except during the first five-odd seconds of startup, where the 12 volt rail dipped worryingly close to 11.1 volts.

Regardless, it somehow managed. We’ve got several theories, each tending more towards an outright assumption than the last.

Perhaps the OEM design is made for 1200W operation and the efficiency at 1500W operation takes a dive. Perhaps it was built with better components, either deliberately or by luck of the draw. Perhaps there were environmental conditions working in its favour when we tested it. Perhaps one of the people on the assembly line built it with more love than the 1500 watt models.

Whatever the reasons, it managed to technically power Big Willy, in the same way Minardi Cosworth used to technically compete in Formula One.