Keeping powering your PC simple.
PC Power & Cooling has been a much-respected player in the PSU scene for quite some time, and while its designs have never been considered 'flashy', the company's straightforward build and reliable performance has been something that has lured many an enthusiast. It turns out however, that simplicity itself eventually reaches a point where it begins to complicate things.
Built into the familiar elongated ATX standard, this PSU is coated in a matte black colour with a simple blue sticker on it. Cooling duties are performed by a single 80mm fan at the front of the unit, and while this is much less than other designs it never became loud nor had excessively hot air exhausting from it, managing the load quite well. A hard power switch at the front is another notable feature, while small vents along the body of the unit allow air to enter.
Keeping the simplicity in mind, this is not a modular power supply - but with seven molex connectors, twelve SATA, two 8-pin and two 6-pin PCIe on top of the usual 24-pin, 8-pin and 4-pin ATX power connectors - this means one huge amount of cable. Sure they're all sleeved nicely, but there's physically nowhere to place them once in a case if they're not needed, and removal is impossible. The cables are also kind of short; large cases will run into problems.
Performance however was rock-solid, with an idle reading on the 12v rail of 12.278v and a load of 12.268v, a very respectable result. The 5v line wavered a little from 5.180v idle to 5.192v load, but this is again quite good. A beefy single +12V rail at 74A continuous gives 888W - meaning this PSU lives up to its name. It's got a few drawbacks, and is expensive for what it is, but you won't be disappointed with performance.
Issue: 133 | February, 2012