Thermaltake ToughPower 1200W @ [H]

If Thermaltake didn't have to splatter huge logo's all over their products, I'd like them a little more...

But this IS an awesome PSU...
 
Did you guys put it in a case, i have the thermaltake toughpower 850w and i had quite some trouble to get it in my case (lianli pc65) because of the big sticker on the side making it just a bit to fat.
And why so many pci-e connectors is that for future setup's like ati's crossfire and a extra card for physics?

(sorry for spelling, not my native language)
 
I'm all for uber-systems... but does this kind of thing really have a use for home enthusiasts? Who's buying this stuff? My 550w Antec Phantom is more than a match for my 8800 and watercooled Core chip and that was a lot of money for a mere power supply as far as I'm concerned.

I understand using these for a work environment where you're trying to run quad video cards and a pair of QUAD CPUs for say a rendering workstation for TV or movies, or autodesk/solidworks or some other rediculous project... but how can they possibly be selling enough of these to justify creating them? They're really not going into typical servers, they're not really built for redundant failover and other features that a true server needs.

And how much does a true 1200w or 1600w power supply cost to both buy and operate?

In the case of a 1600w power supply were talking about a max load equivalent to an entire 20amp home curcuit. Even at 60% duty were talking about many hundreds of dollars a year in electricity. That's pretty much insane.

So I guess what I'm getting at is who is going to buy one other than a benchmark whore? I like benchmarks as much as the next person but you'd think total sales would be in the low hundreds of these things, not thousands or tens of thousands.
 
I just want to know why there isnt a 2 week cook test, for people like me that keep their PCs on 24/7/365! I want to see some really sadistic torturing of these power supplies! :D
 
Typos spotted while doing a quick read of the article:
Page 6 "breifly"

Page 4 "The efficiency is an amazing ~86% during Test #1."
86.99 is ~87 (~ meaning approx), not ~86


BTW, some pretty good testing, its great to see load testing at heavy capacities. I have no idea how you'd get to 1200w with any computer system, but its good to know if you did, this would handle it just fine :)
In general, in those 4 tests, thermal take held up to their 87% performance claims (aside from the 86.25% at 100% full load, and I'm pretty sure you wouldn't see 1200w even with dual separate quad core CPUs and quad SLI ).

I also find it amazing and interesting that it can take a 1200watt load on just the 12v lines. The 12v lines are the most important in a system, all your hdds and optical drives need 12v, your mobo uses mostly 12v for power, your cpu vcore voltage is converted directly from 12v, those extra 4 lines of 24 pin ATX vs 20 pin are 12v, those aux 4 pin connectors for a mobo are 12v, those pci-express power plugs are 12v, the power your graphics card uses is almost entirely 12v (some from pci-express slot, some from additonal plugs), etc.

Definately the PSU to put on the "dream machine" list, I'm not sure that even PC P&C can surpass this psu
 
Devistater said:
I have no idea how you'd get to 1200w with any computer system, but its good to know if you did, this would handle it just fine :)
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Well, I've had a quad FX pulling as much as 1000W AC from the wall. The PSU I was using tested on the load tester as being 80% efficient at those kids of loads, so that's 800W DC. That's only two hard drives, one optical and two 8800GTX cards, so let's add more hard drives, a second optical and have some 300W PCI-e cards in there like a pair of R600's or next years' G90's... or maybe three (since that will be possible with the new chipsets).....

Yeah... I can see needing > 1000W of power. :D
 
jonnyGURU said:
Well, I've had a quad FX pulling as much as 1000W AC from the wall. The PSU I was using tested on the load tester as being 80% efficient at those kids of loads, so that's 800W DC. That's only two hard drives, one optical and two 8800GTX cards, so let's add more hard drives, a second optical and have some 300W PCI-e cards in there like a pair of R600's or next years' G90's... or maybe three (since that will be possible with the new chipsets).....

Yeah... I can see needing > 1000W of power. :D
Click to expand...

well you're in luck cause Ultra has got 2K comin for yea baby !!!!
 
PolarbearBigEd said:
If Thermaltake didn't have to splatter huge logo's all over their products, I'd like them a little more...

But this IS an awesome PSU...
Click to expand...

Shun said:
Did you guys put it in a case, i have the thermaltake toughpower 850w and i had quite some trouble to get it in my case (lianli pc65) because of the big sticker on the side making it just a bit to fat.
And why so many pci-e connectors is that for future setup's like ati's crossfire and a extra card for physics?

(sorry for spelling, not my native language)
Click to expand...

They are actually metallic stickers that can come off. I had to rip them off to gut the unit because there a screws securing the housing under them.
 
Advil said:
And how much does a true 1200w or 1600w power supply cost to both buy and operate?
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It shouldn't cost any more to operate if the efficiency is the same as a lower wattage unit because a higher wattage power supply isn't going to make a computer use more power.

And if your computer NEEDS that much power, than the question is moot because a lower wattage unit will just shut down and render your PC useless. :D
 
jonnyGURU said:
Well, I've had a quad FX pulling as much as 1000W AC from the wall. The PSU I was using tested on the load tester as being 80% efficient at those kids of loads, so that's 800W DC. That's only two hard drives, one optical and two 8800GTX cards, so let's add more hard drives, a second optical and have some 300W PCI-e cards in there like a pair of R600's or next years' G90's... or maybe three (since that will be possible with the new chipsets).....

Yeah... I can see needing > 1000W of power. :D
Click to expand...

Dang.... Thats impressive. I had no idea that someone could approach that level. What motherboard are you using? I'd like to google up some prices, see what a monster like that costs.

I had a look at the website in your sig, and I skimmed the 1200watt review of the ePower Xscale, pretty good review.

Now I'm even more impressed with what thermal take pulled off, they beat the epower one in almost every category, it can go to 1200watts on the 12v lines alone, ripple stays fine, effeciency is way better, better caps, etc.

jonnyGURU said:
Actually, that unit was held back because UL wouldn't approve it because it put out too much power. UL insisted that the unit pull no more than put out than 1600W or they wouldn't approve it. So it's getting released next month as a 1600W PSU. No... they didn't just slap a 1600W label on the same 2000W unit. UL made sure that it would not put out more than 1600W. :(
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Awww too bad. I wonder if UL would have let it pass if they included a special power cord, like a NEMA 6-20 that is supposed to go on outlets with 20A wiring. Of course it would have to have 85% effenciency to stay even within that capacity.

I got one of those plugs on a APC 2200 Smart UPS I bought. Had to take it off and replace it with a standard plug, fortunately they put screws on it so I didn't have to cut anything to do so. And since the smart ups line has a built in load meter, I can always make sure I'm not reaching the limit. So far I haven't even gone over 4 amps so I'm pretty safe there :)
 
Devistater said:
Dang.... Thats impressive. I had no idea that someone could approach that level. What motherboard are you using?
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The specs and a little story about how and why I got that reading is here. You'll need to register to view the attachments, though. I won't make you register to just read it. ;)
 
jonnyGURU said:
The specs and a little story about how and why I got that reading is here. You'll need to register to view the attachments, though. I won't make you register to just read it. ;)
Click to expand...
Thats cool that AMD tests cases thermally by binning for the highest heat/power CPU's.
And a mention of the infamous Shin Etsu brand. Isn't that the only brand of thermal grease AMD will accept on a warranty replacement?
And holy crap, a 100+C temp on the heatspreader?

Very cool story.
 
jonnyGURU said:
Actually, that unit was held back because UL wouldn't approve it because it put out too much power. UL insisted that the unit pull no more than put out than 1600W or they wouldn't approve it. So it's getting released next month as a 1600W PSU. No... they didn't just slap a 1600W label on the same 2000W unit. UL made sure that it would not put out more than 1600W. :(
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why not just require a 20amp plug. i mean if your going to get a 2000W unit why not just run a 20A line in as well and screw the 15A household. ;)
 
holy shit that thing is a MONSTERx2..LOLZ:eek:


how long before we are running 220v lines for our PSU's????


"hey honey...i need to use the dryer outlet" LMAO!!!!
 
vtzifnab said:
why not just require a 20amp plug. i mean if your going to get a 2000W unit why not just run a 20A line in as well and screw the 15A household. ;)
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Even a 20A circuit only allows for 16A sustained (80% of rating.) So even at 125V (not realistic for US customers) that's only 2000W AC. Even if the PSU is 85% efficient at full load, that's 1700W DC. So with a 20A receptacle, a 2000W PSU exceeds the outlet's capability.

Assuming the 20A outlet could sustain 20A. With a more realistic 115V AC input, you can only service 2300W. Even if the PSU was 85% efficient at full load, you're still only at 1955W and a 20A outlet isn't going to let you sustain 20A.

The only viable work around is to provide two AC power leads from the unit and have two primaries, etc. but that's frowned upon from an "enthusiast's standpoint" because then it just looks like you crammed two 1000W power supplies into one housing.
 
beautiful flowers can spring from garbage filled swamps...
-- Confucius (i think.... mighta been Mencius...)

This is one of the FIRST product from thermaltake that I have seen that has given it some positive rep. Their fans boast out right fake numbers, their water coolers crack, their PSUs (used?) to ripple and v-droop like mad, their coolers are poorly made. Perhalps a change in management? or perhalps this is a one time thing? If thermaltake can manage to produce a couple more decent products, perhalps they'll start turning up in my systems.
 
MrWizard6600 said:
This is the FIRST product from thermaltake that I have seen that has given it some positive rep.
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Then you missed the Toughpower 750W?

All of the Toughpowers have been CWT built and not Sirtec and customers have been quite happy with them.
 
finally, somebody before me mentioned cwt... you guys are all so amazed at thermaltake, they didnt build the psu... im glad that they came to their senses and decided to use a good oem though, in fact i bought a toughpower 750w recently myself, its pretty much one of the best psus on the market.
 
if computers start pulling this much power, i think its time to buy a laptop :eek:

seriously thats a lot of wattage!

i mean seriously, 2000watts? thats not a powersupply, thats a fricken welder!
 
Late response, but I still feel the need to add my $.02.

All I can say is, I hope this is a continuing trend of ThermalTake. I've never really like their products since their cases were rip off designs and their PSUs were akin to Aspire (not Aptiva, or whatever they are now). But this PSU is, I must say, a very, very nice PSU. If their ToughPower line shows the same results at lower levels, I may consider one myself. I just hope it doesn't require a $350+ PSU that knocks out 1200 watts to get a quality part. Hopefully we see this quality at the ~600 watt level.

 
tsuehpsyde said:
Late response, but I still feel the need to add my $.02.

All I can say is, I hope this is a continuing trend of ThermalTake. I've never really like their products since their cases were rip off designs and their PSUs were akin to Aspire (not Aptiva, or whatever they are now). But this PSU is, I must say, a very, very nice PSU. If their ToughPower line shows the same results at lower levels, I may consider one myself. I just hope it doesn't require a $350+ PSU that knocks out 1200 watts to get a quality part. Hopefully we see this quality at the ~600 watt level.

Click to expand...

The Toughpowers have been in general very good as they are CWT designs with better components than was typical in the Antec branded CWT's. Overall they are all a far departure from the Sirtec units of past but the 1000w and 1200w are really the cream of the crop of the CWT's and Themraltakes.
 
Paul_Johnson said:
The Toughpowers have been in general very good as they are CWT designs with better components than was typical in the Antec branded CWT's. Overall they are all a far departure from the Sirtec units of past but the 1000w and 1200w are really the cream of the crop of the CWT's and Themraltakes.
Click to expand...

You know, with all of the rebranding anymore (Antec using Seasonic for their Neo HE, and now CWT, ThermalTake using Sirtec and now CWT as well, and tons of other rebrandings going on), is there a possibility on a write up of the various OEMs that actually make this stuff, who rebrands it as their own, and so on? I think it would make a great article for the front page, accompanied with some testing of each OEM's units, of course. ;) Preferrably their midrange offerings.

Additionally, I think a review of the low, low end PSUs would be fantastic. And not to find stuff to burst into flames, but rather to find good sempron/celeron PSUs, or find a good PSU for folders...stuff that runs 100% CPU but no video/HDD intensive stuff. Also a look into pure efficiency would be nice for us folders.

Either way, I take most reviews as a "best case", as with work I've used a lot of hardware and seen first hand a lot of funky oddities, especially with power supplies (mainly the Antec Neo HE's). Stuff like a PSU not turning on unless it's loaded enough (no case fans, no power, plug in two more fans, kick on....wtf...) or having a PSU that works fine, but the fan in the casing is stuck. How in the Hell did that pass QA? :p

Keep up the great work! I love the PSU reviews...with actual power testing, it beats the crap out of the "Well, it says this and has these many cables....look, shiney case!" reviews.

 
tsuehpsyde said:
You know, with all of the rebranding anymore (Antec using Seasonic for their Neo HE, and now CWT, ThermalTake using Sirtec and now CWT as well, and tons of other rebrandings going on), is there a possibility on a write up of the various OEMs that actually make this stuff, who rebrands it as their own, and so on?
Click to expand...

That is really a huge list since there are various lines using various OEM's inside one brand. Keeping up with who is in bed with who for which model is a full time job.

I think it would make a great article for the front page, accompanied with some testing of each OEM's units, of course. ;) Preferrably their midrange offerings.

Additionally, I think a review of the low, low end PSUs would be fantastic. And not to find stuff to burst into flames, but rather to find good sempron/celeron PSUs, or find a good PSU for folders...stuff that runs 100% CPU but no video/HDD intensive stuff. Also a look into pure efficiency would be nice for us folders.
Click to expand...

We are always evaluating what would make good content so stay tuned.
 
tsuehpsyde said:
You know, with all of the rebranding anymore (Antec using Seasonic for their Neo HE, and now CWT, ThermalTake using Sirtec and now CWT as well, and tons of other rebrandings going on), is there a possibility on a write up of the various OEMs that actually make this stuff, who rebrands it as their own, and so on? I think it would make a great article for the front page, accompanied with some testing of each OEM's units, of course. ;) Preferrably their midrange offerings.
Click to expand...

Like Paul said, a list that was broken down per model would be HUGE.

Here's a start, but it's not broken down by individual model: http://www.jonnyguru.com/SMPS_UL.htm
 
hey i just bought a 700W thermaltake Tough power modular from frys.com
am i going to recieve the same quality as the 750w verison
was going to get the 750w but it was outta stock but i really needed a psu asap
 
123Lanoix said:
hey i just bought a 700W thermaltake Tough power modular from frys.com
am i going to recieve the same quality as the 750w verison
was going to get the 750w but it was outta stock but i really needed a psu asap
Click to expand...

The 750w and the 700w are the same platform....but that platform is completely different from the 1000w/1200w platform.
 
ya i don't think i need a 1000w though
iam just running a e4300 OC to 3.3ghz 1.4v
1 segate SATA 7200.10 HD 320gb
8800GTS320

i think my antec can;t power my 8800GTS properly when my system is oc
and its been burning out ram sticks in the 2 dimm slot on the dual channel setup
ive gotta artifacts and stuff
and the psu its self gets hot and the fan seems like its barely spinning

i was impressed with the 750watt review that i went with the 700watt because it was in stock and seems similiar build quality
 
123Lanoix said:
i was impressed with the 750watt review that i went with the 700watt because it was in stock and seems similiar build quality
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Well like I said they are the same platform. You just posted in a thread about a completely different platform so......
 
do they all use the same fan inside
and how well do they push air
can you feel the air being pushed out of the case ? Is it warm ? or more cool
 
123Lanoix said:
do they all use the same fan inside
and how well do they push air
can you feel the air being pushed out of the case ? Is it warm ? or more cool
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The 1000w, 1200w do as does the 850w. I believe the 750w and 700w use a lower speed fan also by Yate loon.
 
Oh my, that's 5 times bigger than mine.:eek:

Guess I'm due a hardware upgrade. :D
 
Paul, first of all I wanted to compliment you on this (The Thermaltake ToughPower) and the PCP&C 1KW SR model reviews. I run an SLI set up and noticed the ToughPower only has 3 6-Pin PCI Express connectors. What about that fourth 6-Pin connector needed to complete the typical nVidia SLI setup?
 
Some of the 8pin can split the extra two pins off so you are able to make 4 6 pin connectors.
 
Dual molex to 6 pin should come in the box with the 8800 GTX.
If I recall they give you two of them in fact.

I have an extra somewhere if you need it.:D
 
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