A semi-modular gaming PSU from Aerocool’s Strike-X department is under the spotlight. Can it handle NVIDIA SLI? Is it quiet under load?
Product on Review: Strike–X 800W
Manufacturer and Sponsor: Aerocool
Street Price: £89 (At time of review)
Aerocool cater for a wide range of different product types but one aspect which they remain focussed on is gaming. Be it computer chassis, peripherals or power supplies – gaming design and aesthetics finds its way to each of these lines.
Today we will be taking a look at a power supply taken from Aerocool’s Strike-X Series. Inside this series there are PSUs that range from 500W to 1100W. The 800W variant is up for review today, featuring a single +12v rail offering a burly 66A – all with 80 Plus Silver efficiency.
Aerocool on Strike-X
Introducing the new “Strike-X” product series from Aerocool – the ultimate gaming equipments for gamers and enthusiasts world-wide !! The “Strike-X” series includes a wide array of gaming equipments ranging from cases, PSU, fan controller, speakers, mouse, mouse pad and headsets.
Like all Strike-X products, the Strike-X power supplies bears the distinct mark of “X” such as the aluminium frame on the top cover and the label sticker design on the side of the chassis. The Strike-X power supplies were designed with the concept of “POWER”, “STYLE” and “COOL” and they are perfect for those power-hungry users and yet cool enough to show off to friends.
Like all Strike-X products, the Strike-X power supplies bears the distinct mark of “X” such as the aluminium frame on the top cover and the label sticker design on the side of the chassis. The Strike-X power supplies were designed with the concept of “POWER”, “STYLE” and “COOL” and they are perfect for those power-hungry users and yet cool enough to show off to friends.
Features
• Powerful “X” theme Gaming PSU
• Compatible with ATX 12V 2.3 and EPS 12V 2.92
• Low Noise 13.9cm Fan with intelligent fan speed control
• High-Efficiency (up to 88%) – 80+ Silver Certified
• Modular Cable w/ Black Sleeving to reduce the cable mess inside your chassis and improves the air flow of your system.
• Supports Dual Core CPU, ATI CrossFire, NVIDIA SLi and all Multi-Core GPU technologies.
• Built in next generation 6+2 pin PCI-Express graphic card connector.
• Active Power Factor Correction (PF>0.99)
• Extremely good voltage regulation (±5%): provides steady power input
• High reliability: MTBF>120,000 hours
• Green power design that meets EuP requirements
• Protections: Over Current, Over Voltage, Over Wattage, Over Temperature and Short-Circuit protection
• Safety / EMI Approvals: CE, CB, TUV, FCC, UL
• Compatible with ATX 12V 2.3 and EPS 12V 2.92
• Low Noise 13.9cm Fan with intelligent fan speed control
• High-Efficiency (up to 88%) – 80+ Silver Certified
• Modular Cable w/ Black Sleeving to reduce the cable mess inside your chassis and improves the air flow of your system.
• Supports Dual Core CPU, ATI CrossFire, NVIDIA SLi and all Multi-Core GPU technologies.
• Built in next generation 6+2 pin PCI-Express graphic card connector.
• Active Power Factor Correction (PF>0.99)
• Extremely good voltage regulation (±5%): provides steady power input
• High reliability: MTBF>120,000 hours
• Green power design that meets EuP requirements
• Protections: Over Current, Over Voltage, Over Wattage, Over Temperature and Short-Circuit protection
• Safety / EMI Approvals: CE, CB, TUV, FCC, UL
Packaging, Bundle & Cables
Strike-X is presented in a lively box featuring flames and fire to channel into the gaming sector. The top side has a depiction of the PSU along with the efficiency and efficiency which stands at 80 Plus Silver.
Within the box, the PSU is covered in a clear plastic sheet and held in place with foam padding for adding protection during transit. The different items that make-up the bundle are sectioned off and the general presentation of the packaging is very good.
Lively packaging that catches the eye
Opening up the packaging reveals the items included within the bundle. These include the PSU itself, an assortment of modular cables, mounting screws and AC power cable.
Items included within bundle
Being semi-modular the Strike-X unit has a group of detachable cables available. Aerocool have included the following:
• 2x PCI-E (1×8-pin 2×6+2-pin) 65cm
• 2x SATA (4 connectors) 95cm
• 2x Molex (3 connectors) 80cm
These modular cables are covered with Nylon netting to conceal the yellow, red, orange and black cables on the underside. This netting does a good job in hiding the cables underneath, though they could be somewhat thicker to eliminate the bright yellow showing though slightly.
Available modular cables
Netting used to conceal cables
Closer Look (External)
Strike-X breaks away from traditional PSUs which tend to be rather lack-lustre, instead we have an eye-catching design which has anodized red used throughout. Being from the Strike-X series the impression of an “X” consists of the fan grille, the labels on either side are positioned so that the PSU should be mounted with the grille facing downwards in the computer chassis. Strike-X has a combination of matt granite and smooth metallic.
An overview of Strike-X
As already mentioned, the top of Strike-X features a large “X” for the fan grille, there is also additional ventilation for the 139mm cooling fan to pull in air due to the fan being an intake. We’ll take a closer look at the specifics of the fan in the next section.
Fan grille with 139mm cooling fan
Stirke-X is semi-modular and has a section marked out for attaching the modular cables. The red connectors are designated for PCI-E whilst the black connectors are designed for SATA/Peripherhal. Strike-X also has some cables hard-wired into the unit, these consist of the obligatory 24-pin ATX and 2x CPU power – 1x 8-pin and 1x 4+4-pin.
The modular panel on Strike-X
Lastly the specifications label; this has been placed on the side of Strike-X. This specifications label details the total wattage and ampage for the rails of this 800W unit. Strike-X uses a single +12v rail with 66A and 792W primarily for dedicated graphics delivery.
Specifications label on Strike-X
Closer Look (Internal)
After removing four screws we can gain access to the inner-workings of Strike-X. All cables have been cleanly cable tied back and the layout is generally very tidy too. Aerocool have used a triple-heatsink design with dual-hold up Japanese solid capacitors rated at 105C.
An overview of the inside of Strike-X
Aerocool have used a 139mm cooling fan and upon closer inspection we can reveal that this fan is branded Young Lin tech – model DFS132512H – capable of up to 1700RPM @ 36.28dBA.
139mm Young Lin Tech cooling fan
Testing Methodologies & Results
Our testing methodology for testing Power Supply Units is limited to the multi-meter to show each rail’s performance due to us not having access to an ATE load tester.
Although this does constrain us slightly we can still monitor fluctuations on the rails and give the unit a good assessment when we feature it in one of our builds. The way the testing will run is simple, voltages will be observed at idle wattage and then a single GPU will be installed within the system and a combination of OCCT and MSI Kombustor will be executed to provide simulation with just 1 GPU. This will be run for 10 minutes. We will also be adding in another two GPUs to allow for dual and triple card configurations with SLI in order to generate as much power consumption as possible. The CPU will also be overclocked to maximise power consumption and strain. This should give us a good indication of how the Strider Gold Evolution will perform under gaming stresses and beyond.
NOTE: AC power draw is recorded.
System Components
CPU Intel Core i7 3770K (with OC 4.5GHz)
Motherboard MSI Z77A-GD65
Graphics NVIDIA GTX 480 X3
Memory 8GB Corsair Vengeance 2133MHz CL10
HDD 1x Kingston HyperX SSD 240GB
PSU Aerocool Strike-X 800W
Motherboard MSI Z77A-GD65
Graphics NVIDIA GTX 480 X3
Memory 8GB Corsair Vengeance 2133MHz CL10
HDD 1x Kingston HyperX SSD 240GB
PSU Aerocool Strike-X 800W
As I mentioned there is no ATE load tester available so generating as much power as possible is key to observing the fluctuations on the rails.
For voltage tolerance levels, ATX specify that a 5% variable fluctuation is acceptable. (Form Factors – ATX Specification PDF – Page 10). So what this means is:
3.3V Rail – 3.135V – 3.465V acceptable
5V Rail – 4.75V – 5.25V acceptable
12V Rail – 11.4V – 12.6V acceptable
Idle test – The system settles in windows without any applications or stressing. 1 GPU (165W)
Single GPU – OCCT/MSI Kombustor run for 10 minutes (382W)
Dual GPU – OCCT/MSI Kombustor run for 10 minutes (683W)
Conclusion
So we’ve reached the end of the review, what is the verdict on Strike-X 800W?
Aerocool have done well to bring such a unit to market for the price. The build quality is good and the modular cables help to maintain a sleek internal appearance within the computer chassis. With this unit being the colour it is, it may not co-ordinate with different hardware. The type of red used is a difficult one to match up with other devices and of course the design is very much tailored towards the gamer rather than the enthusiast.
Voltage variance with a variety of different AC power consumption levels experienced reasonable performance. Using a dual card configuration certainly pushes the system and Strike-X remained within ATX specifications which was pleasing to see. Noise levels at idle and with a single GPU loaded are noticeable but not enough to be a cause for concern – though loading with another GPU results in greater noise. Most dual-GPU configurations recommend opting for a bigger PSU anyway which would bring down the % load and thus the noise levels.
Priced at approx. £89 Strike-X is a reasonable buy in the 80 Plus Silver – Modular segment. But there is tough competition from other better-known brands. Strike-X is worth a punt if you are on a tighter budget.
Pros
+ Good build quality
+ Well concealed modular cables
+ Affordable
Cons
– Colour may not co-ordinate with other items
+ Good build quality
+ Well concealed modular cables
+ Affordable
Cons
– Colour may not co-ordinate with other items
Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net.
