The toughpower power supply series is now 80 Plus GOLD Certified but will the 750W version be able to support our SLI stress test configuration?
Product on Review: Toughpower Grand
Manufacturer: Thermaltake
Street Price: £135 inc. VAT (GBP) (At time of review)
One such reliable brand is Thermaltake. They have been producing PSUs for over 12 years and each unit comes with an impressive 7-years extended warranty. Any brand that can provide a warranty service on a product for this amount of time has some serious confidence in their products.
Today we will be taking a look at the redesigned Toughpower series named Toughpower Grand. All of the units within this series are 80 Plus Gold Certified and come with 7 years warranty. We will be reporting on the 750W version but there are many other different versions – 650W, 850W, 1050W, 1200W. The 750W variant we will be looking at has a burly 60A +12v rail, and it’s going to need it too as we will be putting two NVIDIA GTX 480 (Fermi) graphics cards into SLI configuration to see if this PSU can sustain good performance whilst under 100% full load.
Thermaltake’s take on Toughpower Grand
Designed to meet the highest expectations and standards of today’s extreme PC enthusiasts and system builders while pushing the limit of clean and reliable power delivery system utilizing advanced circuitry design that can only be found on Toughpower Grand series of high-efficiency power supplies. Smart cable management not only enables professional-looking system build, but also accelerates airflow through the computer case for highly efficient heat dissipation. All of the above are achieved while enabling the Toughpower Grand power supply to deliver 750W of continuous power output even operating in 50C environment, making it the Toughest power supply on the block.
Features & Specifications
• Wattage 750 Watts
• Fan 140mm fan
• 900RPM ± 10%
• Efficiency up to 90%
• PFC Active PFC
• Hold-Up Time 18 ms
• Switches Push-On
• Motherboard Connectors 24-pin Main Connector
• 8-pin Power Connector
• 4+4-pin Power Connector
• Power Good Signal 100~500 ms
• Form Factor ATX 12V 2.3 & EPS 12V 2.91
• Dimension 6.3 x 5.9 x 3.4 inch (L)x(W)x(H)
160 x 150 x 86 mm (L)x(W)x(H)
• Warranty 7 Years
• – Certifications ATI CrossFireX Certified
• NVIDIA SLI Certified
• 80PLUS GOLD Certified
• AC INPUT:
• – Input Voltage 100 VAC ~ 240 VAC
• – Input Current 10A / 5A
• – Input Frequency Range 47Hz ~ 63Hz
– Inrush Current
– Operating Range
• – MTBF 120,000
• – RFI / EMI CE, TUV, FCC, UL, CUL, GOST, BSMI
DC OUTPUT:
ENVIRONMENT:
• – Operating Temperature 10 ℃ to 50 ℃
• – Storage Temperature -20 ℃ to 70℃
• – Operating Humidity 20% to 90%, non-condensing
• – Storage Humidity 5% to 95%, non-condensing
PROTECTION:
• – Over Voltage Protection Yes
• – Over Current Protection Yes
• – Over Load Protection Yes
• – Over Termperature Protection Yes
• – Under Voltage Protection Yes
• – Short Circuit Protection Yes
Packaging & Bundle
The Toughpower Grand 750W is presented in a large black box. There is an illustration of the PSU on the front – the reverse has a listing of features and further details regarding the unit and Thermaltake have designed the packaging so that the cover opens up to provide even more details surrounding the componentry and certifications.
The packaging for Toughpower Grand
Further details for those keen to read
Within this packaging we have a further box – you get the idea that Thermaltake are keen to present this PSU in a well-designed way rather than slap-dash, inadequate packaging. Opening this box up reveals plenty of items inside – all of which are carefully packaged with a felt bag for PSU, components and a bag for the additional cables. As far as the packaging goes, Thermaltake have done a great job. Everything is well padded and given that extra touch of care.
Another box – Thermaltake haven’t rushed into their packaging
Lots of items within the bundle
Exterior
The outside of the Toughpower Grand PSU is very nicely designed. Not only does it look good but you can identify straight away that this unit takes on great build quality. The fan grill has a perforated mesh panel – beneath this panel there is a 140mm fan. In the very centre there is a badge with the Thermaltake emblem.
Great build quality on the outside
Moving the PSU round – the AC power button is slightly different to the traditional flick switch you would find on the PSU. Instead we have this red push-button that illuminates when powered. Next to this we have a reflective Thermaltake logo.
A funky red power on button
Being modular, the Toughpower Grand has an assortment of connection slots. 4x 8-pin for PCI-E and 4x 6-pin for peripheral devices. Hardwired to the actual unit we have the 24-pin ATX and dual 8-pin EATX power.
Lots of modular options for PCI-E and Peripherals
Finally onto the specifications label. Here we have the serial number and the two verification tests that the unit has successful passed. Total output from the +12v rail is 720W and 60A. A little later we will be testing the unit with NVIDIA GTX 480 SLI to see if the unit can withstand this type of configuration.
The technical specifications label
Interior
Internally, Thermaltake have used high-quality Japanese electrolytic CAPs rated at 105C. There are also Solid-State CAPs which are an improvement over standard CAPs for +3.3v and +5v, here we are getting an increase in stability. The X and Y CAPs have an EMI filter and surge protection.
The Toughpower Grand series uses a Zero Load design to support CPU C6 State. What this means is that we will be able to sustain tight DC regulation. The inside looks tidy, with heatsinks and cabling causing no interface with componentry.
The inside of the Toughpower Grand
Thermaltake have gone with a 140mm dual ball bearing fan from Yen Sun Tech. YD121425HB (140mm, 12VDC, 0.54A).
140mm dual ball bearing fan from Yen Sun Tech (YSTech)
Cables
In terms of cables we have an extensive range to take advantage of. Gone are the days when you struggle to find the cable you need.
• 6x PCI-E (2 short and 4 long – 2x 8-pin and 4x 6-pin)
• 2x Molex (Each has 4 power connectors)
• 2x SATA (Each has 4 power connectors)
Lots of cables included
Pictures below is a 30cm measuring ruler. As you can see the smaller PCI-E cable is just short of 20cm whilst the longer PCI-E is approx. 45cm in length. The Molex and SATA cables are 180cm in length.
The length of the cables
Testing Methodologies & Results
Our testing methodology for testing Power Supply Units is limited to the multi-meter to show each rails performance due to us not having access to an ATE load tester. We are making plans to invest in equipment as we were directed by Cooler Master when Simon visited their test labs in June 2010.
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. After this another graphics card will be added to the system giving the setup a dual GPU configuration and again the stress tests will be applied and after 10 minutes voltages monitored. In both instances the CPU will also be overclocked to maximise power consumption and strain. This should give us a good indication of how the Thermaltake Toughpower Grand 750W will perform under gaming stresses and beyond. This is a severe load test indeed and a good representation of real-world analysis.
System Components
CPU Intel Core i7 920 @ 4GHz
Motherboard ASUS Rampage III Formula X58
Graphics 2 x NVIDIA GTX 480 (SLI)
Memory 12GB Kingston HyperX 1800MHz CL9
HDD 2 x Samsung Spinpoint 500GB SATA-II
PSU Thermaltake Toughpower Grand 750W
I deliberately configured SLI within this test system to give the PSU as much of a draw as it could take. We all know how Fermi is notorious for its big power draw! 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 (216W)
Single GPU – OCCT/MSI Kombustor run for 10 minutes (420W)
Dual GPU – SLI is setup for 2 x GTX 480. OCCT/MSI Kombustor run for 10 minutes (753W)
The Toughpower Grand 750W does an exceptional job throughout the voltage variance testing – all of the rails 3.3V, 5V and 12V remain in the realm of acceptable according to the ATX standards. Furthermore, even though we are fully loading the PSU with 750W under SLI configuration the +12V still remains solid throughout the test.
So there you have it, no sporadic voltage fluctuations or instability with 100% of the unit loaded. Backed by a 7-year warranty the Toughpower Grand 750W is a great PSU.
At 100% load the fan within the Toughpower Grand wasn’t the quietest we have come across but it’s by no means disturbing.
Conclusion
Often one of the most overlooked components, the PSU should be considered as the backbone of any system and therefore choosing one carefully is of utmost importance. We’ve all heard of the horror stories some have had when opting for cheap no-frills units to power their system. These lacklustre options can destroy any number of components within a system, should they decide to blow. Always trust in a reliable brand.
For a company to be able to provide 7-years warranty clearly shows a huge stamp of confidence. By offering this, Thermaltake are quite obviously saying that they have utmost reassurance in this PSU. Most companies will offer only offer 2 or 3 years warranty, so a big thumbs up to Thermaltake for offering this.
During the performance tests we pushed the unit to 56% and 100% load via NVIDIA Fermi SLI and monitoring the voltage fluctuations during this time. The voltages across all rails whilst sustaining this consumption remained within the ATX specifications and furthermore without any real voltage variance showing that this unit is capable of delivering power for SLI/CrossfireX configurations
Being modular, the Thermaltake Toughpower Grand gives you the option of using exactly what cables you need to use. Hardwired to the unit are just 24-pin ATX and dual 8-pin E-ATX. So the inside of your case will only feature exactly what you require. Thermaltake have included a multitude of cable options with the Toughpower Grand – Up to 6 PCIe cable connectors with different length size and SATA/Molex connectors each having up to 4 connectors mounted on the cable.
The Thermaltake Toughpower Grand 750W is priced at £135 inc. VAT. This may appear steep to some but those PSUs priced less than £100 won’t be 80 Plus Gold Certified and come with an astounding 7-years warranty – will you ever need to upgrade again?!
The bottom line is: The Toughpower Grand 750W is a great PSU with an appealing 7-years warranty. It will be sufficient for most SLI/CrossfireX configurations and comes recommended by Vortez
Pros
+ Great performance even under 100% load
+ 7 years warranty
+ Lots of cables
+ Very well packaged
Cons
– Not the quietest at 100% load
+ Great performance even under 100% load
+ 7 years warranty
+ Lots of cables
+ Very well packaged
Cons
– Not the quietest at 100% load
Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net.
