X-Finity 500 watt Power Supply

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Computer Atx Power Supply

Website: http://www.ultraproducts.com/

Date of Review: November 04, 2005

Price Tag: $99.99

Shipping: $8 ground

Reviewer: Mark Fitch

Goals of Review

Performance, Durability, and Stability are my goals in this review.

System Review Done on

OS: Debian Linux Unstable 2.6 Kernel

Cpu: Amd T-Bird 1.2Ghz Cpu

Mother Board: Asus

Memory: 512meg 2, 256 sticks

Cdrom: HP 12 Cd-rw

Hard Drives: 2 40 gig Maxtor 7200 rpm

Video: Onboard

Network: Netgear 10/100/1000 Pci Nic

Sound Card: Sound Blaster

-=Introduction=-

I took delivery of the Power supply about September 15th and installed it the same day. This 500Watt Xfinity PS replaced a standard 300watt ps.

The Power Supplies casing is a sweet metallic blue with a MASSIVE 120mm cooling fan on the bottom. Cable management is a nice twist with a new flat cable design named Flex Force. With clear wires and a choice of either a 20 or a 24 pin mb connection with a snap of a tab it gives the user a choice if installing to an older computer. New Dual Rail Technology is implemented to improve stability and power supply. The DRT gives dedicated power directly to the MB and other power consuming components that need it the most.

-=Description=-

Sleek looking, quiet, awesome cables, and a HUGE fan are what I like to see when I open a box. When I opened this package I was happy but also a little disappointed. The Case was a clean metallic blue, the cables were a clear coating showing the wires, and the amount of connections types was a great + in my book. Connections included Pci Express connections, 4 pin 12V, Hard drive SATA and Molex, 20 or 24 Pin Motherboard connection, 8 pin EPS connection, and the floppy connection.

-=The Install=-

Installation was as simple as could be expected. This no BS power supply was straight forward. Take the old Power Supply out; Put the new one in.

I did have a slight difficulty with the Mother Board Cable. The cable was split in 2 to conserve space and keep it clean but it could have been connected together to hold them both as one. L Overall Time to install 20 min. Consisting of: removing the old unit and installing the new one.

-=Testing=-

I sat it in a hot room in direct sun light along with almost zero air circulation. The result was seeing the temp gauge go from 85F to 95F in under 20 min but not climbing any higher. Voltage remained the same under almost every load it was under. Stabile?? Yes. The massive 120mm cooling fan eliminates the need for 2 fans for intake and output. Even with the larger fan a slight noise level was achieved.

-=Was the Price Right?=-

For a slight bit over $100 you get a nicely created 500 Watt Power Supply. Included is Advanced Cable management, Stability under almost any load, A 3 Year warranty as long as it is registered within 30 days of purchase. I would suggest soon as you buy it register it either online or via snail mail.

-=Summary=-

My summary is a single big fan is a nice feature on this power supply. The advanced cable management system is superb on cleaning up a cluttered case. They even included a power cable at no extra charge. Sound level was almost silent and quality is above most peoples standards. Although handling the PS will cause finger prints to show all over due to the glossy paint. A simple wipe down will remove them fast and easily. The Dual Rail Technology allows the PS to slam dunk the performance off the chart with power availability.

-=The Final Words=-

Rating time for this work horse.

Cost: 10/10

User Friendly: 9/10

Installation: 10/10

Performance: 10/10

Noise: 9/10

Overall Score: 48/50

-=Pros=-

Install is a snap

Clear cables of only 1 color only word Nice

Have seen it in other computers and it a growing trend of Big Fans and NO BS Power Supplies

-=Cons=-

Mother Board Cable a bit bulky and hard to convince to stay in 1 place

Mother Board Cable is Split in 2 and not connected and adds a need to add a few zip ties or clear take to hold them together

8 Pin EPS connector is also a victim of split cable and also requires an alternate method to hold the cables together

-=Notes/Suggestions=-

Only think I feel I must note is the MB connection and the 8 pin EPS connector were harder to maneuver around computer parts since they were a slight bit tricky being split cables. Maybe in future development a folded type of cable could be applied to these connections.