Cooler Master UCP 900W
by Christoph Katzer on July 29, 2008 3:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Packaging and Appearance
The power supply comes in a somewhat understated black box, and unlike some competitors it doesn't contain all sorts of extraneous details on the various sides. The front of the box only shows a picture of the power supply and its name, while the back is a little more informative and includes the specifications and an outline of the major features. Inside the package, there's a plastic cover providing some small protection for the power supply (and keeping various bits from falling out during shipping). You also get a manual on a CD (highly useful for assembling a system, especially if you're building your first system!), power cord, screws, and a card detailing the warranty and discussing the proper disposal of electronic components.
Cooler Master certainly created a unique looking product, as the power supply is coated with a rough texture and it has rounded edges. It seems they are going after the "heavy-duty" look, and the surface looks somewhat like the lining of a truck bed. The fan grille has the same coating and includes the obligatory Cooler Master logo. The grille is connected using hex screws, either because they simply look cleaner or to try and keep prying hands out of the internals. Regular Phillips screws would have done just as well.
The back of the unit is perforated by many small holes in order to provide proper ventilation. Cooler Master uses a large specialized power connector for the plug, typical of their high-end units. There's also a power switch and an LED that glows white when the PSU is connected to the power grid. Besides the ventilation holes at the rear of the power supply, the only other place for air to enter or exit the casing is through the fan grille. This should help to direct airflow, provide optimal cooling, and avoid creating extra turbulence.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
33 Comments
View All Comments
JarredWalton - Tuesday, July 29, 2008 - link
"We see very little voltage drop on the rails, which is very good. All of the rails are within 2% to 2.5% of regulation, starting slightly higher than the target voltage and dropping slightly below target at higher loads. Ripple on the 12V rails is also exceptionally good, measuring at most 8mV. Lower voltage rails also perform decently, though not quite as good, measuring up to 21mV. The ability of this power supply to deliver the required wattage with little voltage drop even at higher loads leaves us with a good impression."Posting a graph that shows ripple isn't really any more informative than what we did right there: up to 8mV ripple on the 12V rails and 21mV on the 3.3V and 5V lines. You might want to read the text a bit more closely before firing off complaints. We state in the conclusion that the PSU has very good ripple results, and I guess that's probably as far as you got? The previous several pages of test results are there for a reason.
Amart - Wednesday, July 30, 2008 - link
A graph educates people, and shows that you've performed the necessary readings to construct it. Ripple/Noise is arguably one of the most important graphs to have on a review.Sure, you had 'something' in this review, which is an improvement over the last few months.
Christoph Katzer - Tuesday, July 29, 2008 - link
With 78mV no company in the high-end field would have released the product...mindless1 - Tuesday, July 29, 2008 - link
Do you have any evidence that 78mV of ripple has caused any problems by itself, isolated as the variable? The powered parts themselves cause more than 78mV of ripple local to them, where it might matter if it ever did - this if you had a hypothetically perfect 0mV ripple PSU.Zak - Tuesday, July 29, 2008 - link
I found CM products to have competitive prices - but I don't shop for high end stuff - and I've always received their rebates.nycromes - Tuesday, July 29, 2008 - link
I too have only had good experiences with their products and rebates. I have heard that others have experienced problems with rebates, but I don't usually hear many complaints regarding their products.I guess that some people must get a different experience than others, the question is which one of us had the normal experience and which one of us got lucky. Until I have a bad experience, I am sticking with my Coolermaster products.
Glenn - Tuesday, July 29, 2008 - link
You forgot to mention the business model coolermaster has relied on. Sell your product that has a worth of about $25 for retail price of $75 and then offer a $65 rebate that will likely not get paid!Then, when the customer has problems with the product, just make the process to repair or replace so difficult, that only the most persistant buyers will percivere the process to get something done!
Hey, it must be working for them!
JEDIYoda - Tuesday, July 29, 2008 - link
so what does anything you say have to do with this review?For that matter can you back up what your claiming with links??
Glenn - Tuesday, July 29, 2008 - link
It has everything to do with any Coolermaster product review! If the company is poor on customer support, then it affects the value equation for prudent buyers. Sorry you don't understand!Do some reading-
JEDIYoda - Wednesday, July 30, 2008 - link
I do understand very well! It is you that has a axe to grind against the Coolermaster products.The company support and how they handle problems has nothing at all to do with this review of the product!!
Yoyr bitch is against the compant itself...the 2 are very seperate!!
As usual a very well done review!!