Thermaltake TR2 QFan Series
by Christoph Katzer on November 19, 2008 3:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Internals
Given the target market, we don't expect a top quality internal design. Most companies say those for their higher end models, for the simple reason that such designs cost more and no one is going to want to spend over $100 on a 300W power supply. We can only hope that one day we will begin to see better topologies on lower wattage models.
As far as the QFan, we see minimal components on the input filtering stage in the internals are very sparse in comparison to higher-end PSUs. Of course, if you only need to output 300W to 450W, you don't need a lot of extra components. We find a standard CWT design three heatsinks, two for the primary side. Thermaltake uses Hitachi capacitors for the primary and SamXon caps on the secondary side. We don't have any complaints about the Hitachi caps, and even though SamXon is a cheaper offering, we haven't encountered any problems with their capacitors in previously tested power supplies.
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CEO Ballmer - Wednesday, November 19, 2008 - link
I like this, I'll have to try a few hundred!http://fakesteveballmer.blogspot.com">http://fakesteveballmer.blogspot.com
JonnyDough - Thursday, November 20, 2008 - link
Can you ban this user's IP please? He keeps spamming over at Tom's Hardware also.strikeback03 - Friday, November 21, 2008 - link
If they want to keep spamming, they can just get a new IP.phreax9802 - Wednesday, November 19, 2008 - link
Only one 6-pin PEG connector? Come on..this is 2008! My old Enermax FMA II 460W has two of them..fic2 - Wednesday, November 19, 2008 - link
You measured that the secondary heat sink temp reached 80 degrees. How hard would it be for a user to replace the secondary with a larger heat sink? How hard would it be to find an appropriate heat sink for this? I looked on the internals pictures but couldn't find anything that I thought looked like a heat sink except maybe what looked like separator walls.ggathagan - Wednesday, November 19, 2008 - link
Regardless of how hard or easy it is, replacing the heatsink would void the warranty.It also misses the point: The manufacturer should be supplying the appropriate heatsink in a properly designed PSU. If they don't, why should I buy it?
sam187 - Wednesday, November 19, 2008 - link
Hallo Christoph,danke fuer deine ausfuehrlichen Reviews auch mal aus der Heimat ;-)
First, it would be nice to see a comparison in the 300-500W range. Next to that, please take a look at things like the picoPSU. Are they that much more efficient than normal psus and do they meet the demands for current htpc platforms (g45/780g/nv9300 with a small cpu)?
Sascha
Hamburg, Germany
haplo602 - Wednesday, November 19, 2008 - link
Thanks for the review. I'd like to see some more 350W and 450W PSUs.xaris106 - Wednesday, November 19, 2008 - link
I also think its great to review "low" wattage models. It's the biggest portion of the market, as you say in your articles, an I aggree. So thanks for reviewing this and i also hope you continue with this range of wattages. We all know that buying a high end high power model from a good brand, we will propably get a quality psu. But not so in the 300-500W range.What I would like to see is:
1) Step load tests: I would like to see how each psu handles load changes (eg a sudden 1A change). The voltage overshoots, settling times can give a lot more information about the quality of a psu.
In other words..transient response tests.
2)A review, maybe as reference of an as cheap as it gets no name psu, to see what we get more with our money spent on brand name psu.
Thanks.
Boushh - Wednesday, November 19, 2008 - link
What I would like to see is good quality sub 400 Watt modulair power supply's. These are (almost ?) impossible to find.It's a miss calculation from the manufactures that people will not pay more for these units. Many people who employ sub 400 watt units do this because they don't need more, and because it will have to fit into a smaller case. Then all those cables are just in the way, because they will not be used.
Further more (as suggested in to article) using high quality design and materials will give better power supply's. Sure they will cost more, but I'll gladly pay that if some manufacturer would build them.
And I don't think I'm alone in this. So please manufactures, start listning to your customers !!!!!