Xigmatek NRP-HC1001 and NRP-HC1201 Power Supplies
by Christoph Katzer on April 13, 2008 12:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Introduction
Not too long ago, we tested a 600W power supply from Xigmatek, and Xigmatek wanted us to look at one of their higher end models as well. As there is no need for a 1500W power supply we passed on their most powerful model and went with the 1200 and 1000W versions instead. For most users, these two high power units will be overkill, but a small group of overclockers, multiple high-end graphics card users, or people with a Skulltrail system may have need for something like one of the units tested today.
Xigmatek are more famous for their coolers, where they offer very low prices and high performance. However, they are working to expand their PSU presence. As the capacitors and coils show on the picture below, these units come from CWT - just like the previously tested 600W unit. We have also tested a Thermaltake 1000W unit that delivered good performance and was also built by CWT.
Xigmatek wants its power supplies to have a unique appearance to help them stand out from other companies. All of the shrink hoses and heatsinks inside are covered in orange, which looks pretty cool and contrasts with the green of the PCB. The housing is quite long for a normal ATX power supply, but the 1000W+ understandably needs more space than usual. The total length is 8”/20cm, which will cause problems with smaller PC cases. The weight also needs to be considered, as there have been some issues reported where the whole rear of the case has bent and distorted because of the weight of heavy power supplies. User’s with a thin plate, aluminum chassis should take this may experience difficulties.
The label has a strange layout, similar to what we saw with Thermaltake. There are two sides each with two 12V rails and one smaller voltage rail. We will see later on why this is the case and what makes these two units so special amongst 1kW+ units. The numbers on the labels look similar and only the max output differs between these two units. Both have four 12V rails with 36A and 30A and a 3.3V and 5V rail each with 30A. Xigmatek states that the 1000W unit’s 12V output should not exceed 82A. The 1200W version has a maximum output of 99A on the 12V rails. That’s a hell lot of power that can be drawn from these rails.
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mttcrlsn - Wednesday, April 16, 2008 - link
When will people wise up that probably 90% do not need anything more than a good, correctly rated PSU. Even when I was doing SLI on an 8800GTS system I maxed out at about 500W. Processors were once space heaters and power hogs but that has done a 180 turn as people wanted computers to be better. Soon GPUs will be doing the same, storage is already getting more power efficient and memory is as well. This idea of marketing of uber high power supplies is going to end soon and may already be ending as the cost of energy heads to the sky. So as some companies continue to beat the dead horse others are now marketing power efficiency and quietness - who wants to work next to a 747 pushing out heat in their office?royalcrown - Sunday, April 20, 2008 - link
Amen to that ! As a side mote...it is good to see GPUs FINALLY getting off of the 90nm mode ! They also need to put the crap on the top side as hot air rises...duh, why do they keep putting the hot side towards the FLOOR ?!michal1980 - Monday, April 14, 2008 - link
lets save you are on a 15 amp circuit.if you have perfect 120v power= 15ax120v = 1800wats. at 85% efficeny = 1530 watt power supply
it its 110 volts = 15x110 = 1650watts = 1402 watt power supply.
dont plug your monitor/speakers/ lights on that cirucit or your going to start blowing fuses.
royalcrown - Sunday, April 20, 2008 - link
it's not a wise idea to plug something in with 2 cords as you have risks if each cord is on a separate circuit, you risk having a voltage potential (greater charge on 1 side of the circuit) and that CAN be unsafe...strikeback03 - Tuesday, April 15, 2008 - link
I'll check when I get home, but I don't think anything in our house is less than a 20A breaker. And a 20A breaker won't typically trip till somewhere over 30A is drawn through it, so you still have some margin for more ridiculous power supplies.mttcrlsn - Wednesday, April 16, 2008 - link
Typical home wiring is 14 gauge with a 15amp max - NO EXCEPTIONS. In order for one to use a 20amp then the wire must be 12 gauge. This is the per the NEC. If it is a 120V 20A receptacle, one side will have a slot, the other will have a "T". As for getting 30A on a 20A breaker - I would get rid of that breaker as it is not rated correctly / is defective.HOOfan 1 - Monday, April 14, 2008 - link
Like this one?http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...
nubie - Monday, April 14, 2008 - link
Well, I was wondering something similar, and that is why don't we run dedicated 220v to the PC in our houses here in the US?Even if we don't use all of the power, all of our devices will be running more efficiently. If you have a direct line to your PC already you can change the outlet and add a circuit breaker (that connects to the other bus-bar) for making 220v.
In reality, notice what they already said, they are running a clocked quad with lots of hard drives and tri-sli 8800 Ultra on a PC Power 860.
I agree with them, you can't load it more than 500w (idle?), even with an extreme system like that. You are really just spinning up all those hard drives and charging all those caps when you start the PC (SATA with delayed spin-up?).
I am still using my PC Power Silencer 470, and wondering why it isn't rated for SLi, clearly it can do it, and probably overclocked with a couple hard drives. If you take a second look at those PC-Power ads, they are telling the truth. Their components are industrial grade, and rated for high load + high temps. I don't mean to say that their competitors can't handle a load, but my Silencer has never ramped up, I never even hear it over my hard drive, and this is a pretty nice one from a Tivo2.
B3an - Monday, April 14, 2008 - link
Dont know if it was mentioned in the article because i hardly read any, but from the pics, these PSU's look exactly like the Thermaltake ToughPower PSU's. I have a 1200w ToughPower and as far as i can see there is no difference between them.So WTF is going on? Same PSU but rebadged?
C'DaleRider - Monday, April 14, 2008 - link
Both the Thermaltake ToughPower supply you have and the Xigmatek in this review are both rebadged CWT builds, which is why yours and this one look alike. Tt and Xigmatek are the rebadgers, CWT is the maker. It's just like Seasonic is the manufacturer of numerous other branded power supplies like Corsair's HX line and PC Power and Cooling's Silencer line. Open up a Seasonic, Corsair HX, and a PCP&C Silencer and you'll find, outside fan arrangement and heatsink choices for the fan arrangements, almost mirror image power supplies.