Thermaltake TR2 QFan Series
by Christoph Katzer on November 19, 2008 3:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
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Conclusion
The first time we saw the TR2 QFan on the show floor, we were extremely happy to see that someone was still planning to offer a good PSU targeting users that need less than 500W. The four power supplies we've tested today perform very well and we have no problem recommending them to anyone putting together a moderate PC. All we need now is retail availability.
In terms of features and performance, the QFan marketing sounds nice but we didn't see any actual benefit in testing. Thermaltake also cut corners in other areas to keep costs down; some of the cost cutting measures will matter, but others are trivial. Packaging for example uses the same simple box for all of the units, with the only difference being the large paper wrap that lists the wattage. All of the cables and connectors on the various units are also identical, as the bigger concern.
The connectors are a little limited on all of the units, with a maximum configuration being a GPU that requires two 6-pin PEG connectors. The 12V rail is also a concern, but typical midrange graphics cards should run fine even on the smallest 300W unit. There are also sufficient Molex and SATA connectors on hand for most users looking at this range of power supply.
DC regulation is average with around 5% on all rails. The 3.3V rail differs among the four units we tested, but the other rails are all similar. The efficiency ratings are great for lower output PSUs, and all of the units reach 85% to 86% maximum efficiency with 230VAC. That will be a great selling point for these units and we hope that more people will actually pay attention to these results.
As for the fan speed and the resulting acoustical noise, we can say that the fan control works well; with increasing temperatures, the fan spins faster. We just don't see the sense in advertising a promising feature like the QFan that actually doesn't seem to add much to the package. The temperature of the first two heatsinks stays below 40°C, but the secondary heatsink temperature reaches 80°C, which is not very good. As mentioned earlier, a larger heatsink should perform a little better.
With all of the power supply companies heavily marketing their high-end, high capacity PSU models, it's difficult to gauge how much interest there will be in good quality 300W to 500W PSUs. Even Thermaltake doesn't appear to be very bullish on the subject, as we first heard about the TR2 series over eight months ago.
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Even after all this time, these units are still not available on retail shelves, so we don't know what prices will be. We can only hope that Thermaltake will manage to offer these power supplies at a reasonable price, so that more users will end up purchasing something appropriate to their needs. Not only does it cost more money to purchase a 600W-1000W PSU, but if you aren't routinely drawing 300W+ of power such large PSUs end up being less efficient. If all you need is a single 6-pin PEG connector for your graphics card, and you don't plan to heavily overclock your system, the Thermaltake TR2 QFan series of power supplies should be near the top of your shopping list.
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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 !!!!!