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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D3v - Monday, November 24, 2008 - link
It's nice to see a PSU review that clears up the fact that you don't need an 800-1000w PSU to run a Q6600 with a 4850 or a 9800. After I ran an 1900xtx512 setup with 'only' a 550W PSU (those cards eat power!), I just couldn't understand why anyone needed anything more.I hope they come out soon; they look fantastic, and are a step back to reality, for most of us.
Great review on a promising product. I didn't see the plus-80 stickers anywhere though.. did I miss something?
JohnMD1022 - Friday, November 21, 2008 - link
1. More reviews of 500w and under, of course.2. A push for more modular units at all levels.
3. A corresponding push for standardization of the plugs on the modular PSUs.
Number 3 is especially important... because...
If the connectors at the PSU end were standard, the cable manufacturers would make cables of varying lengths, colors, etc., just as they make USB cables, SATA, cables, etc.
It's so nice to buy 8, 10 and 12 inch SATA cables with 90 degree connectors.
Wouldn't it be great if we could get proper lengths for our PSU cables?
RagingDragon - Thursday, November 20, 2008 - link
Nice to see a review of small/moderate sized PSU's, and better yet to see you plan more of them in the future.The secondary heatsink temperature of these units look scary though, especially considering 80 degrees is very close to the 85 degree max heat rating of most inexpensive capacitors. I think I'll avoid these units for fear of exploding secondary capacitors... I'd like to see comparable results for the Seasonic 380W and 430W, the Corsair 450W and 550W units, and others in this power range - currently I'm using a Seasonic 430 and a Corsair 550, so I'd like to see how they perform relative to the competition.
Operandi - Thursday, November 20, 2008 - link
SamXon are actually very high quality caps, they rate right up and sometimes surpass the best from Japan. I wouldn't be worried about them failing.yehuda - Friday, November 21, 2008 - link
How do they compare with the secondary OST caps that Seasonic puts in its cheaper lines nowadays? I've seen them in the EarthWatt series, the CX400W [1] and the Seasonic branded OEM SS-400ET [2]. I wonder if the two Taiwanese companies are equally decent or if one has a better track record than the other.[1] http://www.pc-experience.de/wbb2/thread.php?thread...">http://www.pc-experience.de/wbb2/thread.php?thread...
[2] http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/viewtopic.php...">http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/viewtopic.php...
Operandi - Saturday, November 22, 2008 - link
SamXon specs out with some of the best. There was some long term testing done with also at badcaps.net and they passed that test as well with flying colors.As far as OST; I've seen them fail when placed in critical locations such as CPU VRM but they seem to fine in secondary locations and probably fine for PSU use. I know Seasonic uses (or used) them in their OEM units and they are still used in the lower wattage PCP&C Silencers which is OEM'd by Seasonic and I've never seen a failed Seasonic or PCP&C unit (I've personally used both).
yehuda - Sunday, November 23, 2008 - link
Thanks, I'll keep that in mind.Do you happen to have a link to the badcaps test? I occasionally visit their forum but I don't think I've come across it.
Operandi - Sunday, November 23, 2008 - link
The test is still going. Looks like it started in 2006, and all the caps are still holding their original ESR readings, except for the Samsung board that got killed by lighting. No surprise for the Rubycon and Panasonic but as you see the Samxon are right up there with them.I don't know how long they plan to run the test... if the Samxon are really as good as the Rubycon and Panasonics it could take awhile...
http://forums.badcaps.net/forum/showthread.php?t=2...">http://forums.badcaps.net/forum/showthread.php?t=2...
Kibbles - Wednesday, November 19, 2008 - link
I'm curious how these picoPSU fair.http://www.mini-box.com/picoPSU-120-power-kit?sc=8...">http://www.mini-box.com/picoPSU-120-power-kit?sc=8...
They seem to be just DC-DC converters but the 12v source is rated at 5amp. I don't see how they can call it a 120w kit. Still, this thing seems extremely enticing should you only need 100w for maybe a small HTPC.
They also have a 200w version on there, but the 12v source question comes into play again. If I'm calculating this right, for 200w at 100% eff, you would need 16.7amp from a 12v source.
JonnyDough - Thursday, November 20, 2008 - link
I second (third actually) the request for pico PSU reviews. We need a standard size PSU that can fit into iTX and mATX cases. I hope someone will create a standard size soon.