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anyone have problems with the Ultra X-Connect?
- Thread starter Tyson82
- Start date
Plenty of people around here claim that they are S**T but I'm not completely sure I agree. They are most likely overpriced for what they are but they from another perspective, they look very nice and the modular cables are a sweet feature.
Here's what I can tell you from my experience with mine.
1. I had a problem with a new system build and it was unclear whether my mobo or my X-connect was to blame. I decided to RMA both just to be safe. When I contacted ULTRA and told them that I had a PSU which may or may not be faulty they offered to replace it no questions asked. They really didn't care if it was bad or not, if I wanted a replacement they were more than willing to send me one. Doesn't get much better than that.....
2. I put the replacement X-connect in my midsize case (back-up rig) and quite frankly, even with the modular cables it was still a clusterf**k. I really hated this arrangement and my non-modular wiring was much better in a confined case. The cables are a bit stiff and they are also quite bulky so modular may not be all that if you have a small case to work with. On the other hand, the cabling worked out sweet in my Tsunami and the end result was extremely clean. I guess it just depends on the case you have to work with.
3. 12v rail ran anywhere from 11.81 to 12.22. I honestly dont know how well this falls within specs but it bothered me a bit to fluctuate that much. My 3.3 and 5v rails were very tight. In the future I will be buying a unit with adjustable rails jsut to be safe.
Bottom line.....if it is the flashiness etc that interests you with X-connect you may be fine with it. If you are more interested in a top performing PSU you can definitely do better than x-connect. My X-connect is currently gathering dust on a shelf.
Good luck
Here's what I can tell you from my experience with mine.
1. I had a problem with a new system build and it was unclear whether my mobo or my X-connect was to blame. I decided to RMA both just to be safe. When I contacted ULTRA and told them that I had a PSU which may or may not be faulty they offered to replace it no questions asked. They really didn't care if it was bad or not, if I wanted a replacement they were more than willing to send me one. Doesn't get much better than that.....
2. I put the replacement X-connect in my midsize case (back-up rig) and quite frankly, even with the modular cables it was still a clusterf**k. I really hated this arrangement and my non-modular wiring was much better in a confined case. The cables are a bit stiff and they are also quite bulky so modular may not be all that if you have a small case to work with. On the other hand, the cabling worked out sweet in my Tsunami and the end result was extremely clean. I guess it just depends on the case you have to work with.
3. 12v rail ran anywhere from 11.81 to 12.22. I honestly dont know how well this falls within specs but it bothered me a bit to fluctuate that much. My 3.3 and 5v rails were very tight. In the future I will be buying a unit with adjustable rails jsut to be safe.
Bottom line.....if it is the flashiness etc that interests you with X-connect you may be fine with it. If you are more interested in a top performing PSU you can definitely do better than x-connect. My X-connect is currently gathering dust on a shelf.
Good luck
Problems for me:
1. Very noisy compared to my Antec True 380s and my Antec 550 True control. The Ultra's tiny heat sinks need alot of air movement and that menas only one thing, more noise.
2. The voltages were way off:
12.71 on the 12v
3.68 on the 3.3v
5.12 on the 5v
3. The plug ends are fat. The 4 pin ATX power plug was flexing DIMM1 and a capacitor on my Abit IC7. A little tight on my 9800 Pro too.
I wanted to like the PSU alot because the modular cabling is great, however, its' shortcomings didn't impress me. I got it brand new factory sealed for $50 plus tax when Fry's was running a deal. I promptly returned it. Some people like them alot and that's great, it just wasn't my cup of tea.........
Good review here: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article193-page1.html
m 🙂
1. Very noisy compared to my Antec True 380s and my Antec 550 True control. The Ultra's tiny heat sinks need alot of air movement and that menas only one thing, more noise.
2. The voltages were way off:
12.71 on the 12v
3.68 on the 3.3v
5.12 on the 5v
3. The plug ends are fat. The 4 pin ATX power plug was flexing DIMM1 and a capacitor on my Abit IC7. A little tight on my 9800 Pro too.
I wanted to like the PSU alot because the modular cabling is great, however, its' shortcomings didn't impress me. I got it brand new factory sealed for $50 plus tax when Fry's was running a deal. I promptly returned it. Some people like them alot and that's great, it just wasn't my cup of tea.........
Good review here: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article193-page1.html
m 🙂
looks like he OCZ Modstream is going to be the better buy. If I can find a decent deal on one.
http://www.viperlair.com/revie.../other/psu/mstream520/
http://www.viperlair.com/revie.../other/psu/mstream520/
Operandi have you used the Ultra X-Connect ? or ar eyou basing all your opion based on what you read on forums or bias review which I can think of. 1 which is maximum pc in which the testing was design to kill a power supply and the fact is most powersupply aren't meant to use full load 24/7 in which they did. I actually have 2 ultra x-connect power supply powering all my components without compromise.
http://forums.amd.com/index.php?showtopic=34216
If you're interesting tyson my current setup is.
MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum
Athlon 64 3000+ overclocked to 2.6
2x256 PQI Turbo Samsung Tccd
BFG 6800 OC unlocked to 16x6
2x200gb Seagate
2x36.7 Seagate Ultra 160 Drives
Watercooled.
http://forums.amd.com/index.php?showtopic=34216
If you're interesting tyson my current setup is.
MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum
Athlon 64 3000+ overclocked to 2.6
2x256 PQI Turbo Samsung Tccd
BFG 6800 OC unlocked to 16x6
2x200gb Seagate
2x36.7 Seagate Ultra 160 Drives
Watercooled.
northerner
Golden Member
im putting together a new rig and i went with the ultra x-connect uv psu but after reading a lot of comments and reviews in various forums i decided to turn around and sell it and i got an antec neo-power instead. not as cool but this psu has gotten some great reviews!
So has the Ultra..
my review is the power supply is just as good as any I've had, and I always make sure to never buy garbage power supplies, this one does not disappoint.
The Neo is fine, but the reviews I've read of it, it's not quite as good as typical Antec quality, so I'm not sure that's any better than the Ultra at all. might even be worse. The only bad review of the X-connect I've ever heard about is the MaximumPC one.. all the others are positive or neutral at worst.
i actually bought a 500w ultra psu that isn't the x-connect, and i had to say i was surprised by it. the first thing that surprised me of course was the price tag i got it for :b (10 bucks after savings and rebates: msrp $80). it has a very nice finish, and you can see the quality construction on the inside of it through the clear plastic fans, most noticable being the gold heatsinks. i powered it on with nothing but the mobo hooked onto it (no cpu or anything) and i could not hear a THING. my bios voltage readings were rock solid, though the 12v rail readings through speedfan seemed awfully low (11.31).
hm... i guess i sorta went off tangent and i actually forgot my whole point. anyway, what i was trying to get at was that you should really see it for yourself. people who have bashed on the x-connect have either been forum trolling for too long, got a bad psu (it happens... on ANY sort of hardware), or just have something against it because other people have something against it. I'd say try it yourself, since the worst that could happen would be that you'd have to rma it for one reasno or another (ill put a sock in it if you get 2 bad ones in a row XD)
and just for you people to further hate ultra, ultra = tiger direct lol
hm... i guess i sorta went off tangent and i actually forgot my whole point. anyway, what i was trying to get at was that you should really see it for yourself. people who have bashed on the x-connect have either been forum trolling for too long, got a bad psu (it happens... on ANY sort of hardware), or just have something against it because other people have something against it. I'd say try it yourself, since the worst that could happen would be that you'd have to rma it for one reasno or another (ill put a sock in it if you get 2 bad ones in a row XD)
and just for you people to further hate ultra, ultra = tiger direct lol
Well, a few weeks after I got my 400W X-Connect, my motherboard died. The PSU still worked in the immediate aftermath; I believe a friend inadvertently fried it while testing it. Immediately after the motherboard went, I could still power on an illuminated keyboard I have if the PSU was turned on. The PSU itself is obviously a suspect, but so is the dirty, unreliable power here in Italy. (My PC was protected by a surge protector, but a portable mp3 player I had just bought was charging connected straight into the wall.) There's a reason European power supplies have active PFC... I'm using all American parts (I'm American military, stationed in Italy) - thinking about getting an active PFC PSU myself now.
I'm going to RMA the PSU. As of right now, I don't plan on putting the replacement X-Connect in my system though. For now, I'll just use the generic PSU that came with my case, and I'll hold off on plans to overclock.
I still want to see proof that Ultra = Powmax in disguise...and I still think the bashing that goes on here is a load of horse dookie.
I'm going to RMA the PSU. As of right now, I don't plan on putting the replacement X-Connect in my system though. For now, I'll just use the generic PSU that came with my case, and I'll hold off on plans to overclock.
I still want to see proof that Ultra = Powmax in disguise...and I still think the bashing that goes on here is a load of horse dookie.
CharlesMcKinney
Member
I have an Ultra X-Connect PSU and I am happy with it. Yes, the cables are a little stiff, but only the 20-pin ATX connector is a real monster. I have had no stability problems running the rig in my signature, and it does look nice. I like that fact that I'm only using the cables I need to. I did find it a bit noisy, and replaced the fans with some panaflos, but I've changed pretty much every fan in my rig to panaflo's, as the case is about 18" from my left ear right now, and the dull hum was rather annoying.
In all, I'm happy with it, but I haven't built a whole lot of systems, so I can't really compare it to anything.
In all, I'm happy with it, but I haven't built a whole lot of systems, so I can't really compare it to anything.
hhmmm. Anyone use the OCZ Modstream? From what Ive read of the Antec NeoPower it isnt really what Im looking for. I dont like that the runs arent covered. I dont want to have to dissassemble them and sleeve them myself.
So that leaves the X-Connect and the Modstream.
The X-Connect is cheaper i cost.......
So that leaves the X-Connect and the Modstream.
The X-Connect is cheaper i cost.......
No, I haven't used it. Even if I had it wouldn't do any good; I don't have the necessary resources to test it properly. My information is coming from the research I've done; it's defiantly a poorly made PSU from cheap components. The X-connect is defiantly related to Powmax in some form, my guess it's internal design (what counts) is based on Powmax unit and the external features (modular cables) are Ultra's additions.
That?s nice, too bad your review doesn?t count for anything, there is 75% chance a $30 PSU would run your system just as well. The only way to test/properly review a 500 watt PSU is put it under a 500watt load or at least get relatively close and test the output there, not at 40 or 50% load.
I've read all glowing reviews also, they are worthless. Putting a 500watt PSU under a 100-200watt load is meaningless and proves nothing. That Maximum PC round up is one of the few good reviews I've seen. The Neo Power was among the best in the round up, the X-Connect was among the worst.
Yes. From experienced users I have heard reports that they have poor voltage regulation, aren't actually rated for their claimed wattage, and don't even do a burn in test at the factory... Now, it may just be me, but most good manufacturers do burn-in at the factory... As general advice, stay away from gimmicky products like this and stick to tested and proven PSUs like Antec, Zalman, Enermax, etc.
Again this is your opinion and you have not used this powersupply so you really can't speak for what other users have experienced. The test maximum PC did was not a legit way to testing a powersupply. They say the Antec Neo was a very good powersupply but I also heard alot of bad things about them as well. Does that mean Antec Neo PSU are bad? Nor does it make it make them great. Just because you read so and so review and x site is saying it's bad or x site saying is good doesnt mean jack. Why don't you just the owner speak for themselves and it's they're judgement if they like the power supply or not. Personally I think they're great and who cares if they do a burn-in or not. Most of the time burn-ins are use for QA and Ultra does not have exactly the best QA in the world and that's why most user are experiencing a break in smell that smells like rubber but most of the time it's gone after a week.
My opinion, based on facts. You claim the Ultra is good based simply on the fact that it works, most $30 generic PSU's work too but that doesn?t mean you should use them. My owning it, or you for that mater makes no difference, it's not like a CPU or graphics card you can benchmark with a UT2k4 time demo; you need to have proper equipment to do any meaningful tests.
Regarding the Max PC review; it was legitimate, one of few that are. Like I said previously hooking up a 500 watt PSU to a system that draws 100watts of current is no way to test a PSU. Those reviews count for nothing yet that?s what the majority of the PSU reviews are, worthless.
Who cares about burn in tests? Anyone that doesn?t want their hardware fried typically. The PSU can either be tested with equipment designed to filter out bad units or you new PC can be the test subject, potentially killing anything it's physically connected to.
Show me a review that stats the Neo Power is bad, everything I?ve seen shows the opposite.
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