How does X-Connect PSU compare with other PSU's?

[garetjax]

Looking at the modular X-Connect PSU's and liking what I see. However, I am more interested in their build quality and performance than their modular ability when compared to an Antec, PC Power & Cooling, Enermax, OCZ PSU's.

Are X-Connect PSU's any good? Reviews or first hand knowledge/experience with them is appreciated!

Link for X-Connect modular PSU's:

http://www.ultraproducts.com/index.php?cPath=38_57

 

[jonnyGURU]

Man. How many threads per day are we going to have like this?

Compare apples to apples. When you pay over $100 for an Ultra, you're not getting a $100 power supply that happens to have modular cables. Compare the Ultra to a $50 power supply, that you have to pay more for to get modular cables.

Antec and Enermax (other than the Whisper) have dual 12V rails, the OCA has adjustable voltage for each rail (pointless,) most have active PFC. PCP&C are rated at higher operating temps and have active PFC. Then again, all of these power supplies are $100 an up WITHOUT modular cables. Ultra's better than a Deer, Codegen or Allied, for sure. But not as powerful as an Antec, PCP&C, Enermax or OCZ.

Ultra-X is still a good power supply. It has solid power, good self-cooling and curcuit protection, and is made well (durable) but it's a $50 power supply. A lot of people are putting it down because they're comparing it's features to other power supplies of the same price. Unfortunately, Wounded Monitor Children expect to get features like modular cables for free.

I have a 500W X-Connect running an Athlon XP 3200+ with one hard drive and two optical drives 24/7 with no issues. Ask yourself how much power do you really NEED (what's your video card, how many drives, any SCSI, how many fans and lights, etc.) and then ask yourself if you really need a more powerful power supply. If you think you need a more powerful power supply, ask yourself how important those modular cables are.

 

[nealh]

520w OCZ Powerstream does not have dual 12 v rails at least by specs but the 12v is 33a on 520W

I own this PSU and think it is awesome...I think if you are looking to spend a $100+ then it is the one to get...roughly same prices a Antec NeoPower (with a better 12v rail) and Enermax Noisetaker 485w...

One nice thing is the warranty..5yrs(3yrs are replacement, last 2yr are labor no cost just pay for parts)

The adjustable pots for the 3.3v,5v 12v rail is nice on it as well

With that said I think the Enermax, OCZ, Antec, Seasonic are all excellent choices

FYI: I had an Antec 480w truepower die after 2 yrs..Antec replaced it without issue..I sent the RMA request(keeep that receipt) ...I sent it on Nov6...They received Nov8..sent a new one on Nov11...it took UPS a week to deliver it(today)..12 days total..excellent service IMHO

 

[jonnyGURU]

Ah! You're right. The OCZ doesn't have dual 12v rails, but it does have the adjustable POTs. I forgot about that. Another thing about the Antec and OCZ is that the rails are independent, which means you get more usable wattage out of them. 😉

 

[Gamingphreek]

Dual Rails aren't necessary for the OCZ. It has more than enough power as it is. Plus they just released a 600Watt version which was stable at 700Watt for a couple of minutes, so they say.

OCZ=PCPC>Enermax>Antec=Seasonic, Zalman>Ultra>>>>>>>>>Generic.

-Kevin

 

[lrmat]

i bought the x-connect after my thermaltake 480w butterfly psu died exactly one month after building my rig (by the way how do i put my componenets in my sig?). i could not wait for the whole rma process and have my rig down for over a month..... sooooo, i spent another 90 clams and bought the x-connect, after having read so many glowing reviews on the net. after having purchased the unit i start finding bad comments on the unit, basically stating that it's a prettified $30 psu (by the way, it really is pretty).

all i can say is that so far it seems fine, it works with my rig:

Tt tsunami case
asus k8n-deluxe
amd a64 3400
corsair 2x512 2.5 value select 3200
maxtor sata 200gig
maxtor ata 160gig
nec 2510 8x burner
ati x800 pro (recent addition, upgraded from my carryover ati 9600xt)

i intend to add another burner (nec 3500) and am considering adding a audigy sound card to take the burden of the cpu when gaming.

the Tt died on me and i don't think it's a reflection of that psu, i had the misfortune of getting a bad one. it has since been replaced and will know serve as a spare. if the x-connect goes down, then i will swap it out and rma it.

 

[Matthias99]

Silent PC Review basically panned it. It's noisy, hot, and relatively inefficient compared to other high-quality PSUs out there. It will put out its rated 480W of power on the 3.3V, 5V, and +12V lines (although no sane computer will get near that kind of output, even with a 6800Ultra SLI).

snippet:

While the Ultra X-Connect 500W PSU is certainly competent in its ability to deliver power, it doesn't really fit SPCR's critera for a quiet component. The overall performance of the sample is more than adequate from a power delivery perspective, but leaves much to be desired from an acoustic perspective. Even at low power loads (65-100W), the power supply measured well above 30 dBA/1m in our sound tests.

The efficiency of the unit was fairly good, but far below that of some recent PSUs to pass through our rigorous testing procedure. Active PFC is increasingly seen on higher priced PSUs; its absence here is a bit disappointing.

...Lastly, if you're looking for looks -- snazzy fan grill, UV-reactive cables, and high-gloss paint finish -- along with high power, then the Ultra X-Connect is certainly worthy of your consideration.

 

[jonnyGURU]

Originally posted by: Matthias99
Silent PC Review basically panned it. It's noisy, hot, and relatively inefficient compared to other high-quality PSUs out there. It will put out its rated 480W of power on the 3.3V, 5V, and +12V lines (although no sane computer will get near that kind of output, even with a 6800Ultra SLI).

snippet:

While the Ultra X-Connect 500W PSU is certainly competent in its ability to deliver power, it doesn't really fit SPCR's critera for a quiet component. The overall performance of the sample is more than adequate from a power delivery perspective, but leaves much to be desired from an acoustic perspective. Even at low power loads (65-100W), the power supply measured well above 30 dBA/1m in our sound tests.

The efficiency of the unit was fairly good, but far below that of some recent PSUs to pass through our rigorous testing procedure. Active PFC is increasingly seen on higher priced PSUs; its absence here is a bit disappointing.

...Lastly, if you're looking for looks -- snazzy fan grill, UV-reactive cables, and high-gloss paint finish -- along with high power, then the Ultra X-Connect is certainly worthy of your consideration.

That doesn't read like a pan to me.

It doesn't claim to be a quiet power supply.

They didn't say it runs hot. And it doesn't run hotter than quieter power supplies depending on the case you put it in. In fact, quiet power supplies will run even hotter in smaller cases that depend on the power supply to be part of the cooling solution.

Also, Ultra never claimed the power supply is as efficient as other power supplies in it's price range because other power supplies in it's price range don't have modular cables. As you said, it will put out it's rated 480W of power and it does have modular cables, so I don't see how that makes it a bad power supply or a bad buy.

 

[lrmat]

funny thing is i find the x-connect quieter in my Tt tsunami case then the Tt purepower it replaced, but then again the purepower was probably defective to begin with.... yeah, i read that review nd it didn't sound like a pan to me it just didn't recommend the psu to people trying to build silent pc's.

 

[jonnyGURU]

Originally posted by: lrmat
funny thing is i find the x-connect quieter in my Tt tsunami ....

When I said it's not meant to be a quiet power supply, that doesn't mean it's louder than most either. It's quieter than my Antec was.

 

[erikistired]

Unfortunately, Wounded Monitor Children expect to get features like modular cables for free.

quote of the day! ah, the good old days.