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Testing Methods: In order to test the stability of a power supply it's best to put it thru it's paces with a high-end system and some serious gaming and benchmarking trials. In order to test the efficiency of this power supply I used the Seasonic Power Angel and I will compare it to previous units I've compared. The load stats are compiled running long gaming sessions of Need for Speed: Most Wanted, Quake 4, and/or Call of Duty 2. Also benchmarking stress testing included Prime95, PC Mark 2005, 3D Mark 2005 and Sisoft Sandra CPU Burn in. Test Hardware:
Seasonic Power Angel Results Comparison:
The Efficiency results were not the best of the bunch and certainly no comparison to the Seasonic 430w I reviewed previously or the Enermax Liberty 620w. You can see particularly the Volt-Amps and the wattage usage are below average, or at least below the best of class. Keep in mind the "Power Factor" is the fancy term for "Efficiency". So the closer to 1.00% we get the better. With only a .68% rating for the Ultra X2 550w we're only getting just under 70% efficiency. That's "typical" of a lot of power supplies today, but not on par with the active PFC ones. Voltages: The voltage readings were all extremely stable and I didn't notice any stutter or "Waves" in the power output, even with my higher-end system. I didn't really expect any problems however, this is a high quality power supply with special attention to the power outputs and stability. My SLI and X2 dual-core system didn't give this unit any troubles that I could find. Conclusion: The new X2 Titanium 550w Modular Power Supply is definitely a good solid product. The looks department are covered with a mirrored finish, shiny titanium look cables, and 100% modular cabling system. There's no LED fans, but the cables are UV reactive. Ultra's FlexForce cabling system is a very unique flat flexible cable design with a special emphasis on dual rails and superb stability. The quality feel of this unit is something to behold. It's as solid a power supply as I've ever handled. Modular's are great in most situations and something that most people say "once you go modular, you never go back", but I can tell you from experience, having a modular power supply in some of today's inverted ATX and BTX cases can be more of a hassle than it's worth. Remember my Lian Li V1000 review where I had to completely remove the power supply cage and half the hard drive cages to get my Modular psu to fit correctly? So take into consideration the specific application before you buy any power supply. However in the typical ATX chassis setup, I can't think of a better PSU to have in it. Use only the cables you want, leave the rest out. A Quality modular power supply is certainly the way of the enthusiast today, and this X2 PSU leaves nothing but some fancy lights to the imagination. After a thorough review, installation and testing of this unit I can whole heartedly recommend it for purchase. At a street price of around $100, it's on par with other quality power supplies in it's class for this amount of wattage. However no other power supply can say they have the Flex-Force cabling system, and no other can say they're better built than this unit. It's top quality construction all the way. So with all said and done, I recommend the Ultra X2 Titanium 550w Modular Power Supply. This power supply is just slick, mean and well designed with special attention paid to not only looks and convenience, but also quality and stability. Head on over to the Ultra Products Website and check out their large selection of unique and quality products.
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