Raidmax recently sent us a new power supply, the RX-520XP Titanium, their 520 Watt flagship model. Raidmax is a company who is well known for their creative and budget minded cases as well as power supplies and computer accessories. This particular supply touts a large list of features, some of which I haven’t seen before even on much more expensive models. Here are some of those features I pulled from the Raidmax website:
- All connectors are gold-plated for more stable outputs
- Output-cables are twisted wires reducing EM-Interferences
- Supports OVP, OCP & SCP (Short-Circuit Protection)
- ATX12V version 1.3 and downwards compatible
- Intel Pentium 4. & AMD K7/K8 CPU compatible
- Silence Control Technology with Dual-Fans for Whispering operation of 21-22dBA at up to 60% load
- Two Serial-ATA hard disk-connectors built-in
- ECASO Technology, keep fans running for cooling down you power and system 3 mints after shut down the power
- Video Card Connector with Noise Filter for Power-Hungry Video Card
One particular feature of note is the ECASO Technology (Enhanced Cooling After System Off). This particular feature can continue to run several fans in your case roughly 3 minutes after you turn off your system. This allows you to dissipate the residual heat leftover once the fans have all shut off. If you run a hot system, this may help extend the life of some components more susceptible to heat like hard disk drives. I know of several 3rd party solutions which allow you to do this but I have never seen it done on a power supply.
The power supply came in a conservative satin black box clad with the company logo and the phrase The Power of Silence, indicating that this power supply is meant to fit right in with other lower noise power options. The feature list is laid out nicely over the sides of the box. Raidmax definitely wanted this product to look good on store shelves. Inside you can see the supply was packaged well with full bubble wrap.
Besides the supply itself there are several accessories included such as a 24 to 20 pin ATX adapter, mounting hardware, zip-ties, an interesting looking power cable and a manual. The power cable has a rubbery feel to it, much more flexible than standard black cables. It also has visible semi shielding and a cylindrical line conditioner near one end to assist in surge protection. The manual included with the supply has detailed installation instructions, warnings and warranty information.
Here you can see why they have branded this unit Titanium. It has a fully mirrored finish with a grey gunmetal color to it, looks very impressive in person. I took a picture looking into the finish just to show how mirrored the case really is, you could shave using the thing. This unit boasts three 80mm fans for cooling, two inlet one outlet, all of which are electronically controlled and react to system temperature, thereby reducing noise levels when the system isn’t running full steam. The rear of the power supply has an on/off switch, 110/220v selector, power connector and an auxiliary power connector which switches on/off when the power supply turns on. This is a great feature for those liquid cooling with 110v AC pumps.
On the side of the power supply the power and current ratings have been listed for this and the lesser model of power supply. Note the strong 5Volt rail and the 18Amps on the 12Volt rail. This is more than enough to run plenty of fans and accessories, although I would have liked to see a stronger 12Volt rail on a 520Watt model but the rating is well justified either way.
This power supply boasts a wide array of cables and connectors listed below. The ATX power cable is sleeved in black with black heat shrink, and the lengths of the cables are perfect for those with larger sized cases. You should have no problem reaching any particular area which needs power. However if you plan on putting this into a smaller case, keep in mind you may have a lot of excess cabling to deal with.
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Cable
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Quantity
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Length (in)
|
|
24-Pin ATX
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1
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23
|
|
20-Pin ATX Adapter
|
1
|
4
|
|
6-Pin Power
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1
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23
|
|
4-Pin Power
|
1
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23
|
|
Fan Headers
|
3
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29
|
|
Serial ATA
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1
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17
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|
4-Pin Molex
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2
|
18
|
|
Shielded VGA
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2
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20
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Some key things to mention include: pre-twisted cables, the 3 separate fan headers (for the ECASO system), and the special attention given to two of the 4 pin Molex connectors. These cables have the same shielding and line conditioners that were included on the power cable for the supply itself. Underneath the black heat shrink there are small capacitors to help further clean ripple in the lines and Iron Ferrite cores to reduce electro magnetic interference.
Overall the cables looked good. One way to tell how much thought and effort a company puts into their cabling is to look close to the power supply housing itself. The cables were easily separated at this point and weren’t tangled as you may see with many low end budget power supplies. The only problem I saw was some excess length of cable on one of the SATA connectors. This is a minor cosmetic annoyance.
Warning: Removing the cover of your power supply is dangerous and will void your manufacturer’s warranty. There are high current and high voltage sources inside of a power supply that can cause serious electric shock and even death. Ocmodshop.com is not responsible for any broken hardware or injury due to unsafe practices with computer hardware.
Moving on to the interior of the power supply, the layout is orderly and clean, short of a few straggling wires. There is some open space near the intake fan and through the center of the supply, so there shouldn’t be any major dead zones in airflow through this supply. The transformers are pretty well isolated between the two massive, large surface area heat sinks. These are some of the most complex heat sinks I have seen in any power supply. They are aluminum and louvered in several directions, if these don’t keep the supply running cool and stable I don’t know what will. You can also note the blue relay switch for the external auxiliary 110v plug nestled between the massive sinks.
Some other key areas inside of the supply are the fan controller on the blue PCB and the dual 200v 1200mF Capacitors to help store up energy for power on demand and line conditioning.
The fans provided in this power supply are from two separate companies. Two are 80x25mm units from Power Cooler and one is a 80x15mm un it from Globe Fan. These fans are mounted using rubber bushings to help reduce vibrations and their performance numbers are listed below.
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Model
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Dimensions
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Voltage
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Current
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Power
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RPM
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CFM
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Noise dB
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|
Power Cooler
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80x25mm
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10.2-13.8
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0.1A
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1.2W
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2000
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21.5
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20.3
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|
Globe Fan
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80x15mm
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6.0-13.8
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0.1A
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1.2W
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2000
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19.9
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18.0
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One thing I have to mention however about this power supply is that on further inspection I found a lead to the auxiliary 110v plug completely unsoldered. This is a serious quality control issue and should have been caught on inspection at the factory after assembly. After tossing the power supply around for installation or shipping, this lead could have come loose and shorted major components inside the supply leading to at the least a dead power supply and at the most a fire. I have to say I was shocked that this type of thing was overlooked.
Since this power supply is aimed at the low noise market, I would have liked to have a dB meter to measure sound levels. Though even without a meter I can say this is one of the quietist power supplies I have ever dealt with. Audible noise was unnoticeable in a quiet room until I placed my ear within 12” of the exhaust fan. Even then, the sound was low in pitch and non-mechanical. Under system load there was almost no difference in noise.
Voltages were tested using a Greenlee 93-606 multi-meter connected to the appropriate leads on the 24-pin ATX and 4-pin Molex connectors. Voltages at the 4-pin connectors were confirmed across all cables to make sure there were no variances from one line to another. Readings were taken during three separate situations: Idle – no system connected, Idle – system connected, Load – system connected. Load was placed on the system using Prime95, blend torture test at priority 10.
Test Bed
- Abit NF7-S v2.0
- AMD Athlon XP 2400+
- 2x256MB GEIL PC3500 Golden Dragon
- ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 256MB
- Western Digital 36.7GB WD360DG Raptor Drive
- Western Digital 160GB 1600BB 2MB Cache
- Maxtor 120GB 6Y120L0 2MB Cache
- Vantec Aeroflow /w Zalman Fanmate
Using the Overclockulator from PimpRig, , the test bed system was found to use an estimated 284 Watts. The actual real world system load can be higher or lower than the value above, keep in mind this is just an estimate.
The voltages turned out to be quite solid and stable when load was applied to the system. I was surprised to see the voltages increase on several lines once a computer system was attached to the power supply. There seems to be some definite smart power regulation going on in the guts of this supply.
Also, each line seemed to be set slightly above their rated values. For many this is a much more desirable than having them dip below their rated values. One thing I was somewhat surprised to find though was that the 3 dedicated fan headers controlled by the ECASO system run at 5v.
I would have liked to have the ability to put larger 12v 92mm or 120mm fans on these lines, and maybe even a CPU fan. Curious I tested the headers with a generic, low output 120mm fan from Sunon. About half the time the fan header supplied enough power to start the fan, the other half it would twitch and not start. So I would not suggest putting anything but case fans on these lines.
Conclusion
There is no doubt this power supply can provide enough power for a high end system, and the amount of features this model packs is hefty. I have to say I am impressed with the extra effort they placed in the heavy duty VGA cables, and the ECASO fan controller is a feature I have never seen before in a power supply.
I would have liked to see 12v lines on the fan headers and for mid tower cases the cables may be a bit long. Although the fact still remains that there were some quality control issues on this particular model, you should never find an unsoldered lead inside of a product with a voidable warranty. Overall I found this to be a very good product with several small annoyances and one major flaw.
Quality control is a major issue in regards to how the product is assembled and inspected at the factory. I should have never received a power supply with such a major mistake as a lead not being soldered. Although, this could have been a major one in a million fluke, and taking that into account there is no way that I can make the issue an ultimate deciding factor in whether this product is recommended or not.
The fact still remains however that Raidmax has delivered a product that has gone beyond the norm and delivered a host of features that anyone would find impressive. So I feel safe in recommending this power supply for anyone who wants a stable, awesome looking, low noise power solution with a rating of 8/10. I would like to thank Raidmax for sending over this power supply for review.
Pros
- Slick gunmetal finish
- Very quiet operation at 22dB
- Large host of special features
- ECASO runs fans after shutdown
Cons
- Quality control issues