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
