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RockeTeer II SP-ATX-400W
09/31/06
Spire has
provided our staff with one of their new Power Supply Units the Rocketeer
II. We are going to take a look at how this product’s performs, as well as
what type of demographic this product will be best suited. In addition we
will look at compatibility and ease of install. You might be under the assumption
that all power supplies are the same if you are in that category let me open your
eyes to how important a good PSU is. First and most important fact that you
need to know is that a cheep power supplies can not only cause a system to
perform slower it can also do irreversible damage. If your fan goes out and
the PSU over heats this can cause power surges that could at the very least
fry you motherboard. Also keep in mind a power supply essential is like a
battery it takes AC current stores it and converts it to DC if you PSU is of
lower quality you could have fluctuations of current or amps. As well as
wattage variation. We will look at all of these aspects in our evaluation of
the Spire Rocketeer. Hopefully this new line of PSU's will perform great and
also be appealing to the eye. Specs:
Features:
Price:
Installation / Usage:
Installation of a PSU
is pretty standard but one great thing that should be mentioned is that the
rocketeer has is the number of different type of installs. This product can
be used with the Dual 20 and 24-pin
main power connector and the Dual 4 and 8-pin 12v ad on Pentium connector
this will fit on all motherboards from the AMD and Intel 400 series sockets
to the AMD and Intel 64bit dual core products. This PSU will work on
any system we have here at Marns. The main test unit we are going to run the
PSU on is a 20-pin plus 4pin 12v ASUS motherboard mostly because this is the
400watt model and the older 20-pin setup is more suited to this Watt PSU. The
installation is a snap. Just unhook the extra 4 pins off each cable and plug
them into the motherboard. Don’t force the 4-pin 12v connector when split it
is not easy to tell the difference between the connectors but be assured only
one of the two will fit into the terminal.
Appearance:
For appearance the Rocketeer II is very appealing with a oversized cooling fan with Blue LED and a shinny chrome finish. Spire also added a mice twist to the power cables making for a neater speaker look. Also on the Rocketeer at least for the main power is a Black Nylon sleeve for a little extra lair. All in all the look is very pleasing to the eye not over bearing nor understated. Perfect for both window cases and standard cases alike.
Performance:
Performance will be measured using an Intel P4 chipset on a 20pin motherboard with the extra 4-pin 12v hookup. What our intention during this process is two fold one is to make sure there are no major issues with heat or voltage over a one month period second is to overload the PSU with allot of extra components and see how well the voltage remains at a constant. All readings will be taken using the motherboard monitor either in Windows or from the BIOS. After running the Spire Rocketeer for over 30 days with on average six 12v devices and an extra case fan or two the numbers are pretty promising. They’re where no failures of any kind during the 30-day period and during the load evaluations the voltages stayed pretty stable. Bellow is a chart of the high’s low’s and the average voltages during the test cycles.
Please note this is a single PSU tested so results may vary but as you can see the results show some fluctuation but over all very stable voltages.
To add to the test I decided to draw more power from hooking up other
devices while using the tester so what we did was plug in 4 drives either
SATA or 4-pin Molex 12v and then ran the same set of connections. Yet again
Spire surprised us by remaining consistent. While this test is not anywhere
near as detailed as our standard PC test the results do show a nice trend of
stability with regards to voltage.
Quality:
Quality for
Power Supply Units is measure several ways. The most important is length
of time the unit can run without fail this is something we can not
reasonably measure with the time given for our evaluation so what we
decided to do is use our performance stress test and as long as that
looks ok we will give it the green light.
Over View (Pros & Cons):
The Spire Rocketeer is definitely one of the most versatile PSU on the market.
With easy installation and compatible with virtually every retail based
motherboard, the 400watt Rocketeer is an easy solution for any consumer
needing a Power Supply. A word of warning however makes sure you get the
right wattage for what you are using. This 400watt version is not meant for
elaborate light displays or for load heave PC’s get one of the larger
versions in that situation.
Conclusion: The Spire Rocketeer II 400watt is
a well rounded PSU. If you are either in need of a new PSU to replace an
existing supply that has died or if you are building a new PC and want
something that is upgradeable for future motherboards yet compatible with
existing Motherboards then Spire has made a great product for you. This particular unit might be a little low
wattage for everyone’s needs especially if you use allot of extra components
and want maximum power while gamming but the Rocketeer is a solid product
that will not let the consumer down. We are happy to award Spire with our
Blue Ribbon Seal of approval for a product that more then satisfies the
consumers needs and exceeds our expectation. Congratulations Spire great Product.
Rating: 5 out of 6 Stars
Review Date: 09/31/06 Reviewer: pr101j (Paul)
Company Info Spire Contact Info
Marns CDA By pr101j |
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