|
Extras
Local Gamming & LAN Party Sites
|
VIGOR 450 POWER SUPPLY Sponsored By Xtreme Gamer (XG) 12/30/04
Power supply units are by far one of the most over looked components of a PC. Simply fact, the PSU is one of the most important components for the PC. Without a quality unit that provides stable power you are risking certain electrical failures in the future. Out of all the components replaced on most of my customers PC's, the PSU by far fails the most. XG has provided our team with a very stylish, cost effective PSU unit. Not only does it look good, XG also added some nice features designed for the avid PC enthusiast. There is an over sized 120mm fan on top, as well as the rear fan controls, to reduce noise when needed. Let's take a closer look and see how these features work and if this unit is stable as well.
Specs: VIGOR 450 Features: Specifications:
USD $49.99 Newegg price as of 12/22/04 $49.35 Purchase Link A power supply with all these features for under 50 dollars. As long as it performs well, this price is a steal.
Installation: There is not too much to talk about concerning the installation, but I will point out a few nice features. XG provides all the hook ups for ATX P4 and AMD motherboards. One important feature of the Vigor 450 is that XG provided two SATA power converters. This is a big plus with all the new SATA drives. Also, please note that XG also pre-sleeves the cabling so there is no need for the extra money and time to sleeve it yourself. Unless of course you don't like the color.
Appearance: Let's begin by taking a closer look at the exterior. As you can see by the photos below, this PSU unit has all the latest features. XG provides all the essentials and then some for the modding market. XG uses a dual fan mentality: one large 120mm fan and another 80mm off to the side. Note the 80mm fan is outside the PSU chasse. This is good and bad. The good aspect is that it leaves more room inside to increase internal air flow and reducing unwanted heat. The possible downside is taking the risk of using up space. If you have the room, then no worries, this is a plus. Just make sure you have the extra 25mm min inside your case.
There are no fans in the rear of the PSU. XG has a mesh opening. This serves two purposes: one, it allows for better airflow from the internal fans to get all the hot air out of the case, and two, it looks pretty darn cool.
Also note the the Vigor 450 has side widows that light up nicely when turned on to show off the PSU well.
Here are a few pics with the PSU unit on. You can see the LED fans light up well, this will look nice in any case. This is especially nice if you use a window and the color scheme matches your existing case. Overall, the Vigor 450 is a very nice PSU. The appearance meets and exceeds our expectations.
Quality & Performance: Today we will be clumping performance and quality together because they are so closely linked with Power supply units. Xtreme Gamer does a great job with the construction of this unit. The chrome outer casing seems sturdy and of good material. All the fans and electronics appear to be well made also. This PSU is very solid, no moving or flex in the chasse. The weight of the unit says it all. The heavier the better in my opinion, within reason of course. When the PSU unit weighs lightly, I don't expect it to last a month. XG seems to have one solid Unit. Now let us discuss the features. One main feature XG provides with this series of PSU's is their fan control. The control is placed in the rear so it is easy to adjust. This feature is quality. The 120mm fan itself is not very noisy to begin with, but with the added control of turning the fan speed down allows the consumer to make it even more silent. Trust me, it works well. I was impressed when turning the dial, you can tell by the feel that they used a nice damper switch. It revolves fluidly, not like some of the cheap aftermarket dials I have seen in the past.
Performance is the most important part of a PSU, without a stable power source the consumer takes chances on multiple electrical problems. The important thing to look at when discussing power is the highs and lows. By this I mean use your on board hardware monitor to track and see if the power fluctuates. All Power units will go up and down, but we are going to look at how often this happens. We are going to focus on the 12v, 5v, & the -3.3v current. In general, none of these should drop below or go above a .5v difference. Let's see how this unit fairs over a 30min regular usage duration.
Our results were pretty conclusive, at least run on our test machine. Over a 30 Min period, taking note of any current change during this time, there was little to no change at all. We have provided a screen shot of the SOYO tool used on the test PC to record the data. The largest fluctuation of current during the 30 minute period was on the +12v channel. The decrease noticed was only .06volts, well within any current requirements. And amazingly enough, during the period, I did not note any decrease or increase to the -3.3v or the +5v channels. What this means is that the over all stability of this supply is amazingly high. I will definitely recommend this unit to anyone having problems with power.
Note: it is not perfect the voltages stay a little under what it is rated, but all well within .1volts. This is important but not as important as the stability of the current running threw the unit.
Pros: The Price is right. Look is very appealing, as long as it matches your color scheme. The over sized 120mm fan moves are well. The extra fan controls is a plus if you are looking for a quiet case. Pre sleeved wiring not only looks nice but saves you time and money. The two SATA converters is a plus. Most important is performance, this unit holds up and fluctuations are to a minimum. Cons: Only real concern I noticed so far is the external 80mm fan, but that is only an issue when using a smaller case. Conclusion: Good Job XG,
you made one nice PSU! If you have a lot of extra electrical, you might
want to think about the 500 or 600watt versions, but in most situations
this cost effective unit will do what is needed and then some. I am
pleased to award XG with our Blue Ribbon Seal of approval for a well
built, stylish Power supply. Congratulations!
Rating 5 & 1/2 out of 6 Stars
Review Date 12/30/04 Reviewer pr101j (Paul)
Company Info:  Home Page CONTACT INFORMATION Feel free to contact us via phone,
email, or fax. MGE is always available - RESELLER INQUIRY:
GENERAL AND TECHNICAL QUESTIONS:
INTERNATIONAL CONTACTS TAIWAN OFFICE CHINA FACTORY OFFICE BRAZIL OFFICE MEXICO OFFICE **Note:
Marns CDA By pr101j
|
Good Links Other Good Links
Mod Sites & Guides
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
|
New Stuff 12-23-04 reLANtless Dec. LAN Party Photos 11-24-04 CD Stealth Mod By Jess 10-28-04 UV Pen Mod By Lee
10-23-04 Red CCFL Fan Kit Review 10-14-04 Corsair XLPro XMS3200 Benchmark Results 10 -04-04 ATI RADEON 9600 XT 128 Meg
09-30-04 ATI Comparison 9100Pro Vs. 9600XT 3DMark200l & 3DMark0309-27-04 ProLink GeForce FX 5700 LE 256Meg card
09-22-04 Message Board Check it Out!!!
09-19-04
ThermalRight NB-1C
Chip Set Cooler
09-17-04
09-16-04 Pololu Custom Acrylic Grills all Laser Cut
09-14-2004 ProLink GeForce FX 5700 LE 256Meg DDR Benchmarks 3DMark03 09-01-2004
Project
Sound Wave Website updated
08-25 2004 |
Manufacturers
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Copyright
© 2004 Marns CDA
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
