Xigmatek NRP-HC1001 and NRP-HC1201 Power Supplies
by Christoph Katzer on April 13, 2008 12:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Introduction
Not too long ago, we tested a 600W power supply from Xigmatek, and Xigmatek wanted us to look at one of their higher end models as well. As there is no need for a 1500W power supply we passed on their most powerful model and went with the 1200 and 1000W versions instead. For most users, these two high power units will be overkill, but a small group of overclockers, multiple high-end graphics card users, or people with a Skulltrail system may have need for something like one of the units tested today.
Xigmatek are more famous for their coolers, where they offer very low prices and high performance. However, they are working to expand their PSU presence. As the capacitors and coils show on the picture below, these units come from CWT - just like the previously tested 600W unit. We have also tested a Thermaltake 1000W unit that delivered good performance and was also built by CWT.
Xigmatek wants its power supplies to have a unique appearance to help them stand out from other companies. All of the shrink hoses and heatsinks inside are covered in orange, which looks pretty cool and contrasts with the green of the PCB. The housing is quite long for a normal ATX power supply, but the 1000W+ understandably needs more space than usual. The total length is 8”/20cm, which will cause problems with smaller PC cases. The weight also needs to be considered, as there have been some issues reported where the whole rear of the case has bent and distorted because of the weight of heavy power supplies. User’s with a thin plate, aluminum chassis should take this may experience difficulties.
The label has a strange layout, similar to what we saw with Thermaltake. There are two sides each with two 12V rails and one smaller voltage rail. We will see later on why this is the case and what makes these two units so special amongst 1kW+ units. The numbers on the labels look similar and only the max output differs between these two units. Both have four 12V rails with 36A and 30A and a 3.3V and 5V rail each with 30A. Xigmatek states that the 1000W unit’s 12V output should not exceed 82A. The 1200W version has a maximum output of 99A on the 12V rails. That’s a hell lot of power that can be drawn from these rails.
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HOOfan 1 - Monday, April 14, 2008 - link
well read the article then. They state it is made by CWT...just like the Thermaltake Toughpower, the Xclio Greatpower, The Corsair HX1000, The Gigabyte Odins and several others.C'DaleRider - Monday, April 14, 2008 - link
[quote]We have heard from other companies that the basic CWT design is practically unusable as there are too many flaws inherent in the design.[/quote]So, you've take some rumor, FUD, innuendo, whatever from one competitor about another without naming the source, investigating anything, pointing out the specific design flaws....yet print that "claim" as gospel?
Your credibility has just taken another nosedive. Or you've become nothing more than a paid mouthpiece for other companies....maybe like PCP&C, because that comment above sure does sound just like the FUD advertisements PCP&C ran back in 2003 against "unspecified" power supply sellers.
The ads were aimed at Antec even though the example PSU (PCP&C named the PSU as a "550W" but left the brand as a blank, but we all know who had a popular 550W back in 2003 when those ads were popping up in certain magazines) was clearly not a CWT build because they had an example unit shown with the case opened.
In fact, the PSU from that old ad looked like a Thermaltake 550W but with a unpainted casing rather than the black casing that Thermaltake used at that time. If you've got any Maximum PC mags from 2003 you can find easily the ads.
It always suspected that PC P&C was trying to point fingers at Antec and this review pretty much verifies that suspicions were correct in this guess. The sad thing is that if you take one of those CWT built Antecs and load and scope it, one will find that it was a competent unit with all the power it promised at better than 3% regulation and decent ripple. Had CWT not been hobbled with using the caps that Antec specifically asked for (Fuhjyyus), that particular build would be remembered very differently.
whatthehey - Monday, April 14, 2008 - link
Seriously, shut the hell up and RTFA! They comment about some CWT builds having issues, but then they also point out that the overall performance of the latest CWT designs seems very good... as this review shows. I love how people get their pants in a bind over one little sentence/paragraph in an article."OMG, you talked about how people in the past said CWT sucks, but you're still reviewing them favorably! You're bought out by the competition AND by the company whose power supply you're reviewing! In fact, Intel and NVIDIA own you and pay for everything you write! I'm going to go read HardOCP instead, since they're only bought out by AMD!"
Give it a rest already. The only credibility taking a nosedive (again) is related to average reading comprehension and apparently already biased opinion. Hell, go back to reading Maximum PC and let the people that actually know hardware do their thing here.
C'DaleRider - Monday, April 14, 2008 - link
I love people who comment about things they know nothing about.In reality, CWT has made no changes to their designs....not a single thing. Of course, you might know this if you managed to ever read previous reviews of CWT-built power supplies from a few years ago...but who are you to bother to read and get any facts, but instead attack and rant about something you know nothing about.
The fact of the matter is Anandtech, and this particular reviewer, chose to publish a condemnation of CWT designs of their power supplies, then supposes there has been an update to their designs. But nowhere does the reviewer ever point out the fatal flaws, the redesigns, or any other fact.....just innuendo and FUD from a competitor....and using that FUD as fact.
That'd be akin to someone printing that whatthehey was a pedophile years ago but is much better now, or that whatthehey was previously unable to hold down a productive job because of rumors of drug use, but is now a drug-free recovering addict.
Just because someone says something, doesn't mean it's true, does it? In the case of this power supply review, AT has really opened themselves up to some critical looking at, maybe by a company that has its reputation called into question. It's called libel.....
JarredWalton - Monday, April 14, 2008 - link
Keep the flames elsewhere, people.I have edited the text slightly in this paragraph to better reflect the intended meaning. Acknowledging that competitors are bad-mouthing a design isn't the same thing as saying the competitors are telling the truth. While I'm sure you'd all love a conspiracy theory, Christoph didn't include that statement to make CWT look bad. (Libel? Please.)
If you look around, you can find information on the Internet that implies CWT is a terrible source for PSUs. Like many larger companies, they have certainly had some bad designs, but the current high-end offerings are very good. (Not so sure I'd say the same thing for many of the 300-450W CWT offerings, though....)
As an ODM, CWT makes PSUs according to the specifications they receive; if a company wants to use less expensive components in order to keep price down, they will comply. In fact, it's safe to say that if you take any basic PSU design and replace all the components with inexpensive, lower rated parts, efficiency and quality will quickly take a nosedive.
Has anything changed with the basic build of CWT PSUs? I couldn't say; I've never dismantled an older CWT unit or a new design. Christoph has, though, so if he wants to imply that some changes were made to improve quality, I'm willing to trust him. (I'd tell him to respond, but he's apparently traveling for the next couple of weeks.)
Kanchenjunga - Monday, April 14, 2008 - link
The reviewer makes a claim about design flaws (without stating what those are) and then assumes that the flaws must have been fixed. It's clear from that alone that he has no idea what these design flaws are supposed to be or he would have told us just what it is that's been fixed.He's trying to market himself as having some kind of insight or inside info regarding CWT's "basic design" and fails at it.
HOOfan 1 - Monday, April 14, 2008 - link
I was also a bit suprised at the opening line of the new OCZ ElitXstream"One look inside tells us what ODM is at the heart of the design, which dimmed our expectations a bit"
Why was that? Impervio has certainly have better quality in the recent past than OCZ's other OEM, FSP.
Carnildo - Monday, April 14, 2008 - link
You say they make a 1500-watt power supply? Does it have a three-phase plug, is it better than 90% efficient at full load, or are they simply assuming that nobody will ever use it at full load? US domestic circuits are usually rated at 15 amps, which means that at 110 volts, the line can only deliver 1650 watts.Heidfirst - Monday, April 14, 2008 - link
UK domestic circuits can handle over 3000 watts ...HOOfan 1 - Monday, April 14, 2008 - link
Who pray tell said that.Come come now, if those companies want to fling mud then at least their identities should be exposed
"Seems like someone is spreading FUD, possibly while high, PC Power and Cooling I'm looking at you"