DailyTech - Thermaltake Announces the World's First Dedicated Power Supply for Graphics Cards

Submit News

Hardware Thermaltake Announces the World's First Dedicated Power Supply for Graphics Cards
Brandon Hill (Blog) - March 4, 2006 5:30 PM

E-mail

del.icio.us

54 comment(s) - last by mindless1.. on Mar 7 at 5:36 PM

Thermaltake's new Purepower Power Express 250W takes some of the burden off your existing PSU

Thermaltake has announced its new Purepower Power Express 250W dedicated power supply for graphics cards. With today's SLI and CrossFire cards requiring more and more juice, this dedicated PSU takes some of the load off your system's power supply.

The Purepower Power Express fits into any standard 5.25" drive bay and features two 6-pin PCI Express connectors to supply power to your graphics cards. It also works in conjunction with your current power supply with an included adapter. For those of you concerned about noise levels, the PSU's 4cm fan puts out 20dB at 2000RPM.

Pricing and availability is not yet for the Purepower Power Express 250W so stay tuned for more information from DailyTech.

Comments

Threshold

Username
Password
remember me

This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled

???

By baddog121390 on 3/4/2006 6:45:19 PM , Rating: 2

didnt forton just announce a thing exactly like this about 2 days ago?

or was that a 'sneak peak' and not officialy announced yet?

RE: ???

By retrospooty on 3/4/2006 7:27:13 PM , Rating: 2

I saw that too, but I cant for the life of me find it now. I think it was officially annouced though.

Parent

RE: ???

By Bull Dog on 3/4/2006 8:17:53 PM , Rating: 2

So much for the world's first.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/video/display/2006022...

Parent

RE: ???

By retrospooty on 3/4/2006 10:48:30 PM , Rating: 2

Thats where I saw it... Xbit LOL

Parent

fortron

By lamplamp on 3/4/2006 8:43:40 PM , Rating: 2

Actually Thermaltake is mostly using Fortron psu's, so they are basically the same.
I somehow don't like the power-switch on TT.. kinda bad when You turn vga off but not computer..
A power-saving feature?

Parent

RE: fortron

By mindless1 on 3/7/2006 12:27:27 AM , Rating: 2

No, they are not using Fortrons. Thermatake are made by Sirtec and have been for(ever?). They are not basically the same either, anymoreso than all PSU are basically the same. Generally speaking Fortron are better than Thermaltake but that doesn't quite make Thermaltake junk either.

Most often, silly kids bash Thermaltake's older designs having 18A 12V power, and some even turn around in same paragraph and praise some overrated generic for claiming 30A it can't come close to sustaining. Funny world.

I agree the power switch is an odd feature, it would have been better had they included a 3rd lead that plugs into the main psu to drive a signaling subcircuit to turn on/off with the main PSU.

Parent

RE: fortron

By jonnyGURU on 3/7/2006 7:16:15 AM , Rating: 2

[i]Actually[/i] (to muddy the waters a bit) Thermaltake power supplies have been made by Channelwell for some time (ever since the TR2 line was introduced at least.)

This idea isn't new. Modders have done it before. 250W 12V switch mode power supplies that are THE SIZE of a 5 1/4 bay have been around. It just took this long for manufacturers to go, "Oh wait. Why don't we use a 5 1/4 bay to mount the power supply and include tow PCI-e connectors so it can be used for video cards!"

Parent

RE: fortron

By mindless1 on 3/7/2006 5:31:12 PM , Rating: 2

Yeah there are plenty of open frame PSU on the market, one could DIY if they had the PCIe connectors and enough experience to not electrocute themselves. :-O

Parent

Cost

By sandytheguy on 3/4/2006 6:51:12 PM , Rating: 1

It would have to be under $40 to be worth it. Otherwise just getting a new PS is going to be a better deal.

RE: Cost

By johnford64 on 3/4/2006 7:14:08 PM , Rating: 2

Would you really trust a $40 power supply from Thermaltake with your $1200+ graphics cards? The only cards that would warrant this are that expensive!

Parent

RE: Cost

By mindless1 on 3/7/2006 12:33:28 AM , Rating: 2

yes, any of the major manufacturers are wholly capable of producing a reasonable unit. If anything, you'd get more quality per $ from thermaltake than most others. For example, those $30 AR 430W Thermaltakes newegg sells, two of them are FAR better than one single $80 Antec or $120 PC Power & Cooling. Not to knock PCP&C, but it's relative to price-points and capacity since extra capacity is the whole point of this external secondary unit.

Parent

RE: Cost

By ShadowD on 3/4/2006 7:16:43 PM , Rating: 2

I'd think that if it was fanless then it might be worth it. It would be able to take enough load of the PSU to have it lower its fan speed (assuming you have a good PSU), making the system quiter. But the point is that its a thermaltake product, and all thermaltake products I own or have used tend to have some annoying downsides.

Parent

RE: Cost

By Burning Bridges on 3/4/2006 8:22:16 PM , Rating: 2

Not exactly. It would mean that your current power supply would not have to power your Graphics array (I say array because I can't see this being useful for anything other than SLI/CrossFire)

I am still wondering how the "sub PSU", if you will, is powered, though.

Parent

RE: Cost

By Souka on 3/4/2006 9:12:29 PM , Rating: 2

the "sub psu" will get its power from the "main psu"...but that's ok since the "sub psu" has an efficency of %300.... :P

Parent

RE: Cost

By WStaind on 3/4/2006 10:27:31 PM , Rating: 2

quote:
I am still wondering how the "sub PSU", if you will, is powered, though.

If you look in the picture you will see a cord coming from the back of the "sub PSU" and at the end is an expansion card plate. An AC power cord is plugged into that plate, once the plate is attached to the back of the case. Therefore, you will have two power cords coming from the back of the computer case, requiring two power outlets.

Parent

dangerous?

By Missing Ghost on 3/4/2006 7:37:51 PM , Rating: 2

Wait wouldn't that mean that the +12V from two PSUs will get connecter together? Why I was asking around about how to do dual PSUs in a computer, it has been said to me that you can't connect the two +12v, the two +5v or the two 3.3v together without a load balancing circuitry, or you may fry the PSUs. You know, the kind of circuitry they have in redundant PSUs...

RE: dangerous?

By johnford64 on 3/4/2006 8:56:42 PM , Rating: 2

if you look there is an ATX extension that connects to the unit, they have probably taken care of that, however i dont know for sure, so dont trust me on this!

Parent

RE: dangerous?

By Missing Ghost on 3/4/2006 10:02:43 PM , Rating: 2

That looks like it is only the wires to start the psu.

Parent

RE: dangerous?

By jonnyGURU on 3/7/2006 7:21:38 AM , Rating: 2

Think about it. A quad rail PSU has each PCI-e getting 12V via the AUX connector from two separate rails and the slot gets it's voltage from yet another 12V rail. And it's not unusual to see voltage differences as much as 1 to 2% between one 12V rail and another. It's not like your tapping 12V into the 12V of your other power supply, and even if you did that wouldn't be a problem either (take a look at the SSI spec that has each CPU on a separate rail, yet when used on a regular ATX12V board, you combine those two rails to create one big one.)

Parent

RE: dangerous?

By mindless1 on 3/7/2006 5:36:12 PM , Rating: 2

The significant difference is that even with quad-rail PSU, there is typically only one (rarely two) actual 12V windings on the transformer and one 12V feedback for control purposes. That means no matter what happens, it's all up to the lone controller to adjust which it will... or shut off.

The complication will be with two separate rails each referenced to the common ground, with feedback for each to two different controllers. That would be problematic when considering two generic switching supplies and even two typical "main" PSU designs, but because this is a mission-specific unit intended (expected) to be in this use, concessions could be made, for example a more isolated feedback loop.

Parent

Design going in the wrong direction

By lemonadesoda on 3/4/2006 8:09:31 PM , Rating: 3

I think this is a sorry state of affairs. So much development time and cost going into SLI and crossfire, GPUs, mainboards and now accessories.

This is just such an inefficient path from a holistic viewpoint.

What is the better solution?

Lowering voltage, and increasing silicon size, pipelines, shaders and memory etc on ONE card. Making a paradigm shift into new register vectors operating at higher bit depth with new memory management and larger arrays of pixels processed in a single GPU cycle.

This requires a significant INVESTMENT by the GPU designers... new designs, new fab, new silicon, etc.

Whereas SLI/crossfire requires limited investment by them. The consumer just buys two and bolts them together. Nothing new, more powerful, or efficient technology. Just two stuck together with sticky tape and string.

I say boycott SLI/Crossfire and demand new architecture. The GPU manufacturers need a flogging.

Its like a communist car manufacturer trying to sell us a trabant, with an extra trabant engine bolted onto the front wheels to go faster.

And can you believe people fall for this? What nonsense.

RE: Design going in the wrong direction

By Acanthus on 3/4/2006 8:47:29 PM , Rating: 2

i dont really understand your rant, architecture for single cards is improving as rapidly as it ever has as well. Multicard solutions are just the next logical step if you want to cater to people with money to spend.

Parent

RE: Design going in the wrong direction

By Doormat on 3/4/2006 9:10:45 PM , Rating: 2

Yea, SLI is really about extracting more money from the consumer for minimal cost (eg. not having to redo the entire GPU architecture). There are people who will pay $1000+ for video cards to have the best possible experience. Its why nVidia is going Quad-SLI, just to get another couple hundred of dollars out of the top 10% of the market.

Parent

RE: Design going in the wrong direction

By Larso on 3/6/2006 11:17:39 AM , Rating: 2

Quad-SLI? Make that 1% or below...

By the way. Even if SLI/Crossfire is just a way to milk consumers maximally, we can't complain. The result is simply über-enthusiasts fund even more GPU development.

Parent

RE: Design going in the wrong direction

By masher2

(blog) on 3/4/06, Rating: 0

power supplies

By crystal clear on 3/4/2006 10:45:57 PM , Rating: 1

Hi, everybody there-I am planning to build my computer with Geforce 7900 GTX cards,in the near/distant future.Need recommendations from U about power supply.HELP.

RE: power supplies

By Westfale on 3/4/2006 11:36:56 PM , Rating: 2

antec truepower. like i said above, i've been building machines for 6 years, and i have never had a problem with a truepower. they are pricy compared to the no-names, but they are the best.

whatever you get, i'd recommend 550 watts or more, so you have room to grow in the future.

Parent

RE: power supplies

By crystal clear on 3/5/2006 1:58:11 AM , Rating: 2

Thanks my friend WESTFALE - noted down

Parent

RE: power supplies

By Griswold on 3/5/2006 5:22:17 AM , Rating: 2

Sorry to burst your bubble, but antec are far from the best when it comes to efficiency and voltage stability.

Parent

RE: power supplies

By mindless1 on 3/7/2006 12:54:47 AM , Rating: 2

They're far from best when it comes to ratings, highest quality, or value too. Funny how they're mid-grade all around but some still pay a premium for them. Marketing 101- sometimes image means more than facts.

Parent

By bbomb on 3/4/2006 7:16:52 PM , Rating: 2

Do they mean that you can add 250W to your existing PSU when you say it can work in conjunction current PSU's?

RE: .

By Burning Bridges on 3/4/2006 8:23:18 PM , Rating: 2

Whoops! See my reply up there ^

On a side note, can anyone think of a good new corded mouse for me?

Parent

RE: .

By threEchelon on 3/4/2006 9:32:56 PM , Rating: 2

Logitech G5 plus a good mousepad: will serve you well.

Parent

RE: .

By Merglet on 3/6/2006 8:07:58 AM , Rating: 2

Completely agree--I love my G5.

Parent

Only second, if anything.

By Griswold on 3/5/2006 5:21:04 AM , Rating: 2

Asus bundles an (optional) external PSU with some their high end cards - for several weeks already.

RE: Only second, if anything.

By crystal clear on 3/5/2006 6:48:05 AM , Rating: 2

Thanks will check their site- nice to know that there are guys out there willing to share their experience/info.Again thank U

Parent

RE: Only second, if anything.

By Griswold on 3/5/2006 9:02:38 AM , Rating: 2

Dont be mistaken, they dont sell it seperately (to my knowledge), they just add it to some of their high end cards as an optional PSU in case your existing PSU isnt up to the task.

Parent

Hear, hear!

By Stele on 3/5/2006 11:20:11 AM , Rating: 2

Great comments from all - many thanks, as they're very enlightening. Always thought I was the odd one out who felt TT was all show and no go. But while the candid feedback is cool, what's remarkable is that it's all done without fear of TT coming out swinging with cease and desist legal letters and threats of legal action for defamation blablabla. Where I come from, companies don't take too kindly to bad word of mouth spread publicly :P

RE: Hear, hear!

By Aquila76 on 3/5/2006 11:39:06 AM , Rating: 2

It's not defamation or libel when it's the truth. :)

Parent

RE: Hear, hear!

By mindless1 on 3/7/2006 1:20:28 AM , Rating: 2

Thermaltake, like any other make, has to be seen in perspective. In this day and age we should all know that for the most part, only very expensive PSu can have their ratings taken at face value. For the remaining PSU, it's more a matter of price (value per $), and suitability to any particular system load (rail-current distribution).

Thermaltake's higher-end, highest priced units aren't a good value at all. Their mid-rated 430W units are about the best value out there. They are however, $40 PSU, not $100 PSU, and so it goes- in the end you get what you pay for. They are very good for $40, but $40 is not enough to pay to power SLI'd high-end gaming systems.

So it's same-story different day, interpretation of wattage ratings and recognizing what the base design is means everything. When they claim a lower 12V amperage, they really mean it. One has to know what their system needs if they're going to shop for mid-range PSu rather than splurge.

Parent

I wonder....

By Etsp on 3/4/2006 7:24:51 PM , Rating: 2

I remember hearing somewhere about some sli/crossfire graphics cards not liking power supplies that use 2 power rails, are they gonna botch this and make the two connecters on separate rails in order to market it better? for some reason, i think its pretty likely...

RE: I wonder....

By mindless1 on 3/7/2006 12:38:07 AM , Rating: 2

The issue was that when ONE PSU used two power rails, each was a lower amperage.

With this unit, (or even for the so-called 2 power rail units), they aren't actually two power rails at all), there is simply a deliberate current-limiting imposed to meet 240VA regulatory limits on output power. Now Intel has relaxed their stance on this and we may see more interesting things in next-gen designs (or next-next gen if next-gen is already locked down).

Parent

thermaltake sucks

By Westfale on 3/4/2006 8:59:04 PM , Rating: 2

i've been building my own PCs for over 6 years now, and i build systems for friends and family as well. i have used many thermaltake parts in th epast. and i can say with confidence that they suck. sure, there is the occasional good product (volcano 7+ CPU cooler), but the vast majority of thermaltake products is just "designed", not "engineered". lots of cheap plastic (usually in th emost garish colours imaginable), ill-fitting pieces, and very average performance. plus. there's the "me-too" factor: thermaltake only copies other companies' ideas. they did a silent watercooler after zalman (and it looks very similar), they did new heatpipe design coolers after the rest of the industry, etc.

i am staying away from this crap, their regular PSUs are basically just no-name shit with a higher price tag, so why should this be any better? and wouldn't it make more sense to just buy one decent PSU in the first place? people with enough cash for two 7800GTX cards can surely afford a PSU to go with them...

RE: thermaltake sucks

By mindless1 on 3/7/2006 12:49:34 AM , Rating: 2

It's fairly pointless to try and compare Thermaltake's heatsinks or water coolers with their power supplies. They don't "make" products, they're a relabler like Antec. I agree that their heatsinks have been marginal in some cases, the fans lower-end, and some silly kid-like colored plastic.

You have it backwards. Thermaltake is the only branded manufacturer that isn't grossly overpricing their PSU (Fortron comes in a close 2nd).

Yes you can pay more and get better quality, but not a little more- if you expect signifcantly better quality then plan on paying at least 2X as much. That is reasonable if as you suggest, someone is running two 7800GT or similar. on the other hand it it still doesn't change the fact that two $30 (check newegg) 430W Thermaltakes cannot be beat by any $120 single PSU.

One would argue, "that's not a reasonable comparison". In this thread's context it would seem reasonable because that's essentially what is being considered- a 2nd PSU to take up where the insufficiencies of the first begin.

So in short, whatever you plan on buying, you're most likely far better off with $60 total expense put down on two Thermaltake 420W. If money were no object, there are plenty of better alternatives but not value per $.

Parent

BS!!!

By lucyfek on 3/4/2006 9:52:42 PM , Rating: 2

one more junk in the system. i have nothing against sli/crossfire stuff (although i don't use it), but this ps idea seems to be flawed:
1. it's better to have one better quality PS than two pieces of junk (unless you have two redundant ps for added reliabillity). manufacturers can simply design a box with separate circuit for video (if so desired). this way we also avoid unneccessary clutter (sli/cf cases are crowded without extra ps).
2. this ps will blow hot air into the case (at ~75% efficiency) - what a sorry idea - regular ps sucks the hot air out of the case.
3. "the PSU's 4cm fan puts out 20dB at 2000RPM" - sure, to me 4cm fan seems to be a recipe for disaster, have your earplugs ready (look at their website to see what power it supplies at 2000rpm, maybe enough for a 9600pro/xt, maybe not).
4. is this on/off switch on the front panel a joke, or does it serve some other purpose? whoever tries first (whiile the system is running) let me know, good luck.

nice try to sell more give somebody 1 more thing to bragg about

anyway if you like useless gadgets buy it

RE: BS!!!

By Scrogneugneu on 3/4/2006 10:57:39 PM , Rating: 2

Buy a good one, and don't ever think about this new kind. You don't want it, not with all the additionnal clutter/sound/heat it will bring. And I'm not even mentionning the price...

If you have a multi-gpu system, chances are you'll have a good cpu and memory, hence you'll need a good PSU. Buying a separate one just for the GPU is a complete waste of money, any good quality PSU can stand up with SLI without any problems.

Parent

Now we need a new power plug

By sintaxera on 3/5/2006 12:22:16 AM , Rating: 2

What's next? Will we need to plug our gaming PC's into the same kind of high-power outlet that our washers, dryers, and refrigerators use? Will a lowly cock-roach crawling through out massive (but oh-so invitingly warm) power supplies bring back the days of a "bug" in the computer actually being a bug? I get the feeling that some long since dead Eniac engineer is looking down at us and thinking.....
WTF?

RE: Now we need a new power plug

By sieistganzfett on 3/5/2006 2:15:40 AM , Rating: 2

lol. With the cost of heating increasing, having something that performs both the function of gaming and heating your house would make that engineer say more than just wtf, even if his body could fit next to the cock-roach in a power supply TT makes with such specs that do not add up.

Parent