Without a good power supply in your system it can become cranky, locking up and causing all sorts of havoc. This could be caused by a cheaply made power supply or maybe one that just is not big enough to handle the power requirements of you system. If you look around these days you'll notice that PSUs seem to be getting bigger and bigger, in wattage and physical size as well. If you are building that uber gaming system that you've always wanted then you might want to take a look at what I have for review today, it is an 800 Watt power supply from Ultra called the X-Finity. The X-Finity is a big power supply in terms of physical size and wattage so read on to check this thing out…
Ultra X-Finity 800 Watt Power Supply
Reviewed by: Kristofer Brozio AkA Dracos
Sponsor: ULTRA
Tech Specs,Features or the Basic Info:
Ultra X-Finity 800 Watt PSU w/ Active PFC – Black
MSRP $199.99
X-Finity 800 Watt PSU with Active PFC
The sizzling new X-Finity 800W APFC PSU delivers the perfect combination of stability and continuous power while also utilizing Ultra’s award-winning FlexForce cabling system for improved airflow and aesthetics. This new X-Finity 800W includes Active PFC (power factor correction) and is housed in a sturdy black anodized aluminum housing. The X-Finity's components are cooled by two 80MM fans.
Ultra's specially engineered FlexForce cable design promotes easy cable management and 30% better airflow than ordinary cables by allowing easy cable routing under the motherboard, behind drive bays… anywhere that gets typically unsightly power supply cables out of the way of airflow.
What is FlexForce?
Manageable – FlexForce Cables are designed to be easily routed and hidden within your case.
Increased Airflow – Special design promotes easy cable management and 30% better airflow than ordinary cables by easily routing cable under the motherboard, behind drive bays, etc.
Design – Cables are dressed in a sleek looking titanium like finish.
What is AST (After Spin Technology)?
After Spin Technology is used to quiet the system and aid in prolonging the life of your components. Connectors for chassis fans are thermostatically controlled; RPM's are reduced when temperatures inside the case are low. PSU, chassis and CPU fan connectors remain spinning several minutes after the PC is powered down allowing the system to gradually cool down after use.
SPECS:
Total Output Power:
800W (Full Load, Nominal Input Voltage)
Efficiency:
78% Typical at Full Load and Nominal Input Voltage
Input:
AC Input Voltage: Automatic Full Range (100-240 VAC)
AC Input Frequency: 50-60Hz
AC Input Currents:
· 12A (RMS) at 115VAC input
· 8A (RMS) at 230VAC input
Connectors Available:
1 – 20/24 Pin Motherboard Connector
8 – 4 Pin Molex Connectors
2 – 4 Pin Floppy Power Connectors
2 – PCI Express Connectors
4 – SATA Connectors
1 – 8 Pin EPS Connector / 1 – 4 Pin +12V Motherboard Connector
1 – AST Controlled CPU Fan Connector
2 – AST Thermo-controlled Chassis Fan Connector
1 – PSU Fan RPM monitor Connector
Additional Features:
Supports AMD and Intel Motherboards
Low Acoustic Noise
Dual 80mm Fans
Meets ATX Version 2.03, and
ATX 12V Version 2.2 Specifications
Short Circuit Protection
In-Rush Current Protection
Thermal Overload Cutoff Protection
MTBF > 100,000 Hours at Full Load,
110VAC and 25°C Ambient Condition
FCC and UL Recognized
Product Details:
Weight: 7.00 lbs.
Length: 7.25"
Width: 5.90"
Height: 3.40"
Warranty Info:
The Ultra Advantage. Simple!
Just Register! And Extend Your Warranty.
To ensure your complete satisfaction, all Ultra Products Power Supplies and Cases now carry a three year warranty that they will be free from defects in materials or workmanship. In addition, that warranty is upgradeable to a LIFETIME warranty by simply registering online. Additionally, all our other products carry a one-year warranty which is also upgradeable to a three year warranty. At Ultra, customer service is our most important mission. That’s why every Ultra product must meet the highest industry standards for quality and reliability. And our warranty program is second to none.
A Better Look at Things
:
We have a big box for a big power supply! The Ultra X-Finitys box is chock full of all kinds of information all over it, with lots of pictures, specs and features. Notice the Lifetime Warranty sticker on there, yep a Lifetime Warranty on a power supply, now that's useful!
Opening the box the first thing we see is the user manual, under that sits the X-Finity all nicely packaged with lots of foam.
Included with the X-Finity is of course the main power cable and mounting screws. The X-Finity is packaged extremely well and should survive most any package handler…
The Ultra X-Finity is a stylish black color with silver Flex Force cabling and black plugs with gold contacts in them.
On both ends of the X-Finity you'll find an 80mm fan to keep the power supply cool, these fans also feature After Spin Technology that leaves them spinning when you power your system off to further help dissipate heat. I really like the idea of AST, when you turn your system off the heat just stays there, but with the AST it helps to cool your system and power supply to provide a longer life for you power supply and computer as well.
As with any power supply there is a label on it that tells us all about the specs and voltages of the X-Finity. This should be more than enough power for most high end system today…
A Better Look at Things
Continued:
Here's a picture of the other 80mm fan, this would be the intake fan that is located inside your case. Here you can also see that Ultra has installed a nice plastic shield where the power cables come out from the X-Finity.
We have lots of power connectors on the X-Finity, there are enough here for most any system, and some extras!
Connectors Available:
1 – 20/24 Pin Motherboard Connector
8 – 4 Pin Molex Connectors
2 – 4 Pin Floppy Power Connectors
2 – PCI Express Connectors
4 – SATA Connectors
1 – 8 Pin EPS Connector / 1 – 4 Pin +12V Motherboard Connector
1 – AST Controlled CPU Fan Connector
2 – AST Thermo-controlled Chassis Fan Connector
1 – PSU Fan RPM monitor Connector
One thing to note is that the PCIE connectors are their own separate rails to insure quality and stable power to your GFX cards.
The Flex Force cables are very flexible as their name suggests, they can be routed anywhere is your case, twisted, turned etc to keep them out of site and help promote an overall good airflow inside your case.
I mentioned the AST, or After Spin Technology earlier, this does not only apply to the power supply itself, Ultra has included two additional AST connections, one for your CPU coolers fan and another for a case fan. This system is actually pretty cool, (pun intended) in that it will keep you CPU fan and any other case fan running after your system turns off. When you turn your system off, ever wonder where the heat goes, well it stays in your case as all the airflow just abruptly stopped, the AST technology helps dissipate the heat inside your case, this is feature that I would like to see on all power supplies.
Before we move on to the next section let's check out under the hood… by opening this PSU or nay PSU it does void the warranty, so I wouldn't suggest you get curious and open your own. Not only is the warranty voided by this, but you could also get a nice shock as the capacitors and other components do hold a charge even after you unplug it.
Getting it open we can also see that the 80mm fans are the thin style, this obviously was needed with all the stuff in there.
The first thing we notice is the large heatsink that is in the X-Finity, it pretty much covers the entire top. With that heatsink there though, we can't get a good look at the components, but they appear to be rather large, industrial sized parts. You'll notice that the way the fans are situated there is sort of a dead spot on the side where the wires are, but that should not be a problem as it is mostly the connections and the fans are blowing on the main components.
The first thing that struck me about the Ultra X-Finity is the size of it, it is massive, I was actually worried about it fitting in my Antec Nine Hundred case, but you'll see in the next section I got it in there just fine. The X-Finity is also a heavy weight power supply, probably the heaviest I have ever owned/reviewed to date actually…
Installation, Testing and Comparison
The Ultra X-Finity was installed in my main system, and it replaced my Seasonic S-12 600Watt PSU, so while it was out of the case I figured I would take a comparison picture for you. The Seasonic PSU is about the standard size of most power supplies, so you can see just how big the X-Finity is.
In my main system I have a lot of stuff, and I was experiencing some problems with system stability which I thought could be from not having enough power, and after installing it my system seemed more stable. You can see from the following picture that the Ultra X-Finity did fit in my case, just barely, but I got it in there. The Flex Force cables are actually nice, I flattened out the ATX power cable and routed it up the back wall of the case beside the drives, a standard round sleeved cable would not have fit in the limited space there.
My main system consists of:
AMD Athlon X2 4200+
2 gigs OCZ Spec Ops ram
EVGA Motherboard
2 BFG 7900GT OC video cards in SLI while gaming (powering dual 17” Samsung LCDs)
HT Omega Claro sound card (review HERE)
3 SATA hard drives
(one HDD is inside an IcyDock Modiflash powered enclosure, review HERE)
2 dvd/rw drives
Aerocool Infinite drive (combo 2.5” hdd and card reader front panel) (review HERE)
SilverStone Tundra liquid cooling system (dual pumps in there) (review HERE)
3 120mm case fans
1 200mm case fan
To test stability I got out my handy multimeter and check the 12V and 5V rails while idle and while under SLI load and recored any changes to them.
To get load under SLI I ran the Hardware OC benchmark for Prey that features a BOOST mode where it will set everything to max, it is made for high end system and video card that have at least 512mb of ram. The other settings were maxed as well, Antialiasing at 4X, Anisotropic Filtering at 16X and of Resolution of 1280×1024 (max for my LCD monitor).
Idle:
12V = 12.20V
5V = 5.05V
Load:
12V = 12.18V – 12.19V
5V = 5.04V
To briefly note the 12v line did drop to 12.16V, but just for a second, then it went back up and stayed between 12.18V and 12.19V . The 5V line dropped from the idle 5.05V to 5.04V and stayed there. I'd have to say that the Ultra X-Finity is a very decent power supply that will be staying in my system for some time to come.
Not many companies can boast a lifetime warranty on products, especially computer products, having a lifetime warrant yon a power supply is an extra special treat, actually having a lifetime warranty on anything is great also… I really think the After Spin Technology adds quite a bit of value to the X-Finity, and I do believe it should be included on all power supplies, as it can only aid in prolonging the life of your computer, and who wouldn't want that?
Summary:
What more can I really say about this power supply, it's an excellent choice for anyone that needs more power. The Ultra X-Finity provides stable power and has many features that everyone will appreciate, especially the After Spin Technology, and the Flex Force cables. The Ultra power supply should be able to handle most of the power hungry systems out there today, and with a lifetime warranty from Ultra the X-Finity ranks up there as one of the best power supplies money can buy for overall power and the included features…
DragonSteelMods gives the Ultra X-Finity 800 Watt PSU a 5 out of 5 score and our Recommended Award as well!
Pros:
-Powerful
-Lots of connections
-Looks great
-Flex Force cabling
-Nvidia SLI Certified
-Stable power with active PFC and 80% Efficiency
-After Spin Technology
Cons:
-Large and heavy
I would like to thank ULTRA for the chance to review the X-Finity 800 Watt PSU and for their support of DSM.