Ultra X-Finity & X-Pro 800W Power Supplies

To stress the Ultra power supplies, or at the very least, attempt to push them at load, we will simply hook up anything that we can to the power supplies and see how they handle it. While Techgage has access to a proper load tester, this editor does not and therefore this real world approach is what is being taken.

Once our initial results are recorded, we then place the power supply in a makeshift hotbox and heat up the enclosure to approximately 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Again the power supply was loaded and left for 2 hours. After this time, we went back and tested the rails.

To obtain our results we are using a generic Radio Shack multimeter that I have had, and rarely used, since college. To stress these power supplies as much as we can, we are using the following hardware.

• CPU: Intel E6600 @ 2.4 GHz cooled using a Zalman 9700CNPS
• Motherboard: Abit IP35 Pro
• Memory: Kingston DDR2 PC-9200 2GB at DDR2-800 4-4-4-12 1T (If possible)
• Video: Ati x1900 XT x 2 in CrossFire
• Sound: Onboard HD Audio
• Storage: Western Digital Raptor 74GB, Seagate Barracuda ES 750GB x 4, Seagate Barracuda 320 GB x 2
• PSU: Ultra 800W X-Pro and X-Finity
• Etcetera: High Point RocketRAID controller card, Windows XP Professional w/ SP2

From looking at the graphs, its apparent that the rails of the Ultra power supplies are quite solid. Never wondering outside of the 5% acceptable give, the power supplies were capable performers in all of our tests.

To bring things to a close, we are left impressed with all that the power supplies offered. While I am still not sold on the idea of the X-Finity’s cabling, it is still quite bendable and it does allow air to flow across it easier.

One thing that I would like to see in future power supplies from Ultra is the incorporation of a 120mm fan. This allows the PSU to operate much more quietly but still move a decent amount of air. One thing to point out is that while these use a pair of smaller 80mm fans, they were not terribly loud when compared to the Silver Power SP-1000W.

The most notable feature of the both of these power supplies is the fact that once the system is powered down, the fans in the power supply continue to spin for a bit longer, to continue cooling the hardware before it shuts off itself. This is a nice idea but I am not sure how much it adds to the overall longevity of the power supply.

With everything taken into consideration, the Ultra 800W X-Pro and X-Finity both receive a 7 out of 10. They work well, are relatively quiet and provide more than enough power for most.

Pros
• 800W is a lot
• Fully sleeved and covered cables
• Not a huge power supply
• Fans spin for a short while after system is powered down
• Solid and reliable rails, even under extreme conditions.

Cons
• Not modular
• 80mm fans can get loud

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