14 DAY TRIAL // All hardware makers and PC suppliers that attended Computex wanted to make an impression, one way or another, but some of them were in the position of leaving a stronger one than the rest. Thermaltake, being the well-known PC enclosure and cooler developer that it is, decided it was time to make a sizable impact on the market. To this end, it came up with the Toughpower Grand series of power supplies.
As the name implies, these are no ordinary PSUs. In fact, they have not just the power, but also the versatility that one would expect from a series intended for high-end enthusiast and gaming desktops. They do not come in wattages of 1,000W or more, which means four GTX 480 in SLI may not be easy to accomplish. On the other hand, the 0.95 active power factor correction (PFC) and double-forward switching circuitry enable an efficiency of up to 92%. This is an 80Plus Gold-rated performance, meaning even at 650W and 750W, the PSUs should be more than enough for most configurations.
The black power supplies are compliant with ATX 12V 2.3 and EPS 12V 2.92 standards and feature 105℃ capacitors Japanese-made solid state capacitors. Furthermore, each PSU employs a single 12V rail. All in all, with a MTBF of 120,000 hours, these products should prove very robust solutions for any system.
The 650W and 750W Toughpower Grand come with a 140mm dual-ball bearing fan which, by means of the FanDelayCool feature, keep running for 15-30 seconds after system shutdown, in order to prolong lifespan. Finally, both use a modular design, which translates into the fact that consumers can simply put in just the cables they need, allowing for a better cable management and, thus, air circulation within the chassis itself. As for pricing, the former costs US$189.90, whereas the latter has an estimated price tag of US$169.90.