14 DAY TRIAL // There's something to say about low-cost power supplies lacking any and all efficiency ratings: they'll take the price advantage out of your hide, as the money you save on their purchase will surely be wasted on power bills, along with a lot more cash as time passes.
Fortunately, most people know this. And knowing that people know this, Thermaltake has released a series of low-cost 80 Plus Bronze-rated power supplies.
We'll have to take its word for it that they're cheap, unfortunately, since the official press release didn't have the tags, and neither do the product pages.
You'll have to check out whatever retailer you like most and see if they have the things listed, and for what price. Sure, it might take a few days or more for sales to begin, but maybe pre-orders can already be done.
Anyway, Thermaltake has officially released three power supplies, known collectively as the TR2 Bronze Series.
The Thermaltake TR2 Bronze PSUs
There are three models in this new collection, with wattages of 450W, 500W and 600W, all of which comply with the latest ATX 12V 2.3 Standard. It means that the PSUs are as reliable and broadly compatible with motherboards as they can get.
The 80 Plus Bronze rating means that the efficiency is of up to 82% at 20% load, 85% at 50% load, and 82% at 100% load.
Interesting to note is that 80 Plus Bronze is actually not the lowest step on the scale. That honor belongs to 80 Plus. Of course, we're making abstraction of the many PSUs that don't make it on the scale at all.
The use of a High Quality Japanese Main Capacitor is another asset, as it ensures stability and low impedance.
Another thing is the utilization of elongated cables, allowing people to route cables as they wish, maximizing airflow. It also makes it easier to use the PSU in cases with bottom mounts for them.
Furthermore, Thermaltake chose a large but ultra-quiet 120 mm fan, complete with intelligent RPM control. You shouldn't hear it unless you really drive your PC nuts with gaming or serious multitasking. Finally, the three PSUs have a single +12V rail design.
Availability
As we implied before, the Thermaltake TR2 Bronze PSU collection should sell soon, if it isn't already available. All of them have an on/off switch and a full cable loadout: main ATX power, one or two PCI Express 8-pin ports, and 4-6 SATA connectors, among others.
