14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 8 will be launched soon, which means a new wave of PC sales, thus more DIY systems and, by extension, higher sales for individual PC parts. Cougar wants to make sure it is well represented on the PSU front.
The new power supply series that Cougar has officially launched is called PowerX and includes, for now at least, two members. One of them has a power output of 550W, while the other is rated at 700W.
Both PSUs feature the 80Plus Bronze rating. For those who need their memory refreshed, the 80Plus classification system was set in place in order to distinguish PSUs with minimal energy waste from all the others. In this instance, we are looking at an efficiency of up to 87%.
PowerX provide power separately to the CPU and GPU through Dynamic Dual-12V rails with automatic load distribution. If there are unused output lines, the PSU reroutes power from them to the ones that need some extra juice.
Thus, systems with multi-graphics setups (SLI or CrossFire) will benefit from a boost in voltage stability.
Powerful hardware isn't the only thing that Cougar thought about when it designed the product lineup though. The IT player has also considered how increasingly common it is for gadgets to be recharged via USB.
Enter the 5Bsb Overvolt Protection safety function, which prevents unstable voltages from occurring and damaging owners' tablets and phones.
Other perks include durable Japanese capacitors, energy consumption lower than 0.45W when the PC is in standby, support for the latest ATX12V specification, and a temperature-controlled, silent 120mm fan.
Unfortunately, we have no availability and pricing details. We think shipments will start in a matter of days or weeks, but we can't be sure. At least the official product page is up and running. That way, those preparing to design a new desktop PC when Windows 8 appears have more than enough time to weigh it against other PSUs.
