14 DAY TRIAL // One can never say there are too many power supplies on sale, so Cougar figured it might as well launch a new collection, especially since it managed to give them a high enough energy efficiency that they earned 80 Plus Gold rating.
80 Plus Gold is basically synonymous with high-end in the power supply industry. Sure, 80 Plus Platinum and 80 Plus Titanium stand above it, but they are so rarely encountered that they don't really count.
That is why Cougar's new SL series of PSUs isn't passing by unnoticed, though we can only hope that the price range covered by the new line won't be too high up.
Spec-wise, the PSU series has an efficiency of up to 80%, and supports the newest specifications of ATX12V.
It's actually odd that Cougar's press release says this is 80 Plus Gold-worthy, since 80% doesn't cut it as far as we know, but we'll wait to see if there was a typo in the percentage or if the mistake was in the 80 Plus GOLD the claim itself.
There are 400W, 500W and 600W capacities, all of them compatible with next-generation multi-core CPU configurations (both Intel and AMD).
Cougar Ultra Quiet and Temp Controlled Fans make sure they never get too hot, but the full protection array is even more important: UVP (Under-voltage protection), OVP (Over-voltage protection), SCP (Short-circuit protection), and OPP (Overload protection).
In short, if the voltages fall below a certain tolerance or jump above a certain limit, the PSU switches off.
Likewise, if short-circuits occur, the protection prevents damage to the PSU and system components. Finally, oversized systems that try to draw more power than the PSU can provide will find themselves unable to boot.
Finally, all newcomers have automatic load distribution on the dual-12V lines (high voltage stability).
Other features include PCI Express power connectors (1 or 2 8-pin / 6-pin depending on model), four or five SATA connectors, two or three molex plugs, and, of course, the 24-pin mainboard connector.
The official product page posted by Gougar on its website has all the relevant specifications. Check it out here.