14 DAY TRIAL // The 80 Plus Gold rating is the third best on the energy efficiency scale used to grade power supplies, but it's the highest that you're likely to find or afford. It turns out, though, that the latest EU regulation for PC systems has gotten tighter.
LEPA was quick to release a power supply unit that complies with the new “guidelines” of the European CE certificate.
You see, starting on July 1, 2014, computers will have to be at least 82% efficient at 20% and 100% load, and 85% at 50% load.
That's not really close to the highest rating on the 80 Plus Scale, but it does signify a much higher “minimum” efficiency threshold than before.
We'll be seeing a sharp decrease in the number of PSU releases without any sort of 80 Plus rating to speak of, since it sounds like they'll be illegal soon.
That said, LEPA has launched the first entry-level PSU that complies with the stricter European CE regulations.
Called MX-F1, the PSU is colored white, as if to signify that the low-end PSUs are becoming “special” in their own right.
Previously, LEPA's low-end PSUs had a pretty drab, grey casing theme, but the MX-F1 is letting the company turn over a new leaf, so to speak. The low-end PSU even manages to take up just 140 mm depth (5.51 inches).
Speaking of which, the PSU uses a 120 mm fan for cooling, and comes in 400 W, 500 W and 600 W outputs, with prices of €35 / $35, €40 / $40, and €45 / €45, respectively.
The other PSU from Lepa, the MaxGold G1000-MB, has red edges and an efficiency of up to 92%, hence the 80 Plus Gold rating.
Before this, there were 500 W, 600 W, 700 W and 800 W outputs available to choose from, but the new one is a 1000 W PSU with single 12V rail design and featuring six 8P PCI-E, twelve SATA and eight 4P molex connectors.
The red around the edges is owed to the Q-Brick rubber frame, which reduces vibrations against the case and, thus, makes the whole computer a lot more silent.
Lepa should have already listed the G1000-MB MaxGold power supply with a price of $160 / €160 or so. And before you ask, yes, the newcomer has a modular, or rather semi-modular, cabling system, with the essential cable soldered to the internal boards, but the SATA and other wires optional.
