1. Introduction
The Power Supply is one of the most important PC components, supplying power to all parts of the system while at the same time protecting it from line anomalies. Today, we will be reviewing one of Sansun's latest releases in the power supply arena. The Arctic as it is named, with the blue lit exhaust fan, is a 500W solution, which should me more than enough to supply sufficient power to the large number of installed PC-parts in a latest technology PC.
Features
- High-Gloss Finish
- Modular Cable Connection System
- 8cm + 12cm fans for better heat ventilation
- Supports 6-pin PCI-E connector for high end Super VGA cards
- Cool black cable sleeving provides optimum air flow inside the case
- Short Circuit, In-rush Current, Thermal Overload, Over-Temperature, Over-Voltage, Over-Current, Under-Voltage protection
- Low Noise
- Whole cable tie
Specifications
Retail Package
The Arctic box, includes:
- The PSU
- 5pin SATA Connectors
- 4 Pin Floppy Drive Connectors
- 4 Pin Peripheral Connectors
- 3 Pin Fan Connectors
- 6 Pin PCI-E Connectors
As we can see, the package contains all the necessary cables for any connection requirements that might arise. This way, the end user can concentrate on buying PCI-E parts for example, without having to worry about cable converters from a standard-to-PCI-E power supply.
That about covers the main features and retail package for the Arctic PSU. Now let's move on and take a closer look at the PSU it self.
2. A Closer Look
The Arctic power supply unit is of normal size, ready to fit in any standard PC case available on the market. About the only difference to a standard PSU is the blue light that will add a little extra to the special fx at the back of the PC case.
The side of the PSU that faces the CPU, has a 12cm fan which draws air from the case and helps with the cooling. The back of the PSU has a standard 8cm fan that blows out hot air from the PSU and the case. Also on the back are the power connector and power on/off button, as well as a voltage switch to adjust between 115/230 V.
The front side, which faces the drive bay, has all the outputs for the various power cables. Cables to HDD, optical drives, etc are attached afterwards when the PSU has been installed in the PC case. This is a nice feature.
Not much else to add here, since no expert features or panels are included in the box. Now let's move on to the installation and performance of this powerful PSU solution.
3. Installation
The installation of the Arctic PSU was easy and all we needed was a screwdriver and 10mins of our time. We started off by simply attaching the PSU on the PC case...
Next, we plug in the motherboard power supply cables, which includes two ATX 4 pin cables, to cover the needs of both 4 pin ATX and 8 pin EPS mobo owners...
The power supply cables are plugged in...
Moving on, we plug in the 20/24 pin connector to the motherboard. Once more, the Arctic offers a 20/24 pin solution. to cover the needs of both types of motherboards...
With the main power cables connected, we connect the rest of the power supply cables to the various devices like HD drives, optical drives and floppy.
The results can be seen in the screenshot below.
That concludes the installation of the Sansun Arctic Power Supply Unit. As already stated, installation was easy and practical, with all cables tucking away nicely which makes for a neater layout and easier access to all components, as well as improving airflow inside the case.
The above screenshot is from ASUS Probe. It was taken when our system was running 3DMark05 and shows that all supply rails are very steady.
4. Conclusion
The Sansun Arctic is a good Power Supply Unit, that will please even the most demanding end user (power-wise). Even though there's no front panels or extra gadgets like a noise level meter, the PSU is still quite impressive with its blue lit rear exhaust fan, rugged design and low noise. In fact, in comparison to our stock power supply, the Sansun Arctic reported 15dB lower noise level.
In addition, we were pleased to see the cables carefully arranged in groups, with the PSU supporting a variety of cables such as SATA and IDE, as well as 4 pin ATX and 8 pin EPS and a 20/24 pin motherboard connector.
As far as the installation was concerned, we found it to be rather easy, aided in part by the fact that the Power Supply has no cables attached initially. The cables come separate, thus leaving the freedom of choice to the end user on what cables to use and how many. Another plus for the PSU is the cable sleeving provided, which makes the cables compact and allows for better air flow inside the case. Last but not least, the Arctic has two fans, a 12cm which draws air from inside the case and an 8cm exhaust fan at the rear.
Concluding, the Arctic is a perfect solution for even the most demanding user. With a price of around US$79.99, everyone can now afford an efficient power supply with low noise levels and cool performance. Thumbs up to Sansun for a job well done.