Test Setup: Intel 520 (LGA775 / 2.8GHz), ASUS P5GDC Deluxe, 1GB OCZ Platinum PC2-5400, HIS X850XT IceQ II Turbo (External Power required), WD800 SATA (80GB, 7200RPM), Samsung ATA100 (80GB 7200RPM), AOpen DVD +/- R, Matsushita Floppy Drive, HSPC Tech Station
A check of the voltages at startup had everything well within tolerance from within the BIOS, booting the system was without incident. Once I got into Windows I proceeded to get as much going as possible while letting ASUS Probe track the results (ASUS Probe has proven to be much more accurate on this particular motherboard than Motherboard Monitor).
The AeroCool, as with many of its competitors in this space, sport almost silent running. The fans adjust automatically as the heat inside the unit increases or decreases. At the warmest I could get the PSU, I could not audibly hear either fan spinning from my normal sitting position, this is a feat, as the HSPC Tech Station is completely open and on top of my desk, not underneath.
AeroCool 550 Left and OCZ PowerStream Right
I will be comparing the AeroCool Turbine to the previously reviewed OCZ PowerStream. To stress the PSU's out, I ran 2 instances of folding (Hyper Threading) while running Newsbin Pro (a resource hog) and letting BenchemAll go through a battery of tests including Doom3, HL2 and Far Cry, as well as the usual array of devices one would connect; basically trying to get the systems power usage to as high as possible. One thing to remember about the AeroCool Turbine power is that it has two 12V rails; one to power the motherboard, its components and any accessories that draw from the motherboard and a second 12v rail to power those items that draw power from a Molex/PCIe/SATA connector.
|
Load
|
+3.3V
|
+5V
|
+12V1
|
+12V2
|
|
AeroCool Turbine 550
|
3.31
|
5.17
|
12.14
|
12.00
|
|
OCZ PowerStream 520
|
3.14
|
5.07
|
12.14
|
N/A
|
While both units had slight variations on the 12V line, the AeroCool only varied a couple of times while the OCZ was jumping slightly. The only other variation was on the 3.3V line, and this was OCZ only, as the AeroCool kept a nice solid line throughout. Both PSU's maintained solid VCore levels which is of utmost importance. While you could say that the AeroCool outperformed the OCZ here, you would be hard pressed to say it was overwhelming in any way. It's also good to note that the second rail is spot on spec, ensuring that your accessories receive a good healthy 12V the same as the Motherboard and its connected components.
Overclocking
While overclocking is tremendously dependent on clean power, neither of these solutions are a slouch in this category. I could not define a clear “winner” with exception to the person who purchases either as their PSU of choice. Both units overclocked the ASUS P5GDC to a Maximum of 255FSB. Of interest to all of you VapoChill enthusiasts out there, early iterations of the VapoChill design had issues with single rail 12V PSU (as is the OCZ), the AeroCool would not have this issue.
Final Words
has brought to market a short list power supply with the Turbine Power 550. It is an efficient solution that can drive most anything you have to throw at it. There is ample power, connectors and separation of 12V rails to alleviate headaches on high end water coolers and the like. Their design plays nice with your customizations, no matter the level, without taking over as the centerpiece of your hard work.
With everything you add to your system needing its own dedicated power source, clean and abundant power is an ever increasing requirement in today's enthusiasts solution. Add to that a requirement that the power supply needs to be aesthetically pleasing and complimentary to your current customizations, you list gets shorter every word I type. Luckily for you and me, there is the ; it completes all of the above tasks and looks up to you like a puppy, wanting you to throw another ball.
Pros: Sexy / Stylish Design, Good cooling with almost no noise, Dual 12V Rails, Smart Cable Management System, Quality power being delivered to the system, Forward looking to BTX standard while maintaining ATX compliance
Cons: No ability to manipulate power, No manual included
Bottom Line: With everything you add to your system needing its own dedicated power source, clean and abundant power is an increasing requirement in today's enthusiasts solution. The handles this, looks good, features Dual 12v Rails (ATX12V) and has forward thinking support for BTX. This PSU can be bought for .
Questions and comments on this or other Viperlair articles can be discussed in our Forums.
HOME
