One common misconception about power supplies is that the rated wattage is how much the power supply will draw all the time. Of course the truth of the matter is that a PSU will only draw as much as is needed. With that in mind, some folks like to follow the condom adage in regards to wattage; better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
With features like Quad SLI, Multiple Rails and RoHS compliance being the current buzzwords for PSU's, the power output has been steadily rising lately to accommodate. 500Watt PSU's are no longer considered the top end power houses. Just the other month we had an 1100watt PSU in the labs. Of course for most end users this will be too much, even following the condom adage I mentioned earlier. But if a 500Watt unit is too weak for you, and a 1000Watt unit too much, then you need to start looking in the middle. Which is just where the latest item to hit our test labs sits. Let's check out the .
Specifications
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Features
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SLI-Ready. |
| Cossfire-Certified |
| All PSU come with 3-Year RTB warranty. (Void if seal is broken) |
| Four independent 12V rails. |
| Patented design device extension cables. |
| Complies with the latest ATX form factor. |
| Fully compatible with AMD 64 bit and Intel LGA processors. |
| Active Power Factor Correction (PFC). |
| Disc Scanning protection, PS off time 2ms. |
| 20 dB(A) under normal load. |
| Gold Plated connectors for minimum power consumption and optimal conductivity. |
click to enlarge
Of note in the specifications is that this is a four independent 12V rail power supply. Each 12V rail can supply up to 16A each, with the 3.3V giving 25A and the 5.5V maxing out at 3A. SLI Ready and Crossfire Certification are among it's badges, as is RoHS Compliance. SLI specs state the PSU must be over 500Watts (check) and must have over 30A combined on multiple rails (check). I also want to draw notice to the fact that always label their PSU's with the correct sustained wattage. The is capable of 780Watts peak.
Right from the first, you can see that this is a no nonsense unit. If every little bit helps, then extra points go to Hiper for using recycled packaging as well as RoHS Compliance. The front, in fact the whole box, is pretty bland but the (mainly the rear) gives you all the relevant information you will need.
Inside the box the PSU is simply wrapped in a clear plastic bag with foam supports. The extra cabling included is wrapped similarly. What you get with the HPU-4M730 is the PSU itself, a power cable, manual and exTender cables to support up to 17 devices total. This can be extended further, but I'll get to that a little later.
I'm going to start by looking at the PSU itself, and once again you can instantly see this PSU is all business. There are no modular cables (well, sort of), no flashy lights, no multiple fans with speed control. What you get is a pretty solid unit, and a large one at that. The HPU-4M730 is about 1.5” longer than your average 500Watt unit, something to make a note of if you are installing in a cramped case. Just for reference, it weighs a little under 3Kg (6.6lbs) too. The front of the unit is quite basic with ventilation slots across most of it. This is also the area the cabling comes from, all of it nicely braided.
The rear shows the single 80mm fan, protected by a flush fit grill sporting the Hiper logo centre. One thing I really like at the back here is the huge power button. I mean lets face it, 9 times out of 10 you'll be fumbling around the back of the case with your hands, so with a big button like this you should find it a much easier task. Above is the power cable socket.
The sides of the PSU have impressions of the Hiper double diamond logo but are pretty much uneventful apart from that. The top is adorned with a basic white label listing the specifications. The bottom, unlike most PSU's of the last few years, doesn't sport a fan but is as solid as the top.
Opening up the PSU will obviously void your warranty so I'll do it for you. Incidentally, if you are opening up a PSU, be warned that residual current can be stored in the components; touch the wrong thing and you'll get a jolt you won't soon forget. Unlike most PSU's, the cover for the HPU-4M730 is U shaped, and slides off to reveal a rather unique look; it's almost two PSU's mounted one on top of each other. The top and bottom of the PSU has a PCB each and the two 'halves' sit with the components facing each other. You can also see some nice meaty heatsinks and not shown too well in the pictures is the direct path to the fans airflow.
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