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 Hiper
HPU-4M730 730Watt PSU.
Specifications
|
Features
|
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 Hiper
always label their PSU's with the correct sustained wattage.
The HPU-4M730
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.
NEXT
