When you think of important computer components the main ones you think of are things like the CPU, the motherboard, the video card, or the hard drive. Parts that actually do something that you can notice. One important thing is missing from that list though, which has to do with all of those components. It is the backbone to the entire system, the power supply. That lone little box that sits in your computer handles converting the power and then distributing it throughout your machine. Get a bad power supply and you can have big problems. Get a good quality power supply and you and your system will be happy. Your system will be stable, your over clocks will go further, everything will work in perfect harmony.

Ultra's X-Connect 2 is Ultra's second stab at the modular power supply market. We were impressed with their first offering so the X2 has high expectations. A couple of changes have been made, including a 120mm fan replacing the two 80's, an extra 50w or power, and some different style cables. So let's have a closer look.

Specifications
Total Output Power: 550W (Full Load, Nominal Input Voltage).
Efficiency: 72% Typical at Full Load and Nominal Input Voltage
Input: AC Input Voltage: 115V/230V, AC Input Frequency: 50Hz-60Hz
Additional Features:
Supports AMD and Intel Motherboards
NVIDIA® SLI™ Ready
Low Acoustic Noise
120mm Fan
Meets ATX Version 2.2, v1.3, and
ATX 12V Version 2.2 Specifications
Short Circuit Protection
In-Rush Current Protection
Thermal Overload Cutoff Protection
MTBF > 100,000 Hours at Full Load,
110VAC and 25°C Ambient Condition
FCC and UL Recognized

Ultra X-Connect 2
The box of the X2 was the largest power supply box I have seen. The outside gives some good pictures on how the X2's modular cable system works. Modular power supplies are becoming more common now, as selecting only the cables you need really helps with organization and cooling.

Inside the box is yet another box. This inner box holds the 14 X-Connect cables. The X-Connect comes with a large variety of cables, that should be able to meet you needs. Ultra really thought about what cables to include, and have some quite ingenious solutions. One example is they include a 4-pin molex cable that is about 6 inches long, which is perfect for a direct run to a single optical drive. Another interesting cable is their ATX power cable. Seeing as not everyone needs a 24-pin connector and the adapter cables are messy, they connector splits at the end. Releasing the extra 4 pin section to move to the side to fit just the 20-pin connector on a motherboard.

The outside of the X2 is a little more flashy than it's predecessor. The finish is still the shiny chrome, but a couple of windows have been added for that extra effect. The bottom of the power supply is where the large 120mm fan is positioned, covered by a custom Ultra grill. The larger fan should help keep the power supply cool, as well as the noise level down. One thing to note is that this is a pretty large power supply. I had to remove the top fan on my case in order for it to fit, so make sure you have enough room for it to fit. Shown below is a comparison to my previous Antec power supply.

The back of the power supply is where all the magic happens as it were. As you can see no cables are present. This is where the modular part comes into play, you choose which cables you need, plug them in and you are done. The extra slots stay empty, and you bundle of wires is diminished. The connectors used are a standard molex connector, which means if you need to, you can make your own custom cable. This standard style is much better than a proprietary connector like was seen on the Antec modular power supply I reviewed last. The connectors are also flush to the face of the power supply which makes for a cleaner look.

The cables included with the X2 are a bit different than your standard cable. The new cables are termed FlexForce. Basically the wires of the cable have been molded together to make for a bit slimmer of a cable. The cables are flat, so they should be easy to hide in the crevices of the case. Unlike the last X-Connect, these cables are fairly flexible and easy to work with. One other difference is the included of SATA cables. There are cables for three SATA drives, which should be enough for most users.

The Ultra X-Connect 2 is a 550w power supply. The main difference between this and a standard power supply is that the X2 is a dual rail power supply. The X2 has 2 separate 12v rails, one for the CPU (the 2x2 connector) and one for the rest of the components. This is a better solution than the standard power supply, as it does not matter what components you have in your system feeding off the 12v line, your CPU will be getting a steady supply of power. Shown below is a chart showing the power distribution of the X2.

Test Setup
Asus A7N8X- Deluxe
AMD Athlon 1700+ @ 1833Mhz
ATI X800Pro 256MB
Corsair 1GB PC4000 Kit
WD 250GB IDE
Seagate 250GB SATA
Seagate 200GB SATA
Asus 16x DVDROM
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005

In addition to the above items a front mount LCD panel and three 80mm fans will be running at full power. Folding@Home will be running for the Load tests, as well as various files transferring between the two Seagate hard drives. Voltages will be measured using a Greenlee DM-20 Multimeter.

	12v	5v
Ultra X2 - Idle	12.35	5.15
Ultra X2 - Load	12.41	5.14

Conclusions
Ultra has done it again, releasing a top-notch power supply. Out of the box the power supply felt like a high quality piece of equipment. It had a good weight and sturdiness in your hands that just isnt present on the cheaper power supplies that are available. Stable voltages even under load show this power supply is here to work. With 550W of power, it should be able to handle most anything you throw at it. The modular feature of the power supply is also really well implemented. Ultra's engineer's actually thought about how it will be used and came up with some interesting solutions that work well.

The inclusion of various cables (like the 6inch four pin molex) shows this, there is a cable for anything you could need. Ultra also used a standard connector for the modular connections, so on the off chance you need something special made up, you can use a standard connector. Another benefit is the noise level; this power supply is very quiet. I could not hear it over the hum of the rest of the components in my room. This is thanks to the 120mm fan that is used to cool the power supply. Looks wise this power supply is second to none. The shiny chrome with blue led fan make for a truly stunning piece in your tower. It will be a welcome addition to any modded case.

The only downside i came across was the size of this unit. The X2 is quite large, and may not fit in every case. I had to remove the top fan on my case for it to clear it. So before purchasing make sure you have the room to fit it.

Hit us up in the Forums if you have any questions.

HOME