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Now that we have discussed the aesthetics, let's look at what really counts, the power rating. The Coolmax 470 Watt PSU pushes more amps on the 5+, 3.3+ and 12+ lines than I have seen from any other unit. The amps that are being pushed across each line are actually more important than any other feature. Often times people will buy a power supply based on a high rating. This unit is pushing 47 Amps on the 5 volt line, which should be way more than accurate. The 3.3 volt line is pushing 28 Amps, which is also very high, with the 12 volt line pushing 18 Amps. As you can see, this unit certainly didn't skimp when it came to pushing amperage.
Let's get to some testing.
TESTING
Testing a power supply is a fairly simple practice. We will be using MSI PC Alert 3.0 to monitor voltage fluctuations. We would normally use a multimeter to test the systems "unstressed" performance, but for some reason it broke. Oh, never mind, it is a Radio Shack multimeter, I know the reason now.
Test System:
MSI K7D Master-L Mainboard
2x Athlon XP 1700+ Processors
ATI Radeon 7500
2x 512 MB Corsair DDR
2x Maxtor 40GB HDD's
6x 60 MM Panaflo fans
1x Blue Cold Cathode
1x Lite on 48x12x48 CD-RW
MSI PC Alert is a very accurate tool for monitoring voltages and temperatures, as well as fan speed. Let's take a look at how well the power supply performs according to PC Alert.
As you can see, all of the voltages were near dead-on. The unit never undervolted too the point where the system rebooted.
CONCLUSION
For some of you 470 Watts will be overkill. For modders, gamers and users who have a bunch of drives and components, a 470 Watt power supply is just right. The Coolmax PSU reviewed today excelled in every area. The tri-fan design kept the unit cool, while remaining virtually silent. The unit also delivered accurate voltages during monitoring, and it never seemed to trip up the system or spike at any time.
The only criticisms are the cords may not be long enough if you have a large full tower. The LED fan is nice, but you really don't need it, especially since it's going to be in the back of your case. It is quiet though...
This power supply is priced to sell, at just $99. That's pretty cheap for this much power.
I would like to thank for sending me this unit for testing.
PROS
Tri-Fan Design is near-silent
Unit pushes more than enough amps on each line
Looks very nice
Short cords allow for cleaner wiring
CONS
LED-fan is an unnecesary gimmick
Short cords may annoy those with tall cases
BOTTOM LINE
The Coolmax Taurus belongs on your wish list if you are looking for a new power supply. Quite frankly, at this price, nothing comes close to the Coolmax Taurus PSU.
Agree? Disagree? Discuss it in our forums
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Coolmax 470 Watt Tri-Led Power Supply: The stability of a PC is contingent on several things. Quality of components, cooling and maintenance. Unfortunately, many of us often overlook one component that is the most important of all, the power supply.
