Testing

The Test rig is as follows:-

Skyhawk Mid Tower Case
Abit AT7 Max
Athlon XP1900 @ XP2000 (166 FSB) 1.75v core ()
512MB Crucial DDR (default Voltage)
1x Floppy Drive, 1x 24speed CDRW, 1x 10speed DVD Rom, 1x 60gig IBM HD, 1x 80gig WD HD in a Vantec EZ-Swap bay, 3x 80mm system fans, 1x120mm fan on Water-cooling rad, USB Keyboard, USB Mouse, USB Modem, USB Scanner, USB Webcam/DigitalCam, PCI TV Tuner Card

I'm going to be testing the PSU's case cooling abilities as well as looking at both idle and load voltages. Motherboard Monitor 5 was used to read the Windows results and room temperature was maintained at 26C. All the results where averaged out via 3 different reading sessions over a 48 hour period.

Converters:

Compared to my Enermax 350w, the cooling ability of this PSU is just as noticeable. There's a 2C drop from Low to Automatic, regardless of system fans in use or not. The temperatures are very scaled with a 1 degree change going from one setting to another. It's nice to see an actual change, rather than the fans being a gimmick. Of course mileage is going to vary on something like this from system to system, but I'm happy with the results.

Ok, let's take a look at the Voltages. I've listed Bios, Idle and Load voltages. Bios is self explanatory, with readings just taken from the Bios. Idle readings were taken after Windows had booted up and been left for 15 minutes. Load readings were taken after switching all the fans in my system to maximum, Folding @ Home running in the background, Quake III Arena running a looped timedemo in the background, a speed test of my USB modem, my Webcam running, and my USB scanner being used at the same time. Basically trying to use anything that would require power all at once. (And yes the system was next to useless during all this :p )

The voltages are pretty good across the board. The 3.3 is nice and high, as is the 5v in both load and idle. The 12v doesn't ever reach the 12v mark, but still remains high enough to not be a worry. All the voltages, despite the system drawing as much power as it can remain nice and high throughout

Final Words

At time of writing this, the Radeon 9700 Pro is the king of the hill in regards to graphics cards. The VAN-470 Stealth PSU is to other power supplies as the Radeon 9700 Pro is to other graphics cards. It simply is outstanding in its features, performance, aesthetics and versatility. There's a broad array of safety features from over voltage, to surge, to shorting protections which will all go towards protecting both your components and your self from unwanted electrical damage.

The unit pumps out 470w which should be plenty for today's power users, and should provide enough juice to utilise the power output for external devices such as printers or maybe water-cooling pumps. As its name suggests, it is very quiet in operation, and at the low fan setting you can barely hear its three 80mm fans. The black aluminium is going to appeal to many with case windows, with the fan grills providing a nice offset to the matt black finish of the rest of the unit and the clear blades on the fans don't detract from the "Stealth" appearance but rather enhance it. Having to use a beige adaptoor if your a non-American is a bit of a let down for the looks though.

The amount and type of connections available from the unit present a very versatile system allowing for an extensive platform usage, from servers to home PC's. I've no idea if it's just me but I've not been able to get any kind of automatic adjustment of fan speed, but to be honest I'm not that personally bothered as I enjoy the near silence of the low setting. I'm still not too sure about the wiring loom exiting from the front left hand side rather than the front right hand side but since you would still see it regardless it's something that would be more down to an individual's opinion.

It's kind of strange from my reviewers perspective to be as impressed as I am over something as simple as a Power Supply (I mean it's only a PSU &. What more is there to get excited over?) But in all honestly I am very impressed. To coin a phrase, "it's cool".

Pros
Brushed aluminium black exterior
3 clear bladed fans for both system and PSU cooling
470watts of juice
Output for external devices such as printers
Clean and lengthy wiring
Assortment of safety features
Very quiet on Low fan setting

Cons

Having to use a biege adaptor in non-American countries for the outlet
Auto Fan setting didn't seem to do much?
Left side front exit wiring loom &.. Maybe?
Could be a pain to hide the extra/lengthy wiring in small cases

Bottom Line
If you're looking for a new PSU, get this one. It's as simple as that. For our European based readers, you can pick up this fine PSU .

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