Ultra X-finity ver. 2 OR Sunbean Nuuo?

wonkman

Limp Gawd
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Oct 31, 2005
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I'm looking for an inexpensive SLI PSU with either modular or sleeved cables. Good reviews on the Sunbean but not many on the new X-finity. X-finity has those ribbon-like cables which are not sleeved but are tidy looking.

Also, if Ultra, then which one? 500 or 600. They are substantially different so it's not just a question of watts.

Does anyone have any experience/problems with any of these?
 
I cherish, worship, and marvel at the consistent performance that my Sunbeam NUUO 550w provides. Silent, stable, and it comes with a nifty 3.5" bay RPM thingy. :D
 
The difference in stability and capability between the Sunbeam and the X-Finity is HUGE. The Ultra X-Finity is way better than the Sunbeam. The Sunbeam is a decent PSU, but it's a "price point" PSU. It's not a performance PSU.

There's plenty of reviews.. just not enough of the real good ones. Silent PC Review is the only one I've found that load tested it (other than me,) but the review is full of a lot of speculation and they focus a lot on noise and although I find the X-Finity quieter than most power supplies, it's not quiet by SPCR standards:

http://silentpcreview.com/article288-page1.html
http://www.slcentral.com/ultra-x-finity-500w-600w--flexforce-cables/
http://www.3dgameman.com/vr/ultra_products/600w_psu_xfinity/written_review.html
http://www.virtual-hideout.net/reviews/ultra_500w_xfinity/index.shtml
http://www.moditory.com/content/view/210/34/
http://www.legionhardware.com/document.php?id=472
http://techgage.com/review.php?id=3471
http://www.casemodgod.com/Reviews-story--76.html

And I would say between the 500W and 600W, go with the 500W. The 600W is more powerful, hell... it's a monster. Just look at the heatsinks on that thing. But I found the 500W more efficient across the board and the single 120MM fan is always quieter than a pair of 80MM's.
 
Thanks for the links JG. I read them all. Unfortunately only your's and 3Dgameman really focused on the 600w which is what I think I may get.

I'm not a quiet freak and I guess I'll just have to pay a bit more to the electric company. The efficiency seems average until the watts are increased to near the top end. But < $95 shipped for a stable 600w SLI certified PSU sounds like a good deal (with a little bling thrown in). I also like the front to back cooling setup even if it uses 2 X 80 fans.

I also read your review of the Powerstream where you gave it a 7.5. Why is everyone on the Powerstream bandwagon with such fluxuations found by you and Xbit? Which do you like better now?

I guess Ultra switched suppliers and is now using Wintech. What's their rep like?

BTW do you remember if either Ultra had LED fans. Some reviews mention one with the 500 and some don't. Ultra site doesn't mention LED on either.
 
wonkman said:
Thanks for the links JG. I read them all. Unfortunately only your's and 3Dgameman really focused on the 600w which is what I think I may get.

I'm not a quiet freak and I guess I'll just have to pay a bit more to the electric company. The efficiency seems average until the watts are increased to near the top end. But < $95 shipped for a stable 600w SLI certified PSU sounds like a good deal (with a little bling thrown in). I also like the front to back cooling setup even if it uses 2 X 80 fans.

If you do front to back cooling you have to use two 80MM fans. Other sizes will not fit.

wonkman said:
I also read your review of the Powerstream where you gave it a 7.5. Why is everyone on the Powerstream bandwagon with such fluxuations found by you and Xbit? Which do you like better now?

I'm going to have to say the X-Finity. The Powerstream still has more voltage fluctuation and is very expensive. If I could get one for under $100, which does happen sometimes with rebates, I'd certainly consider it. Most people dig the OCZ because it has the pots for voltage adjustment and OCZ has good support.

wonkman said:
I guess Ultra switched suppliers and is now using Wintech. What's their rep like?

As far as I know, the X-Finity was always made by Wintech. I had an old 600W (the one where they stacked the two PSU's on top of one another) in my machine before and that was made by Wintech.

wonkman said:
BTW do you remember if either Ultra had LED fans. Some reviews mention one with the 500 and some don't. Ultra site doesn't mention LED on either.

None of mine ever had an LED fan in it.
 
jonnyGURU said:
If you do front to back cooling you have to use two 80MM fans. Other sizes will not fit.

Yeah, I know. I'm just saying it's a trade-off. Better airflow but potentially noiser.


As far as I know, the X-Finity was always made by Wintech. I had an old 600W (the one where they stacked the two PSU's on top of one another) in my machine before and that was made by Wintech.

I think some Ultras were made by Youngyear but maybe just the X-connect and not the X-finity.

None of mine ever had an LED fan in it.

OK thanks. It's increasingly looking like the X-finity 600W. :)
 
OK, I picked up the X-Finity 600w and it's build quality seems excellent. I don't have a multimeter and I don't plan on opening the case so I can't add much technical info except to say that the voltages using software monitoring are stable and within spec :rolleyes: (as much as that can be relied upon).

The Flexforce cables are excellent. They have just enough stiffness to stay where you put them without being difficult to route around the case. I think they look nice and are UV reactive for those who like that. The ATX power cord seems a bit short to me and may be a problem is tall cases. The labeling is on the inner side of the PS case too so you don't have to look at the "void warranty", spec, or QC stickers when installed.

Now the bad. Noise. It is not quiet although it is not annoying in tone or pitch. Placing my hand over the rear fan quiets it down substantially but obviously defeats the purpose. I would guess that the noise is either from the fans themselves or the turbulence created in the unit. It doesn't seem to be from vibration. I don't notice the sound when playing games or music or movies but when I shut down at night and the room is silent, it's obvious how loud it is. I've had dual 80mm PSUs before so I wasn't expecting too much silence but this is more noise than I expected. Too bad too because @ < $100 for 600w SLI certified, it's a good price. And again I want to say this has a very solid feel and look to it. No corners cut and looking into the vents, the build seems good with no sloppy excess glue or soldering (from what I can see).

I haven't decided yet but I may RMA and get the 500w 120mm unit instead.

Someone needs to offer a unit with high quality components, sleeved modular (or not) cables that is stable and performs well, has a modest amount of bling and is silent at a bargain price. Is that so difficult? :p

Thanks for the above opinions and links.
 
I've got the X2 with the 120mm fan, 550W (overall, with 536W on the 3.3V, 5V and 12V) and the modular flex force cables and it's very, very quiet. Compared to my old PSU which is an Antec True Blue 480, it's dead silent and I thought the Antec was damned near silent when I bought it.

Yeah, it costs more than the 500W but it's got more grunt and it's modular.
 
I warned you it was loud. Great power supply, but too loud.

Madmat's right. The X2 550W is a great happy medium. Lots of power, SLI certified and quiet and it's still under $100.
 
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