Specs and Features
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The PurePower 480w comes packaged in an attractive cardboard box, unlike the PC Power and Cooling model we just finished up. This PSU features a peak output of 550w, Serial ATA hot swappability, and two options for a fan speed controller-- either one that fits in a PCI slot, or another that fits in a 5.25" bay (we'd recommend the PCI controller, as a 5.25" bay is a hefty price to pay to control a PSU fan..) According to the box, the PSU is rated at 17dba...quite impressive, at least on paper.
This PSU is not an Active PFC model, but there are Thermaltake PSUs which feature Active PFC technology. Active PFC is a technology that makes your PSU more efficient; it will help you save a few bucks on your power bill, but isn't crucially important to running your high-powered computer as opposed to a passive PFC model.
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Here's the ratings for the PurePower. The amperage ratings seem quite beefy, though the 12v is a little low (however, we saw on the Zalman unit that it didn't matter in the long run). I could not find the combined 3.3 and 5v rating for this PSU. The PSU is not rated by its peak rating (which is what many cheaper PSU makers use) but by the rating at which it will normally operate. So I suppose one could say the 480w rating is an under-estimate of what the PSU can truly do.
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Here's a pic of the accessories included with the PurePower. The PSU comes in a matte black, as does the PSU wall cable. The fan controllers are on the left and right. No, the cables aren't sleeved, but this is also around $62, not $250+. This unit is also available in Silver, and Thermaltake has some new "Butterfly" PSUs, which are essentially the same, but contain X designs and multi-color LED fans. However, Thermaltake did not have any samples of this new design available when we last talked to them.
The included fan controllers are used to adjust the PSU's fan speed, with some restrictions, to help to protect the PSU from burning out. For example, at 40C (internal PSU temperature), the fan can be adjusted from 1125rpm to 3125rpm. The chart included on the box is too small for my camera to capture, therefore I have graphed it below:
Anything under 2000rpm is very, very quiet, so you can keep this PSU operating within low noise levels, even under high system load. However, while the PSU may safely operate at low fan speeds, the true power output of a PSU is often correlated to how well it is cooled. Just because you can safely run the PSU at lower fan speed, doesn't mean that it's providing optimal power output for your components.
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Here's the back of the PSU. This PSU is not Active PFC, so it's got the voltage selector switch on the back. The standard apparatus is used here, nothing major. The orange fan will certainly contrast with some color schemes, though there aren't many people who look at the back of your computer anyway..(besides you) As I've said, Thermaltake has other models which do feature Active PFC.
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The fan on the bottom is something I've never seen from Thermaltake before-- a 9-blade fan. This fan is also 80mm, and is used to exhaust hot air out of your computer case. Some say that bottom PSU intakes can actually increase your temps, but we'll have to see about that.
Cables
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Here are the PSU cables. The PurePower 480w includes 3 strands with 3 4-pin Molex and 1 floppy connector each, a dedicated Serial ATA hot-swap cable, and the standard apparatus for hooking up a mobo, a 12v connector, and that 6-pin connector nobody uses. The ATX cable is sleeved in black mesh, which is rather nice.
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A close-up of the Serial ATA cable which is used to hook up a Serial ATA drive. Unlike the A+GPB PSUs we tested, this one is not a converter, it's a dedicated cable. We'd normally be peeved over something like that, but the 9 4-pin Molexes are enough to keep anyone satisfied.
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