A Barely Extra Modest Excessive-Finish PSU

So far in our ongoing look at the first generation of ATX 3.0 power supplies, we have seen plenty of high-end models from each the large names and smaller names within the energy provide business. However these flagship, excessive capability energy provides have additionally tended to fetch fairly hefty costs within the course of. For higher or worse, energy provide distributors have labored out that energy provide patrons will bear fairly a bit for top-of-the-line fashions, and nowadays it is uncommon to see an affordable flagship unit.

So what’s a purchaser to do after they nonetheless desire a high-end energy provide, however cannot justify the price of a flagship PSU? Fortunately, nowadays, we’re seeing increasingly more high-end models hit the market that, though usually are not fairly as over-the-top as their flagship counterparts, ship a lot of the identical high quality with out the over-the-top worth tags. Typically specced to fulfill 80Pus Platinum effectivity ranges, these high-end models fill a much-needed spot between mass-market midrange models, and the uber-powerful flagship fashions.

Tying that to as we speak’s evaluation, as we speak we’re one such high-end design from XPG, the CYBERCORE II 1300W. In comparison with the flagship Fusion series PSU we took a take a look at a few months in the past, the CYBERCORE II household is a little more modest – it is nonetheless high-end, however to not the tune of $750 for an influence provide. As excellent because the Fusion might have been, XPG is aware of that precise demand for such high-tier merchandise is low and that the majority of the market lies elsewhere, and that is the place strains just like the CYBERCORE II household are available in.

True to its identify, the CYBERCORE II PSU lineup is an improve of the previous CYBERCORE series, which XPG is within the means of supplanting. The CYBERCORE II collection presently consists of simply two models, rated at 1.0 kW and 1.3 kW respectively. On paper, there are only a few variations between the CYBERCORE II and Fusion collection, with probably the most outstanding being the 80Plus certification (Platinum vs Titanium), the shortage of a digital interface, and a diminished variety of 12VHPWR connectors (one vs two).Even with some scaling again, the CYBERCORE II continues to be supposed to be extremely aggressive inside the broader high-end PSU market.

However, maybe most significantly, the value tag of the CYBERCORE II models is lower than half that of the respective Fusion models. This makes the collection a really viable possibility for fanatics who’re available in the market for a really {powerful} PSU, however usually are not on a limitless finances.

Packaging and Bundle

XPG provides the CYBERCORE II 1300W PSU in a strikingly purple cardboard field. The field itself may be very sturdy and thick packaging foam protects the unit throughout transport. Fundamental compliance and efficiency data might be discovered printed on the perimeters and rear of the packaging.

The CYBERCORE II 1300W PSU is a completely modular design, permitting for the removing of each DC energy cable, together with the 24-pin ATX connector. The entire cables are fully black, with the ATX, PCI Specific, EPS, and 12VHPWR cables wrapped in nylon sleeving, whereas the Molex and SATA energy cables are naked ribbon-like black wires.

In addition to the standard AC energy cable and 4 mounting screws, XPG additionally bundles a number of cable ties and a sheet with ornamental stickers alongside the CYBERCORE II PSU.

The XPG CYBERCORE II 1300W PSU

Exterior Look

Externally, the XPG CYBERCORE II hardly stands out aesthetically, that includes a refined matte all-black design with none extravagant modifications. Its chassis is 160 mm lengthy, which is a bit longer than what the standard ATX design information dictates, but additionally typical for high-output PC PSUs – and truly very compact for a PSU with such a excessive energy output. A better look additionally reveals that the fan is barely smaller than what the overwhelming majority of high-end PSU designs are utilizing. If not for the punched triangular shapes on its sides and its stickers, one might simply mistake this unit for a run-of-the-mill PSU.

XPG positioned the massive sticker with the unit’s electrical specs and certifications on the highest aspect of the chassis. Easy ornamental stickers that includes solely the corporate and collection logos might be discovered on each side of the chassis, positioned between two punched triangular shapes.

The rear aspect of the CYBERCORE II PSU is primary, with solely the standard IEC C14 energy connector and a daily on/off swap. There’s a flat floor the place a sticker or ornament can match however nothing has been put in from the manufacturing unit. The entrance aspect of the unit is suffering from the connectors for the modular cables, with the EPS and PCI Specific connectors protecting greater than half of the floor space. There was not a lot room left for a legend so XPG painted primary headers immediately on the chassis and easy strains grouping every set of connectors.

Inside Design

As we talked about earlier than, the fan answerable for cooling the CYBERCORE II 1300W PSU is a bit smaller than the 135 mm followers we often discover in high-output models. The 120 mm fan contained in the CYBERCORE II nonetheless is made by Nidec, one of the crucial respected producers throughout the globe. This explicit mannequin is a dual-ball bearing engine fan that Nidec certifies for 60.000 hours at 60°C, which is extraordinarily spectacular. It has a comparatively excessive most velocity of 2150 RPM and is partially lined by a plastic protect in an effort to govern airflow. The ball-bearing engine and the plastic protect will improve noise output when the unit is loaded. Nonetheless, XPG covers these models with a 10-year lengthy guarantee and, subsequently, clearly needed to concentrate on long-term reliability.

The OEM behind the creation of the CYBERCORE II PSU is Channel-Properly Applied sciences, generally often known as CWT. It’s the identical OEM that was behind the primary CYBERCORE collection and the CYBERCORE II relies on an analogous, however not fairly the identical, platform. This platform is a hybrid with a mixture of digital and analog controllers, with the previous controlling a lot of the unit’s main capabilities.

The filtering stage of the CYBERCORE II 1300W PSU is just a little prolonged over typical models, with a complete of six Y capacitors, two X capacitors, and two filtering inductors. There’s two enter rectifying bridges which have their very own small heatsink sandwiched in between them. The APFC stage is monstrous, with two Rubycon 420V/680μF capacitors and two giant inductors as its passive elements, every related to at least one converter. The circuitry kinds two APFC converters that function in parallel that, in keeping with CWT, enhance {the electrical} efficiency of the unit. The lively elements of the APFC circuit are positioned on the massive heatsink seen throughout the sting of the PCB.

4 Alpha & Omega TF29S50 transistors type a full-bridge inversion topology on the main aspect of the unit. The massive transformer output is related to a vertical PCB with eight On Semiconductor energy MOSFETs (5C612N) that generate the 12V rail. The three.3V and 5V strains are being generated by way of the DC-to-DC conversion circuits discovered on a separate vertical PCB proper subsequent to the PCB housing the converters, which have been upgraded because the first model of the CYBERCORE collection. A number of shielded copper strips might be seen across the PSU, offering each electrical and electromagnetic isolation between the high-frequency elements. Rubycon and Nippon Chemi-Con provide the electrolytic capacitors, whereas FPCAP and United Chemi-Con provide all the polymer capacitors.