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Hiper HPU-4K580-MS


Date
: 09/18/05 – 05:43:17 PM

Author
:

Category
: Power Supplies

Page 1 : Index

Before I jump into the review and to no criticism to Hiper or any power supply manufacturer, I'd like to pose a general question to you all about the state of the current power supply market. Is it just me or does it seem like over the last two years everybody and their mother is producing enthusiast power supplies? Frankly, I dont get it. Actually no, I do get itit takes less money to develop and implement a power supply than it does a CPU, GPU, or sound cardbut even still, it seems odd to me that companies, ones that have never been in the power supply business, have decided now that it's high time to throw their hats into the ring and reap the huge cash reward that a new power supply can bring. Id even be willing to suggest a poll, one that asks, Rank these computer components from sexiest to least sexy. No matter what combination of components the list consisted of: CPU, video card, case, motherboard, sound card, keyboard, mouse, DVD burners, heckeven memory, Id still bet that the bottom component in that poll would always, always bethe power supply. I dont mean to be dumping on power supplies, they are obviously the blood that carries the life power through a computer, and as such, they are very, very important components, but I still cant shake the feeling that from a business perspective, its like deciding that your call in life is to become a lab technician rather than a scientist.

So whats driving this power supply gold rush? Undoubtedly computers are using more power, what with Crossfire and SLI, dual-core CPUs, memory voltage tweaks, etc, everything consumes more and more. Is that why all these companies, memory companies, case companies, HTPC companies, and just plain unknown companies are making a play for this market? There is a pretty large group of established power supply companies already: Antec, Enermax, PC Power and Cooling, and Sparkle come to mind, and it makes sense that custom case manufacturers like Shuttle and Silverstone want to provide their own power supplies to match the form factor and their cases, so where do these new young companies see themselves going here?

Without sitting on the financial side of each company, its hard to know, but if I had to guess, its to try and beat a path into the enthusiast community, to create new markets for future products. MP3 players, video players, networking, maybe more, it is all income, and the bigger your brand with the computer enthusiasts, the better you chances of cashing inin the future.

So my fellow enthusiasts, my hardware market directors, its time to turn our attention to this new Hiper power supply and see if this Hiper product will fulfill the desires of the core audience among us, or if theyre just another operation looking to cash in on our enthusiast communitys significant influence. Given Hipers recent, very aggressive push, into the enthusiast market with 74 reviews listed on their website as of Sept.11 in 2005 alone, I expect they may be trying to get our attention. Armed with this new power supply, and poised to take a serious look into the power it provides, its time to begin this review.

Page 2 : Packaging

Any company that decides to actually make their packaging useful is going to get a thumbs up from me. In the case of the Hiper power supply, the package is a small plastic toolbox.

A fancy sticker adorns the front of the package, pointing out the keys features; another fancy sticker on the back lists other features and displays some pictures of the contents. These stickers are quite easily peeled off. What youre left with is a compact little toolbox with a tray containing eight varying sized compartments. I wish all packaging could be so useful.

Page 3 : Features

The features via the Hiper website:

While there is absolutely no indication on the website, or on the product, or even in the manual that the North American version of the power supply does not include the Active Power Factor Correction, a number of websites have reported that the unit does not include that feature.

(After finishing this article, but before publication, Hiper made a few changes to their website over a few days; the end result of the changes include the following quote on the 580 watt power supply unit pages: "
PFC is not applicable for US models
". I expect future revisions of the product literature will include this information as well.)

Heres the power spec via the label on the unit:

Page 4 : Layout and Impressions

After opening the toolbox and getting over the strong acidic plastic scent youre greeted with, you see the first of the packaged cables. Each one is in its own zip-lock style bag. Lifting out the top tray reveals the power supply and the remaining cables. The unit itself is seated in a foam bed, the cables stuffed around it for additional protection.

Given the packages heft, the power supply unit is not particularly heavy. Peering through the mesh and subsequently opening the body reveals that there isnt a whole lot to this power supply, youre greeted with a pretty Spartan arrangement of components. While the open air design might preclude it, the heatsinks look to me like they could be bigger, and if so, it might inspire more confidence in the long-term stability of the unit. The two large 1000uF, 200v capacitors show no brand name, but given the small design at the top, I think it would be a safe bet that they are JEE brand parts. Peering deeper into the unit at some smaller capacitors reveals both Taiwanese Fuhjyyu brand capacitors as well as JEE labeled ones. Fuhjyyu does have a web presence, but I could not find any JEE website. I suspect the company is the Johnson Electric Enterprise, also based out of Taiwan. Considering the trouble the Taiwanese electronics industry suffered due to a
huge problem
with poorly designed capacitors in late 2002, Id feel more confident if the capacitors used were of Japanese origin.

Both the 80mm and 120mm sleeve bearing fans that are mounted in the unit are labeled with a Power Cooler sticker. Although Power Cooler does have a website with a fancy Flash intro and soothing new age music, none of the product links work. As a result, I was unable to find the exact specifications of each fan. Its marginally interesting to note, that the 80mm fan has 11 fins and the 120mm fan has 9. To my ears at least, both deliver quiet performance, and they do seem to move a fair amount of air.

In total you get six cables that connect to the unit itself and an additional eight connector cables. All the cables are nicely shrouded in black mesh and finished with dark grey rubber tubing. The 24-pin ATX connector is the 20/4-pin breakaway style and is captive in the unit. Unfortunately the ATX cable is only 18 long, which disqualifies it from being used in very large cases or in the newer cases that mount the power supply in the bottom of the case. Definitely check the ATX cable run length you require before any power supply purchase.

The six base connectors attach to the power supply via excellent aircraft-style connections. These connectors are metal and screw on to the unit. There is absolutely no concern about the cables coming loose or disconnecting over time. The four standard 4-pin power connectors each screw into their own four pin connector. The 6-pin PCI-E cable has its own 3-pin connection to the unit and the additional 4-pin 12v connector has a dedicated 2-pin connection. The connectors also sport an orientation groove, so there is only one way to connect each wire. Its handy to know there is no way to connect the wires incorrectly. The attachment points to the power supply unit get top marks; I cant image how they could be improved.

Unfortunately the same cant be said about the 4-pin connectors and especially the power extension splitters. While clearly the quality is high and the connectors do sport easy-grip wings, the cables themselves are stiff and are oriented in such a way that a 180 degree twist is required to connect two adjacent devices. To compound this issue, the splitter portion ejects from the connector from below at a roughly 45 degree angle. While at first glance this might not seem like a big deal, if you are trying to attach two devices directly above one another, or your case has a shelf directly below a drive bay, you cant actually connect the connector as the 45 degree cable blocks the connection! While there may be creative ways of getting around this issue, (I managedbarely) the design seems strange when the wires probably could have simply been split and come straight out of the back of the joining connector like a standard splitter. Its a difficult thing to show, as its often as much a tactile thing as a physical thing, but Ill endeavor in the following photos.

Another issue arises with the choice of connectors available to you. While you do get four standard 4-pin cables of varying length (11.5, 15.25, 19, and 23), you only get one floppy connector. While lots of us dont use floppy drives, if you have a current ATI video card, you need the small 4-pin connector to power the card, so if you have a floppy or another device that requires that connector, youll need to go out and buy an adaptor. Another issue, while the unit is SLI ready, it sports only one dedicated PCI-E power connector, so if you plan on going the SLI route, you need to use two of your standard 4-pin power connectors to attach to the included 6-pin PCI-E splitter to power your second card. That means youre now limited to only six additional connections. As there is no dedicated fan connector, you could quickly run out of the included connectors. As it is, I was forced to use additional splitters to power my five drives and four case fans. Given the ample output this power supply is capable of, Id like to see eight output cable options instead of six, an additional 4-pin connector, and a dedicated fan output. While Im wishing, Id love to be able to monitor the fan speeds in the power supply. While they are thermally controlled, and quiet, I have no idea how fast, and therefore how required both fans are. More control of the fan speed would be an asset for sure.

While there may be some issues with the cables, there are no issues with the finish and look of the unit itself. The unit looks terrific. The mesh surface is solid, smooth, polished, and all the surfaces gleam. Its really too bad this power supply cant be better seen in most cases, it looks that good. In addition to the quality finish, the silver fans are also very slick. Again, its too bad theyre so rarely seen.

Airflow through the unit is substantial. I noticed about a two degree drop in case temps thanks to the large and quiet 120mm intake fan. The rear 80mm fan effectively exhausts additional heat as well. Another nice touch, this unit keeps the rear fan running for about five minutes after the computer is shut off. It might be slightly excessive, but its nice to know that the last of the heat is being vented from the case, given that you have a case with a top mounted power supply.

Page 5 : Power Measurements

The facts maam, just the facts…I went about recording the power output on various lines with a slightly three-pronged approach. Ive taken readings via the BIOS, from within Windows using ASUS Probe, as well as using an external multi-meter on the 12v, 5v and 3.3v rails. It should be noted that the 3.3v readings were taken via the 4-pin portion of the 24-pin motherboard power connector as the included SATA cables lacked the orange 3.3v wire and pinout commonly used in any dedicated SATA power connectors.

Although measurements were taken over the first days and weeks of use, I dont think the initial results are particularly valid. As such, Ill be reporting on the output after three weeks of constant use and repeated power cycling. I measured the output with the supply plugged directly into the wall, as well as through an APC Back-UPS 1000VA unit. No differences were noted using either power source despite the UPSs ability to deliver a virtually stable power supply when compared with the wall socket.

Also of note, there was no variation in power output with the supply at idle or under load. Readings remained essentially identical under all circumstances. Components in the computer include:

Unfortunately I was unable to put an SLI power draw to the test, but as I refer to later, that would have presented a problem for me with the available connectors anyway.

Using a Micronata 22-163 multi-meter I recorded outputs as followed. 12v 1 = 12.49-12.50, 12v 2 = 12.46-12.47, 5v = 5.11-5.15, 3.3v = 3.48. Using the ASUS probe software I recorded the output as follows: (only one 12v rail is measured) 12v = 12.48-12.54, 5v = 4.86-4.97, 3.3v = 3.36-3.40, vCore = 1.69-1.71. Readings from the BIOS were statistically insignificant as they were virtually identical to the ASUS probe results.

Its immediately obvious that all the rails are high. After using power supplies that deliver virtually exact power, I find the high results somewhat disconcerting. While the output isnt so high as to damage components, it runs just high enough over specification to leave me wondering what the long term effects might be. Only time can tell. Id love to see this unit outfitted with the ability to adjust the power output; it would alleviate most of my concerns in this area, as I could simply adjust the voltages down to the correct levels.

(After finishing this article, but before publication, Hiper made a few changes to their website over a few days; the end result of the changes include the following quote from the paragraph at the top of the power supply products page:

Interesting, but I'd still like to be able to adjust the rails manually.)

Page 6 : Conclusions

Everything with this power supply is balanced…with good and bad. It looks great. The build quality could be improved upon. The modular connectors attach to the unit terrifically and essentially cant be improved upon. The design of the 4-pin power splitters is questionable. The connector grips are excellent. The connector grips and extension cables frequently get in the way of connections and are somewhat inflexible. The power rating is impressive. The power delivery isnt without small jitters and runs slightly out of spec, on the high side. You only get one common floppy connection. The cable sheathing is good. You get dual 12v rails, but you have to sacrifice two four pin connectors and use an adaptor to use the second 12v rail. You dont get the 3.3v rail on the SATA connectors, but you can use four SATA drives as long as they dont require that 3.3v rail. You get flexibility, but in a modern enthusiasts case, with a few drives, youll likely use all the cables, short or long.

You get the idea. While I wouldnt kick this power supply out of my case, its got just enough issues to prevent me from marrying it.

Another factor is availability. While there is some indication that this unit is popular in Europe, I dont see it listed on any Canadian vendors website, nor does it appear to be available via some of the more popular online hardware resellers in the USA. Hopefully Hiper will find their way into the retail channel.

While this Hiper power supply unit shows a lot of promise, it also shows some room for improvement. Voltage and fan adjustments would be welcome. Higher quality name-brand capacitors and beefier heatsinks would also be recommended if the hardware enthusiast market is to take notice. Also, an optional 24 modular ATX cable would be a welcome addition. When paired with these current features, if Hiper can deliver these additional features in a rev.2 of the product, I think theyll have a big winner on their hands. Given the massive competition going on in the power supply market these days, if Hiper wants to compete, I wouldnt be surprised to find that Hiper delivers.

Advantages

• Excellent finish
• Quality cable connections to the power supply unit
• Quality sheathing

  Disadvantages

• All voltage rails measure high with multi-meter, Hiper states this is by design
• Connectors difficult to connect in many circumstances
• No dedicated SATA power connectors directly from the unit
• Internal components untested over time

  Overclockers Online would like to thank Hiper for making this review possible.