•  
• Home
• Reviews
• Forum
• Site Info
• Supercooling
• Advertising
• Contacts
• links

 

• Submersion Experiment
• Condensation prevention
• How To's
• Archives

 

 

Thermaltake Silent PurePower POLO12 410W PSU

by Ramil Tranquilino

June 24, 2004

 

 

Manufactured by Thermaltake

 

Introduction

Thermaltake's track record when it comes to producing high quality power supplies has been really good so far. They managed to create a name for themselves in this field of PC hardware. Using their previous knowledge in cooling, they have incorporated those designs in almost all their products including PSUs. Their innovation has brought forward a new generation of power supplies when it comes to design and functionality.

 

Today we will look at yet another unique power supply package from Thermaltake. The approach they used on this particular package is quite unique in that they will try to give the consumers their money's worth without compromising the actual hardware's performance and quality. Let's take a look at what Thermaltake's Silent PurePower POLO12 410W PSU can offer us.

 

 

 

PurePower POLO12 410W

Thermaltake's Silent PurePower series of PSUs does exactly what it claims and that is to provide PC power that is silent yet powerful. We can vouch for this as we have already used quite a number of Thermaltake PSUs that belonged to this series and they all performed as advertised. The POLO12 also belongs to this series, thus, we expect the same level of performance as its predecessors.

 

So how is this PSU different? Well, the difference comes in the package. This unit is marketed as an all in one solution for your PC power and cooling needs. The unit comes with the 410w power supply, a 3-in-1 CPU cooler (P4, K7 & K8), matching rear and front fan speed control and a 120mm case fan. You get all of these free of charge when you purchase the POLO12 PSU. Not bad for something that currently costs US$64.

 

PSU Specs

 

120mm Case Fan Specs

 

3-in-1 CPU Cooler Specs

 

 

Layout

The POLO12 410W PSU sample we have came in a silver housing with a black Thermaltake X-type case badge which can be seen on one of its side. This unit is cooled by a single clear 120mm adjustable fan that runs at 1300-2800rpm, 17dBA at its lowest speed. This approach outperforms all dual-fan units by doubling the airflow with half the RPM and noise. Not only that, but this particular 120mm fan is also fitted with Dazzle blue LED lights for a bit of light effect. The lights can be seen from the big vents below the fan and through the honeycomb vents at the back. Complementing the huge fan are High-efficiency vents to enhance the performance of the PSU. Its honey comb structure creates maximum ventilation and minimum air resistance. This design also enhances airflow to solve thermal and noise problems.

 

     

 

All of the cables are sleeved for easier and tidier application. There are more than enough connectors for all your power peripherals. Aside from the main ATX power connector, you get 9 Molex, 3 FDD and 2 SATA power connectors. There is also the presence of your 4-pin +12v power connector and another 6-pin auxiliary connector. A 3-pin connector that attaches to the motherboard and a 2-pin connector for the rheostat are also included in the layout. The length of all the connectors was more than adequate, enough to reach all parts of the case.

 

  

 

Included in the package is an extra 120mm case fan. Its label says it is made by Everflow. The case fan is speed adjustable (1300 rpm ~ 3000 rpm) and can deliver a maximum airflow of 81.62 CFM. Though the fan didn't fit in my midi tower computer case, I'm sure it will be of good use to some users.

 

  

 

Thermaltake also included a 3-in-1 cpu cooler. The heatsink is made of aluminum but with a copper base insert.  It can support K7, K8 and P4 platforms thru the various attachments that come with the package. The heatsink's fan is an 80mm axial type fan that can deliver up to 47.28 CFM of airflow. The fan is also speed adjustable from 1300 ~ 3000 rpm. At its lowest setting, the fan generates about 17dBA of noise.

 

       

 

All fans can be controlled via the speed controllers included in the package. There are two controllers in all. One can be attached at the rear via the PCI card slot and one at the front via a 5 1/4 bay. The rear one controls the CPU fan (if you decide to use it as your cpu cooler) and the front aluminum one controls both the 120mm case fan and PSU fan individually, thus, the 2 control knobs. By having this devices, you have full control of your fans and therefore the noise than accompanies it.

 

 

 

Installation

The only thing that would be different when installing this PSU is that you would need extra time setting up the speed controllers and the case fan should you use it. Everything else is basically the same as with any other PSU. The cables are adequate in length and tidier inside the case. The PSU is indeed very silent. I couldn't hear over the case fans running in the system. The blue LED lights will be an added bonus especially for those with windowed cases.

 

       

 

Test Setup

 

 

Test Results

We tested the unit by looking at the voltages given out by the different rails with the system at highly overclocked speed. Each rail has an acceptable range of voltage output needed to keep the system stable. The closer and more constant it is to the desired voltage range, the better. We compared it to readings taken from other PSUs as well to see if it is at the same level as most trusted brands we have tested to date.

 

 

 

From the above results, we can see that the POLO12 410w PSU can keep up with the trusted brands. There wasn't any voltage fluctuation or spikes detected from any of the rails during the duration of our testing.

 

Noise is not an issue as I can barely hear the fan working even with all my case fan turned off. I have to place my ear directly near the fan intake just to make sure that it is indeed spinning. Those that value the peacefulness of their computing space will surely find this PSU a winner in terms of quietness.

 

 

Conclusions

Thermaltake's approach on this particular model is to create a PSU that is both powerful and silent at the same time. They have easily achieved this with the POLO12 410w. It is a very stable PSU that can match the performance of most known and trusted players out there. Silent and powerful, the POLO12 410w definitely fits the bill of most mainstream users upgrading to their next rig.

 

With a few goodies included, the POLO12 package is indeed a new approach to an all-in-1 power and cooling solution. This is the first PSU manufacturer we've seen that incorporates cpu and some case cooling in their product. At first I was quite excited as this would mean big savings for the average joe which is the target market of this model. But upon testing of the included CPU cooler, I was a bit disappointed to find that it cools just about the same as most stock CPU coolers. Overclocking is definitely out of the question. I would't recommend using this to be honest. Is it a useless addition then? Well, I guess the only real use of this would be for those buying OEM processors without the intention of overclocking it. This will definitely save them a few bucks. The 120mm fan though is a very good addition. Although some case wouldn't accomodate the 120mm fan, I am pretty sure that most will have some good use for it.

 

Pricewise, the POLO12 410w is a great buy. Pricewatch finds the cheapest POLO12 410w currently at US$69. Not bad for something that is very stable, silent and packs a few goodies. Of course, you also get the LED lightshow that goes with it. The only thing that I can fault about it is its PFC type. Although it has PFC, it is only passive. But then again, if you consider its price, you'll understand. I guess it's still better than none.

 

The Thermaltake POLO12 410w is highly recommended for average users that want a reliable, stable and silent PSU. It has enough grunt to power all of your hardware. It can definitely handle an overclocked system like ours and still maintain stability all throughout. Thermaltake has once again given the consumer something that is affordable but high in quality.