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VISUAL ANALYSIS
The Ultra X-Connect is a showy PSU. It sports a
fancy inner fan grill, a high-gloss finish available in an assortment of
different colors, and modular detachable cables sheathed in a UV-reactive
casing that glows under a black light. Most of these features are cosmetic and
don't really have any real meaning to the performance of the unit. However, the
detachable cable system (reminiscent of the
Antec NeoPower 480) is worth looking at in detail:
Included detachable cables.
You guessed it -- plug in only the cables you need, and you're good to go.
As with the Antec NeoPower 480, the general concept with the detachable cables
are the same:
-
Use only the cables and connectors that are needed.
-
Minimize wiring mess to facilitates better airflow (which in turn
may help cooling and noise) and presentation.
The idea is simple, effective, and really helps reduce case clutter. It's
something we at SPCR would like to see in more PSUs, as there's no good reason to have excessive cables inside a
computer. The connectors here are the same on both ends of the cables so that there's no question about which cable goes into which connector on the PSU. They mate positively and appear to make a pretty good connection.
One odd attribute of the X-Connect's cable system is the
inclusion of a detachable motherboard power connector, which seems a bit
strange (are we to presume this is to operate the PSU without a motherboard?)
but probably doesn't have any negative consequences. As was mentioned above,
the cables are UV-reactive and glow under a blacklight. SPCR did not verify
this claim; we'll just take their word on that one.
While the cabling system is certainly welcome, the inner fan grill is a
frivolous addition that impacts both noise and cooling:
Inside Fan grill looks nice, but not really practical.
The fancy grill blocks about half the available vent space. All grills pose some form of impedance to airflow from a spinning
fan close to it. Not only does this cause reduced airflow, it creates extra turbulence and noise as well. It may look nice and aptly
targets a genre of case modders, but it really isn't conducive to silent
computing.
Speaking of fans, the built-in ones aren't really anything to write home about.
The X-Connect contains two 80mm fans: one intake close to the CPU, and one
exhaust fan going out the back of the case. They're generic clear fans of
unknown origin:
They sure are pretty, but how's the sound?
While clear plastic fans are stylish and visually appealing, they're also generally less
dense than black plastic fans. Clear plastic fans often sound tinnier and have more
pronounced resonances, because they lack density and rigidity.
UNDER THE HOOD
Cracking open the PSU, we find the heatsinks small and
unimpressive, and the electronic component layout is not particularly tidy. While we're not
overly concerned with presentation, the messy layout of components could
inhibit airflow. The inside
appearance of the unit does not instill great confidence, especially compared
to some of the recent PSUs to pass through the lab.
Small heatsinks, and rather cluttered
Another shot -- you can see the heatsinks are just thin rails with small fins.
Again, the clutter doesn't lend itself to good airflow.
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