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1 2 3 4 5 NextMarch 18, 2006 by Devon
Cooke
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Product
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Nexus NX-9003 SFB
350W ATX12V 2.01 "Hybrid" Power Supply |
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Manufacturer
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Nexus |
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Sample Supplier
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End PC Noise |
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Market Price
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US$90 |
Nexus, whose "Real Silent" fans have the right combination of low noise and wide distribution to
make them a favorite among SPCR enthusiasts, has
released a "hybrid" power supply called the NX-9003 SFB. The PSU's cooling fan is designed to stay off most of the time, kicking in
only when absolutely needed to cool things down to safe levels.
Hybrid power supplies are a bit of an oddity. They are a cross between
silent, expensive fanless designs and high power, noisy fanned
designs. But really, the only difference a fanned and a fanless power supply
is the cooling system.
In spite of the highly visible presence of 500W and 600W power supplies on
the market, most computer systems
do not require more than 150~200W. Yes, there is the occasional 500 pound
gorilla that draws 500 watts from the wall, but most of us are smart enough
to avoid (or can't afford) the biggest, meanest, fastest — and most power
hungry — components out there.
Power supplies that are truly capable of sustaining
high output must deal with higher operating temperatures, since all that power eventually ends up as heat
in the system. This means that high capacity power supplies tend to be built
with better quality components that can stand up under tough thermal
conditions. In a system that doesn't demand much power, the engineering and expense that went into making the high capacity power supply heat-tolerant
ends up being wasted — or does it?
As long as the
internal temperature never goes above a certain threshold, it doesn't really
matter whether the heat tolerance is used to increase capacity or reduce
the amount of airflow needed to cool the power supply safely. With a
good enough design, the power supply could run without a cooling
fan at lower loads. This is the principle that hybrid power supplies are based
on.
The retail package is an oddly shaped cubic box.
The 9003-NX comes tightly packed in a cube-shaped cardboard box. No doubt Nexus
like this design because it makes the package stand out against the competition,
but we like it for a different reason: It requires less packaging than a conventional
box. It's a simple mathematical fact the ratio of package volume to surface
area is highest when all dimensions of the package are similar.
FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS
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Feature Highlights of the Nexus NX-9003 (from Nexus'
web site)
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| FEATURE & BRIEF |
COMMENT |
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Utterly Silent!
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This needs a big, bold
* to be taken seriously. Utterly silent it may be — but only
when the fan is not spinning. |
Real silent large 12
cm orange fan
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A very good sign —
if it's the same as the retail model we've come to know and love. |
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Black Mesh sleeving on all cables
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Bling bling. |
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Excellent air flow
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This also needs a *
— airflow won't be excellent unless the fan is spinning. |
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100% burn-in under high ambient temperature (50°C)
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This is good. 50°C
is indeed a high ambient temperature. If your system temperature reaches
50°C, you need to rethink your system. |
OUTPUT SPECIFICATIONS
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OUTPUT SPECIFICATIONS: Nexus NX-9003 (from Nexus'
web site)
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AC Input
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115 / 220~240 VAC — 60 / 50Hz
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AC Input Current
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8A @ 115VAC / 4A @ 230VAC
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DC Output
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+3.3V
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+5V
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+12V1
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+12V2
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-12V
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+5VSB
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Maximum Output Current
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22.0A
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21.0A
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10.0A
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15.0A
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0.3A
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2.0A
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Maximum Combined
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130W
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300W
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3.6W
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10W
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350W
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As expected of a relatively low capacity unit, the individual rail ratings
are all fairly low, but this 350W model should provide adequate power
for most systems. As expected of an ATX12V
v2.xx model, most of the power is available from the +12V lines.
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