Tagan EasyCon XL 700W: A Tagan at Last
The thermal performance of the EasyCon XL was somewhat questionable. Thermal performance under heavy load was quite poor, and the output temperature reached a scorching 72°C at full load.
Maybe not over 1 or 2 days testing in the lab, but over the lifetime of the PSU I would be very concerned by the poor thermal performance. They have managed to combine poor cooling with a noisy fan, the worst of both worlds!The dual transformer design has its advantages, one of which is exceptionally stable voltage rails, as seen here. This is enough to forgive the questionable thermal performance (since the hot conditions didn't appear to affect anything)
I've had the chance to try the Tagan U01, U15 and U22. I liked the old U01 series Tagan PSUs. They were the only ones from Tagan that I consider quiet. The U15 and U22 are noisier than the U01 series.
Edited: some grammar (sorry for my poor English) and 2force=U22
Edited: some grammar (sorry for my poor English) and 2force=U22
Last edited by kike_1974 on Thu Jan 11, 2007 8:17 am, edited 1 time in total.
Tagans are very popular among PC enthusiast in Poland and I've personally longed for a review of one by SPCR. A lot of people around here, and I mean pros, would swear Tagans to be among the best in terms of noise - or quietness. On the other hand, lots of folks claim Tagans are indeed noisy. I guess this can be explained by the multitude of various models. It would be great to see other Tagan PSUs tested by SPCR.
I've personally heard 2 or 3 Tagans and Topowers (in similar configurations and conditions) and must say Topowers bahaved much better - in terms of noise. I know it's not a proper way to compare PSUs but that can reflect the state of things.
One more wish, if I may, how about Topower? Are these also going to be tested? I'm asking about that because thery're also very popular round here and enjoy high esteem. And also because Topower & Tagan are in fact the same design and share a lot.
I've personally heard 2 or 3 Tagans and Topowers (in similar configurations and conditions) and must say Topowers bahaved much better - in terms of noise. I know it's not a proper way to compare PSUs but that can reflect the state of things.
One more wish, if I may, how about Topower? Are these also going to be tested? I'm asking about that because thery're also very popular round here and enjoy high esteem. And also because Topower & Tagan are in fact the same design and share a lot.
Last edited by kater on Thu Jan 11, 2007 6:54 am, edited 1 time in total.
I wonder if this PSU suffers from the same design flaw as the Tagan TurboJet 1100W
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/403/1
Read this review. It also uses two transformers, but they use the same transistors to drive them!
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/403/1
Read this review. It also uses two transformers, but they use the same transistors to drive them!
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We've reviewed quite a few Topower models in the past, but never under Topower's own brand. As a general rule, they are very quiet, and very, very hot.
Topower reviews we've done include BeQuiet!, Mushkin (this one's really bad), ePower, Raidmax, OCZ, and others.
Topower reviews we've done include BeQuiet!, Mushkin (this one's really bad), ePower, Raidmax, OCZ, and others.
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I would disagree. Splitting a load across two sources should mean that the output range handled by each transformer is smaller than it would be if there was only a single transformer. Since voltage regulation is nearly always tied to changes in load, smaller changes in load should lead to smaller fluctuation.
That said, I was unaware of the additional regulation circuitry in the Tagan. I will change the wording so I don't imply so much.
That said, I was unaware of the additional regulation circuitry in the Tagan. I will change the wording so I don't imply so much.
I would not say Topowers are "generally" very, very hot. Some are, some are not. Temp rise in the Be quiet was 8°c at 430W, compared to 12°c at 400W in the S12 E+. A 4°c difference, or 50% if you prefer. And the seasonic was louder at 400W than the BeQuiet was at 430W. Which makes the Topower both cooler and quieter than the seasonic at high loads.
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It doesn't matter what the loading is, it only matters that PWM circuit should have enough duty cycle reserve under that loading.Devonavar wrote:I would disagree. Splitting a load across two sources should mean that the output range handled by each transformer is smaller than it would be if there was only a single transformer. Since voltage regulation is nearly always tied to changes in load, smaller changes in load should lead to smaller fluctuation
The reason why most ATX PSUs have unstable (+-5%) voltages is that they have multiple outputs and only one PWM stabilizer which tries to keep balance between outputs.
The reason why this PSU has two transformers... I don't know for sure, but it seems possible that they use old schematics, something like half-bridge converter. Half-bridge converters require bigger transformers than modern topologies like double forward converters, but with 120 mm fan there's no room for such a big transformers. Other manufacturers (Seasonic, FSP) use double forward converters, higher frequencies and smaller transformers, Topower decided to split one transformer in two.
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They are different. Look closely at the socket and the arrangement of circular and square plastic pins is different. Therefore making it impossible to plug in a blue cable to a black socket and visa versaThe two PCI Express cables are color coded but use the same connection as the rest of the cables. It's not clear whether this color coding is just meant to help balance the load across the various +12V lines, or if there are actual electrical differences between the two connections. Given the potential for nasty short-circuits, we thought it best not to investigate this via trial and error!