Thermaltake Toughpower XT Platinum 1275W Review
With the lure of dual graphics cards and wonderfully overclocked processors, we understand the need for more efficient power supplies that offer more horsepower, and oftentimes those in the kilowatt+ range. Units in this segment are strong enough to power the most demanding systems. Here Thermaltake-Toughpower-XT-Platinum-1275W is a high-performance power supply unit designed for demanding to the game and overclocking systems.
You may also read an article on Thermaltake Mobile Fan if it helps in your search
Features & Specs of Thermaltake Toughpower XT
It’s a rather stealthy aesthetic, but good looks and nice features will only get you so far though, as performance is what matters in the end. Coming with a price tag of $290, the Thermaltake Toughpower XT Platinum 1275W certainly brings a premium price tag, but does it have the top performance to match? Let’s find out.
We’ve seen 80Plus Bronze-certified units become the absolute minimum requirement for modern systems; in fact, they’re nothing to brag about. Silver and Gold rated units have become more popular and commendable, but of late we’ve started seeing a few more 80Plus Platinum-certified power supplies, and today we’re looking at one from Thermaltake: the Toughpower XT Platinum 1275W.
Overview
In keeping with Thermaltake’s packaging theme for most of their products, the Toughpower XT Platinum 1275W is housed in a rather sleek black box, complete with a single picture of the power supply on the front and a listing of the features and specifications on the side and rear of the box. The box is packaged extremely well and snugly, with no worries about damage.
Exterior
The Toughpower XT Platinum 1275W is not a fully modular unit, as the essential cables are hard-wired directly into the unit. They’re also traditionally sleeved and finished nearly to the ends. The cable lengths are barely sufficient though, not the longest nor shortest we’ve seen. At 20″ in length, it’ll literally be a stretch inside a full tower case to get the cables neatly tucked away; there likely won’t be enough slack.
An extra two inches would probably help for those tall full tower cases and better internal cabling. Otherwise, including a cable extender for the main 24-pin cable may have been another option.
Like many of Thermaltake’s designs, the Toughpower XT Platinum isn’t exactly a beacon of minimalism; while the matte black finish is very stealthy, the remainder stops there, with plenty of large labels and splashes of color.
The unit is finished in a speckled and textured matte black color that’s resistant to scratching under normal handling so if you are not using a shovel and hammer to install this unit then you’ll be fine. When viewed up close, you can see the speckled powder coat finish.
Another unique identifier about the Toughpower XT is the fan grill is not a separate component that’s screwed into the top housing; rather, it’s integral to the housing itself, which is a signature Thermaltake feature.
The rear of the unit is a standard rocker power switch and power cord plug, amongst honeycomb perforations to exhaust the warm air.
At the front of the unit, we see the hard-wired cables to the right, while the modular port connectors are well-labeled for novice system builders.
Looking at the specifications, we see that the Thermaltake Plus Toughpower XT Platinum 1275W has two +12V rails for a massive 540W / 780W and 45A / 65A, respectively, of power available. Interestingly, that’s essentially the same as two power supplies contained within one setup. We’ll see what that looks like when we peer inside shortly. Needless to say, that’s an immense amount of power available for the hungriest of systems.
At the right of the unit is the unique S.P.T feature (Standby, Power, and Temperature). These are three small lights to indicate the standby mode, the power good signal, and the temperature of your PSU, bringing you real-time monitoring of the power supply. When they’re green, all is well with the power of the unit. But if you see one turn a red color, it’s time to power down and figure out the problem.
Interior
Opening up the Thermaltake Toughpower XT Platinum 1275W, the main feature that is immediately noticeable is the 140mm fan which features greater airflow at reduced noise levels, and is controlled automatically to adjust the speeds according to the temperatures and load levels. The fan is quite smooth textured, so it shouldn’t collect too much dust, but a few shots of some compressed air once in a while would be a good idea here.
Removing the fan, we see a fairly straightforward layout. It’s a CWT design as the OEM, and components are just a bit cramped, though there appears to be enough open space for airflow. The heatsinks are solid, not waffled or fingered like we often see on other designs, so even with the larger this may cause the speed to ramp up earlier when under load (provided you have a monster rig to push it hard enough).
The two primary Japanese capacitors used here are Nippon Chemi-Con, an excellent choice, with each rated at 400v / 560uF / 105°C. Most of the secondary caps are also Nippon Chemi-Con as well.
Testing
Test Setup
To test power supplies, we believe that creating real-world circumstances and conditions are important to consumers who need to relate to what they would use and experience in a computer system setup. Consequently, our methodology is fairly straightforward, as we assemble power-hungry components that will push a unit to its full capacity. We monitor the results at various loads using a digital multimeter for voltage regulation, and an oscilloscope for ripple measurements.
Voltage Regulation
When examining the voltage regulation results we are looking for the voltage output and any fluctuations that might occur. The current ATX specifications allow for the following fluctuations in voltage outputs, and these represent a 3% variance:
Ripple
When examining the ripple, or noise, the ATX specifications allow for 50 mV peak-to-peak variations for 3.3V and 5V, and 120 mV p-p for the 12V.
Noise
One last note here relates to the noise produced by the unit. As we know, the higher RPMs a fan speeds, the louder the noise. Also, the smaller the fan, the faster it must rotate in order to achieve the same airflow as a larger fan. Thankfully the fan runs nearly silent at load loads and quiet when the unit is heavily taxed. It’s certainly not silent, but it’s quiet enough to be inaudible inside a normal case setup with other systems and component fans running.
Summary
Thermaltake has done a fine job with the Toughpower XT Platinum 1275W, improving on its predecessors and offering consumers a very complete package here. The features here are excellent, and the S.P.T lighting indicators are innovative and will be very helpful, particularly for end users that may not be very knowledgeable about computer systems and want to monitor their rig.
In terms of aesthetics, it’s also an attractive power supply, though a bit over the top in terms of labels, which clash a bit with the stealthy black styling otherwise. Functionally, the unit has a scratch and fingerprint-resistant coating in a textured matte black finish. This gives a simple and elegant style that will fit into just about any system build.
From a features standpoint, the unit is 80PLUS Platinum certified, which is at the top end of power efficiency these days. The hardwired cable lengths could be a couple of inches longer and could be a potential nuisance for anyone who’s very picky about cabling inside a full tower. However, as we know, looks and features are only a small part of the equation with power supplies, as features and performance are where things are decided.
In terms of performance, the Toughpower XT Platinum 1275W finished rather well, with nominal movement on the rails in our voltage regulation testing, while the ripple results were also very good. Not quite the best we’ve seen, but well within specification. The 80PLUS Platinum efficiency is a boon to those looking for “green” solutions, though it could be argued that if you need a 1275W power supply then you’re not exactly energy-frugal to begin with.