Thermaltake ToughPower SFX 450W Power Supply Review

We make no secret of it here at eTeknix that we have a lot of love for Thermaltake. Admittedly some of the directions they've gone in more recent years with RGB/ARGB lighting has created comment among our fans, but in terms of manufacturers truly trying to bring affordable and innovative products to the market, they are, one of the few left that is really trying to make a difference. When it comes to reviews, however, no matter how much we might love a company, we never allow any rose-tinted spectacles to get in the way of telling you what we really think. With the new Thermaltake ToughPower SFX 450W power supply, however, if you are currently looking to put together a new small form factor PC build, then this definitely seems to be worth checking out! Thermaltake ToughPower SFX 450W Despite coming in a surprisingly small SFX package, this power supply still manages to pack a lot of truly excellent features even the most discerning of PSU consumer couldn't help but give a silent nod of approval to. These include an 80-Plus Gold efficiency rating, fully modular cable design, and the inclusion of 100% Japanese capacitors in the products design. Overall, this certainly looks to be a very decent design. And in many cases, way better than you'd usually see from more fully-sized standard models. - Available in wattage outputs from 450w all the way up to 650w as well, for those looking to put together their next small form factor PC, there's something for practically everyone here! What Does Thermaltake Have to Say? "The Toughpower SFX 450W Gold is an upgraded version of our previous SFX form factor PSUs, targeting users who are using Mini ITX cases or other compact cases. The dimensions of the PSU are 100mm (D) x 125mm (W) x 63.5mm (H) as standard profile. Moreover, it is constructed with premium components and advanced technology which makes this PSU a reliable and stable power supply unit. With an ample 7-year warranty, the Toughpower SFX 450W Gold can satisfy the market where PC enthusiasts are looking for a premium power supply with all the latest features." Features High amperage single +12V rail design450W Continuous output at 40C/104F operating environment100% High quality Japanese capacitorsFully modular low-profile flat black cablesLow ripple noise7-Year Warranty Specifications For more details specifications, please visit the official product page via the link here! Connections As this power supply has been primarily designed for usage in small factor form PCs, it's not exactly surprising that you're not given an absolute mountain of cables. That being said, however, for a system requiring a 450-watt power output, you should have more than enough here to ensure you can easily hook up all of your components with likely still a few spare to go towards any future builds or upgrades. Packaging The front of the packaging carries all of the branding we have well come to associate with Thermaltake ToughPower products. Namely, that it's predominantly black with silver highlights. In terms of the initial information, however, they have really nailed this as not only are you given a nice clear view of the power supply, but you're also, at a quick glance, given all of this power supplies key features. The rear of the box work is excellent good with Thermaltake absolutely cramming it full of useful information. There is literally nothing you could want to know about this power supply that isn't clearly listed here in a nice easy on the eye way. As often is the case, Thermaltake has really well thought out its packaging here. Accessories Although power supplies do not often come with much in the way of accessories, Thermaltake still provides you with more than a little useful stuff. You do, of course, have your product manual and separate booklet containing your warranty information. In addition to those, you also get the screws to attach the PSU to your case, some zip ties, and perhaps best of all, an SFX to ATX conversion bracket. The only thing missing is a nice bag to keep your spare cables in. On the whole though, there is definitely some good useful stuff here! A Closer Look Despite its relatively small stature, the Thermaltake Toughpower SFX still looks like a solidly built power supply. Fitting in the palm of just one hand though, I think you'd be forgiven for being amazed at just how potent the specifications and features are for a package this (relatively speaking) tiny. The power supply is predominantly black, with a few silver highlights, most notably on the branded sections. The branding itself is well sized and spaced, which adds to the aesthetics of the design rather than detracts. The top of the power supply has the Thermaltake logo right to the centre with the exposed areas surrounding it for the air intake. It looks excellent and certainly something completely within the standard 'ToughPower' remit. The main power input bank is well organized, with each section being clearly denoted for its component usage. Coming with a back-to-back port design as well, this makes cable insertion and removal about as easy as it could possibly be. Exceptionally handy given that this is quite small and, when installed in a small form factor system, space will be at a premium. Although the exhaust section is not vented across the entire area, there is still plenty of honeycomb-style openings to ensure a good solid airflow. You will also note that this power supply does not come with a hybrid mode fan function switch. Albeit, we suspect that such a feature may be incorporated integrally into the design. To know for sure though, we'll have to test it. Just go give you an idea as to how small this power supply is, we have provided a comparative image below. When sat next to the bottle of TIM Cleaner, it truly highlights just how tiny the Thermaltake ToughPower SFX really is. Cabling For the vast majority of the cabling, you'll find more than enough length to easily hook up all your system components while still keeping cable management reasonably decent. The only minor snag is the main motherboard cable which, at least in my view, is a couple of inches shorter than it should ideally be. For SFX systems, though, this should be absolutely perfect. For mITX though, some cable management compromises might be necessary. The cabling itself is well presented, with it being held within a surprisingly strong low-profile black sheaving. This is nicely flexible enough to accommodate a little weaving through a case while being more than durable enough to not potentially cause it any damage. With each one itemised to denote its usage as well, the design is pretty much foolproof. Internals - A Look Inside! Getting inside the Thermaltake ToughPower SFX is surprisingly easy, with only 4 screws holding the top of the case in place. As you might expect though, we clearly don't recommend you do this as it will invalidate your 7-year warranty. Once inside though, initial impressions are excellent with all of the components well spaces and tidily presented. A closer look at the fan reveals this to be a Thermaltake own design. A factor that is certainly encouraging as it gives us the presumption that this has been specifically configurated to work as best as possible with this power supply. Given that it's only 92mm big, it will be interesting to see how well this performs. A closer look at the PCB really highlights just how well this power supply has not only been designed but put together. All of the key components are well spaced, allowing for good airflow, while the main heat sink has a nice central location which should benefit it best from the fan. Citing that this power supply has 100% all Japanese capacitors, a closer look does indeed prove this cl2aim to be entirely correct. The main capacitor itself is a 'Rubycon' make and, with it being rated to 105C, these are widely considered to be some of the best available. Overall Thoughts! The Thermaltake ToughPower SFX 450W power supply certainly looks very impressive on an aesthetic and design level, both internally and externally. There is literally nothing we can see to fault here. That is certainly indicative of this relatively little power supply being capable of providing us with some amazingly impressive results in our tests. - There is, however, only one way to find out. So let's get this hooked up and see what happens! Methodology & Testing At eTeknix we take the power supply testing procedure very seriously and have invested a lot of resources into acquiring the appropriate testing equipment. For all power supply reviews, we test the power supplies with dedicated power supply testing equipment. This means we are able to get the most accurate results from our testing as opposed to using software benchmarks (such as OCCT) or multi-meter readouts which are broadly inaccurate. Testing Hardware Sunmoon SM-5500ATE Active Load Tester (1200W rated)Stingray DS1M12 USB OscilloscopeVoltcraft DT-10L laser tachometer What the eTeknix Test Procedure Involves Testing each power supply at 20/40/60/80/100% load (with load balanced across all rails) and measuring PFC (power factor correction), efficiency (actual power divided by power "pulled at the wall") and voltage regulation (deviance from expected voltages of 3.3/5/12 on the main rails).Measuring ripple with an oscilloscope at 20/40/60/80/100% load.Measuring fan speed after a stabilisation period of five minutes at each load scenario using the Voltcraft DT-10L laser tachometer and a reflective strip on the fan.Testing each power supply's OPP (Over Power Protection) mechanism and seeing how many watts each power supply can deliver before shutting down Other Things to Consider We recognise that a single 12-volt cable can provide only 6 Amps before overheating (which corrupts voltage regulation and efficiency) and so we used an adequate number of cables for each power supply to ensure there is not efficiency loss from poor cables selectionOur Sunmoon SM-5500ATE power supply tester is not capable of testing more than 300W on each of the 12-volt rails so where a power supply provides more than 300W on a 12-volt rail that power is distributed over multiple 12-volt rails on the load tester. For example a power supply with one 12 volt rail supplying 750 watts would be spread equally over three 12 volt rails on the load tester, a power supply with two 450W 12v rails would be spread over four 12v rails on the load tester, two 225W 12v rails for each of the 12v rails on the unit.We use the same time scale and horizontal millivolt scale on our oscilloscope for all ripple tests, that is a 20ms T/DIV (horizontal) and a 0.02 V/DIV (vertical) meaning the scale is from -80mV to +80mV, ATX spec dictates that the 12v rail must fall within 150mv of ripple and the 3.3/5 within 50mv so that scale allows us to include both 150 and 50mV peaks. (Some older PSU reviews use different scales which were later ditched as the visual representation they give is inadequate, in these reviews written measurements are provided only).Deviance is the terminology used to represent the way voltages diverge from the expected values Voltage Regulation To test voltage regulation we load the power supply to five different load scenarios that give an equal spread of load across every single rail. So that means 20% on all rails, 40% on all rails and so on. We then calculate the average deviance of each rail from its expected voltage. Ideally, anything of +/- 2% regulation is seen as a very good result. Power Efficiency Power efficiency is measured by calculating actual supplied wattage divided by the wattage drawn at the wall/plug, multiplied by 100 to give a percentage. We then compare that to the particular 80 Plus certification the company claims to see if it meets that. You can see the 80 Plus certifications below, we always test power supplies at 230v. Power Factor Correction Power Factor Correction is the ratio of the real power flowing to the load, to the apparent power in the circuit. The aim of PFC is to make the load circuitry that is power factor corrected appear purely resistive (apparent power equal to real power). In this case, the voltage and current are in phase and the reactive power consumption is zero. The closer the number to one the better as this allows the most efficient delivery of electrical power (Source - Wikipedia). Ripple Noise and Ripple can easily be measured by an oscilloscope. These show how much voltage fluctuation there is on a particular rail. We tested the rail stability of the 3.3-volt, 5-volt and 12-volt rails using an identical time and millivolt scale for all graphs. millivolt ripple is measured by the peak to peak size of the voltage curve. The latest ATX 12 volt version 2.3 specifications state that ripple from peak to peak must be no higher than 50 millivolts for the 3.3-volt and 5-volt rails, while the 12-volt rail is allowed up to 120 millivolts peak to peak to stay within specifications. Millivolt figures are stated to the closest increment of 5 given their variability. OPP Power supplies often quote as having various protection mechanisms such and the most important of these is Over Power Protection. In our testing we crank up the power draw until the power supply either shuts down (meaning the OPP mechanism is present and working) or blows up (meaning it is either not present or not working). We then note the maximum power consumption before the power supply shut down, or before it blew up. Fan Speed When testing in a power supply laboratory it is difficult to take fan noise readings as the noise from the Sunmoon test equipment and air conditioning corrupts everything. The next best thing in our circumstances was reading off the fan speed with a tachometer to get an idea for the noise. The ambient temperature during testing held constant at 22 degrees, with 1 degree of variation. Each power supply had a consistent time period of 5 minutes to stabilise between each load scenario. In my experience, the following general relationships apply between noise levels and fan speeds, though it can vary greatly between the type of fan used. Below 800 RPM - Inaudible/Silent800 to 1000 RPM - Barely audible1000 - 1200 RPM - Audible but still quiet1200 - 1400 RPM - Moderately noisy1400 - 1800 RPM - Noisy1800 RPM or above - Intolerable Efficiency Although officially coming with an 80-Plus Gold efficiency rating, our testing found that while this was indeed entirely accurate, it was substantially better than this alone might suggest. Never dipping below 90% during all of our power output tests, and averaging around 93% at 40%-100%, the Thermaltake Toughpower SFX nearly touches on Platinum territory which, for those of you who don't really understand efficiency ratings, is exceptionally good. Yes, this might officially be Gold rated, but you can take it from us that in that tier, this is definitely on practically the highest level available. PFC (Power Factor Correction) Although the PFC start off quite low at 20% (which incidentally is perfectly normal) once you ask the Thermaltake ToughPower SFX to start working harder, it happily obliges you by ramping that rating up to a level which isn't only decent, but actually pretty good. Admittedly, it's not quite at the amazingly high level we usually see from larger more 'standard' Thermaltake power supplies, but it's still excellent and manages to beat off a lot of the competition from fully-sized PSUs who, when looking at this, simply have no excuse not to be better. Voltage Regulation Throughout all of our testing, the voltage regulation for this power supply was amazingly consistent, and by proxy, this has resulted in some exceptionally low average deviancy scores. Looking at the charts below, no matter how hard or easy we asked this power supply to work, it consistently managed to deliver power across the rails to a very level amount and this is certainly more than a little indicative that quality components have gone into this PSUs design. Ripple Although marketing itself as having a low ripple noise level, while our testing found that to largely be an entirely accurate assessment, there were some aspects of it that would seem to mildly contradict that point. While the 3.3V and 5V rails were exceptionally good (achieving a maximum score of only 6.2) when it came to the 12V rail, we found this a little more excitable than we would usually expect to see from a Thermaltake product. Now, admittedly, with the highest recorded score being 29.2, this is still well within the EU required maximum of 50. That being said though, this is, again, still higher than we would expect to see and certainly not within any remits we would call 'low'. - With this in mind though, we should note that this is a small form factor power supply and, as such, is somewhat limited in terms of how many 12V components we can successfully connect to our system. Given that this power supply only comes with 2 x PCI-E outputs, when usually compared to at least 4 on more standard power supplies, it's entirely possible that this has just created a little bit of a hiccup. So, overall, the results may likely be lower than what we're seeing here, but even then, they're still absolutely nothing to be even mildly concerned about. Load (%) 3.3V Ripple 5V Ripple 12V Ripple 203.43.429.2 404.44.227.6 6084.223.8 806522.8 1006.25.822.8 Over Power Protection and Max Wattage Although power supplies always come with a rated power supply, or at least we hope they do, it is never unusual to see them perform beyond that amount. When things are pushed too hard, however, it's exceptionally important to know that protections are in place to shut your system down before the risk of any component damage starts to present itself. Under our testing, the Thermaltake Toughpower SFX 450W managed to achieve a wattage output of 593 before the protections successfully kicked into place. Given that this is nearly 25% over the rated amount, this is exceptionally impressive for sure. Albeit, as above, going over the rated limit is never recommended, but at least if you do you know that the OPP is there to ensure you don't cause any small fires! Fan Speed Although the Thermaltake ToughPower SFX doesn't come with any manual 'hybrid' fan functionality, following our testing it seems pretty clear that it is definitely there, Rather than having a switch though, it would appear that it has instead been integrated into the overall design. How do we know this? Well, when below 50% load, the fan simply didn't deem it necessary to run at all. It was perfectly happy being passively cooled. Even when it did turn on, however, the highest result we recorded was still below 400RPM which clearly indicates that if you value low-noise output, that little 92mm fan does an amazingly good job at only running when needed, and when it is required to step up to the task, it can do so while barely making a whisper. How Much Does it Cost? Although pending confirmation when it starts hitting retailers shelves, our understanding is that the Thermaltake ToughPower SFX 450W will cost something in the region of £79.99. A price which, if we're honest, might have been higher than you were anticipating. Remember though, that this isn't a standard power supply. It's a small form factor one that comes with some pretty high specifications that you wouldn't mind seeing in a full-sized model. As such, taking all this into consideration, and throwing in that huge 7-year warranty for good measure, is this good value for money? We think so! Performance Throughout all of our testing, the Thermaltake ToughPower SFX never failed to impress us. Putting the 12V ripple test to one side (which we still note is well within the required maximum), every test we conducted on this power supply impressed us hugely. Quite frankly, we're a little baffled as to how Thermaltake has squeezed so much performance out of such a small package, but they have, and overall, we're definitely impressed with what this offers. Practicality & Functionality As an SFX power supply, this is clearly catering itself to a rather limited market. Albeit one that usually doesn't get too many components to pick from. With its fully modular cable design, the functionality is excellent with you being able to easily fit only the cables your components require. Admittedly, the motherboard power cable is perhaps a little shorter than we might've liked to see, but for small form factor systems, this should be absolutely perfect. Better still though, thanks to the inclusion of the SFX to ATX adaptor, this is still perfectly viable for slightly larger system cases. Although some compromises on cable management in those specific instances might be necessary. Should I Buy One? With small form factor PC designs becoming more popular again, the Thermaltake ToughPower SFX certainly manages to provide consumers with an excellent power supply design here. Offering features that you perhaps wouldn't find in a bulkier option and performance many would fail to even match, Thermaltake has really hit the ball out of the park here to give consumers an option for a PSU with truly high-end performance with an unquestionably quality design throughout. Thermaltake ToughPower SFX 450W Power Supply Review

Fan Speed

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