INTRODUCTION

   Whether you're into serious overclocking, coin mining or you just own one or more of the ultra-high end graphics cards purely for gaming purposes having a high-wattage and quality power supply unit is a no brainer really. Only question that's really left is which one to choose and, in a market, filled with high-wattage models that's actually a lot harder than it sounds. Yes, chances are you'll be fine and satisfied with whichever model you choose as long as it has enough juice to cover your system and it's also 80 Plus Gold/Platinum/Titanium certified but these don't take into account other important aspects such as rail stability and even noise levels. Kolink may be best known for their PC cases but they've actually manufactured quite a few popular power supply units and so today on my test bench i have their Continuum V2 1050W model.

   Established in 2002, Kolink provided low cost keyboards and mice to computer resellers in Hungary. Over the years, Kolink expanded their range to include entry-level cases and power supplies. Following a change of ownership in 2014, the brand drove for success by providing improved quality products at competitive prices. As a result, Kolink has grown across Europe by offering a range of award winning cases & power supplies to PC gamers and system builders. From small beginnings, to expanding across Europe, Kolink is fast establishing a global customer footprint. Their worldwide team of industry experts is constantly assessing market demands and refreshing the product range to deliver the latest trends.

   The Continuum V2 series of power supply units includes 1050/1200W models both of which are of course fully modular and feature the 80 PLUS Platinum efficiency certification (up to 94% electrical efficiency). In the case of the Continuum V2 1050W model which landed in the office/lab almost 3 weeks ago it sports a continuous power output of 1050W (maximum/peak power output of up to around 1190W) and packs numerous features including active PFC, DC to DC converter design, 135mm dual ball bearing fan, 100% Japanese primary heavy-duty capacitors, powerful single +12V rail (87.5A) which can make use of almost the entire total rated power output of this unit (1050W) and finally it sports an array of industrial-grade electrical protections such as OVP (Over Voltage Protection), UVP (Under Voltage Protection), OCP (Over Current Protection), SCP (Short Circuit Protection) and OPP (Over Power Protection). As expected for an 1KW+ 80 PLUS Platinum certified power supply unit Kolink covers the Continuum V2 1050W with a 5-year limited warranty.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The Continuum V2 1050W arrived inside a black and blue box the front of which has a partial product picture along with the company, 80 Plus Erp and 5-year warranty logos.

All available modular cables are listed on the left side of the box.

On the right side we find the unit’s electrical table.

Printed at the rear are the main product features in 5 different languages.

Along with the Continuum V2 1050W PSU and its modular cables inside the box you'll also find 5 mounting screws, 8 cable ties and the manual (the power cord is supplied extra according to where you're located).

THE CONTINUUM V2 1050W EXTERIOR

Kolink has used low-profile modular cables for easier routing behind the motherboard tray (and increased airflow levels).

The Continuum V2 1050W is a rather large PSU measuring 180mm in length 150mm in width and 86mm in height.

An 135mm dual ball bearing fan is placed underneath a grille that has the Kolink logo in it.

On one side of the enclosure, we find the product name and 80 Plus Platinum certification logo whereas on the other we find the electrical table.

At the front we find the modular connectors which are not only divided into 3 groups but are also tagged and color coded.

Moving at the rear we find the usual honeycomb perforation along with the on/off switch and the power port.

THE CONTINUUM V2 1050 INTERIOR

The 135mm fan used is manufactured by Globe Fan and can reach speeds of up to 1700RPM.

When Kolink released the 1st version of the Continuum 1050W almost 5 years ago (i think) the OEM behind it was High Power (AKA Sirfa/Sirtec). However, this time over i was unable to find the OEM manufacturer behind it (could still be High Power).

Both primary capacitors are manufactured by the Japanese Rubycon and are certified for use up to 105 degrees Celsius.

Secondary capacitors on the other hand are manufactured both by Rubycon and Nippon Chemi-Con and are again certified for use up to 105 degrees.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

     Using a dedicated measurement instrument such as a Chroma or a SunMoon to test power supply units is without doubt the most ideal and accurate way (not to mention the fastest) to do that currently. However, it's certainly not the only way there is and so pretty much anyone can test a power supply unit just by using a test rig. Certainly, limitations do apply and so you can't really push a 1000W power supply to its limits if your system only uses 500W at peak loads and that's why over the years we saved certain hardware components for the purpose of building a dedicated PSU test rig. True it may not be as accurate as the above mentioned solutions but it comes really close and is in fact much closer to real world usage. So as always, we ran several games with maximum graphic options enabled at a resolution of 2560x1600 in order to stress every hardware component and increase the overall power demands of the system. The Passmark BurnIn Test was also used to overstress the components in an effort to provide the most accurate results possible. As a final test we also used the latest OCCT 4.4 software and its dedicated PSU testing suite since it can really bring a power supply to its knees after inside a few minutes.

   Rail stability was checked/measured with the CPUID Hardware monitor and a Metex multimeter which also recorded the system load in idle and in load. As always try to remember that the power consumption numbers listed in the graph are the highest (Peak) ones recorded during the entire duration of the tests and not the average ones. Noise levels coming from the fan were recorded using the high precision HD600 ExTech Sound dBA Meter from the rear of the unit and at a range of no more than 5-10cm. Readings under load are recorded the exact moment we manually switch the fans of all graphics cards from full speed to almost zero, that way the fan of the power supply does not have enough time to slow its RPM and so by doing this we get very accurate noise level readings. Needless to say, in order to get 100% accurate readings, you need to have a noise isolated room for that exact purpose, something which is quite impossible unless you are working inside a real lab (some people use very small noise insulated boxes but due to their size both heat and noise exceed normal levels and so the results can't really be considered to be 100% accurate, nor realistic for that matter). Also do take into account that since all noise measurements take place from just 5-10cm away the final noise levels to reach your ears will be considerably less.

* After well over 10 years of testing PSUs the Intel Core i7-920 CPU of this rig failed and was replaced it with a Xeon X5660 (also swapped the GA-X58A-UD7 for the G1. Assassin).

TEST RESULTS

CONCLUSION

   When I first opened the box of the Continuum V2 1050W I was a bit surprised to see that its power cord was not in it but was instead shipped separately (it was in the shipping box outside the product box). This is obviously a move by Kolink to reduce costs and since it doesn’t really affect the end user it doesn’t really matter either way. Moving to performance things are very good, rails are solid and in terms of noise levels they are actually low, for an 1KW+ unit (not the lowest ever but clearly nowhere near the highest either). Interior construction quality could indeed be slightly better compared to what I’ve seen by similar units in the past but since the Continuum V2 1050W does very good both in terms of electrical efficiency and rail stability that shouldn’t be a problem.

   Price is also something Kolink did relatively well since the Continuum V2 1050W currently retails for 199Euros inside the EU (Caseking.de) meaning it lands right in the middle of similar models. Yes, the Kolink name may not be the most popular one and I do expect some people to prefer a popular brand model that may not be quite as advanced but that applies to most companies out there so it can’t be helped. Overall, however the Continuum V2 1050W Power Supply Unit by Kolink is a solid choice for people looking for a high-performance model and for that it gets the Golden Award.

PROS

- Japanese Capacitors
- Solid Rail Stability
- 80 Plus Platinum Certified
- Fully Modular
- Electrical Protections
- Noise Levels
- Peak Output (1190W)
- 5 Year Limited Warranty

CONS

- Current Availability (Outside The EU)