INTRODUCTION

    Thinking outside of the box is what has advanced technology countless of times over the years and if I had to guess the electronics industry is probably the one which has benefited the most from this. Take for example the Neural Impulse Actuator brain–computer interface which was developed by OCZ roughly 15 years ago and basically allowed control of the mouse cursor without having to use a mouse. Yes, the entire project didn't really go anywhere since the nia plus PC game controller was discontinued by OCZ shortly after its release but it's such thinking out of the box that we all need. Lian Li is also one manufacturer with several innovations in the PC industry the most recent of which is the introduction of their L-shaped power supply units like the EDGE GOLD EG1000G model which I have with me here today.

    Lian Li Industrial Co., LTD, found in 1983, is the largest and most reputable family-owned and run designers and manufacturer of high-quality PC cases and accessories. With nearly 25 years in the PC industry, Lian Li has seen many trends come and go, but has persisted in its philosophy that its products should stand out from everything else, that, with the touch of every Lian Li product, you should feel the difference. Even at times where the norm in the industry was to cut cost, Lian Li persisted in being the top choice for anyone that builds a PC system.

    The latest EDGE GOLD line of power supply units by Lian Li includes 750/850/1000/1200W output models (available in black and white colors) all of which are ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1 compliant and 80 PLUS Gold certified (max 91.64% electrical efficiency at 50% load). What makes the entire line stand out from most in the market is the L-shaped design which makes it ideal for use in dual-chamber cases where the PSU is placed vertically, the magnetically attached fan grille and the 4x9-pin detachable 1-to-7 USB and fan hub (for some strange reason the 850W variants don't have this hub). The 1KW unit which I have with me today features a single 12VHPWR (12V-2x6) GPU dual-color connector featuring alloy copper soldered terminals (600W), 12VHPWR to dual 8-pin PCIe connectors, three 8-pin (6+2) PCIe power connectors, single strong +12V rail (83A) capable of delivering 99.9% of the units’ total power output (996W) , peak power output of no less than 1134.6W (peak should now be up to 2.26KW for up to 100ms - once again however this is not something I can test),  Half-Bridge LLC design with DC to DC topology, active PFC, 120mm fluid dynamic bearing fan with zero RPM manager, high-quality capacitors certified for use up to 105 degrees Celsius, individually sleeved cables and a complete list of electrical protections including OCP (Over Current Protection), OVP (Over Voltage Protection), SCP (Short Circuit Protection), OPP (Over Power Protection), UVP (Under Voltage Protection), OTP (Over Temperature Protection), SIP (Surge Intensity of election flow Protection), NLO (No Load Operation), and an Inrush Current Limiter. Finally regarding warranty, Lian Li covers the EDGE GOLD line with a 10-year limited one (2-year limited one for the USB/fan hub).

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The EGDE GOLD arrived inside a black and blue box that has a product picture at the front along with the company logo and some certifications.

Both the specifications and electrical tables are printed on the left side.

All available power connectors are listed at the base of the box.

Efficiency and acoustical graphs are placed at the top.

Moving at the rear we find 5 product pictures used to showcase the main features in 10 languages.

The EG1000G is placed between two pieces of foam while the power cables are all wrapped inside a cloth pouch.

Along with the EDGE GOLD EG1000G and its power cord in the box you'll also find the power cables with their storage pouch, USB/fan hub, USB header cable, fan cable, PCI shield, 4 cable ties, 4 mounting screws, information paper and the user's manual.

THE EDGE GOLD EG1000G EXTERIOR

Lian Li has equipped the EG1000G with an 12VHPWR (12V-2x6) cable that has a blue part at the front which makes it easier for the end user to know when it's properly connected (all power cables are individually sleeved).

Measuring just 182mm in length, 150mm in width and 86mm in height the EDGE GOLD is longer compared to other models of its category.

The 120mm FDM fan is placed under a nice looking grille as seen above.

The grille can be removed just by pulling on the piece of fabric with the Lian Li logo on it.

On the left side we find the model name while on the other we find the electrical table.

The L-shaped design is quite interesting, it may not quite work for the majority of cases out there (connectors would look down if properly positioned thus making it hard to use, not impossible however) but for cases where the power supply is placed vertically this should make it a lot easier to plug/unplug power cables.

The 4xUSB/6xfan hub is yet another good feature Lian Li has added to their EDGE GOLD series.

You can use this hub two ways, either attach it on the EDGE GOLD directly or use one of the power cables and attach it somewhere on your case for easier reach.

If your case is not very large attaching it on the PSU itself shouldn't be an issue, however.

At the rear we just find the on/off power switch and the power port (unfortunately no hybrid fan button/switch).

THE EDGE GOLD EG1000G INTERIOR

Once again Ong Hua (Honghua Electronic Technology) is the manufacturer behind the high-speed (2000rpm) 120mm FDB fan.

Interior layout is quite good which was a surprise since this unit is manufactured by Helly Technology (Guangzhou), an OEM which I haven't seen many times in the past.

Primary capacitor is manufactured by EPCOS (TDK Electronics) and is as expected certified for use up to 105 degrees Celsius.

Secondary capacitors are manufactured by the Taiwanese Ltec and are also 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 so we replaced it with a Xeon X5660 (we also swapped the GA-X58A-UD7 for the G1. Assassin).

TEST RESULTS

CONCLUSION

    There are 3 takeaways from todays review. The obvious one is design and so for cases that have their PSU areas vertically the EDGE GOLD EG1000G (or any of the line) is a great choice since it allows for much easier access to its power ports. Second one is performance and well, even though the EG1000G is not the best unit to ever pass from the office it performed very well across the board when it comes to rail stability (also its efficiency of almost 92% is something we usually see with 80 PLUS Platinum models). Finally, we have to talk about build quality and well, I have no complaints really. Yes, the Chinese Helly Technology may not be the first name to come in mind and the same more or less applies for the Taiwanese Ltec capacitors used here (EPCOS capacitors are actually very good) but I didn’t have an issue with the unit during testing and the 10-year limited warranty should give consumers peace of mind (still I do expect some people to be skeptical because of this). As for the detachable fan grille and the USB/fan hub, although not groundbreaking both are very useful so hopefully Lian Li will release more models with them. Also worth pointing out is that this is a rather silent unit even at load something which may win over some potential buyers.

    The EDGE GOLD EG1000G L-shaped power supply unit by Lian Li currently retails for USD154.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for around 220Euros inside the EU, a price tag which feels just about right. At the end of the day the EDGE GOLD EG1000G is a very good power supply primarily aimed towards people with cases that have their PSU area vertical and since it delivers on performance and features it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Very Good Performance
- ATX 3.1 & PCIe 5.1 Compliant
- 80 PLUS Gold Certified
- L Shaped Design (For Cases With Vertical PSU Mounts)
- Protections (OCP / OVP / SCP / OPP / UVP / OTP / SIP / NLO / Inrush Current Limiter)
- Detachable USB & Fan Hub
- Removable Dust Filter
- Available In Black & White
- 10 Year Limited Warranty (2 For The USB/fan Hub)

CONS

- OEM / Secondary Capacitors (For Some)
- Price (EU)