INTRODUCTION

   I'm certain you all don't need me to tell you just how hot things are right now (at least in places where it's summer now) so inside just 2 weeks 3 friends of mine had their low-cost power supplies fail on them so as i type these lines they're probably looking to replace them with something better. Now as you all know technology hasn't changed that much in the PSU industry since the very first 80 Plus models made their appearance so what can manufacturers do when they can't change their design/configuration nor can they use different/higher quality components? Thermaltake seems to think that the next best step is to add new features so their latest Smart DPS G line of power supply units no only allows the end user to monitor their current status but it also gives you access the current and overall power consumption levels via a computer and/or android/iOS compatible handheld devices.

   The beginning of every myth and legend is about dreams and desire: the challenging, creative and combative features of Thermaltake Group create an exciting and fascinating user experience to share with everyone, while allowing users to enter a selfless state in terms of function and potential. Thermaltake Group's 3 main brands: Thermaltake, Tt eSPORTS and LUXA2 have been merchandising throughout the world, and have successfully established 6 business footholds in areas such as Europe, America, Oceania, Japan and China, with 95 regional distributors and over 4000 premium retailers. All product planning is orientated by observation of global PC peripheral market and understanding of consumer demands. Thermaltake creates direct contact opportunities with resellers and consumers by participating major global ICT exhibitions and trade shows every year, and develop innovative marketing strategies for the promotions of new products. Meanwhile, Thermaltake incorporates the composite marketing system by making branch offices and regional distributors both the distribution channel and technical support or service center to provide instant support; by maintaining close contact with end users, we manage to strengthen corporate competitiveness and create the momentum for the growth of accomplishments. With its outstanding wisdom and strength Thermaltake Group is recruiting creative talents to build a cultural brand for the enjoyment of entertainment, e-Sports, technology and lifestyle!

   The Smart DPS G 700W is an 80 Plus Bronze (also available in 80 Plus Gold at 650/750W) certified PSU that features a 32Bit microcontroller unit, single strong +12V rail rated at 54A (can reach up to 648W output), silent 120mm dual ball bearing fan, peak power output of up to 840W, semi-modular design, flat modular cables, Short Circuit Protection (SCP), Over Power Protection (OPP), high quality main Japanese capacitors and Active PFC. Still since this is one of the very first models to feature Thermaltake’s Smart Power Management system (SPM) our guess is that this will be its strong selling point and although this may seem as a marketing "gimmick" to some of you it can come very handy if not as a means to reduce your electrical bills then certainly as a way to monitor the status of your entire (almost) system. So let's check the brand new Smart DPS G 700W out and see just what you can expect from it not only in terms of performance but also when it comes to its very interesting SPM technology.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The front of the box has a large product picture and the main product features.

Part of the SPM feature is showcased on the left side of the box.

Moving at the rear of the box you can see the electrical specifications table along with the available power connectors, efficiency graph and some words about the SPM feature.

Thermaltake has placed the PSU inside a bubble bag and the modular cables inside a carrying pouch.

Contained inside the box is the Smart DPS G 700W PSU with its power cord, modular cables, carrying pouch, 4 cable ties, USB cable, 4 mounting screws, warranty information paper and the quick start guide.

THE SMART DPS G 700W EXTERIOR

The Smart DPS G 700W is housed inside a standard ATX enclosure with a black matte paint.

Thermaltake has chosen to go with a 120mm fan to cool the interior components of the Smart DPS G 700W.

You can see the model name, power output and the 80 Plus Bronze certification logo on both sides of the unit.

The unit’s electrical table is placed on a large sticker at the base of the Smart DPS G 700W.

All modular connectors are color coded (the one on the far left is to connect the PSU to the USB spot/pins on your mainboard).

Most of the rear is perforated and here we also see an on/off power switch and the power port.

THE SMART DPS G 700W INTERIOR

The 120mm fan used is manufactured by Hong Hua an can spin up to 1400RPM to produce up to 41.6CFM of airflow with just 21dBA of noise.

Layout is clean and we see two large heatsinks separating the unit in 3 sections.

For the primary capacitors Thermaltake has used 400v/390µf by Nippon Chemi-Con rated for use up to 85 degrees Celsius.

Secondary capacitors are obviously not of the same quality since they are made by Chhsi, Nichicon and Jwco.

SMART POWER MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE

Thermaltake gives you 3 ways to use their smart power management feature in the form of a PC software, iOS/Android software and an online web page (via the web page you can also check your power consumption).

The PC software is the easier to use and more detailed and as you can all see aside giving you information about the rails of the PSU, the current power draw of your system and the speed of the 120mm fan it also offers you information regarding the power draw and current temperature levels of your graphics card(s) and CPU and the overall electricity costs (with the DPS RGB models you can also control the color of their fans via this software).

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 computer. Certainly limitations do apply and so you can't really test a 1000W power supply if your system only uses 500W at peak loads and that's why during the past 5 years i have 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 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). 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.

TEST RESULTS

RAILS

Rail stability is not the "tightest" we've ever seen but we didn't expect that from this specific model to begin with.

CONSUMPTION

We managed to use up to 748W at load without problems.

NOISE LEVELS

The 120mm fan of the Smart DPS G 700W barely surpassed the 40dBA mark.

CONCLUSION

   The Smart DPS G 700W may not be the most advanced PSU in the market currently (the 80 Plus Bronze efficiency certification kinda gives that away) but thanks to its surprisingly good rail stability, single 12+ rail, low noise levels and smart power management feature it's without doubt among the most interesting ones. Now i really can't say for certain that their SPM feature (and the software you can use it with) will allow you to save the planet or even some money from your monthly electrical bill but like i mentioned earlier it does offer valuable information about the current state of your system so I’m sure it will come handy to most of you. I was also surprised to see secondary capacitors by not one or two but three manufacturers which i almost know nothing about so i do hope Thermaltake knows what they're doing. The only thing i can't figure out is the why Thermaltake released the same line with both 80 Plus Bronze and Gold certified models since this may confuse some consumers but in the end that doesn't really matter.

   So how much for the Smart DPS G 700W 80 Plus Bronze power supply unit? Well Thermaltake has always been good to consumers since their prices although certainly not the lowest ones around are also nowhere close to the highest ones so as i type these lines you can find the Smart DPS G 80 Plus Bronze certified PSU for USD104.54 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 106.50Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de). The only slight "problem" with that is that you can find higher output 80 Plus Gold models for around the same amount and that's what may turn some people around especially the ones who may have no use for the smart power management feature. At the end of the day however the Smart DPS G 700W 80 Plus Bronze model performs well enough and packs features we don't see with rival models and that's why it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Good Rail Stability
- Smart Power Management Technology
- Flat Modular Cables
- 80 Plus Bronze Certified
- Peak Output (840W)
- 7 Year Warranty

CONS

- Price (For Some)