Enermax Galaxy EGA1000EWL 1000W PSU Review

[polobunny]

This goes with the "external-isation" of the graphics, too. Something you could bring with you wherever you go and enjoy great gaming even on a laptop, if you wanted.

[gvblake22]

Originally Posted by yurimxpxman

Yes, he's talking about a GPU, but socket-based GPUs are different from the soldered ones we use today.

Yes, I am aware of that, but it is still a GPU is it not?

[yurimxpxman]

Originally Posted by Capper

gee, glad you have the inside info there Josh , much more informed then me....or any of the hundred companies I talk to

lmao All I know is what MPC said several months ago. If you know more or have updated information, please enlighten me :)

[Liquid3D]

This is a very interesting topic and one we should stay on top of because Power Supply issues speak directly to power requirements of the microprocessors. When Conroe came out I was under the impression these 1KW model PSU's may be obsolete before their price point ever drops (as witrh all new technology); however, AMD's future processor's will now be the power hungry processors of the future. And regardless of what Intel does now when kentsfield comes out they'll probably face the age old challange. So long as the transistor counts increase while the area they occupy decrease, any perceived power consumption drop will still be ecplised by the wattage factor. I believe nanotechnology will change things but how far off is it really?

The GPU world poses the largest increase in power, regardless of a Socket design or integrated graphic card with on-board memory, power circuitry, GPU/s and other processing. In this case the GPU's look to be the major factor. Even with Intel lifting the 240VA Guide restriction last year, the concept of multiple rails limited to 17A ~ 20A is rarely an efficient one.

For example; Video cards will surely require over 20A in the very near future just as their approachng that point now, and there are very few PSU's out there who can supply a full 20A to each card. Where current is dedicated to a particular source and that current isn't used it's lost forever, this makes for a ineffcient design.

I believe we're going to see the industry transition back to the single Rail design as current demands continue to rise. This is the only way to ensure no current is lost and used where it's needed most. Proof of this can be found in ad-hoc fixes resembling reverse engineering such as "Rail Fushion" which still combine rails deriving from the same source (transfomer) anyway.

I'm certainly not trying to sound like a "know it all" I'm simply sharing what I've learned from long conversations with some knowledgeable people in the power industry. As you'll find on this thread Ive been looking into the "split plane" quandry for sometime.

[Jokerswild]

Welcome to Hardware Logic Liquid3D. Very good post for your first one. Power supplies will be a topic that we will stay on as well as all other hardware that is associated with computers.

[gvblake22]

Welcome Liquid3D, some very good points indeed. I totally agree about the video cards too. Seems like they will become the new power hungry beast of the typical enthusiast level desktop computer. As for future power supply technology, I really have no idea. Seems like they could still keep split 12V rails, but re-engineer them to be more efficient and have (for instance) one or two rails specifically dedicated to powering a GPU.

[Lead Head]

I've read that AMDs HTX thing was mainly for co processors right now, that could be optomized to perform any kind of calculation. I can't find the link right now, but I will update the the post when I do


Also, I do not think AMDs future CPUs will be that power hungry, after allethey are moving to 65nm with other process enchancements SOI-3/SiGE

[One4yu2c]

Originally Posted by Lead Head

Also, I do not think AMDs future CPUs will be that power hungry

I would tend to agree (at least for the immediate future) and I'd also throw Intel in there as well. The GPU, on the other hand, continues to demand both more wattage and stronger +12V rails. At some point, I think they'll have to address their approach rather than rely on the PSU industry to pick up the slack, but that remains to be seen.

That being said, the reality is that real-world power requirments are generally exaggerated in the enthusiast community. We all tend to get excited over 600W, 700W, and 1KW with quad +12V rails, but a solid, name brand 520w with a good +12V rail(s) is capable of powering all but the most demanding of setups (high end SLI and Crossfire, mutliple processors, etc). Heck, I remember when Antec's Neopower 480w debuted it was considered fairly high end, and it powered more than a few respectable SLI systems.

[Capper]

The PSU calculator opened my eyes, and I think if you checked it out you'd be surprised as well...Paul hit it dead on the head in that PSU's are really overkill right now.
I think I touched on the fact that while CPUs are becoming much more efficient, GPUs are taking over as the real power hogs....and thats not going to change any time soon.

[Lead Head]

Originally Posted by Capper

The PSU calculator opened my eyes, and I think if you checked it out you'd be surprised as well...Paul hit it dead on the head in that PSU's are really overkill right now.
I think I touched on the fact that while CPUs are becoming much more efficient, GPUs are taking over as the real power hogs....and thats not going to change any time soon.

Yes!

And with the rumors of ATI's R600 that wil be on 65nm (80nm first?) drawing more power then the x1900 series, it looks like there is no end in sight for the increasing power usage off GPUs