Tisonic Mega Power ATX-460-1024DF PSU Review

Admin - 2007-02-24 20:55:19 in Power Supplies
Category: Power Supplies
Reviewed by: Admin   
Reviewed on: April 20, 2004
Manufacturer: Tisonic Technology, Inc.

Introduction

With today’s power hungry systems a high quality PSU is a must, but high wattage doesn’t mean high quality. There are many variables when it comes to rating PSU’s. Some companies use unrealistic internal operating temperatures when rating there PSU’s, and have low amps on the rails. The chances are the generic PSU that comes in most cases just can’t handle what we overclockers are going to put them thru. Today we are going to be looking at a PSU from a new company called Tisonic. The Mega Power EPS ATX-460-1024DF is Tisonic most feature pack PSU offering some impressive specs usually only found in server market PSU’s. What shocked me was the price of this PSU after seeing the specs I could not believe the price. lets take a closer look and see what this PSU has to offer and if its worthy of your hard earned money.
 


Specifications

Input Range 115V/230V
Frequency 47-63 Hz
Input Current 10A: 115Vac; 4A: 230Vac
Efficiency >65% at Full Load
EMI/RFI FCC Part 15 Class B & CISPR 22 Class B
Rails +5V 45A, +3.3 30A, 12V 30A


Features:

Closer Look

 


Externally the Mega Power EPS looks great with its black housing and gold accented fan grills. The black housing really makes theTisonic stand out against plain looking Steel PSU’s. The Tisonic’s specs are very impressive with offering plenty of Amperage on the rails. This PSU is definitely aimed at the overclockers or someone who has lots of drives.



When I first received this PSU I was shocked that the cables were sleeved. The Tisonic’s price point is pretty low, and I surely wasn’t expecting the sleeved cables and impressive specs for the price. The Tisonic offers plenty of connections equipped with 6 4pin Molex connectors, 2 FDD connectors, 2 SATA connectors, a 20pin ATX, a 6pin AUX, and a 4pin 12V connector. The Molex/FDD connectors are set up as: 2 lines w/ 3 Molex, 2, FDD. The SATA connectors are set up as 2 lines w/ 1 SATA connector.



To keep things cool inside the PSU Tisonic used two fans one 80mm/ one 92mm. the fans RPM is changed depending on the internal temp of the PSU Tisonic calls this advanced optimum balance (OB) design. This ensures the PSU internal operating temperature stays with in spec for optimal performance, and keeps fan noise to a minimum.



Internally the Tisonic is laid out much like another PSU. I personally thought the heatsinks could have been slightly bigger, compared to my Antec True Power the Tisonic's heatsinks have less surface area.

Testing

To test the PSU I gathered up every device I could possibly stuff into my case. On top of the system specs below I had 3x120mm fans, 5x80mm SilenX fans, One TT Smart fan2, and three optical drives (little overkill heh). To check the voltages I used a Multimeter this gives a much more accurate readout over software based programs like MBM5. To load the PSU I ran prime95, and folding while watching a DVD, burning a CD, transferring files, and finished it off with a run of 3DMark2k1.

Test System

Multimeter Test
Rail Low High
  3.3 Volt  3.38  3.40
  5.0 Volt  5.10  5.16
 12 Volt
 12.00
12.20



Well the results speak for themselves. During testing none of the rails ever went under there rated output. I was really impressed how well the Tisonic held up under testing.


Conclusion

With a street price of around 55.00 US, I was quite impressed with the Tisonic PSU. What you get for such a low price is astonishing, with specs and features rivaling server market PSU’s. The only thing I didn’t like about the Tisonic was the rainbow of colors used for the cable sleeving, but this is my personal opinion and many people shown the PSU loved the different colors. With today’s power hungry CPU’s and video cards a high quality PSU is a must and the Tisonic defiantly fits the bill for not a lot of cash. If you’re looking for a new PSU on a budget or not I totally recommend the Tisonic Mega Power EPS ATX-460-1024DF.

Pros


Cons