Thermaltake Toughpower Grand 750W (Page 2 of 4) | Reports

Page 2 - A Close Look - Outside

The Thermaltake Toughpower Grand 750W uses the typical matte black finish with a red strip around the power supply located approximately one-third of its total height from the top; which I find quite unique compared to most power supplies I have seen. On the back side, we are presented with a familiar honeycomb mesh with its on/off switch just beneath the male connector for power input. The on/off switch will light up when it is turned on. Additionally, Thermaltake tacks on an extra feature. Right next to the on/off switch, we can see a slim silver-colored bar. When the power supply is active, the word "Thermaltake" lights up in this location. This is one feature that I found quite intriguing, especially considering the fact no one really pays attention to this area.

The honeycomb mesh design is implemented mainly due to the fact airflow needs to be maximized, and air resistance is minimized. This has to be done efficiently, since the Thermaltake Toughpower Grand 750W incorporates only one 140mm bottom-mounted fan. The Toughpower Grand, like most new power supplies on the market today, uses an automatic full range (100V-240V) AC line voltage selection, so the user do not have to worry about manually selecting input voltage. Meanwhile, The Toughpower Grand measures at 160mm in length, 150mm in width, and 86mm in height. This makes this power supply four centimeters longer than standard ATX power supply specifications, although I don't think you can really find a 120mm long power supply in the market today. Some additional room will be needed in order to fit this power supply in the user's chassis, but most modern cases should be able to accommodate it without any issues. You may already have noticed that the Toughpower Grand 750W has unique rounded corners. I have to admit, I greatly appreciate having such a feature because the last time I was working with another power supply with sharp metal edges, I had made a bloody scene. Let's just say that it wasn't very pretty, haha.

Instead of using the typical eight-ring fan grille, Thermaltake decided to go along with another honeycomb mesh over the 140mm fan; again, for minimal air resistance. The 140mm fan provides the airflow at the bottom of the power supply in order to keep its internal components' temperatures in check. Heat is also being pushed out of the ventilation area on the back side. In order to access the fan, you will have to actually unscrew nine tiny Philips-head screws that holds the power supply together. Note that opening up your power supply will void the good seven years worth of warranty on it, so if you ever decide crack it open, do so when the warranty is up. This means you cannot clean the fan directly without voiding the warranty. One interesting thing to note is Thermaltake's FanDelayCool Technology. This allows the fan to continue to operate for 15 to 30 seconds after your system shuts down to make sure all the internal components of your power supply are sufficiently cooled by pushing the remaining heat out.

The Thermaltake Toughpower Grand 750W has an extra plastic cover with an O-shaped opening for hardwired cables. As mentioned on the previous page, the Toughpower Grand 750W comes with three hardwired cables; with more than sufficient modular cables provided. The hardwired cables include the 24-pin motherboard connector, 4+4-pin EPS/ATX 12V connector, and 8-pin EPS 12V connector. All hardwired cables are 55cm in length. There are two 2x2 matrices of modular connectors adjacent to each other; one set is provided for the 6-pin peripheral connectors, and the other set for the 8-pin PCI-e connectors. Each of these are easily and securely connected when needed, as well as being very easy to detach. Generally speaking, this is more than enough to power up multiple drives and accessories attached to most enthusiast builds.

The voltage specification label is found at the top of the Thermaltake Toughpower Grand 750W power supply. As you can see in our image above, there are two main virtual rails. 25A can be delivered through the +3.3V rail for a total of 82.5W, and the +5V rail also provides 25A for a total of 125W. Combining the total output of both the +3.3V and +5V rail gives a good 150W. Meanwhile, the single +12V rail gives up to 60A, maxing out at 720W. Generally speaking, the combined power output for everything combined obviously 750W. Of course, the power distribution to your internal computer peripherals must not exceed 82.5W on the +3.3V rail, 125W on the +5V rail, 150W for both combined, and 720W on the +12V rail.

Eight modular cables are included out of the box. These cables should be long enough, even in computer cases with bottom mounted power supplies. Much like our Editor-in-Chief, I like to tuck my cables out of sight. I must say the hardwired the EPS/ATX 4+4 pin and EPS 8-pin cables are somewhat short at 55cm for a full tower, as all the cases I own has a bottom-mounted power supply -- and this cable has to reach quite a ways in order to be connected to the motherboard. This is standard length though. As mentioned on the previous page, the following cables are included:

- 1x ATX12V extension
- 2x PCI-e 6-pin connectors - 50cm
- 2x PCI-e 8-pin connectors - 50cm
- 2x PCI-e 8-pin to 6-pin adapters - 15cm
- 2x SATA connectors (4 SATA each) - 95cm
- 2x Molex connectors (4 each, one of which with a floppy connector) - 95cm; +15cm with floppy

All cables are fully sleeved, and are the usual round batch. I greatly appreciate the fact these are fully sleeved, so that it gives the wires a clean look inside your case without hindering their flexibility.


Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Minor Tests and Conclusion