Page 2 - Physical Look - Outside
The similarities between this and the Thermaltake Toughpower GF1 1000W continue with its physical exterior. For one, we have the same ventilation design with many thin slits seen all around the enclosure of the power supply. These slits are stacked in a running bond pattern on four of the six sides to ensure we are able to get as much airflow in and out of the unit. Similarly, we have the same 16.0cm length, which is a bit more typical for a 750W unit. It may not necessarily be the most compact, but it still is relatively shorter than other units, and among one of the smaller units we have seen in this form factor. Most modular power supplies are longer than non-modular units by a centimeter or two, as the extra length is needed to accommodate its connector board at the back. In standard ATX or eATX chassis, this length should not be much of a problem. In smaller cases that still can hold standard power supplies, the shorter length will be advantageous, especially when you consider this is fully modular.
The white exterior of the whole unit should be an obvious giveaway that this is a Snow Edition power supply. At the top, you can see the black Thermaltake logo contrasting from the rest of the body over the slit mesh fan grille. The side stickers have the same design on both sides with the product name and wattage. Its SECC construction comes with a fixed grille guarding the only cooling fan installed. The 140mm fan generates airflow by drawing air from the bottom of the power supply over the internal components to keep them cool. Exhaust heat is then able to leave out the back of the power supply through the next largest opening of slits. Six screws around the power supply keep the whole unit enclosed, with one screw having a warranty seal. This means you cannot open the Thermaltake Toughpower GF1 Snow 750W without voiding its 10-year warranty.
Looking at the back of the power supply, we have the same slit pattern grille as we have mentioned previously. We also have a horizontally aligned male connector for power input on one side of the unit with an on/off switch beside it. We have a smaller rocker switch to toggle the Smart Zero Fan mode, which is convenient to turn on or off the 0 RPM mode on the go. Smart Zero Fan keeps the fan off until it exceeds around 30% of the load threshold. Disabling this ensures the fan stays on all the time, but the Thermaltake Toughpower GF1 Snow 750W is designed it to keep from overheating regardless of the mode it operates in. Otherwise, this ventilation area is important to allow heat to flow out of the back. Most modern power supplies have an automatic full range 110V to 240V AC line voltage selection, so there is no need for a manual switch, as seen on older power supply units.
Like many power supplies we cover here at APH Networks, the Toughpower GF1 Snow 750W is a fully modular power supply. This means all cables are completely detachable from the main unit. While it is somewhat questionable with regards to why this is necessary, since cables such as the ATX 24-pin and ATX 4-pin/EPS 8-pin have practically an 100% chance of being connected at all times, it may prove to be beneficial to an extent when building your computer initially.
As for the rear cable connection panel, everything is clearly labeled and in the correct orientation. Similar connectors are grouped together and laid out in a logical manner. Starting from the left, we have a motherboard 24-pin split into two blocks on top of each other. Immediately below and to the right of that are three ATX/EPS 4+4 pin or PCI Express connectors. There is a notable divide in between this grouping and the four peripheral headers for Molex and SATA peripherals. You can see this divide actually has two more holes covered by a white label, which indicates this enclosure is probably used across all of the Toughpower GF1 lineup. Incompatible outputs will not physically fit into each other, so Thermaltake has done an excellent job in this regard. This is a generally reasonable array of outputs in correspondence to the number of connectors on each modular cable, which should be sufficient for most users.
Overall, the build quality of the Thermaltake Toughpower GF1 Snow 750W is generally quite good. The fit is done well with minimal panel gaps and all edges are nicely finished off. One thing I did notice was the fact one of the 24-pin motherboard plugs would not fully click in place, which meant the plug could sometimes become loose. This is because the sockets have a bit of flex when pushed. This should not be too much of a concern considering you will not be shaking your computer while in use, but I think they could further reinforce the sockets to the case to remove the chance of this happening.
The voltage specification label is located on the outer panel of the Thermaltake Toughpower GF1 Snow 750W. There are two main virtual rails. Up to 22A can be delivered via the +3.3V rail for a total of 72.6W, while the 22A on the +5V rail brings the output to 110W in this area. The total combined output for the +3.3V and +5V rail is 120W. In other words, your power allocation combination must fall within the limits of the listed specifications. Meanwhile, a single powerful +12V rail delivers up to 62.5A, or 750W, to reduce operating overhead compared to multiple +12V rails. Overall, the combined power output for the whole Thermaltake Toughpower GF1 Snow 750W is an unsurprising 750W. It does sound a bit confusing to understand how this works at first, but generally speaking, this configuration allows fairly flexible power demands and should be sufficient to accommodate most users. I have seen lower power outputs in the +3.3V and 5V rails for higher output rated units, so the overall distribution is more than reasonable for an 750W power supply.
The Thermaltake Toughpower GF1 Snow 750W is 80 Plus Gold certified, which means that it is certified to be at least 87%, 90%, 87% efficient at 20%, 50%, and 100% load, respectively. Higher certifications available for power supplies of this type include 80 Plus Platinum and 80 Plus Titanium at press time.
A total of eight modular cables are included out of the box. All modular cables are flat and easy to bend, making them extremely easy to work with. Most of the wires are 18 AWG, but the higher current PCI Express and ATX/EPS connectors are 16AWG.
The following modular cables are included out of the box:
- 1x ATX 20+4 pin, 60.0cm
- 1x ATX/EPS 4+4 pin, 2 connectors, 65.0cm to first connector, 15.0cm spacing thereafter
- 2x PCIe 6+2 pin, 2 connectors, 50.0cm to first connector, 15.0cm spacing thereafter
- 3x SATA, 3 connectors each, 50.0cm to first connector, 15.0cm spacing thereafter
- 1x Molex, 3 connectors, 50.0cm to first connector, 15.0cm spacing thereafter
These figures are based on my measurements. There is also a 10cm Molex to floppy adapter in case anyone still needs it. Most users should have no problems with Thermaltake's Toughpower GF1 Snow 750W in modern cases. 50cm is the general standard, and the included cables met or exceeded this recommendation on all measurements.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Minor Tests and Conclusion
