Page 2 - Physical Look - Outside
I know I am about to lose count of how many times I have used the word 'budget' in this review, so forgive me for this. I think the Thermaltake SMART 730W looks surprisingly decent for a budget oriented PSU. It is simple, but it is by no means cheap looking. The Thermaltake SMART line features a subtle matte black finish, with its branding engraved into the left hand side (Based on the assertion that the correct orientation is the power supply fan facing downwards), while a specifications table can be found on top; more on this in just a moment. To make sure you will see the branding or product label right side up at all times, the orientation of it is different on both sides, so whatever side facing the user after installation will always be correct. Residing behind the eight ring fan grille -- designed for minimal air resistance while providing adequate protection -- is the primary and only cooling fan installed. The 120mm fan is slightly offset to the side, as you can see in our image above. The fan generates airflow by drawing air from the bottom of the power supply over its internal components to keep the temperatures in check. Exhaust heat is allowed to leave at the back of the power supply through the large secondary mesh opening.
Measuring in at 14.0cm in length, the Thermaltake SMART 730W is one of the shortest power supplies I have used in a while. Being a non-modular PSU in conjunction with a 12cm rather than 14cm internal fan definitely helps out. We will take a look inside the PSU on the next page. You should have absolutely no problems fitting the SMART into a standard chassis, whether it is mATX or ATX. Meanwhile, two screws on top and three screws on the side of the Thermaltake SMART 730W secure the power supply case together; where one side has a warranty seal on it -- so you can't open the power supply without voiding the warranty. For any other reasons, you can still remove four separate screws that attach the fan grille to the power supply casing to clean the fan without putting your five year coverage in jeopardy.
Starting from the back part of the power supply, we have the same familiar honeycomb mesh design like most PSUs with bottom mounted fans; and the standard on/off switch located below the male connector for power input near the western edge. The low resistance honeycomb mesh design is implemented to maximize airflow and minimize air resistance. This is done as heat needs to leave the power supply as easily and efficiently as possible, because the Thermaltake SMART 730W incorporates only one 120mm fan at the bottom, with no auxiliary fans. The design is pretty efficient with regards to the ratio of total surface area to open mesh coverage, thanks to its reasonably sized power switch. As with most new power supplies, the Thermaltake SMART 730W has an automatic full range (100V-240V) AC line voltage selection, so the user does not have to worry about manually selecting input voltage.
The Thermaltake SMART is a non-modular power supply. Its cable lead out location is situated at the right side; as described from the perspective of our photo above. The advantage of permanently fixed cables is lower electrical power loss at the connectors, but it comes at a price of more challenging cable management for the end user. The external build quality of Thermaltake's SMART 730W power supply is also good -- a reasonable indication the company is serious about the product they are selling. We will take it apart in just a moment. Fit is done well with minimal panel gaps, and most edges are nicely finished off. The level of refinement with regards to the external build quality is better than most budget oriented I have used in the past. We will crack open the power supply to see what's inside in the following section, and find out more about its OEM in just a moment.
The voltage specification label at the top of the Thermaltake SMART 730W. There are two main virtual rails. Up to 20A can be delivered via the +3.3V rail for a total of 66W; while 24A on the +5V rail brings the output to 120W in this area. The total combined output for the +3.3V and +5V rail is 150W. 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 56A (672W) to reduce operating overhead compared to multiple +12V rails. Overall, the combined power output for the whole SMART is... well, 730W haha. Again, your power distribution in your system must fall within the limits provided -- it must not exceed 66W on the +3.3V rail, 120W on the +5V rail and 150W combined for both, 672W on the +12V rail, and 730W combined between the +12V and +3.3/+5V rails. It does sound a bit confusing to understand how this works at first, but generally speaking, this configuration allows very flexible power demands and should be sufficient to accommodate most users. There is plenty of power on the +3.3V and +5V lines, but I would personally like to see a little more juice on the +12V rail. Ideally, you will want close to 100% of the power available here.
The Thermaltake SMART 730W is 80 Plus certified. This means that it is certified to be at least 80% efficient across the board at 20%, 50%, and 100% load. Higher certifications available at press time include 80 Plus Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum.
A total of seven fixed cables are included out of the box. Only the ATX 24-pin cable is sleeved; the rest are left bare. All cables are 18 AWG, with the following configuration permanently affixed to the power supply:
- 1x ATX 24-pin, ~55cm
- 1x ATX 4+4-pin, ~55cm
- 2x PCIe 6+2 pin, 2 connector each, ~50cm to first connector, ~15cm spacing thereafter
- 2x SATA, 4 connectors each, ~45cm to first connector, ~15cm spacing thereafter
- 1x Molex, 4 connectors, ~45cm to first connector, ~15cm spacing thereafter; Floppy 4-pin attached to the end of the daisy chain
These are just quick rough measurements, but should be reasonably accurate measured from end to end. Most users should have no problems with Thermaltake's SMART 730W, even if your case has a bottom power supply mount. Considering how 50cm is considered the standard for all cable lengths, this PSU will give you no surprises. And that is a good thing.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Minor Tests and Conclusion
