INTRODUCTION
Gamers, enthusiasts and even professionals have always been the main target audience for high-wattage and efficient power supply units but due to the current popularity of data mining sales for such units have really never been better. To understand what we're talking about let's just say that in 2016 and 2017 alone there were more high-wattage power supply units (over 1KW) introduced into the market by all the leading players than 2010 through 2015. Now with most people using at least 3 GPUs (mostly AMD) per system/rig for data mining it goes without saying that 1KW is not nearly enough so as expected the largest percentage of sales lately belongs to power supply units from 1.2KW and above. Thermaltake has released several high-wattage models lately one of which is the Toughpower Grand RGB 1200W which we've been using for roughly a week now.
The beginning of every myth and legend is about dreams and desire: the challenging, creative and combative features of Thermaltake Group create an exciting and fascinating user experience to share with everyone, while allowing users to enter a selfless state in terms of function and potential. Thermaltake Group's 3 main brands: Thermaltake, Tt eSPORTS and LUXA2 have been merchandising throughout the world, and have successfully established 6 business footholds in areas such as Europe, America, Oceania, Japan and China, with 95 regional distributors and over 4000 premium retailers. All product planning is orientated by observation of global PC peripheral market and understanding of consumer demands. Thermaltake creates direct contact opportunities with resellers and consumers by participating major global ICT exhibitions and trade shows every year, and develop innovative marketing strategies for the promotions of new products. Meanwhile, Thermaltake incorporates the composite marketing system by making branch offices and regional distributors both the distribution channel and technical support or service center to provide instant support; by maintaining close contact with end users, we manage to strengthen corporate competitiveness and create the momentum for the growth of accomplishments. With its outstanding wisdom and strength Thermaltake Group is recruiting creative talents to build a cultural brand for the enjoyment of entertainment, e-Sports, technology and lifestyle!
The Toughpower Grand RGB 1200W (TPG-1200F1FAP) by Thermaltake is a fully modular (future proof) power supply unit that features an 80 Plus Platinum efficiency certification (2nd best available currently after the Titanium one), single powerful +12V rail (100A and can deliver the entire output of the unit), 140mm Riing RGB hydraulic-bearing fan with a total of 256 different colors (cycle mode and 4 colors manual selection), smart zero fan RPM mode (when under 40% load the fan does not spin), 100% Japanese capacitors, flat modular cables and a large number of protections including OVP (Over Voltage Protection), SCP (Short Circuit Protection), OPP (Over Power Protection), UVP (Under Voltage Protection), OTP (Over Temperature Protection) and OCP (Over Current Protection). Thermaltake also claims that the new Toughpower Grand RGB 1200W is based on a new platform which offers lower ripple levels and better voltage regulation and although we can't really test the first (although ripple hasn’t been an issue for almost a decade) we can always test for the second.
SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES
PACKAGING AND CONTENTS
Typically at the front of the rather large box we find a product picture and its main features.
The Riing RGB fan is showcased on the left side of the box.
At the rear of the box we find the product features, electrical table, available connectors and 4 graphs showcasing the 80 Plus Platinum certification, ultra quiet smart zero fan feature, low ripple noise design and the strict voltage regulation.
Packaging is as always perfect so the unit is placed between two thick foam spacers.
Contained inside the package is the power supply with its fabric cover, power cable (US in our sample), storage pouch with the modular cables, 4 cable ties, small plastic bag with 4 mounting screws, warranty information paper and the user manual.
THE TOUGHPOWER GRAND RGB 1200W EXTERIOR
Thermaltake has once again used flat modular cables which take less space behind the mainboard tray compared to regular ones.
Much like most models in its wattage range the Toughpower Grand RGB 1200W measures 180mm in length, 150mm in width and 86mm in height.
The Riing RGB 140mm fan is not only responsible for cooling the interior of the unit but thanks to the smart zero RPM mode it will not spin until the unit has surpassed 40% load.
Both sides of the enclosure have large stickers on which Thermaltake has placed their logo, model name, output wattage and the 80 Plus Platinum certification.
At the base of the enclosure we see a large sticker with the electrical table on it.
The modular connectors may not be color coded but they are tagged and different in shape to avoid any mistakes on your part.
Moving at the rear of the enclosure we find the on/off power switch, RGB LED lighting switch (can choose between cycle and single colors), smart zero fan on/off switch and the power plug.
THE TOUGHPOWER GRAND RGB 1200W INTERIOR
Thermaltake has used the A1425H12S 140mm Riing RGB fan (manufactured by Hong Shen Electronic) which after looking online it can reach speeds of up to 1800RPM to produce airflow levels of up to 97.2CFM with just 36.2dBA of noise.
Layout is very clean and of high build quality something which CWT (OEM manufacturer) has gotten us used to over the years.
For primary capacitors Thermaltake has used two manufactured by the Japanese nichicon and rated for use up to 105 degrees Celsius.
Secondary capacitors are manufactured by the Japanese Nippon Chemi-Con and again are rated for use up to 105 degrees Celsius.
Here you can see some of the available fan colors (looks nice right?).
TEST BED
TESTING METHODOLOGY
Using a dedicated measurement instrument such as a Chroma or a SunMoon to test power supply units is without doubt the most ideal and accurate way (not to mention the fastest) to do that currently. However it's certainly not the only way there is and so pretty much anyone can test a power supply unit just by using a computer. Certainly limitations do apply and so you can't really test a 1000W power supply if your system only uses 500W at peak loads and that's why during the past 5 years i have saved certain hardware components for the purpose of building a dedicated PSU test rig. True it may not be as accurate as the above mentioned solutions but it comes really close and is in fact closer to real world usage. So as always we ran several games with maximum graphic options enabled at a resolution of 2560x1600 in order to stress every hardware component and increase the overall power demands of the system. The Passmark BurnIn Test was also used to overstress the components in an effort to provide the most accurate results possible. As a final test we also used the latest OCCT 4.4 software and its dedicated PSU testing suite since it can really bring a power supply to its knees after inside a few minutes.
Rail stability was checked/measured with the CPUID Hardware monitor and a Metex multimeter which also recorded the system load in idle and in load. As always try to remember that the power consumption numbers listed in the graph are the highest (Peak) ones recorded during the entire duration of the tests and not the average ones. Noise levels coming from the fan were recorded using the high precision HD600 ExTech Sound dBA Meter from the rear of the unit and at a range of no more than 5-10cm. Readings under load are recorded the exact moment we manually switch the fans of all graphics cards from full speed to almost zero, that way the fan of the power supply does not have enough time to slow its RPM and so by doing this we get very accurate noise level readings. Needless to say in order to get 100% accurate readings you need to have a noise isolated room for that exact purpose, something which is quite impossible unless you are working inside a real lab (some people use very small noise insulated boxes but due to their size both heat and noise exceed normal levels and so the results can't really be considered to be 100% accurate). Also do take into account that since all noise measurements take place from just 5-10cm away the final noise levels to reach your ears will be considerably less.
TEST RESULTS
(We chose not to use the zero fan mode but if you do then you need to take into account only the load number)
CONCLUSION
Once again Thermaltake has released a powerful, high-performance and feature rich PSU that can be used by pretty much everyone in need of the extra juice. The use of a Riing RGB fan is not new for Thermaltake (they’ve released quite a few RGB models to date) but it’s always nice to have that extra touch in terms of appearance especially for people with cases that have tempered glass side panels. That being said having the ability to choose your favorite single color from a wider range (just 4 may not be enough for some) would be a great plus so I do hope Thermaltake makes that happen in future versions. Now the Toughpower Grand RGB 1200W may not come with support for Thermaltake’s SPM (Smart Power Management) system but in reality it doesn't need to especially since that makes it a far more tempting choice (lower cost) for people into data mining.
Right now availability for the Toughpower Grand RGB 1200W Power Supply Unit (TPG-1200F1FAP) by Thermaltake is low but you can still get it for USD229.99 inside the USA (Newegg.com) and for 229.90Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de). This price tag places it right next to several 1200W models and although it may not be exactly “affordable” for most consumers it’s actually priced pretty well. All said and done the brand new Toughpower Grand RGB 1200W Power Supply Unit by Thermaltake excels in all the areas that matter from a high output and very stable rails to low noise levels and a great looking RGB fan and that’s why it gets our Platinum Award.
PROS
- Build Quality
- Very Good Solid Rail Stability
- 10 Years Warranty
- 80 Plus Platinum Certified
- Electrical Protections (OCP/OVP/SSP/OPP/UVP/OTP)
- Riing 140mm Fan (RGB/Low Noise)
- Smart Zero RPM Fan Mode
CONS
- Price (For Some)
- Current Availability