TT-300ss Silent PSU

Reviews: Hardware

Motherboards | Power Supplies | Memory | Systems | Video Cards

TT-300ss Silent PSU

Author:
Editor:
Sponsor:
Published:

Brian Kristensen
Kurtis
TheTechLounge
Apr. 3, 2003

Introduction

Power supplies are probably the most important component of a computer system. Without a decent power supply, your system may become unstable, or possibly even fry your computer. Most people don't realize the importance of a good power supply, and for some, it may be too late. Stressing a low quality power supply with power hungry hardware can lead to a dead psu, and most likely a dead computer also.

Today we will be checking out the TT-300ss Silent PSU. This power supply packs a good 320 watts, which is higher than average for most people. One of the notable features of this psu is that it is very quiet. It includes 2 very quiet fans. I couldn't even hear them over my case fans, yet it is enough to keep the psu cool.

The Outside

When you look at the back of the box, you notice the usual fan, the power switch, the power-in line, and the voltage-in switch. These features are included on nearly every power supply out there. One thing that this power supply ( along with most others ) is missing, though, is the three-prong plug for peripheral devices to plug into. With this feature, you could plug, say, your monitor into the power supply, saving you an outlet in the wall. This feature would have also allowed the monitor or another device to shut off automatically when the computer shuts off. Too bad it wasn't included, as that is one of the things I look forward to seeing in a good psu.

The Inside

WARNING: OPENING YOUR PSU WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY. IT IS ALSO EXTREMELY UNSAFE AND CAN RESULT IN MAJOR ELECTRICAL SHOCK. WE DO NOT PROMOTE OPENING YOUR PSU AND WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGES THAT OCCUR.

Now we take a peek at the inside of the PSU. If you take a look at the placement of the fans, you will realize the thought put into it. One fan blows cool air directly on top of the heat sinks, while the rear fan fulls the hot air away from the heat sinks. These fans are very quiet. Unlike my previous PSU which had only one fan. Now for the quality of the internal parts. The wires seem to be of average thickness, and the capacitors are average in size. Nothing real special here, but it is still better than some power supplies I have seen. The heat sinks are aluminum, and while this isn't a bad thing, they could have been copper to help alleviate the heat better.

The Connections

This PSU has the usual amount of connections. They are not too long, and not too short. There are 6 4-pin Molex, 2 floppy, a 4 pin ATX 12v, a 6 pin AUX, and a 20 pin MB connection. One thing that would have been nice with all these wires is if they would have put a sleeve on the 20 pin connector's wires. This would help keep the case cleaner looking, and provide better airflow.

The Stress Test

Now we test to see if the power supply can hold up under stress. We will run this test is run with Motherboard Monitor 5 to check the voltages on the 5v and 12v lines. First we check out Motherboard Monitor's report when the computer is idle. Notice that the 5v line is a little lower than it should be, but not enough to be a problem.

Now I stress the PSU by running several applications that hog the computer's power. Some of these include Battlefield 1942, 3D MARK 2003, and Scan disk.

Notice how there is little to no variation in most of the voltages. This PSU can still supply enough juice when the computer is under stress.

Conclusion

This power supply is extremely quiet even with two fans. It is a generally solid performer, although it is merely average in most other places such as the quality of work, and features.

Pros

a decent 320 watts
2 fans for better cooling
Extremely quiet

Cons

No fan monitoring
No extra features

Subscribe to Power Supplies [more info]

Add Comment

0 User Comments

Add Comment

To add a comment without being a member, you may omit the password field, but you must enter your name (or nickname) along with your comment. * Denotes required fields.