|
Lian Li Maxima Force Extreme Power Supply PS-A750GB 750W
Installation:
The PS-A750GB installs just like any other power supply. Just mount it in place, screw it in and hook up the connectors. It is also small enough that it shouldn't interfere with drives in smaller cases.
One thing that buyers do need to be wary of is that this power supply does not have enough 6-pin connectors in order to run dual ATI 4870's or nVidia GTX 280's. Luckily my 4870's came with adapters to convert 2 4-pin molex connectors into 1 6-pin connector.
 |
The cables with bead connectors around them are the PS-A750GB's while the others are molex adapters. |
Testing:
The test system being used is:
Motherboard: |
Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R |
Processor: |
Intel E7200 Core 2 Duo |
Graphics: |
2x Palit 4870 Sonic Edition |
Ram: |
2GB Kingston HyperX DDR2-1066 |
Hard Drive: |
Samsung 120 GB |
Power Supply Unit: |
Lian Li Maxima Force Extreme Power Supply PS-A750GB |
Operating System: |
Microsoft Windows Vista x64 Ultimate |
I used a multi meter to measure the voltage of the power supply while idle and while under the intense stress of a maxed out processor and two maxed out 4870's. This was accomplished by using the ATI client of Folding@Home (join TechwareLabs Folding@Home team, Team 147447).
 |
 |
12 V Idle |
12 V Under Load |
The multi meter reads 11.96 V when the machine was idling. Under load, the voltage only dropped .05 V to 11.91 V. The 5 V held constant at 5.0 V while the 3.3 V held at 3.31 V during all testing. The fact that a power supply that's not certified for Crossfire only dipped .05 volts from its idle voltage says a lot to its capability.
A good rule of thumb for power supply voltages is that if there is 2-4% deviation in voltage from the standard 12 V is an acceptable range for most power supplies. Anything more than 4% and you're looking at a junk power supply. The PS-A750GB clocks in at just shy of 1% deviation from 12 V while under load, making it an excellent and stable power supply.
Conclusion:
For primarily being an enthusiast case manufacturer, Lian Li puts out a hell of a power supply. They use quality parts, deliver on voltage performance and stability These are some of the most important factors when deciding on a power supply for your rig. The PS-A750GB is priced fairly at $177 and will be available October 20 on Newegg. Some more certifications would have been nice (like Crossfire and SLI certification), but this is not a deal breaker, as this power supply is more than capable of handling the load. With fair pricing and quality parts, it's hard not to recommend the PS-A750GB.
