We tested the 450 W version of Thermaltake’s latest entry-level power supply line, Litepower, which promises 85% efficiency. Is that true? Let’s see.
This power supply is also known as W0293RU and is really manufactured by FSP. The marking on the printed circuit board says this power supply is part of the FSPXXX-60GHY series.
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Figure 1: Thermaltake Litepower 450 W power supply.
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Figure 2: Thermaltake Litepower 450 W power supply.
Thermaltake Litepower 450 W is a small power supply (5 ½” or 14 cm deep) and has active PFC. As mentioned the manufacturer says it has 85% efficiency and we will test it to see if this is really true or not.
The main motherboard cable uses a 20/24-pin connector, being the only one protected by a nylon sleeving that comes from inside the power supply housing. It comes with only one ATX12V connector, so you can’t use it together with a high-end motherboard that uses an EPS12V connector.
The reviewed power supply comes with only four peripheral cables: one with one six-pin auxiliary power connector for video cards, one with four SATA power connectors, one with three standard peripheral power plugs and one with two standard peripheral power plugs and one floppy disk drive power connector.
All wires are 18 AWG, which is the correct gauge to be used.
Even though this power supply presents a satisfactory number of connectors for an entry-level product, it would be better if the manufacturer had divided the four SATA plugs into two separated cables, because the distance between the first and the last connector on the available cable is of only 12” (30 cm) and depending how big is your case and which bay you install your optical unit and your hard drive you may not be able to install them to this cable.
The distance between the power supply housing and the first connector on each cable is of 16 ½” (42 cm), and the distance between each connector on cables that have more than one plug is of only 4” (10 cm).
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Figure 3: Cables.
Let’s now take an in-depth look inside this power supply.
