Ultra Modular 1kW PSU Spy Shots

[EastCoasthandle]

Well... I've said all that needed to be said. Just wait for the reviews.

As for those who would "never trust Ultra" I don't expect to change anyone's mind in that respect. I still have a friend who'll never buy a Shuttle motherboard when the one I recommended to him SIX YEARS AGO was DOA. He's never forgiven me for that.

Later guys!

Do you work for them or have any level of affiliation with them through internet pals, friends or family?

 

[Azn Tr14dZ]

Good Luck with your product Ultra Jon!

I think he does work for them...not too sure though.

 

[EastCoasthandle]

Good Luck with your product Ultra Jon!

I think he does work for them...not too sure though.

Hey if you found out can you give him a Mini Title like "Ultra Rep" or something (in the same place where it says Moderator for you) that way he can be addressed better? If I had known I would have ask him to send PSU to THR and Xbit, etc for review pronto!

 

[KennyT772]

im actually really interested in the ultra psus bar the problems of the past. i currently have a thermal take 420w faithfully running an x1800xt, dfi mobo, and a overclocked 3200+. hell at max load the 12v dips to 11.78v and doesnt fluctuate...

 

[EastCoasthandle]

im actually really interested in the ultra psus bar the problems of the past. i currently have a thermal take 420w faithfully running an x1800xt, dfi mobo, and a overclocked 3200+. hell at max load the 12v dips to 11.78v and doesnt fluctuate...

I'd check it with a voltimeter. Its very simple to do. While the computer is on you grab a 4 pin moles connect and place the positive in the yellow wire and negative in the black wire socket to read the 12V rail.

To read the 5V rail you place the positive on the red and the negative on the black wire socket.

To read the 3.3V rail is a bit tricky. I jump start my PSU with the 24 pin connector disconnected from the motherboard. I place the positive on the orange and the negative on the black wire socket.

However you can try this method but's I wouldn't use a tie like the one in the photo. Something non metal IMO. Heck shoe string could be better IMO.

OR

If you have another Molex type connection that has an orange connector on it consider yourself lucky and use that instead to test the 3.3V rail.

So to sum this up:
Red wire is for 5V
Yellow wire is for 12V
Orange wire is for 3.3V
Always use the black wire for each!

 

[Easy Rhino]

Well, if you think about it, how different is the Xbox, PS3, etc. from what we're talking about here? Xbox 360 replaced Xbox. PS3 replaced PS2. What came out last year is never good enough and as long as people buy them, these companies will keep cranking this stuff out.

yea, but how often do new generations of consoles come out. about once every 5 years. so you spend 400 bucks on the console that lasts 5 years. maybe you buy like 4 games a year at 60 bucks. so 240-250 for games a year over 5 years. thats like $1250~ (give or take for tax) that you spend plus the 400 for the console. so 1650~ total for a great experience. and maybe you buy addons like the hddvd player and other things so you end up if you are an avid gamer spending about 2500~ over 5 years. THATS NOTHING!!! compared to a gamer using the PC. if i were still using the stuff i had new from 5 years ago i couldnt run a damn thing right??? 5 years ago a quality game system costs around 2000. it wont play any games today. you may get away with upgrading the gpu and adding some ram. and maybe even upgrade the cpu over that 5 years. but because of limitations of your motherboard 5 years ago you wont come close to the quality a console can give you. sorry this is long winded but i hope you see my point. the way the tech market is right now id say save your money until the end of 2007. let vista get things together. let dx10 work the bugs out. the some of the game actually utilize the dual core cpus. i just dont see that many people spending top dollar on next gen gpus right now nor on 1000w psus. im sure some will, but they have lots of cash to burn. i hope.

 

[pead929]

Personally I think it would be easier to move close to a nuclear power-plant and run a direct line to the back of my PC. Sure as shit wouldn't need to buy a new one.

 

[Oklahoma Wolf]

Ultra Jon, I've seen you in the Ultra Forums, but never in any other ones.

Try looking for jonnyGURU instead

I guess I got sucked into yet another forum. I'm running a 600W Andyson made Ultra right now - very impressed with it. The forthcoming 1kW will be from the same OEM. I'd trust it in a second. Not that I need it. Andyson knows what they're doing... about a year ago, that OEM wasn't even on my radar - seems like they came out of nowhere and are dead set on competing against the likes of Seventeam, Enhance, and I daresay even Etasis.

Personally, I've never cared too much for the OEM Wintech stuff like the X2 or X-Finity, but they're ok units. Often, they do share the same or similar components as low end FSP. The original X-Connect, non PFC version, was awful... they're not using that OEM anymore, and only did for that one model IIRC. It was the X-Connect that gave Ultra such a big black eye.

 

[breakfromyou]

Was Wintech the company that made the crappy X-Connects?

i used to have an X-Connect...one of the bad ones. it killed my Athlon XP-M 2500+

 

[newtekie1]

Ultra doesn't care how much hardware their crappy power supplies take out. I guarentee this X-connect will be just as bad as the other ones, and destroy just as much hardware. And what will Ultra say about it? The same thing they told me when I had an X-connect2 die: "Due to the improper use of the product we will not honor the warranty on the power supply or replace any hardware damaged by it" because according to Ultra "Hooking up more than one hard drive to a power supply is improper use". The company is a joke.

 

[breakfromyou]

Ultra doesn't care how much hardware their crappy power supplies take out. I guarentee this X-connect will be just as bad as the other ones, and destroy just as much hardware. And what will Ultra say about it? The same thing they told me when I had an X-connect2 die: "Due to the improper use of the product we will not honor the warranty on the power supply or replace any hardware damaged by it" because according to Ultra "Hooking up more than one hard drive to a power supply is improper use". The company is a joke.

wow, thats pretty sad. I don't really care. All I can do is not buy their stuff and tell other people not to. I've nothing but bad experiences with EVERYTHING Ultra. I used to have some of their RAM, it wouldnt run at the rated timings...3-5-4-9 2T at 200 Mhz, semi-unstable. stable enough to browse the internet, and thats all. i had to clock it down to 166 MHz for it to work in games. I have a few Ultra fans, none of them work anymore, the Ultra power supply blew up. heh, you get the idea. Ultra = crap. I was hoping they could straighten out and actually make something decent.

 

[Oklahoma Wolf]

Was Wintech the company that made the crappy X-Connects?

Nope - that was Taiwan Youngyear, who also OEM's for Aspire.

 

[EastCoasthandle]

Ultra doesn't care how much hardware their crappy power supplies take out. I guarentee this X-connect will be just as bad as the other ones, and destroy just as much hardware. And what will Ultra say about it? The same thing they told me when I had an X-connect2 die: "Due to the improper use of the product we will not honor the warranty on the power supply or replace any hardware damaged by it" because according to Ultra "Hooking up more than one hard drive to a power supply is improper use". The company is a joke.

Wow, that speaks volumes

 

[Random Murderer]

Ultra doesn't care how much hardware their crappy power supplies take out. I guarentee this X-connect will be just as bad as the other ones, and destroy just as much hardware. And what will Ultra say about it? The same thing they told me when I had an X-connect2 die: "Due to the improper use of the product we will not honor the warranty on the power supply or replace any hardware damaged by it" because according to Ultra "Hooking up more than one hard drive to a power supply is improper use". The company is a joke.

after reading that, i will NEVER buy an ultra product....:shadedshu

 

[newtekie1]

I especially like the guy working for Ultra coming here and trying to defend the product by pumping out stats(is that all Ultra pays him to do?). Who cares. If the power supplies are made from completely crap parts and the company won't stand behind the product, what good are stats written on paper?

 

[Oklahoma Wolf]

I especially like the guy working for Ultra coming here and trying to defend the product by pumping out stats(is that all Ultra pays him to do?).

I've been an electronics tech for 18 years, don't work for Ultra, and when it comes to electronics I do consider myself "in the know." You'll have to show me proof they're made from crap parts, because I have seen the exact opposite from Ultra's OEM Andyson stuff (they just started using this OEM). Otherwise, why not wait until the unit's actually out and has been well reviewed before bashing it?

 

[newtekie1]

Well my proof is the fact that one died on me, and they are known for dying on the internet and being completely crap power supplies. That reputation is proof enough for me and most consumers.

Even if they are made of better parts now, that doesn't change their reputation. And it certainly doesn't change the fact that the company doesn't stand behind their products.

I couldn't care less about the reviews. The company simply doesn't stand behind it's products and tries to give the shaft to their customers. The power supply can have the best stats in the world and be made from the best parts in the world and still fail. It is what happens after it fails that I am concerned about.

 

[Ultra Jon]

Wow, that speaks volumes

Yeah. Made up stories speak volumes.

Like most "RMA stories" there's always more to the story that what you hear.

Think about it logically (is that possible?).. The PSU comes with no less than four drive Molexes. It would void the warranty to use more than one?

I already said that Ultra handle such instances on a case by case basis. You don't have to believe that, but at least think about what someone is saying how illogical the reasoning is before siding with them.

You guys are entitled to your opinions. Whether it's based on ignorance or lies or factual material, that's your call.

 

[Oklahoma Wolf]

Well my proof is the fact that one died on me

Which one? The OEM Andyson units aren't even on the market yet. Actually, that Hiper in your profile is better proof - it too is OEM Andyson. One of the lower end models, but Andyson nonetheless. Sunbeam also uses that particular OEM.

It's mostly the X-Connect (the Youngyear one) known for dying. Considering that same OEM supplies Aspire/Apevia, that's no surprise. In comparison, the Wintech made units like the X-Finity are a whole lot better in terms of failure rate, though as I said before I don't really care much for them - it's relatively easy to do better.

 

[newtekie1]

Ultra John, I didn't say that it was logical by any means, perhaps you should take it up with your company's tech support department. Perhaps you can ask them why when I tried to call to get an RMA for my dead power supply, and ask them about the parts that it killed with it, they told me that having more than one hard drive connected voids the warranty. I don't know what answer you will get, but my theory is it is because you company is willing to say anything it can to get out of honoring the warranty. Now granted, eventually after I got high enough up on the corporate ladder the power supply and my parts were eventually replaced, but I shouldn't have had to talk to the superviser of the superviser of the superviser before not hearing the crappy lines about what common uses of a power supply void the warrnaty.

Ultra John, it is obvious that you are paid to come here and defend the product, and I respect that. However, to call me a liar? Are you serious? I have absolutely no reason to lie, you on the other hand obviously would rather resort to slander than try and actually make a good name for yourself, but I get it, you are paid to do that. You hype the product on message boards, and anyone that disagrees with your or posts a story about their bad experiences with your company is a liar. It is cool, I understand how it works.

Oklahoma Wolf, again, I never addressed the actual power supplies, or the parts in them or the original manufactures. My issues are with the service recieved after they fail. I label a product by the company that that labels it and how they stand by their products. Ultra(and Hiper since you brought it up) do not stand by their products. It is a complete hassle to try and get anything replaced when it dies. In the case of Ultra they actually resort to trying to screw their customers, there are a lot of people that would have just accepted the warranty being void line. I have to admit, it is actually a great method if you want to screw customers. Every time someone calls they feed them a line about the warranty being void. If the person accepts it that is great, they don't have to replace the power supply and another customer gets screwed, job well done. If they don't then they pass them up to the next level who confirms the warranty is indeed void and so on until you finally get high enough that they realize you aren't retarded and they finally take care of you. In the case of Ultra it is about the 4th level that they give up and finally replace their failed part.

 

[Oklahoma Wolf]

Oklahoma Wolf, again, I never addressed the actual power supplies, or the parts in them or the original manufactures.

What about post #40?

If the power supplies are made from completely crap parts and the company won't stand behind the product, what good are stats written on paper?

Clearly you're more concerned about quality of customer service than the quality of the PSU itself. Fair enough. I'm the exact opposite... I want mine to last for years without having to open it up and fix it, and not cost a fortune in buying it. The Andyson made Ultra I'm trying out right now is the very first Ultra unit I've had much interest in... it's simply better built than I'm used to seeing from them. It's also better built than most recent FSP units, which you wouldn't have seen me admitting to a year ago. First thing I did, as I do with all my PSU's, was void the warranty

 

[ktr]

Well my proof is the fact that one died on me, and they are known for dying on the internet and being completely crap power supplies. That reputation is proof enough for me and most consumers.

of course you are reading negative stuff. no one post positive stuff, only their complaints so that it can be heard.

 

[i_am_mustang_man]

if these are under 100 bucks, how kick ass would that be? i won't be, cuz th'atd be like 40% the price of any other 1kw psu

i like ultra cuz their stuff is generally less expensive, but i wouldn't say cheap. they are trying to make a name for themselves, and this will help i'm sure.

oh, btw, the flexforce cables are so easy to route it's ridiculous. i'm definitely interested in this

 

[Oklahoma Wolf]

of course you are reading negative stuff. no one post positive stuff, only their complaints so that it can be heard.

An excellent point - people love to complain. A couple years back, FSP released a model that started having a higher than average failure rate, the FSP530-60GNA. Over at OCForums, where I do most of my posting, we had perhaps one person a month posting about a failure with theirs. Immediately, two or three others would come out of the woodwork to complain about theirs as well.

I bought one of those FSP 530W units. The problem, in my estimation, turned out to be a minor design flaw - they had poor cooling to the secondary (output) side. When run too hard, they'd bake the capacitors. I sidestepped the issue on mine by moving the intake fan, and it's still alive and in constant use two and a half years later. Still, the problems with that model were rare - most of the people who bought one never had a problem. But those who did have problems were happy to let their voices be heard

 

[newtekie1]

Oklahoma Wolf, notice the word if in that sentence? You know, as in hypothetically. I know they don't stand behind their product so that is one of the two conditions met right there, and I know that 70A on a single rail is completely ridiculous and bound for failure. I know that only cheap power supplies still use one rail because it is quite frankly cheaper to make. So I can only assume that this power supply is made cheaply from crap parts. So that is the second condition right there.

However, yes, you are right. I value a company's level of service more than stats on paper. Even the best of equipment will have a failure rate, no matter what. I guarentee you this power supply will not have a 0% failure rate. So yes, I take into consideration how those failures are handled when buying a product. Just because it is made from the best parts around doesn't mean it will last for years, in fact it is highly unlikely it will last for years. You said it yourself, the same company that makes this power supply make the hiper one in my sig, yet the hiper one died in 10 months.

So your entire basis is that the company that is now making Ultra power supplies is some great company, yet the power supply they made that I used failed for absolutely no reason after 10 months. However, you seem to think that just because it is made by Andyson, that suddenly means it will last forever. I say that is complete crap. The Hiper power supply seem to be a great product all the way up until it blew too, by the way. Voltage were rock stable and always about 1-2% above perfect, yet it still died without a single warning for absolutely no reason. So I couldn't care less about the power supply you are testing.

Ultra products are simply not worth my time. I don't care what OEM they care currently use, that means next to nothing to me and most consumers. They don't stand behind their products, and their previous products have been sub-par.