Thermaltake Smart M Series 750 W Review 3

Thermaltake Smart M Series 750 W Review

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Value and Conclusion

  • The Thermaltake Smart M series 750W retails for $114.99
  • Delivered full power at 50°C
  • Efficient (for a Bronze unit)
  • Good ripple suppression
  • Only two fixed cables
  • Very low consumption in standby mode
  • Ribboned (flat) modular cables
  • Noisy fan
  • Only one EPS connector
  • Three years warranty (while the competition provides five)
I admit that this new modular SMART unit was a pleasant surprise to me since its non-modular brother that I have tested in the past, the SP-730P, had failed to impress me and this initially made me assume that and the new SMARTs would register similar performance. Thermaltake was wise enough to choose a different OEM for their new modular SMART series and apparently this saved the day. Today's review sample, the SP-750M, proved to be a solid performer since it handled full load flawlessly even at 50°C ambient, although Thermaltake states that 40°C is the max. operating temperature for this unit. Moreover it registered high efficiency along with decent voltage regulation and very good ripple suppression. Its only major downfall is the very noisy fan that keeps it cool. Unfortunately the fan controller is set to an aggressive profile which makes the fan operate at near full RPMs when the operating temperature exceeds 42-43°C. Of course in a chassis with good airflow such operating temperatures are very hard to get, in the PSU compartment/area, but it would be good if the fan profile was more relaxed. Finally another thing I didn't like so much is the three year warranty considering the fact that its direct competitor, the Corsair TX750M, comes with five years. In my humble opinion Thermaltake should follow Corsair's tactic and provide five years warranty for the SP-750M since it uses an updated platform compared to the TX750M one so its reliability is on par with it, at least.

To sum up, as it seems the modular SMART units play in a much higher league than to their non-modular siblings. The unit I tested today performed well at all tests I conducted and it is priced well. So if you need a good performing modular PSU with decent efficiency overall that won't empty your wallet and you can stand its noisy fan, the SP-750M is a good choice; however the competition in this category is tough and you have other interesting options, too.
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Nov 22nd, 2024 20:09 EST change timezone

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