The Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 1650 W is the most affordable ATX v3.0 and PCIe 5.0 ready PSU with more than 1500 W max power. It comes with two 12VHPWR cables/connectors, set for full power output (600 W) each, so it can handle two NVIDIA RTX 4090 graphics cards with their power limits set at max. I tested this PSU with up to 3200 W transient loads and didn't encounter any issues. With an over power protection set for more than 2000 W of power, only a few users can push this beast to its limits. Not everything is perfect, though. First of all, this is a noisy PSU, and you will need strong speakers or good noise-canceling headphones if you plan to push it hard, since its fan can deliver more than 50 dBA noise output. This is insane! My second problem with this product is the short hold-up time. Despite the increased capacity that Rubycon bulk caps offer, the hold-up time I measured was ultra-short. I have already asked Thermaltake to send me a second sample to re-run the hold-up time tests. Besides the bulk caps' capacity, the PWM controllers' tuning can also affect the hold-up time.

Another major problem I found is the lack of over temperature protection or a sky-high triggering point, which is a significant con in my book, especially for such a strong power supply. Most PSU failures are because of excess heat, which can be avoided with a properly configured OTP circuit, which the GF3 1650 lacks. High Power should look into this as soon as possible. It is a great shame to have a good platform lacking an essential protection feature. Lastly, load regulation should be tighter, especially at +12 V. The manufacturer chose to loosen up the load regulation to increase efficiency; indeed, this is not a Cybenetics Gold but a Platinum unit. Still, I would like to see load regulation close to or below 1%, without affecting the platform's performance in other sectors.

Very few users will need a 1650 W beast for their systems, with most of them planning to invest in a pair of RTX 4090 and an Intel 13900K or an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X. Unfortunately, I only have a single RTX 4090. Else I would build such a system to try out the GF3 1650 under real-life conditions. Nonetheless, it managed to survive up to 2000 W loads at 43 °C, and it didn't shut down with a 3200 W transient load, the unit will easily power anything you throw at it. If you need a super-strong PSU that won't empty your wallet, you should consider the GF3 1650. Currently, most high-capacity PSUs are not ATX v3.0 and PCIe 5.0 ready, but soon enough, all major brands will update their high-capacity offerings.