Introduction

We would like to thank Thermaltake for supplying the review sample.

The Toughpower XT series until recently included only medium-capacity units, with 80 PLUS Bronze efficiency. Strangely enough, Thermaltake decided to extend this product line with three new high-end units that not only offer high efficiency levels, but are extremely powerful, too. This makes the Toughpower XT series very uneven since, on the one hand, we have the older models with Bronze level efficiency and capacities ranging from 575 W to 875 W, while, on the other hand, we have the new models with capacities ranging from 1275 W to 1475 W and efficiency levels that meet the 80 PLUS Gold and Platinum requirements. Thermaltake could have easily created a new series including only these three new units, but, apparently, it didn’t want another new line into its arsenal or, simply, it didn't wish to dethrone the current flagship product, the Toughpower Grand series.

In this review, we are going to fully evaluate the Thermaltake Toughpower XT 1375 W or TPX-1375M, a powerful PSU with 80 PLUS Gold efficiency and modular design. Here we should note that, although, currently, the 80 PLUS Gold certification is second best behind Platinum, it is not easy at all for a high-capacity unit to meet the Gold requirements simply because as power increases energy losses increase too, leading unavoidably to reduced efficiency especially at higher loads.

The other notable features of the TPX-1375M include a high operational temperature rating, meaning that the unit can deliver its full power continuously even up to 50°C internal chassis temperature, and the S.P.T. indicator, which via three LEDs informs the user when the PSU is in standby mode and also monitors the PG signal and the internal temperature of the unit. Finally, the TPX-1375M uses cutting-edge technology to achieve high performance/efficiency including a full bridge topology along with an LLC converter on the primary side and it also utilizes high-quality Japanese electrolytic caps along with solid state ones.

Specifications

Efficiency is Gold and the unit can deliver its full power continuously even at 50°C, something not to be taken lightly since we are talking about a 1400 W monster here. Moreover, all available protection features are present in this PSU, including the rare OTP (Over Temperature Protection), which is always nice to see.
The 140 mm cooling fan can reach pretty high RPMs, at least according to Thermaltake, something that is not beneficial to noise output, but most likely the fan controller will keep its speed low, at least in most cases. Regarding the unit's footprint, this is very large since the length reaches 200 mm! Nevertheless, this is something expected in such a high-capacity PSU. Finally, the warranty is very long at 7 years, while the price looks highly intimidating at $370.


There are two +12 V rails with uneven power distribution. The first can deliver up to 50 A, while the second has 20 A more capacity. The minor rails are pretty strong too, with 150 W max combined power. Finally, the 5VSB rail can deliver up to 4 A, a sufficient power level considering the unit's total capacity.

Cables & Connectors, Power Distribution

There are numerous connectors available including eight PCIe, two EPS, six peripheral, and 16 SATA! The only problem is that the main ATX cable and especially the two native EPS ones are too short at 520 mm. Ideally, the ATX cable should have 550-600 mm in length and the EPS ones over 600 mm. As you probably know, such a beastly PSU will most likely be installed in a full tower case, so for proper cable management it will need long ATX and EPS cables. Thankfully, the distance between connectors, in cables that have more than one, is ideal at 150 mm. Regarding gauge size, the 24-pin ATX connector uses a mixture of 16, 18, and 20 AWG wires; the EPS/PCIe connectors use 16 AWG wires since high current passes through them, while all other connectors use the standard for desktop PSUs, 18 AWG gauges.


Power distribution is good since the EPS connectors are separate from the PCIe ones. Also, the latter are fed from a much more powerful rail, since their number is quite large.