Cougar GEX X2 1000W PSU Review

Epilogue

The GEX X2 1000W performs well, taking the lead from units like the Seasonic Vertex GX-1000 and the Thermaltake GF3 1000. It is aggressively priced at $175, and the seven-year warranty is long enough. Most of the competitive offerings provide three more years, but for me, anything above five years in warranty for a power supply is just a marketing trick. A five-year warranty supports my bulletproof Toyota Yaris, so why should I expect my PSU to have double as much warranty? Mainly since the latter’s health heavily depends on the quality of the electricity grid. You should keep in mind, though, that if a PSU’s failure has to do with external factors, including harsh operating conditions, the warranty won’t be honored, or else most brands that offer them would go bankrupt.

It is nice to see something different from CWT’s omnipresent CSZ platform, which most PSUs use in the 850W to 1200W range. Only Corsair and be quiet! use their own platforms, which are developed and locked to them, and nobody else can use them. In contrast, most brands use designs available to anyone, performing some changes to adapt to their needs and the asking price. Although Cougar is HEC’s home brand, it still doesn’t exclusively use HEC’s platforms for quite some time now but can shop from other OEMs. HEC is a decent OEM but primarily focused on the mainstream market, not having high-end platforms that can meet CWT, Great Wall, or Seasonic designs eye-to-eye.

 

To check all alternative PSU offerings, read my Best ATX v3.0 PSUs article before investing in a new power supply. You help me a lot by using my affiliate links, which don’t increase the product’s price. I get a commission from Amazon every time you do it, which can make a difference for me, especially now that I am on my own, working exclusively for my media and not for someone else.

 

 

 

Pros:
  • Delivered full power at 47°C
  • Satisfactory overall performance
  • ATX v3.0 and PCIe 5.0 ready
  • Properly configured protection features
  • Tight load regulation
  • Good transient response at 12V in normal scenarios
  • Efficient
  • Silent operation
  • Decent ripple suppression
  • Highly efficient 5VSB rail
  • Long hold-up time
  • Long and accurate power ok signal
  • Low vampire power
  • Alternative Low Power Mode (ALPM) compatible
  • Fully modular
  • 12VHPWR connector (600W)
  • Seven-year warranty
Cons:
  • Mediocre transient response on the minor rails
  • The 12V rail’s voltage drops low in the 200% transient response test
  • Low Power Factor (PF) readings
  • Efficiency could be higher at light loads and 115V input
  • Small distance (115mm) between peripheral connectors
  • Only two 4-pin Molex connectors

 

 

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8 thoughts on “Cougar GEX X2 1000W PSU Review

  1. Hello. This is not the first time I have noticed errors in your article.
    1. Page 1. First write about the depth of 140mm, then as 160mm.
    2. Page 3. APFC MOSFETs and Main Switchers. The text has one name, but a hyperlink to another.
    3. Page 4. Fan Speed (RPM) and PSU Noise (dB[A]) columns. Fan speed and noise do not match page 9.

    I did not read the entire article, but only walked through what interests me.

    1. 1) you were correct I wrote 160mm instead of 140mm. Feel free to shoot me!
      2) the link is correct in APFC, not correct in main switchers. fixed
      3) The page 9 IS NOT THE SAME DATA as page 4. If you had read a bit of the text or noticed the temperatures on the corresponding graphs, you would have seen that.

      You understand that in a review where a full week’s work is needed and around 20K readings have to be obtained (yes thousands) there can be mistakes!
      So I would appreciate a bit tact and understanding from my readers.

  2. Ive installed it today and it sucks ass, just sitting in browser it overheats and turns fan on with like 1500rpm to my hearing every 3-5min, also ive looked more closely and this review is so off, on box it says 30% fan start, its 300w, and u show us its 500w, it just cant be true

  3. I’m finding more and more sources confirming that the 12VHPWR connector is actually 450W
    This is a very vile deception :C
    Be careful with this cable.

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