The Thermaltake Toughpower GF A3 1050W is an ATX v3.0 and PCIe 5.o compatible unit, thanks to its 12VHPWR connector that can deliver up to 600W to the GPU. With only 140mm depth, it has a minimal footprint, which along with the fully modular cable design, will be an asset during installation.
The Thermaltake Toughpower GF A3 1050W will be included in my best ATX v3.0 & PCIe 5.0 PSU picks article.
After the flagship GF A3 unit, with its 1200W max power, I thought I’d look at the 1050W model. The entire GF A3 line is made by HKC, an OEM that Thermaltake has mainly used so far. I am not sure if TT will continue the GF3 models, which are made by CWT and High Power or will replace them with the GF3 A3 ones, but for the moment, both are available, with the latter having slightly lower prices.
The Toughpower GF A3 1050W is Platinum certified by Cybenetics in efficiency, while in noise, it has a Cybenetics A- badge (25-30 dB[A]). It uses a 120mm sleeve bearing fan, while the 1200W model uses a fluid dynamic bearing fan. I am not sure why TT used different fans in these two models, but I don’t approve of the drop in the fan’s quality. There is a semi-passive operation available, which can be switched off if you want the fan to be in operation constantly, and the provided warranty is ten years long, so TT is confident of the PSU’s reliability through time.
- Manufacturer (OEM): HKC
- Max Power: 1050W
- Cybenetics Efficiency: [115V] Cybenetics Platinum (89-91%)
- 80 Plus Efficiency: Gold
- Noise [115V]: Cybenetics A- (25-30 dB[A])
- Compliance: ATX v3.0, EPS 2.92
- Operating Temperature (Continuous Full Load): 0 – 45°C
- Alternative Low Power Mode support: Yes
- Power 12V combined: 1050W
- Number of 12V rails: 1
- Power 5V + 3.3v: 100W
- Power 5VSB: 15W
- Cooling: 120mm Sleeve Bearing Fan [TT-1225 (AV-F12025MS)]
- Semi-Passive Operation: ✓ (Selectable)
- Modular Design: Yes (Fully)
- High Power Connectors: 2x EPS (2x cables), 5x PCIe 6+2 pin (3x cables), 1x PCIe 12+4 pin (600W)
- Peripheral Connectors: 12x SATA (3x cables), 4x 4-pin Molex (1x cable)
- ATX Cable Length: 600mm
- EPS Cable Length: 650mm
- 6+2 pin PCIe Cable Length: 500mm
- 12+4 pin PCIe Cable Length: 600mm
- Distance between SATA / 4-pin Molex: 150/155mm
- In-cable capacitors: No
- Dimensions (W x H x D): 150 mm x 85 mm x 140mm
- Weight: 1.42 kg (3.13 lb)
- Warranty: ten years
- Street price (excluding VAT): $150
Power Specifications
| Rail | 3.3V | 5V | 12V | 5VSB | -12V | |
| Max. Power | Amps | 20 | 20 | 87.5 | 3 | 0.3 |
| Watts | 100 | 1050 | 15 | 3.6 | ||
| Total Max. Power (W) | 1050 | |||||
There is so much options I’m unsure which powersupply to buy around 130-160 euro, I want to avoid a direct 16 to 16pin connection also as I’d feel more secure with a 2×8 to 16 pin connection. I had the RM1000e but it had horrible knocking sounds from the fan so I returned it.
Corsair RMx Shift then
Would it be the best go to option do you think? I see also the NZXT c1000 but I’m unaware how well any of their products perform other than AIOs.
GF A3 is by HKC, using a rather new platform. The NZXT C1000 uses CWT CSZ platform, which has higher build quality (better caps), identical to the GF3 units. If the price difference is high, go for the GF A3, else C1000 or TT GF3 1000W which practically is the same as the NZXT.
Hi Aris! Am contemplating on buying the GF A3 1050W, but am not sure if it’s compliant with your advice here: https://hwbusters.com/psus/how-to-select-a-new-psu-now-with-the-12vhpwr-upcoming-change/
It has a 12VHPWR but what about 2×8 pin? It says 6+2 on the CPU/PCIE connectors. Is it the same as the 8pin you mention? Is this a future proof PSU for the 3.1 standard like you mention in your article?
Also, I would gladly buy from your eshoip if you can suggest an 1000W+ silent PSU under 200eu that would be future proof for ATX 3.1.
Thanks!
Hi Aris! Am contemplating on buying the GF A3 1050W, but am not sure if it’s compliant with your advice here: https://hwbusters.com/psus/how-to-select-a-new-psu-now-with-the-12vhpwr-upcoming-change/
It has a 12VHPWR but what about 2×8 pin? It says 6+2 on the CPU/PCIE connectors. Is it the same as the 8pin you mention? Is this a future proof PSU for the 3.1 standard like you mention in your article?
Also, I would gladly buy from your eshop if you can suggest an 1000W+ silent PSU under 200eu that would be future proof for ATX 3.1.
Hi Thanos, the sockets on the PSU side are not the problem, but the ones on the GPU are usually the culprits behind melting connectors, etc.
The new connector is just safer, protecting from misuse. I have used 12VHPWR from day one and installed numerous PSUs and GPUs without any issues. From PSUs, I don’t even remember what we have on our site.
TT GF A3 1050 There are two production factories,hkc/China(ce link),TTP-1050FKG and TTP-1050FLG
TT GF A3 1050 There are two production factories,hkc/China(ce link),TTP-1050FKG and TTP 1050FLG
I just received my TT GF A3 1050W today and I was pretty surprised to see a TT-1225 fan inside it.
I got it on amazon.fr, sold by amazon itself.
What is your opinion on Stop-Fan features for powersupply ? Do you think it’s better to keep the fan running all the time for better cooling, or is it better to enable the stop-fan feature for less dust and less wear on the fan?
Thank you so much for your awesome reviews!