Thermaltake Toughpower GF A3 1050W PSU Review

Part Analysis

General Data
Manufacturer (OEM) HKC
PCB Type Double-Sided
Primary Side
Transient Filter 4x Y caps, 1x X caps, 2x CM chokes, 1x MOV
Inrush Protection 1x NTC Thermistor 5D-15  (5 Ohm @ 25°C) & Relay
Bridge Rectifier(s)
2x Diodes GBU25KH (800V, 25A @with heatsink)
APFC MOSFETs
2x Lonten LSB65R070GT (650V, 26A @ 100°C, Rds(on): 0.099Ohm @ 150°C)
APFC Boost Diode
1x Global Power Tech. G3S06010J (600V, 8A @ 150°C)
Bulk Cap(s)
1x Nippon Chemi-Con (420V, 570uF , 2000h @ 105°C, KHE)
1x Nippon Chemi-Con (450V, 680uF , 2000h @ 105°C, KMZ)
Main Switchers
2x Lonten LSB65R099GT (650V, 26A @ 100°C, Rds(on): 0.099Ohm @ 150°C)
APFC Controller
Champion CM6500UNX & CM03X
Resonant Controller Champion CM6901X
Digital MCU Texas Instrument TPS54231
IC Driver Novesense NSi6602
Topology
Primary side: APFC, Half-Bridge & LLC converter
Secondary side: Synchronous Rectification & DC-DC converters
Secondary Side
+12V MOSFETs 6x R638A
5V & 3.3V DC-DC Converters: 4x Excelliance MOS EMB06N03A (30V, 50A @ 100°C, Rds(on): 6mOhm)
PWM Controller(s): 1x ANPEC APW7159C
Filtering Capacitors Electrolytic:
3x CapXon (3,000h @ 105°C, KF)
8x CapXon (2,000h @ 105°C, KF)
2x CapXon ( 2,000h @ 105°C, GF)
Polymer: 39x
Supervisor IC IN1S429I – SCG
Fan Controller 1x
Fan Model Hong Hua HA1225H12F-Z (120mm, 12V, 0.58A, Fluid Dynamic Bearing Fan)
5VSB Circuit
Rectifier
SB1045L (45V, 10A)
Standby PWM Controller PN8141

Despite the PCB’s small dimensions, the primary side is not overpopulated with parts, and the filtering capacitors on the secondary side are in clear view of the fan’s airflow. That said, some CapXon caps are close to the secondary side’s heatsinks so that they will be exposed to high operating temperatures under high loads. These are polymer caps, so they are much more tolerant to heat than electrolytic ones, but still, it is better to operate them at lower temperatures.

On the primary side, the PSU uses a half-bridge topology and an LLC resonant converter for lossless switching. On the secondary side, FETs handle the 12V rail and a pair of DC-DC converters the minor rails. All filtering caps are by CapXon, which is not among my top choices. For less expensive caps, I prefer Teapo and Elite. That said, CapXon products are not that bad anymore. Speaking of caps, I am considering implementing a capacitor testing procedure with destructive testing, which will help me spot the differences between various capacitor brands and models.

The soldering quality of the PSU is typical HKC, which means good quality.

Something that I noticed while looking at the product’s page is that while TT provides a photo showing Chemi-Con caps on the secondary side, my sample came with CapXon caps, which are inferior to Chemi-Con ones. This is marketing at its full glory, I guess!

The caps of my sample. All by CapXon, on the secondary side!

Pages ( 3 of 11 ): « Previous12 3 4567891011Next »

Related Posts

10 thoughts on “Thermaltake Toughpower GF A3 1050W PSU Review

  1. 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!

  2. 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.

    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.

  3. 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!

  4. 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.

      1. 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.

        1. 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.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *