Thermaltake Toughpower GF A3 850W PSU Review

Part Analysis

General Data
Manufacturer (OEM) HKC
PCB Type Double-Sided
Primary Side
Transient Filter 6x Y caps, 2x X caps, 2x CM chokes, 1x MOV
Inrush Protection 1x NTC Thermistor 2.5D-15  (2.5 Ohm @ 25°C) & Relay
Bridge Rectifier(s)
2x Diodes GBU1506 (800V, 15A @ 125°C)
APFC MOSFETs
2x Lonten LSB65R099GT (650V, 26A @ 100°C, Rds(on): 0.099Ohm )
APFC Boost Diode
1x Global Power Tech. G3S06008J (600V, 8A @ 150°C)
Bulk Cap(s)
1x Rubycon  (420V, 390uF , 3000h @ 105°C, MXK)
1x Nippon Chemi-Con (420V, 470uF , 2000h @ 105°C, KMZ)
Main Switchers
2x NCEPOWER NCE65TF130 (650V, 18A @ 100°C, Rds(on): 0.140Ohm )
APFC Controller
Champion CM6500UNX
Resonant Controller Champion CM6901X
Topology
Primary side: APFC, Half-Bridge & LLC converter
Secondary side: Synchronous Rectification & DC-DC converters
Secondary Side
+12V MOSFETs 6x Advanced Power Electronics AP4NA1R4CMT-A (45V, 39A @ 70°C, Rds(on): 1.4 mOhm)
5V & 3.3V DC-DC Converters:
2x Advanced Power Electronics AP4024GEMT-HF (30V, 20.9A @ 70°C, Rds(on): 4.5mOhm)
2x Wayon WMB040N03LG2 (30V, 38A @ 100°C, Rds(on): 4.0mOhm)PWM Controller(s): 2x ANPEC APW7164
Filtering Capacitors Electrolytic:
7x CapXon (3,000h @ 105°C, KF)
3x Teapo (3,000h @ 105°C, SC)Polymer: 21x CapXon
Supervisor IC IN1S3151 – SAG
Fan Model TT-1225 (BDH12025S) (120mm, 12V, 0.3A, Sleeve Bearing Fan)
5VSB Circuit
Rectifier
SB1045L (45V, 10A)
Standby PWM Controller PN8141

According to the markings on the platform, it can deliver from 500W up to 850W, depending on the used parts. The PCB is small and well under-populated, with the FETs regulating the 12V rail being directly exposed to the fan’s airflow. There is a small heatsink right beside them, adding some extra cooling. Contrary to most PSU designs, the DC-DC converters generating the minor rails are installed on the main PCB, while a series of filtering caps surround them, used by all main rails.

On the modular PCB, two sockets are left empty. The filtering capacitors at this stage are by CapXon, polymer, and electrolytic ones. Thermaltake instructed HKC not to use Japanese caps on the secondary side to keep costs down. Now that we have started evaluating capacitors, we will soon be able to provide you with an estimated impact on reliability, depending on the used caps.

On the primary side, the PSU uses a half-bridge topology and an LLC resonant converter for lossless switching. The bulk caps are by Japanese manufacturers to increase reliability and provide some marketing bonus since “Japanese” caps always sound good to potential buyers. Lastly, 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!

The caps of my sample. All by CapXon and Teapo, on the secondary side! These are not low-quality caps, especially since most of them are polymer, but not at the same quality levels as the Chemi-Con ones.

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