Thermaltake Toughpower PF3 1050W PSU Review

Epilogue

The Thermaltake Toughpower PF3 1050W achieves high enough overall performance and is close to most competitors. The main problem is that the notably less expensive GF A3 1050W achieves higher overall performance with a 1.7% difference. Sure, the latter doesn’t use the same quality caps to decrease the production cost, but it has a better fan, provided by Hong Hua! This is at least the case in my review sample. I cannot help but be confused about TT and HKC; instead of using a better fan in the more expensive unit, they used one in the less expensive PSU. And to make things worse, the less expensive PSU achieves a higher overall performance. Talk about internal competition! To add insult to injury, the GF A3 1050W is notably less noisy than the PF3 1050, with a 26.05 dBA average noise output compared to the 32.84 dBA the latter achieves. All of the above means that I cannot recommend the PF3 over the GF A3 1050 unit, especially since both are covered by the same warranty period, so if the lower quality caps of the second decide to leave this world, you will be covered by TT.

Several changes are required to bring the PF3 1050W up to speed, including a better fan speed profile and a close inspection of the production line to ensure all units have low-performance differences. Advanced production lines provide fully automated testing, not only once, so it is easy to check for high-performance differences and take action with the proper equipment. I don’t know if HKC’s production lines have this capability, but it is crucial.

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.