Intro

I've said it before and I'll say it again... the power supply is one of the most important parts of a computer. It needs to be dependable and supply constant power and accurate voltages. Without that you may as well unplug your rig, break out a big box of Crayolas and start drawing on your screen (this is not recommended as it may void your warranty). In this review I'll be testing the Extreme Gamer XG Vortec 500 watt PSU.

I must first point out that on removing the power supply from the box I found the power cord and the ATX to BTX converter that were supposed to be included were missing. On closer inspection I also found some of the screw heads were stripped out and one of the screws had the head broken off. This does not mean that is what you can expect but only that this is a test or pre-production unit. This is a fairly new product that has only recently been made available for sale to the general public.

The PSU

The case of the XG Vortec is nicely constructed of blue anodized aluminum. Cooling is handled by 120mm intake and 80mm blue LED exhaust fans covered by attractive grills bearing the Vortec logo. Fan speed is controlled by turning a knob on the back of the unit. No connector is supplied for motherboard control of the fans. All of the cables are nicely sleeved in blue UV reactive sleeving and have matching connectors. They are long enough to reach any component in your case. There are two cables each sporting four molex connectors and one floppy connector at the end, one cable with two SATA power connectors, a cable with the ATX connector and one with the four pin 12V connector required for some motherboards. A cable with an AUX connector is not supplied on this unit however I cannot recall ever having to use this connector and always had to find a place to tuck it away.

Let's take a look at the guts of this thing. A word of caution - inside a PSU are some hefty capacitors that can pack quite a punch. It is not recommended for you to take yours apart as you can get shocked and will void your warranty (well, not yours but the PSU's). Inside you can see that the 120mm fan has a piece of thin plastic covering about 40% of it. At first I thought this would restrict the airflow but then realized it would help direct the intake air towards the end opposite the exhaust fan causing most of the air to be drawn across all of the components instead of half the air being blown straight out the back without being able to do much cooling. On the circuit board you'll see two greenish gold aluminum heatsinks as well as a couple of hefty capacitors that look capable of knocking you on your butt. Hey, don't look at me to touch them and find out.