Ultra X3 1000-Watt SLI Power Supply

Today’s power supplies are far superior to what were available just a few years ago. With the increasing power demands of the latest GPUs and high-end processors, the need for stable power has increased greatly. Not too long ago, a 750w PSU (power supply unit) was considered huge and today we are seeing PSUs rated as high as 1600 watts. While most people would think that a 1000 watt power supply was too large, if you’re running a gaming machine it’s essential.

The Ultra X3 1000 watt power supply will guarantee that your computer will have enough power to run even the most demanding hardware. The X3 comes with a complete collection of cables to cover a broad range of scenarios. There is a standard 24-Pin ATX power connector as well as 4-Pin and 8-Pin +12v power connectors for powering the motherboard. The package also includes four 6-Pin PCI Express power connectors and two 8-Pin PCI Express connectors as well, for PCI-Express graphics cards.

Technical specifications for the x3:

• Street Price: $299.99
• Supports AMD and Intel Motherboards
• 135mm Fan
• Short Circuit Protection, In-Rush Current Protection, Thermal Overload Cutoff Protection
• Modular Design

Things I like
Ultra definitely knows how to make a solid PSU. The X3 is a computer modders dream come true. The first thing I like about the X3 is the fact that it’s competitively priced. For 1000W PSU’s $250 is pretty much average. This is good because it means you won’t be paying a lot. The next thing I like is the fact that the X3 is extremely quiet. Normally 135mm fans run fairly loud even when the computer isn’t running at its peak performance but the X3’s fan isn’t loud at all.

The innovative thing about the X3 is it’s modular design. The people over at Ultra realized that when you’re making your own computer, space is at a premium. Most PSU’s give you all of the power cables you could ever imagine needing and this clutters up your case and prevents air flow. The X3 allows you to plug in any and all of the cables you need. This means that you’ll only use what you need and this will prevent clutter. This is a genius idea and I can see it catching on with all PSU’s.

Things I don’t like
The only thing I don’t like about the X3 is the fact that it doesn’t run at the 1000W load (as the manufactures say). When the PSU was tested it seemed to run approximately 1.5% less than the 1000W. While this isn’t a big deal at all if you’ve built your machine knowing you need exactly 1000W this could be a problem. Other than that small detail I really can’t find anything wrong with this product.

Pros:

• Competitive Pricing
• Quiet
• Modular Design
• Ultra Flexible Cables

Cons:

• Voltages Slightly Lower than spec.

Final Thoughts
The Ultra X3 is an amazing power supply. It has a number of great features such as its modular design, flexible cables and it’s quietness all at a very competitive price. If you’re building a new computer soon I would recommend that you pick up this power supply, you won’t regret it.