In Win Commander II 1200W
by Martin Kaffei on June 10, 2011 1:10 PM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- PSUs
- 1200W
- In-Win
Commander II: Only a Private First Class
We really appreciate that In Win tried to make something different by creating an unusual looking product with a military theme. However, we have to criticize some very important points. First, the power cord should be a 16A cable and not the typical 10A. We had the necessary 16A cable on hand, but most users are unlikely to have a spare 16A cable. Considering we were able to draw nearly 13A from the wall, a 10A cable rating is definitely too little. Second, the ripple and noise results are relatively high on all rails, especially +12V.
The package contents are standard fare, but the decision to include just eight SATA and six Molex connectors means the Commander II is badly equipped for a 1200W PSU. The Antec HCP-1200 for instance includes support for 12 SATA and nine Molex, and most modern systems will only need a few Molex with more SATA. Ten SATA plugs should be the minimum for a 1200W PSU, though eight 6/8-pin connectors for graphics cards is good. In contrast to the other high-end PSUs, the Commander II 1200W also has two FDD plugs which is just not necessary, as one is more than enough. The cable sleeving is fine and both CPU cables are very long (60cm); the PCIe cables could even be shorter (depending on the case and routing a user chooses).
In Win uses a crowded looking design from Andyson with one large transformer, two main caps from Panasonic, and a safety IC that offers OCP for all rails. We miss some parts in the EMI filtering such as a MOV or Thermistor. All capacitors in the secondary circuit are Taiwanese made. We feel it's better for a manufacturer to choose cheap ones for the primary and expensive ones for the secondary circuit, since the temperatures and currents are higher in the secondary, but the big primary caps tend to stand out more. In Win inserts DC-to-DC VRM as well as SR to increase efficiency. With this technology In Win is very close to 80 Plus Silver, as our measurements show.
In Win reached up to 87% efficiency on 115VAC with 81% at 10% load. These are very satisfying results for an 80 Plus Bronze PSU. Of course the efficiency is even higher at 230VAC while the power factor is lower on the European power grid. With noise of 19-22dBA on loads under 50%, this PSU is not very loud at low to moderate load; even so we wouldn't say it is silent. As expected, 100% load results in a loud fan. The noise level is very close to most competitors. Unfortunately, with more than 90mV ripple and noise on +12V, we really can't recommend this PSU as a good option for enthusiasts. Most PSUs are able to stay under 60mV on the critical 12V rails.
Finally, we'll conclude with a look at pricing. Here's where things get complicated, since the Commander II is relatively hard to get. Newegg currently lists the price at 225.99USD, and it may still drop, but Newegg is also out of stock. On the other hand, Antec offers a 1200W 80 Plus Silver PSU starting at just $200 online. You'd get more efficiency for less money, though given the 80mm fan the noise at higher loads is reportedly very high. The Corsair AX 1200W is more expensive but delivers great performance and 80 Plus Gold, with similar noise characteristics. There's also the OCZ ZX 1250W, with 80 Plus Gold rating and a similar price to the In Win 1200W. In the end, we wouldn't pay more than 200USD for the In Win Commander II. Hopefully the pricing will drop, but even at $200 this is merely an average 1200W offering.
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ckryan - Friday, June 10, 2011 - link
There is a lot of focus on the 1000w+ category of power supplies, but how big could the market really be? Outside of the tri-and quad SLI/Crossfire market, there just isn't much need for these. I guess I'm glad they're there, but I wish there was more a focus on making higher quality, lower powered units. The good news is that it looks as though some of the newer higher end PSUs will be efficient at all loads -- which is good, since even Seasonic is headed towards more and more powerful units even as system power draw levels are trending down with the advent of Sandy Bridge.MrTeal - Friday, June 10, 2011 - link
I agree, I'd much rather see a full review of the be quiet! supplies that we mentioned a few days ago than the continual reviews 800-1200W supplies. I'd love to see a thorough review of a high quality 300W supply.Martin Kaffei - Friday, June 10, 2011 - link
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4069/huntkey-300w-80...And as already mentioned in the text we had some smaller PSUs before.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4343/antec-hcg-520-g...
ckryan - Saturday, June 11, 2011 - link
Martin,I hope you review every PSU you can possibly get your hands on. I don't have a problem with 1000w+ PSUs, and if I needed one, I'd buy two. If a PSU could be just as efficient at 4% or 5% loads as at 20% or 50% loads, I'd be using a kW unit too. At least this unit gets >80% at 10% loads. I'm guessing it's the most profitable slice of the PSU pie, a brand prestige product as well. Undoubtedly, more attention to quality is usually given to these big units.
I've already have lamented in the past that my last PSU purchase was for a 650w unit -- a good all around unit but still way overpowered. At least when my computer idles at 56w (at the wall), my PSU is still pretty efficient. The huntkey jumper still isn't here in America, and the closest competitor is the FSP Aurum 400w, which is either really popular or hard to find since it's been out of stock at the Egg for quite some time. So I know some people want to see more 300w - 500w quality units -- at least some manufacturers have decided to go in that direction too -- now, they just need to get them to North America and to AnandTech's fortress of PSU reviews.
A5 - Friday, June 10, 2011 - link
They can only review what PSU makers send them, and these are the units they get sent since they make the PSU makers the most money.esSJae - Friday, June 10, 2011 - link
Maybe 5 1000W+ reviews in the last year is a lot of focus?I thought this was supposed to be an enthusiast's site?
brucek2 - Friday, June 10, 2011 - link
Thanks for an excellent review. Specifically, I love that:1) you provided details on what is inside the box and the quality/impact of each component
2) the review is clearly aimed directly at the readers (hardware enthusiasts), vs. trying to strike some sort of diplomatic balance between readers and marketers (note the absence of marketing fluff and willingness to call the product out on its weaknesses).
3) the conclusion provides a comparison to other options in the market with specific strengths/weaknesses of each called out.
I'm getting so spoiled here that I'm finding it increasingly hard to read "reviews" in the mainstream press. For instance, I just read a few reviews of A/V components that didn't even bother to tell you what chips were on the board. Maybe there's an opening for AnandTech to expand into?
amf66 - Friday, June 10, 2011 - link
I really enjoyed reading this review. It did a good job of explaining the weaknesses of the connector choices and I doubt many others would have noticed the 10A power cable for a PSU that pull more than this. I always like seeing the internals of power supplies and having the components explained and this did a great job at that. The only small problem is the typo in the first paragraph of the last page. Other than that it was great.Martin Kaffei - Friday, June 10, 2011 - link
Thanks for the correction, "definetly " helpful.krumme - Friday, June 10, 2011 - link
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