LEPA Releases 1700W MaxPlatinum Power Supply, EU Only
by Ian Cutress on March 19, 2014 5:47 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- Lepa
- Enermax
In the major PC component spaces, there comes a time when a product stack fits nicely with what needs to be done. In the GPU area, we have had discrete and onboard graphics that run normal web computing for 85% of regular users as well as it needs to. But the boundaries are pushed at the upper limit, where resolution and pixel power matter most. With power supplies, it is kind of the same thing – with most desktop computers using sub-400W at peak, there is no real need for these users to spend money on 1000W power supplies. But for the extreme enthusiast end, this need exists. For these users, LEPA has released their 1700W MaxPlatinum power supply as part of their CeBIT 2014 launch.
The MaxPlatinum range features 1050W, 1375W and 1700W models, all 80 PLUS Platinum certified (on 115V, >90% efficient at 20% load, >92% @ 50% load, >89% @ 100% load). The designs are modular, the 1700W unit measures 180x150x86mm, all units support C6/C7 power states for Haswell and up to 10 PCIe 6+2 power connectors depending on the model. The device uses a multi-rail design, with two of the rails at 20A and four rails at 30A. The base design is performed by Enermax, and uses a 135mm ball bearing fan with thermal speed control. The official specification sheet, along with cable lengths, can be found here.
The title for this news piece includes the phrase ‘EU Only’. This applies to the 1700W model only, which appropriately has the SKU code P1700-MA-EU. The other models will be available in other regions, but having an EU centric model is a little confusing. This is presumably due to efficiency using a 220-240V input – these regions tend to have higher efficiency ratings, and I wonder if LEPA was not able to hit 80 PLUS Platinum without this input. That would suggest the possibility of an 80 PLUS Gold or Silver 1700W edition might be on the cards.
Addendum: Enermax (who make the unit) has told me that to make a 1700W Platinum model for 110/115V regions requires a different design. At the minute this is not planned, with the G1600 model being the focus for North America.
So the question at the end of the day still is ‘What do you need 1700W for?’ Back when I tested an EVGA SR-2 with dual Westmere-EX Xeons and quad ASUS HD 7970 GPUs, I used a 1600W power supply that was hitting 1550W when the system was overclocked. Or take for example Cryptocurrency mining, whereby five R9 290X GPUs are being powered by a single power supply, also potentially overclocked. There is also a wealth of compute possibilities to be considered. Regular users need not apply.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
16 Comments
View All Comments
r3loaded - Wednesday, March 19, 2014 - link
Thing is, most cryptocurrency miners are located in North America as electricity's much cheaper there. So it's actually the North American market which would be more receptive to a 1700W power supply.piroroadkill - Wednesday, March 19, 2014 - link
That's not the reason it's EU only, it's most likely because the socket-outlets in the US can't cope because of the terribly low voltage, so you'd need an unreasonable amperage to deliver the same amount of watts.IndianaKrom - Wednesday, March 19, 2014 - link
Yeah, a standard circuit in the US is 115 volts at 15 amps = 1725 watts maximum, a 1700 watt PSU at peak loading with 89% efficiency would draw ~1910 watts which would trip the breaker.DanNeely - Wednesday, March 19, 2014 - link
Another reason to doubt a US version is that 1700W is butting up against the 15A of standard US residential wiring. Getting 20A circuits instead isn't hard, but to draw that much current from a single device you need to use a different wall socket; and Joe Moron is likely to save time and effort by replacing the wall plug and circuit breaker but not pulling thicker wire through the walls leading to a fire hazard.nathanddrews - Wednesday, March 19, 2014 - link
I used 20A wire when I remodeled my house. ;-)JASTECH - Friday, April 25, 2014 - link
I never heard of 20 amp wire. Your load, length of wire will determin the proper gauge to use.Most new homes do not all have 20 amp breakers, they include many 10 amp and 15 amp breakers.
I wired a home run 20 amp from the sub-panel I installed which also has the neutro/grnd bus bar removed, then installed 8' copper ground rod into earth then to sub-panel. I have a pure sonic wave APC 2600 Pro that is plugged into home run. This gives me clean power for my rig.
bobbozzo - Wednesday, March 19, 2014 - link
Modern houses all have 20A breakers minimum, but the outlets are still rated for 15A per plug.nathanddrews - Wednesday, March 19, 2014 - link
Just in time for the Radeon R9 295X2.Thefinalcomponent - Thursday, April 10, 2014 - link
I know, I found this because I was looking for a PSU that could power 2 R9 295X2's for my new rig. I'm gunna squeeze them in to a Bitfenix prodigy m with a 4930k and was struggling to find a PSU with this wattage and form factor!Gadgety - Wednesday, March 19, 2014 - link
Want one. Not sure it's worth spending on it when my current current is being supplied by a Silverstone ST-1500.