Thermaltake Purepower Power Station 520W PSU

Conclusion

The Thermaltake Purepower Power Station 520W PSU is a great upgrade for those with 2+ year old power supplies. While the pricing is a little bit on the high-side at $160, Thermaltake knows their reputation of quality and stability is worth the premium and they will stand behind your investment.

You are probably thinking that you could get a generic 500W PSU and save a bunch of money, but the reality of the matter is that you do not want to skimp on the component that can destroy your entire system if you inadvertently overload a rail or get a surge from a lightening strike. Quality brand PSUs will cost over $100 and if your system already contains a quality motherboard, CPU, and video card, then a quality PSU is a must. I’ve trusted Thermaltake with my system for 5 years now and have not had any issues.

With that said, if you are looking at the Purepower 520W PSU for your new SLI or Crossfire gaming rig, then there are a few things you need to know. First you should take note that the Max Load on the 12V rails on this PSU are 30 Amps (A). According to this page on SLIZone, the minimum recommended Max Load rating for a pair of 7800GTXs or 6800 Ultras (the 256MB versions) is 30A. Since this is the minimum, it will be quite possible that you will receive random BSODs while in the middle of your favorite game. However, this PSU should handle a pair of 6800GTs or lower with no problem since the minimum recommended Max Load rating is 25A.

I like Thermaltake’s modular design implementation. The Power Station scheme works great and helps cable management even better than most of today’s typical modular power supplies. However, I wonder if the primary power station really needs to be as long as it is. I don’t mind having it take up a 5.25″ bay, but it would be nicer if it only was 1/2 or 3/4 as deep as it is.

I also like how quiet this PSU is. The Thermaltake 360W PSU I was using had two fans to push air though the unit. The Thermaltake 520W only has one fan that pulls air from inside the case and pushes it out the back of the unit. Needless to say, I quickly noticed a drop in the noise level coming from my computer.

Thermaltake has once again demonstrated its ability to create stable power supplies that meet the demands of today’s hardware.

Legit Bottom Line:

The Thermaltake Purepower Power Station 520W PSU implements a unique modular design that improves cable management and its solid stability with an average system shows no signs of weakness to the point that I would recommend this unit for a mainstream SLI or Crossfire gaming rig.