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Belgian guy reviews 105 power supplies, teeters on insanity
Product reviews are typically a welcome nugget of knowledge when trying to make a critical purchasing decision, but we'd probably succumb to just picking a power supply at random before actually wading through 105 reviews to find out which one was king. While this could all very well be a completely impractical prank, Stéphane Charpentier of MatBe has apparently put just over one hundred PSUs on the testing bench in order to find out which is worth your cash, and he went through a variety of flavors and wattages to make sure the very one you were eying was thoughtfully included. Without getting into specifics, Akasa's Power80+ took home the gold in the nonmodular category, Antec's Neo HE notched first place in the modular realm, the Fortron Zen won in the fanless arena, Cooler Master's Real Power Pro ruled the "powerful" division, and Antec's Earthwatts proved the most "valuable." Of course, there's a good bit of detail surrounding the 100 other losers in the crowd, so if you're down with skimming through 140 pages of PSU reviews, the read link awaits your attention. [Via Inquirer]
Sony's Energy LINK USB power supply / recharger
Not everyone is equipped with the skills (and time) necessary to craft their own flashlight-based cellphone charger, so Sony's looking out for those who'd rather throw down a few bills than handle a soldering iron. Looking to grab business from individuals packing a gazillion or so gadgets that receive energy via USB, the Energy LINK USB adapter provides a no frills alternative to charging and powering your device on-the-go. Aside from doubling as a recharging middleman, it comes with two rechargeable Cycle Energy batteries -- which purportedly "bridge the gap" between alkaline and NiMH cells -- to provide portable charging and power. The included batteries can be fully recharged in around three hours, but there's no word on just how much charging / powering abilities it possesses once powered up. Still, for those needing a simple charging option or a makeshift USB power supply in times of emergency, Sony's $35 Energy LINK should do the trick when it lands this summer.
Thermaltake kicks out Quad GPU-ready power supplies
There's just nothing quite like the smell of four graphics cards burning through energy in the morning to get you amped for the day, and Thermaltake is making sure you've got the juice and the connectors to make it happen. While not quite as mighty as Ultra Products' 2,000-watt behemoth, the 1,200- and 1,000-watt Toughpower PSUs support both AMD and Intel rigs and boast a trio of six-pin PCI-E connectors, eight SATA and Molex ports, and both units claim the "world's first" tag by collectively being numero uno to include eight-pin PCI-E connectors. The backwards compatible ports allow gamers to hit up a bit of Quad SLI action on their own, and considering the massive power draw demanded by such cards, it's good to know you've got so much energy on tap for those graphically straining firefights. Although there's no pricing information available just yet, the W0133 / W0132 should be available soon, and if you're already considering throwing down for four high-end GPUs, we highly doubt cashflow is of primary concern.[Via FarEastGizmos]Read - Thermaltake Toughpower W0133Read - Thermaltake Toughpower W0132
Potentia Semiconductor intros primary side power module for LCD HDTVs
Although finding power supplies potent enough to power just about anything isn't exactly a struggle, locating an adequate power source that takes up the absolute minimum amount of space within a given enclosure is an ongoing challenge. Potentia Semiconductor has introduced what it calls the "industry's first primary side power module" for LCD HDTVs, which will purportedly allow for 32- to 65-inch sets to become even slimmer. The PM-6010 is a "power control and conversion module for primary side, off-line power factor correction (PFC) and isolated DC-DC power conversion using LLC resonant power topologies," which essentially spells out in so many words that it can provide the power LCD TVs need in a fraction of the size, but curiously omits details about just how much volume will be saved. Nevertheless, the device is available to early access customers in versions ranging from 200 to 500 watts, and can be implemented in sets that "employ the direct powering of the CCFL backlighting from the PFC or traditional power topologies."[Via DMasia]
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Nintendo responds to Game Boy accident that killed UK boy
Nintendo of Europe has offered its condolences to the family of Connor O'Keefe, the seven-year-old UK boy who was electrocuted and tragically killed last Saturday when unplugging his Game Boy power supply. Connor was vacationing with his family in Thailand when the fatal accident occurred. The UK (230V/50Hz) and Thailand (220V/50Hz) use similar voltage standards.Nintendo did not issue any further comments, claiming that details of the incident were still unclear. Police have declared the tragedy an accident. "No blame has been attached," said Lt. Colonel Sopol Borirok.
Ultra Products unveils 2000-watt X3 ATX power supply
We're all about watching new "world's (insert adjective here)" gizmos become a reality, and we certainly don't mind the occasional dash of overkill, but Ultra Products' forthcoming power supply takes "insane" to another level. In what's presumably the world's largest, most powerful PSU to call an ATX case home, the 2000-watt Modular X3 comes in at 10.25-inches in length and will reportedly fit "wherever a PC Power & Cooling 1000-watt version will". The +12V rail alone is rated at 1800-watts, which means that it can purportedly handle a 150A load, and just might cause some sort of small disaster if actually achieved. Nevertheless, the smorgasbord of connectors allow for more power connections that most could even fathom needing, but Ultra believes that this PSU should remove all worry over whether or not your rig "has enough juice." While it's easy to brush this off as completely absurd, the latest AMD scorchers combined with a few NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTX or ATI R600 cards could easily eat up a good bit of the supplied power, so if a ginormous power supply was the only thing missing from finishing up your energy-sucking rig, Ultra's X3 should be available sometime this quarter for "less than $499."[Via Digg]
NEC recalls 14,600 desktop power supplies after a pair of explosions
You know, ever since Sony got all responsible on us and started recalling those exploding batteries of theirs, things have been pretty quiet on the whole "OMG my computer is on fire" front. That's why we're happy to report that NEC is recalling fire-starting power supplies in 14,600 of its Valuestar desktops, which were produced between November 2003 and June 2004. Two computers have already esploded due to overheating PSUs, but luckily nobody has been hurt yet. It's a Japan-only problem, and we're not quiet sure how to go about getting your power supply replaced or how much the total cost of the recall will be for NEC, but we're really just glad to be back in the swing of things.
Big bucks for 360 power brick
The bulky Xbox 360 power brick (aka El Jefe Grande) is big by any definition. Big enough to make your puny DVD player power supply run and hide. Big enough to club a baby seal to death in a pinch. All that's missing to secure its status as the king of gargantuan AC adaptors is a big stand-alone price tag. Enter the Intec Xbox 360 Power AC Adaptor, which, for the Kong-size cost of $100 ( wall plug not included!) adds an internal cooling fan and a few LED lights to your factory power brick, without shaving an ounce off the original's famous form factor. When I first heard about this thing, I assumed Intec was charging power supply snobs a premium for a sleeker, less obtrusive unit, but who was I kidding? This baby is big 'n' beautiful, and it has a fan that supposedly makes your 360 run better. The only question: Is anyone out there a big enough sucker to actually buy it?[Thanks Chris]
Wii-cessory photos
As plays on the name go, "Wii-cessory" is probably not going to catch on, but y'know ... we're okay with that. It's so hard to come up with new witticisms when we're gazing upon the smooth, silky cables, so dark and lustrous. We can imagine how they'll slide through our fingers as we lovingly unwind them from their cruel and twisty knot of torture. The flat expanse of the sensor bar, just waiting, waiting for its place of honor atop our televisions. Ah, the pristine white shimmer of the nunchuk, so fresh and unspoiled by our grubby jam-hands. Oh, Wii. Why must we wait so long to be with you?[Thanks to creamsugar for the tip. The original site seems to be experiencing intermittent downtime, so we're linking to Go Nintendo's pictures. Look out for some severe watermarking, however.]
Overheard at the family BBQ: "Oh my God it's huge!"
The family Memorial Day weekend BBQ was the first time my non-gamer geek relatives got a chance to spend some quality in-door air-conditioned time with my Xbox 360. Comments ranged from my Mother's horror at the realistic blood and Burger King ads in FNR:3 to group frustration with Geometry Wars (still too intimidating for the most casual, even after several Coronas). Best line of the the day:"What is that thing?...Oh my God it's huge!"In reference to El Jefe, otherwise known as the the 360 power supply.
