Clever Power 150mm radial fanned PS

[NeilBlanchard]

Hello:

Well, I'm running an Athlon 64 3000+ system on a 300watt Clever Power from NewEgg.com -- and it is wickedquiet!! Very, very quiet -- and I'm Folding with it.

It is the quietest PS I have heard, period.

My ear has to be within 2-3" of the exhaust grill to even hear it -- and again that's at full load:

Athlon 64 3000+ w/ stock HS/fan at ~2400RPM (on Fanmate)
1GB Mushkin RAM
RAID 1 Samsung 160GB SATA drives
Samsung CD-RW
Iomega Zip 750
Mitsumi floppy/ memory card reader
Enermax 120mm @ ~4.2 volts
Globe 92mm intake @ 5v
Evercase 4252

The exhaust air is barely warm, and it is much quieter than anything in the case.

I peaked inside the unit and if I had to guess, it has PFC; maybe even active PFC. There is a second (smaller) transformer and a HUGE toroidial choke -- a little over 1" in diameter, and it has quite large heatsinks. The insides are well packed with the four (!!) grounded/filtered AC plugs on the back take up the rear 3/4" under the 150mm radial fan.

The blades of the fan are shaped like airfoils and are quite long and slim. The fan's motor/bub is maybe 7/8" in diameter, only, so the blades are almost 2" long!

I think this one deserves a spot in out SPRC recommended PS, a couple of notches above the Fortron, at least. And for the price ($35 shipped at NewEgg.com) it is a *steal*.

[MikeC]

Neil, this one is totally familar to me. Just can't remember the name!!

About 2 years ago, a PSU line/brand out of HK? Taiwan? with virtually the exact same appearance, including the extra AC outlets. They had no North Am distribution and refused to send any samples, insisting we buy them for review (and ship them over at our expense too!).

The "Clever Power" website identifies an office in Calif, so maybe its the same (or similar) product coming out of the same factory with new management/distribution in the US.

Someone from there did email me a while ago & expressed an interest in a SPCR review, but I have not heard anything back. Time to fire off a followup...

[MikeC]

AHA Found it: Orbitron Intl. Corp is the name of the original company. They have a web site called: http://www.justcooler.com.tw/english/eindex.htm Check out the PSU pages. You'll see they are the same -- even the language and images are the same. I recognized the brand Just Cooler in a photo of the "clever power" fan in a review on another site.

[mpteach]

Probably doesnt push to much air with that tiny grill
As long as its silent though.

Four outlets would be nice for some but i would rather have the great airflow

I have a surge protector box with 6 swtiches + 5 outlets. I also have a UPS with 3 UPS'ed +3 reguar more outlets. If i had a psu like that anything i plugged into that psu would be on ups power. I have the monitor,PC and modem on it but im buying a router and another monitor. Wonder if i need another UPS

price=$29.00

REVIEW LINK: http://secure.newegg.com/app/Custrating ... catalog=58

[zuperdee]

About PFC: Generally, if the unit has Passive PFC, it should have a choke somewhere that is wired in series with the phase and neutral wires. A toroid is by definition NOT the PFC choke. The PFC choke can ONLY be wired directly in series with the phase and neutral wires coming into the PSU.

Active PFC on the other hand, generally depends on complex ICs. The choke is a good reason NOT to go for passive PFC, because it is a major potential source of coil hum.

Another difference often found between passive PFC and active PFC is that Active has only ONE bulk cap, where non/passive PFC units have two.

[Kostik]

About PFC: Generally, if the unit has Passive PFC, it should have a choke somewhere that is wired in series with the phase and neutral wires.

So if I was to bypass the choke in a passive PFC PSU, would that turn it into a non-PFC unit ? Is it that simple or does it require tweaking/modifying something else ?

Weird question, I know. I'm just curious.

[wdekler]

This PSU also has a another nice "feature"...

The justcooler website mentions "no bugs pierce problem" because the fan is located at the top. It has a nice drawing of "cockroaches" entering a conventional PSU through the fangrill...

See the last picture: http://www.justcooler.com.tw/english/eindex.htm

EDIT: after opening this site: click power supply and then click SP300 to get to the pictures



I'm really looking forward to a review for the other features though.

And no... I don't have any use for the bugs pierce protection in my home...

[zuperdee]

So if I was to bypass the choke in a passive PFC PSU, would that turn it into a non-PFC unit ? Is it that simple or does it require tweaking/modifying something else ?

Weird question, I know. I'm just curious.

Actually, I think that's an interesting question. Would be kinda neat if it were that simple, in a way. But unfortunately, I believe there is some other stuff involved too, including some filter caps. My guess would be that removing/bypassing the choke might cause the filter caps to fail prematurely. (Bear in mind that I am not an electrical engineer, and so I am just going by what I know, given my limited knowledge as a hobbyist.)

This article gives a little more detail on PFC circuits, and regulatory requirements:
http://www.reed-electronics.com/ednmag/ ... 2F6%2F2000

Also, see this thread for a picture of the kind of choke I am talking about, and the reasons why I STRONGLY believe you should go for either Active PFC or none at all.

[NeilBlanchard]

Hello:

The stamped grills on this unit are extremely thin -- the air flow would only be marginally improved by clipping them out. The intakes by the way appear to be well thought out with a large one on the back (nearly 50% larger than the exhaust?) and two much smaller ones on the sides (to reduce "dead zones"?). The air flow from the 150mm radial fan is quite a bit less than from the Fortron 120mm for example, so you will need to provide other case fans to get the case cooled.

The Just Cooler sticker is on the fan in my unit, like the picture above shows.

There is a medium sized "straight" choke, two smaller small ones, AND there is a large toroidial choke, one medium toroidial choke and one small one, too. Six chokes in all; three "Straight" and three toroidial. There are two large 820uF caps, and at least three (smaller sized) 4700uF caps. I spotted 2 small 8 pin IC's. There are at least two very large power transistors (5/8" wide) and two smaller ones. There is also a 4-pin diode bridge -- maybe this is *not* a Class D (switching) PS? [Edit: It certainly *looks* like an Active PFC unit! [/Edit]

The one last "clever" thing I *wish they did was to leave out the 6-wire "accessory" power plug and substituted a second SATA power plug.

There are 6 large Molex, 2 small, 1 SATA, and the usual 20-pin ATX and 4-pin 12volt plugs. None of the wires are particularly long, but I think they would work very well in all mid-towers.

[Sooty]

These reviews found weak 12v rails

400W reviewed by Controlled Insanity

SPS-500 reviewed by Extreme OverClocking

And this will require an aditional exhaust fan, which will raise noise from 25dB to 28dB(?). The SuperFlower SF-450TS in comparison, does a great job exhausting cpu heat, so perhaps doesn't require an aditional fan, and maxes out at 28dB

[Kostik]

Also, see this thread for a picture of the kind of choke I am talking about, and the reasons why I STRONGLY believe you should go for either Active PFC or none at all.

I agree. In my experience, passive PFC PSUs always whine, buzz or vibrate. That's the reason why I'm asking btw. PFC is a good thing, but passive PFC or no PFC at all makes little difference in a very low power consumption computer.

And PFC is mandatory in Europe for PSUs over 70w. Some of my computer don't draw more than 50w under load (at least that's what I assume as they don't draw more than 70w from the plug, and PSUs usually have low efficiency under low load), but I don't want to buy an expensive fanless 50w PSU if I can use an inexpensive, decent quality 300w PSU, remove the PFC circuitry and swap the fan for a 5-volted L1A.

Actually I'm just wondering if it's feasable, but I don't think I would do it. A Seasonic SS-300FS doesn't cost much, runs with an L1A at 5v and has active PFC with a PF of 0.9 under low load.

[BillyBuerger]

Maybe this should be a new topic, or maybe it's already been discused. But I would think that running a PSU at a low flow and leave the exhausting of the warm air from the cpu to a seperate exhaust fan would be more quiet than having the PSU have to exhaust it's own heat plus the CPU heat. Even if the fan grills were minimal or removed from the PSU, you're blowing the air across the PSU HS and stufff. So an equivilant amount of air getting blown through a PSU would make more noise than an exhaust fan which has virtually nothing in the way of the air flow. Isn't this why some people duct the PSU so it has it's own intake air and therefore keep the fan speed to a minimum?

[MikeC]

"Maybe this should be a new topic, or maybe it's already been discused."

It has, and it's a sticky:Does "Evacuate the heat" role for the PSU work?

[BillyBuerger]

Damn, I knew I should have looked first. Thanks Mike.

[zuperdee]

There is a medium sized "straight" choke

That might be the PFC choke--is it connected in series with the phase and neutral wires coming into the PSU?

two smaller small ones

Are you sure these are chokes, or are they full-blown transformers? There must surely be some transformers in there somewhere.

AND there is a large toroidial choke, one medium toroidial choke and one small one, too.

These are most likely part of the conversion circuitry.

There are two large 820uF caps

Possibly indicating passive PFC. These would be the main caps in the AC input circuit.

I spotted 2 small 8 pin IC's. There are at least two very large power transistors (5/8" wide) and two smaller ones.

Are the power transistors mounted to the heatsinks? These might be the switching transistors.

There is also a 4-pin diode bridge -- maybe this is *not* a Class D (switching) PS? [Edit: It certainly *looks* like an Active PFC unit! [/Edit]

Not necessarily. Those 4 diodes could be the bridge rectifier, for converting the AC into DC. Most switching-mode power supplies use such a thing. In ract, Seasonic is one of the few that makes a big deal about the fact that they use a "forward converter" instead of a bridge rectifier, which they say is part of the reason they have such great efficiency.

One last thing: Does the CleverPower PSU have a 115/230VAC switch, or is it full range? If it has the switch, it is almost 100% certain to be Passive PFC or none at all.

[buzzlightyear]

I'd posted the same thread early. I was very concerned by the 11.5v@12v rail (at idle) issues. I found the same two reviews and both identified the same issues for different models. That could mean it is a fundamental design issue.

Since I am in the middle of testing/constructing a new overclocked AMD system. The lower-than-normal voltage issue is just another variable I can't afford to have. I am still very interested in these PSUs. But for now, I'll pass.

For the people interested in this, Fry Electronics and its online store, outpost.com, will start carrying these PSUs on April 15.

These reviews found weak 12v rails

400W reviewed by Controlled Insanity

SPS-500 reviewed by Extreme OverClocking

And this will require an aditional exhaust fan, which will raise noise from 25dB to 28dB(?). The SuperFlower SF-450TS in comparison, does a great job exhausting cpu heat, so perhaps doesn't require an aditional fan, and maxes out at 28dB

[NeilBlanchard]

Hello:

First the bad news: the Clever Power will not (quite) fit correctly in an Antec SLK3700-BQE *without* at least one modification to the case. The top half of the upper row of rectangular grill holes gets covered by the Antec case's rear panel. You would have to remove about 1/8"-3/16" x 3 1/2" or so...

The good news is though that it looks great in an Evercase 4252...

As for the questions:

On the 12V rail, it seemed to do just fine with the Athlon 64 3000+ and ECS 755-A2 motherboard -- Athlon 64's use the 12v 4-pin in addition to the 20-pin ATX. Neither review was all that worried about this voltage --and one of the SuperFlower 140mm PS reviews put it's 12v rail at 11.2v (and it ran a computer okay) while another put it at 11.95 or something like that. There may just be a trim pot inside that could be tweaked...

There is a largish transformer (for a PS anyway) in there -- it is visible below the fan on the photo with the open cover. Is there likely to be more than one transformer? All the other yellow wrapped items are what I'm calling chokes.

I don't think that *all* toroidial coils buzz -- the main transformer in my B&K ST-140 stereo amp is a very large toroidial unit (maybe 6" in diameter?!) and it is virtually silent -- I have never noticed anything in the 16 years that I've owned it. None of the three Fortrons that I own/have used buzz -- at least at a level that I've noticed... Toroids are *supposed* to "self-contain" their own magnetic fields, IIANM.

It does have a voltage switch -- it's in the photo of the rear panel.

Yes, the four transistors are mounted to the main heat sinks. Another thing I noticed is that the HS do not *appear* to be "hot", sine one of them touches the case (in the intake grill area) and the case is grounded.

[attnet]

Does anybody think this PSU could give any of the SeaSonics a run for their money? Also, has anyone actually seen a CleverPower for sale at Fry's?