Review Date: 23rd October 2002 Reviewed By: Michael "Hughesey" Hughes Product: Topower B030 Midi ATX Server Case Rating: 93% Manufacturer: Topower Computers Supplier: EYO Technologies

The PSU

The PSU that came with our review unit is a Black Topower TOP-420P4 Power Supply. The unit is rated at 420W and supports Pentium 4 Motherboards (as the name implies). As we can see the unit is rated at 220W on the combined 3.3v and 5v rails, providing more than ample power for todays processors (A power supply with 180w rated on the 3.3v+5v rails will power just about any current desktop-cpu based system). The unit comes with three 80mm fans installed, one on the back, one on the front and one on the top, providing excellent cooling for the unit as well as aiding in the removal of hot air from inside the case.

Above we can see the connectors which are found on the PSU. It is nice to see that Topower have included a braided sheathing for the ATX power connector, as this cord is usually the one that gets closest to the CPU fan, and hence is the cord most likely to disrupt the airflow. The unit also has the standard P4 and AUX connectors for P4/Server motherboards, as well as a generous 10 Molex connectors and 2 floppy connectors.

As an added bonus, Topower have included a molex-3pin adaptor with their PSU. This allows you to plug a fan which draws more power than the motherboards fan header is capable of, yet still has the 3 pin plug, into a standard molex connector. Although it wont allow for RPM monitoring, at least you can use the fan!