With new graphics card setups like SLI and Crossfire coming out, a lot of lower wattage PSU’s are being tossed into the unholy pile of obsoleteness. When I built my computer I wanted a power supply that was equally quiet and cool. I ordered a silent one from Newegg, but it was DOA and I returned it (kudos to Newegg for their great customer service). I then remembered a little case modding site called Xoxide, which has some of the best products that you won’t find anywhere else. I found my current PSU there: a Casegears X-plug modular PSU, the perfect choice to go in my rig.

Stability Testing

Topping out with only a 450-watt rating, the X-plug is not the most powerful PSU out there. However, it is one of the few honestly-rated ones. Because of the cables being as they are (pre-bundled), I couldn’t use a meter to read the actual voltage. So I found out some people have used ABIT EQ to monitor the stability of their rails. I have ABIT EQ so this seem like the way to go. The rails are actually very stable in their wattage, more than most PSU’s that I have seen. There is a slight drop on the 12v CPU rail, but otherwise most of the readings remain stable at high loads. To test high loads, I ran 3DMark 2006 with After Effects and Cinema 4D rendering movies in the background, all while I had my overclock setting cranking my 2.2Ghz Athlon64 3500+ (my computer actually crashed right after I took the screen shot because of extremely high CPU temperatures). After starting back up, I was amazed that this little PSU had managed to survive all of this abuse and maintain power levels. For something that’s so aesthetically pleasing, it sure packs a punch.

Normal load

Heavy Load

Installation and Aesthetics

The X-plug modular is definitely not an ugly PSU, although you may want to buy a can of compressed air with it; the windows get dirty (as you can see in my picture). The PSU is cooled by two clear 60mm fans on the underside, and one 80mm fan with blue LEDs that light the entire unit. As you can see in the pictures the PSU is pre-modded. Windows and blue LED’s plus a very shiny casing make this PSU sparkle. Actually, you may want to wear gloves when you install this PSU because, like the back of a new iPod, it collects ugly fingerprints. Installation of the PSU was very easy. One thing I noticed was the lack of mounting screws in the box, which means that you need to have four screws hanging around to get this thing in your rig. One quick tip: Thumb screws for case sides are perfect for mounting any PSU, because they are the same size and proper length. After I had installed the PSU, things went swimmingly. I have heard of some modular PSU’s having extremely complicated connectors for the cables. Casegear made this PSU the may PSU’s should be made. Each cable connects to a socket that looks just like the cable. So a 4-pin MOLEX plugs into a 4-pin MOLEX and such. As with many of the modular PSU’s the 20+4-pin connector for the motherboard does not come out of the PSU. All of the cables are sleeved in a blue UV-reactive sleeve. The connectors are also all UV-reactive.

Specifications

The X-plug may be a good little PSU, but its not meant for any rigs with high-end graphics cards. There are no 12v rails for high power graphics cards. However, it does come with eight 4-pin MOLEX connectors, one 4-pin 12 volt CPU power connector, a 20+4 motherboard connector, two SATA power connectors, and two floppy connectors. The PSU is made for an ATX case, and easily fits inside. Ive had it for three months now and it hasn’t ever failed me. The back of the PSU has a power switch. Finally I believe that the internal fan grills can be modded. I may do this in the future, but right now I want to keep this baby working.

Other Images

Window Shot