Ultra is the worst psu company ever!!!!!!

[I]

WRONG. Open up any wintech unit you will find components that can at least live up to the label's stated specs.

No, here's an example - Ultra V-Series 400W, the 12V rectifier is an ultrafast (not even Schottky) rated by it's manufacturer for 16A, less than the 20A the Ultra label states. Here's a review where another one also failed to live up to the specs but it's not a Wintech, and to be fair, it is significantly better than most of the Ultra Wintechs around 500W rating even if you consider it only a 500W for having failed the 600W test.

Hell at least they list decent specs at all, more than what youngyear does. The same cannot be said for any youngyear unit, a 500w rated unit will have components that are lucky to hit 250w at best.

You are talking about short term peak power output, which is not the same as components built to support running at stated wattage for the MTBF. You can't just take one of the specs out of context and argue it, the specifications are all together binding on each other.

Worse, youngyear has been known to slap a variety of labels on their units regardless of the components inside. When the label says +12v@34A you don't see a single 10A rated rectifier in a wintech, only a youngyear.

Yes "some" youngyears are horribly overrated. The company selling them picks the label. I'm not defending youngyear though, their PSU should be seen as only suitable for modestly endowed systems. What you have yet to realize is this is also true for many of the Wintechs. Pause for a moment and think about what the most common failure points are in PC PSU. Fans and caps. Neither of which are suitable for long term use in many Ultra PSU.

Someone says "but I have ran one for a dozen months" (Or whatever) but that's not much of a consolation if you eventually have to buy another PSU anyway, one you might've just bought in the first place (or at the very least have to pull the PSU from, pay to RMA it, have system downtime then reassembly time if you have it warranted. Some people wouldn't call the RMA process fun either.

To keep the lifespan high you should run it at lower output than stated on the label. Other PSU manufacturers don't choose more expensive parts for "fun" or to subsidize capacitor, etc, manufacturers. I'm not solely pointing the finger at Ultra or Wintech on this issue, when other PSU have similar problems. Those should be addressed as well, but I doubt this thread's originator intended to discuss all random PSu problems, didn't plan to hear about some other brand like the Fuhjyyu caps in some Channel Wells. Then again, here's a review that spotted Fuhjyyu and yet another generic "Goldlink" in a Wintech Ultra too, so,

Switching PSU are not a new invention, beyond juggling # of amps per rail and some connector changes and eyecandy, there has been ample time to find failure modes and assess PSU that use parts not suitable for long term use. We don't actually have to wait till a cap pops to know that it is not suited for some uses.

Also we haven't even covered ripple. Given same output power, same sized magnetics, and same switching frequency, many Ultra PSU have inferior levels of capacitance. Notibly the V-Series but the V-Series is not alone. I could've told you that just by assessing one with my eyes but some reviews have also picked up on it.

Badcaps.net page (search for "Su'scon" on the page). If you don't know why you're searcing for Su'scon, you haven't opened many Wintechs. The "Jee" and other brand (which I forget at the moment) they're using are also poor.

 

[ZOldDude]

please dont buy one take it from me. It sounds like im trying to talk in morris code whenever i turn my computer on.

I have known they were total CRAP from the day they started selling them.

I bought a case of them and TWO failed in under 24 hours durring build burn in...that's 2 out of 12 (or 1 of 6)!

 

[doolittle]

No, here's an example - Ultra V-Series 400W, the 12V rectifier is an ultrafast (not even Schottky) rated by it's manufacturer for 16A, less than the 20A the Ultra label states.

voodoo magic, it actually hit 20A in JG's load testing, either he took the reading during the fraction of a second it was allowed to hit a peak value or he has an engineering sample that could handle the rated specs. Curious about that X-pro review you linked to, it seems to be an excellent 500w unit that has a 600w label slapped on it. Seems to be all the rage nowadays, isn't that what started this thread

Some people wouldn't call the RMA process fun either.

Original X-connect? Youngyear.

All said and done, if the argument between who is crappier - wintech or youngyear, youngyear wins hands down.

I will let hardwarecanucks sum it up for us.

hardwarecanucks.com[/url]"]In closing, there is nothing to indicate that the V-Series are horrible power supplies (a horrible power supply would have blown itself to smithereens); rather they have their own niche in our marketplace. They occupy a place that is rife with consumers looking for budget power supplies to power ever more power-hungry systems. Both the Ultra V-Series 400W and 500W power supplies perform passably under normal circumstances but do not expect them to perform any better than their price would have you believe.

This seems to be the common belief in the industry, dollar-per-dollar the wintech units are on the money. Youngyear is not. Unless you are comparing apples and oranges, which hardwarecanucks did in that review. Ultra V-series compared to an Enhance-made Silverstone? Gee I wonder who is better :roll: they should have compared to an Aspire unit :lol:

 

[clue69less]

Remember buying a PSU is a tricky endeavor while some companies have better product yields than others, they're all susceptible to a bad one being put out, just the nature of the product.

I don"t think it's tricky at all. Determine your maximum expected load on the +12V, inflate that by 30 to 50%, find a QUALITY unit with that inflated +12V spec and make the purchase. I've bought many many power supplies and have never been burned by PCP&C, FSP, Mushkin, Seasonic or OCZ. On the other hand, I've seen units by Ultra, Antec and USA Power Supplies do serious damage to PCs.

 

[Onus]

Remember buying a PSU is a tricky endeavor while some companies have better product yields than others, they're all susceptible to a bad one being put out, just the nature of the product.

I don"t think it's tricky at all. Determine your maximum expected load on the +12V, inflate that by 30 to 50%, find a QUALITY unit with that inflated +12V spec and make the purchase....

Exactly. Exceeding your needs can help lessen the risk posed by the occasional bad unit, or over-rated labeling.
I've had a couple of Aspire units perform flawlessly. I mistakenly replaced one thinking its fan was dying, but it turned out to be a different fan. I've read enough comments on these forums to think I'd best not run an Aspire at anywhere near its rated output, but a 200W load on a 500W labeled Aspire ought to run forever.

 

[I]

No, here's an example - Ultra V-Series 400W, the 12V rectifier is an ultrafast (not even Schottky) rated by it's manufacturer for 16A, less than the 20A the Ultra label states.

voodoo magic, it actually hit 20A in JG's load testing, either he took the reading during the fraction of a second it was allowed to hit a peak value or he has an engineering sample that could handle the rated specs.

I can redline my car for a while too. Nevertheless it is an example and no median quality or better PSU uses such underrated parts.

Some people wouldn't call the RMA process fun either.

Original X-connect? Youngyear.
Doesn't matter, it was Ultra not Wintech or Youngyear.

All said and done, if the argument between who is crappier - wintech or youngyear, youngyear wins hands down.

I'm not saying the Wintech isn't better in some ways, I'm saying that in the most important factor, whether either will last for the life of the system or have to be replaced, you're splitting hairs. Even if the Wintech was the best PSU PC Power & Cooling ever made, the moment you put the crap fan and capacitors in instead, the rest doesn't matter towards longevity.

In closing, there is nothing to indicate that the V-Series are horrible power supplies (a horrible power supply would have blown itself to smithereens); rather they have their own niche in our marketplace. They occupy a place that is rife with consumers looking for budget power supplies to power ever more power-hungry systems. Both the Ultra V-Series 400W and 500W power supplies perform passably under normal circumstances but do not expect them to perform any better than their price would have you believe.

Yeah, and like I've been saying for years, this is why a cookie-cutter web review can only disqualify, not qualify a PSU for any particular use.

This seems to be the common belief in the industry, dollar-per-dollar the wintech units are on the money.

Now you're just making things up. The "industry" absolutely requires a unit meet it's rated wattage for rated MTBF rating. Anything else is fraud, not subject to anyone's subjective impression. The review I linked clearly showed excessive ripple outside of ATX spec, but it seems they're trying to claim it's ATX. Hmmmm. FUrther the "industry" is not a handfull of retail relabled PSU, that is a tiny minority compared to the OEM equipment which uses major manufacturer PSU. You might mean the generic relabeler industry? If so, when these Wintechs are nearly free after rebate they are certainly the most bang for the buck but that is not what we were talking about.

Unless you are comparing apples and oranges, which hardwarecanucks did in that review. Ultra V-series compared to an Enhance-made Silverstone? Gee I wonder who is better :roll: they should have compared to an Aspire unit :lol:

I can see you still don't understand. There is no such thing as "better" when two units are both spec'd as ATX revision n.n, spec'd for current, voltage, MTBF, etc. They are both EQUALLY REQUIRED to meet these specs. There is absolutely zero latitude for one to be "better" to this extent. If one happened to have lower ripple but both stayed within ATX specs, that would be a qualifier but we both know that is not the case. Options include rating it for lower power, or addressing the failure points, or playing with numbers to lower the spec'd temp or the MTBF (but in doing these latter things, that would definitely alienate the industry).

It either meets the specs or it fails and must be called overrated and mislabeled which is the opposite of what you tried to imply.

I'm not saying the Wintechs are just plain unusable, it depends quite a lot on the system and environment. We have to be fair to the other PSU manufactureres too though, if a unit is suggested as being functionally equivalent it needs to really be so in all parameters, including lifespan. There are a lot worse PSU out there but lowering the bar isn't the answer.

 

[Slappy_Slime]

Purchased two ULTRA 550's over a year ago, both are still running like a sewing machine! No problems what so ever. One of them is on 24/7, except to shut down to blow the dust bunnies out of the system.

 

[Craxbax]

I have had good results with Ultra PSUs also but for my system with higher demands I have a HYPER PSU. I don't expect Ultra to perform to top tier PSU standards even if it is one of the good units in a batch.

 

[clue69less]

I've read enough comments on these forums to think I'd best not run an Aspire at anywhere near its rated output, but a 200W load on a 500W labeled Aspire ought to run forever.

I see that you're running a Mushkin 550. How's that going? They have dropped their prices recently and I'm wondering if they will release a unit capable of running two 8800GTXs...

 

[piratepast40]

Afraid I had to RMA 2 Ultra's a few months ago because of faulty fan controllers. Granted, any manufacturer can let a bad unit slip through once in awhile, but as a consumer, if I've had repeated problems with a certain brand, I'll just look elsewhere.

 

[Onus]

I've read enough comments on these forums to think I'd best not run an Aspire at anywhere near its rated output, but a 200W load on a 500W labeled Aspire ought to run forever.

I see that you're running a Mushkin 550. How's that going? They have dropped their prices recently and I'm wondering if they will release a unit capable of running two 8800GTXs...

So far it has been solid. It replaced a CoolerMaster 600W unit with a dying fan. I replaced the fan (with a TT), and the new fan croaked in a mere few weeks, so I went modular with this Mushkin. I will probably buy another for a build I'm planning at the end of next month. They have higher wattage units too; perhaps one of them could run two 8800GTXs.

 

[clue69less]

I see that you're running a Mushkin 550. How's that going? They have dropped their prices recently and I'm wondering if they will release a unit capable of running two 8800GTXs...

They have higher wattage units too; perhaps one of them could run two 8800GTXs.

Their largest is ~650 watts. I've heard it's basically the same unit as the FSP 700 watt unit. I have one running an Opty170 @2.8 with XFired OC'ed 1900XTs and it handles that load fine but I'd be concerned about SLI'ed 8800GTX's if the CPU was OC'ed, let alone the GPUs.

 

[rwayne]

I can't say anything bad about Ultra.

My wife has had the Ultra X-connect 550 Watt Power supply in her computer for coming up on 3 years now. The modular cabling is excellent. They have a very good customer service hotline.

The only thing I don't like about it is that the efficently rating is like 70%. That could be better.

I would not trash this power supply. There are a lot better ones out there but I would not say it is a bad one. Honestly I would spend my money on something else, but I would not say this is a bad power supply.

 

[clue69less]

I can't say anything bad about Ultra.

My wife has had the Ultra X-connect 550 Watt Power supply in her computer for coming up on 3 years now. The modular cabling is excellent. They have a very good customer service hotline.

The only thing I don't like about it is that the efficently rating is like 70%. That could be better.

I would not trash this power supply. There are a lot better ones out there but I would not say it is a bad one. Honestly I would spend my money on something else, but I would not say this is a bad power supply.

Are you willing to trade with your wife and give up your OCZ? Surely, 550 watts is enough for your rig, isn't it?

 

[rwayne]

As I said in my quote "Honestly I would spend my money on something else".

She is not a gamer (other than solitaire). I am. It is not a bad power supply but if you want a high powered rig, you need to look else where. I would not recommend any PSU with a efficently rating of 70%. It is not bad but there are better things out there.

 

[I]

As I said in my quote "Honestly I would spend my money on something else".

She is not a gamer (other than solitaire). I am. It is not a bad power supply but if you want a high powered rig, you need to look else where. I would not recommend any PSU with a efficently rating of 70%. It is not bad but there are better things out there.

This is a typical example of the problem. There is no latitude for "if it runs at a lower output it's ok". If it can only run acceptibly at a lower output, it is manditory it not be rated for more than that output.

Wattage rating (among the other specs) are a crucial product spec against which a PSU is selected. If her system only needed a 350W PSU and the particular PSU could output that and then stay within the other ratings, great! Then it is a decent 350W PSU. Problem is when people play with numbers, trying to imply a PSU is equivalent to other makes.

The criteria for picking a PSU is necessarily it's specs, if it requires ignoring that and only falling back on price vs feasibility there's fraud going on. Specs exist for a specific reason, they are the holy grail of picking a SMPS suitable for a purpose. When they cannot be used, it's a defective product at the very least.

 

[doolittle]

The problem is, we don't live in "I's world".

In "I's world":

- inferior parts are unacceptable and any component short of ideal should be rejected regardless of the cost. Absolutely no acceptable losses and the idea of a component failure is ludicrous.

- Every PSU of every grade and budget should hold to his standard of having rated to 1/4 of the actual max rating, should the unit be held to a redundant environment and the unit can be "redlined" to 100% of the max rating in continuous use with loss of redundancy.

- The cost of the unit will not increase under these new guidelines, and manufacturers that attempt to pass the costs to the consumer will be kicked and banned from the industry.

Dude, where do I sign up?

 

[slim142]

Why has this thread become so long? :?

 

[clue69less]

Why has this thread become so long? :?

Because you prolonged it!!!

 

[katanadude]

I have been running the same Ultra PSU for almost 3 years now. Still going strong. Got lucky I guess. I'm building a new computer now so it will soon be retired.

 

[T8RR8R]

I just read the reviews and look at what people say on newegg. Yeah I know I hate to say that because I think 1/2 of the Newegg reviews are from idiots, but with those reviews and the professional reviews I can come to a semi-reasonable conclusion.

Getting back to the subject at hand though, I think that Ultra PSU's aren't "bad" but I don't think they are all they are cracked up to be. I have the 550w X2 and it's fine but it lacks in the amps. Although I can tell you that it's a little like the Corsair 620w PSU, it'll put out ALOT more than it's rated performance. I will also tell you that you can't depend on a company to produce a perfect product every single time, it's literally IMPOSSIBLE.

New Ultra's are better too.

 

[slim142]

Why has this thread become so long? :?

Because you prolonged it!!!

Bro, we are going from Ultra to every single japanese/chinese PSU maker, how they do it, whats inside etc.

C'mon! conclusion, 30% of people who use Ultra products are satisfied, the other 70% wants Ultra to R.I.P

 

[clue69less]

Why has this thread become so long? :?

Because you prolonged it!!!

Bro, we are going from Ultra to every single japanese/chinese PSU maker, how they do it, whats inside etc.

C'mon! conclusion, 30% of people who use Ultra products are satisfied, the other 70% wants Ultra to R.I.P

You seem frustrated and emotional. Perhaps some PS counciling...

 

[T8RR8R]

lol is all that I can say, and I know it's not contributing to the forum but that's funny.

I'm sure Ultra has a couple good products and a couple bad ones in the bunch. As far as I see it, if thing work they work and if they don't...send them back.

 

[slim142]

lol is all that I can say, and I know it's not contributing to the forum but that's funny.

I'm sure Ultra has a couple good products and a couple bad ones in the bunch. As far as I see it, if thing work they work and if they don't...send them back.

Too bad mines work but I dont like it. Ultra makes my house sound like if it was an airport.