Review: Kingwin Mach 1 800 watt PSU

I found myself needing a new PSU recently. I had an idea in my head of what I wanted, both in style and performance. I am currently building a new mod, and appearance is important, but obviously I wanted a solid performer also. Like any tech-savvy end user, I did my homework, and after a good deal of research, decided on the Kingwin Mach 1 800 watt modular PSU from our friends at Xoxide. They were great as usual, shipping was very reasonable and very quick.

I decided to go with the Kingwin Mach 1 for several reasons. It's total wattage is impressive, but its list of other features is even more so. Let's take a closer look at it.

Even the box is pretty. And yes, that's a plastic handle on the top. :) Pretty silly for a package this size, but this unit IS heavier than any other PSU I have held.

Inside we see that everything is well packaged and protected, the unit itself is wrapped in some excellent bubble wrap. I'm of mixed emotions on this. While it protects the unit well, this stuff is so tough I can't even pop it, thereby eliminating the usual secondary usefulness of bubble wrap.

Here is what you get in the package. The Mach 1 is a modular PSU, an option that I found very appealing for various reasons, and you can see that the modular cables are protected in their own plastic blister pack also. I have to mention, also, that the manual is superb. Having never purchased a Kingwin product I was expecting the usual small-print pamphlet that was equally useless in six different languages, but this was a pleasant surprise. Large, full color, with pictures and even pinout diagrams for every connector in the package. :up:

The PSU itself comes in a beautiful powder gray finish that will go with many different PC schemes, especially with the added appeal of the modular connectors, the wire-style fan grill and the multi-color mesh sleeving. Even the back of the unit looks good, with a hex-grill rear plate and no rear exhaust fan to clutter it up. Also here we find the standard voltage selection switch and on/off toggle switch.

The unit has three native cables, one 20/24-pin ATX, one 4-pin EPS and one 8-pin EPS. The exit hole for these cables is surrounded by a rubber grommet to avoid chafing. These are the only three cables that are not modular. Modular cables that come with the unit are:

Two SATA cables with three connectors each.
One Molex cable with four Molex connectors and one floppy connector.
One Molex cable with four Molex connectors only.
Two PCIe cables, each with one 6-pin and one 6/8-pin connector.

Note that all of the Molex connectors are EZ-Grip connectors. Nice touch.

This is the business end of one PCIe connector. The inclusion of the 6/8-pin connector is very nice for the latest (and likely most upcoming) video cards.

As you can see here, each modular connection is keyed, so improper insertion, while not impossible (as we all know, nothing is impossible to the properly determined mind), is unlikely at best. You can also see that there are two connections set aside for PCIe connections exclusively.

Looking at this pic you can see there is a plastic ring around each of the modular connections. These are backlit LED rings, and interestingly, rather than simply power on when the PSU is in use, a ring will only light up if a cable is actually inserted into the connector. I like these rings myself, as they give a soft glow, and not the garish bright light one might expect.

These are the ends of the connectors that plug into the unit itself. Each of them has a metal ring that screws onto the unit itself after the cable is plugged in, making a solid connection and all but eliminating what was once the weakest point of modular cabling.

The Mach 1 sports a single 140mm cooling fan, just about the largest you can fit into a standard ATX box. It also has Smart Fan auto speed control, varying fan speed automatically with temperature as needed. These two features make the Mach 1 extremely quiet. I mean I-had-to-look-at-the-fan-to-see-if-it-was-turning quiet. The fan is lit by four blue LED's and, though brighter than the lights in the cable connections, it is not overpowering. The LED lights appear to be easy enough to eliminate, if blue isn't your color. (Not that I would ever do anything like that.)

The Mach 1 has four 12-volt rails, and the amperage ratings on this unit are also impressive:

+3.3v 24a
+5v 32a
+12v1 18a
+12v2 18a
+12v3 20a
+12v4 22a
-12v .5a
+5VSB 2.2a

Aside from those whose systems are insanely complex/advanced/of alien origin, this unit should power everything you have and still allow for future expansion. As I am a simple end user my testing ablity is limited. Like most, I have to trust the manufacturer's ratings, put it in my system and then throw everything I have at it and see if it survives. For those who need more info, more detailed testing results can be found here.

Here are the specs of the system I have installed the Mach 1 in:

MSI K9A2 CF-F motherboard
AMD Athlon 64FX-62 2.8Ghz dual-core CPU (125 watts)
2 x 2GB OCZ Reaper DDR2 800 memory
PNY 8800GT 512mb video card
Acer 22" LCD
Two LG DVD recorders
Two Hitachi Deskstar SATA hard drives
Two 120mm fans
One 250mm fan

I have installed it and worked it hard as I know how to work it, and it hasn't complained (or even made a whisper of sound) at all. I am very happy with my purchase. The Kingwin Mach 1 will find a home in my newest mod and will likely reside there for a very long time.

Pros:
Modular cables
Aircraft-type connectors
LED connector rings (yes, I like them)
Quad 12-volt rails
Four PCIe connectors
Excellent manual with pinout diagrams
Silent
Nvidia SLI certified (though only up to dual 8800GTS, 8800GT or 7950GX2 cards.)
Price (very reasonable for what you get)

Cons:
Too many connectors on the cables, cables are too long
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Diablo