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Tagan Easycon XL 700w TG700-U35 PSU Page: 1
Introduction

Originally released back in 2005, the Tagan Easycon range was one of the first power supplies to jump on the modular bandwagon. Coming in 480w, 530w and 580w variations, the unit was well regarded among the computer enthusiasts as it combined Tagan's quality along with a well-designed modular system.

Since then, the power consumption of PC components has risen, making 580w seen a little under powered for most enthusiasts needs. Tagan have released many new non-modular units ranging from 700w to over 1kw in their Turbojet and Dual Engine ranges but seemed to have neglected their modular Easycon range. That is until now...

Packaging

After reviewing Tagan's 1kw Turbojet that was packaged inside a leather suitcase I was pretty sure that Tagan couldn't surprise me with any more whacky packaging ideas....

PSU packing from most manufacturers comes with a small plastic handle to make it easier for you to carry the unit home from the shops. However, Tagan has gone one step further and placed the Easycon XL in a large card bag complete with fabric handles.

Found on the sides of the bag is information about the unit contained within. From above, we can see that we have been sent the TG700-U35 model that sports four +12v rails rated at 20a each (56a combined).

Also found on the sides of the bag is information regarding the Tagan's noise output at various loads, and an illustration of the cables contained within the box.

Inside the bag is a large leather box with two draws and cream coloured seaming. I must admit thinking that the box looked somewhat like a make-up case, however once the power supply is installed inside your PC the box could certainly come in handy for storing tools or other computer hardware. The box is also extremely rigid, and will certainly protect the power supply from any drops or knocks during shipping.

Lets take a look at what's included:

1x Tagan Easycon XL manual.
1x Shielded power cable.
5x Velcro cable ties.
3x Cable ties.
4x ATX case screws.
1x Molex to Floppy cable.
4x SATA to Molex converters.
2x Bundles of modular cables.
1x Tagan TG700-U35 PSU.

Tagan have always been known for adding a few extra touches to their PSU packages, and as you can see from above they don't disappoint when it comes to the Easycon XL series. Providing both velcro and plastic cable ties along with a shielded power cable and various other cable converters, the TG700-U35 package is very complete indeed.

Tagan Easycon XL 700w TG700-U35 PSU Page: 2
Specification

• Compatible with Intel EPS12V Ver.2.9 and EPS/ATX downward versions with four independent +12V rails.
• ≥80% electricity efficiency average saves money and reduces losing power become heat.
• Support high-end motherboard with VGA 4pin socket for graphic card electricity.
• Total 14+1* IDE and SATA hard disks are available for top users. (*VGA 4Pin).
• Rear window with honeycomb structure is the strongest framework for case and biggest air-flow space.
• Thermal control fans are adjustable automatically by temperature inside of the power supply. Fan speed up when temperature rises.
• Black mesh and copper-shielding cables help user to optimize airflow for thermal release.
• Unique ground wire with golden pin can release static electricity from power supply and avoid damage.
• Guarantee 36 months warranty.

Further information can be found in Tagan's PDF specification document available here.

Tagan Easycon XL 700w TG700-U35 PSU Page: 3
Appearance

At first glance the Tagan Easycon XL looks just like any other power supply on the market, following standard ATX dimensions and not being overly heavy or light. However, its major selling point is given away when you take a look at the front of the unit...

The modular design of the TG700-U35 is very unique, using round 6-pin connectors rather than the standard molex based connectors used on other power supplies. The PCI-E connections are coloured blue to separate them from the rest of the connectors, and it is worth noting that that you cannot place a PCI-E cable into one of the other connectors as the pin shape is physically different.

The back of the unit sports a honeycomb mesh, allowing the hot air moved by the installed fan to exit out of your case with minimal restriction. You will also notice that the Easycon XL does not have a voltage selection switch. This is because the unit is able to detect the input voltage automatically and switch accordingly.

Unlike other power asupplies on the market Tagan have decided to use a 135mm fan on the TG700-U35. This not only provides the unit with excellent cooling, but should prove to be more silent than 80mm or 120mm fans seen in other high-end units.

The blades of the fan are actually clear, which in my opinion gives the unit a cleaner look and also allows you to see the components contained within.

Turn the TG700-U35 around to the side and we can see that Tagan have placed honeycomb meshing over the upper half of the casing to further improve the units cooling abilities. The observant among us will also see that Tagan have stamped their logo on the bottom right of the casing.

The other side of the unit is far less interesting, being covered with a large specifications sticker that contains information about the TG700-U35's noise output along with its rail outputs.

Tagan Easycon XL 700w TG700-U35 PSU Page: 4
Connectors

Each modular power supply manufacturer tends to have their own ideas on what the best connector method for a modular unit is. Some stick with the tried and tested Molex style connector, others utilise the newly designed PCI-E connector while the more inventive go for their own proprietary design.

Tagan have decided to re-design their modular connectors, making them flush with the unit unlike the connectors found on their older Easycon U15 series. I was hoping that this would make the overall length of the PSU+connectors smaller, but unfortunately Tagan have decided to put extra long rigid covers at the end of the cables thus making the total length of the unit+connectors around 210mm.

Tagan have opted not to make the ATX and P4-12v/EPS12v connectors modular on the TG700-U35, instead hard-wiring them to the unit. Personally I prefer this to fully modular designs as causes less issues when trying to bend the ATX cable around tight corners. The smaller connector (top right) can be screwed to a bare metal part of your PC enclosure to fully ground the unit.

All SATA and Molex cables are sleeved up to the first connector for aesthetics and optimal airflow. Interestingly, the cables also feature twisted wires that assist in the reduction of EMI (Electro Magnetic Interference).

You will also notice that P4-12v/EPS12v and PCI-E cables feature fully RFI/EMI shielded cables. This makes them far more attractive than standard sleeved cables, but does mean that they are slightly harder to route around tight corners in your case.

The Easycon XL comes with two separate cables for ATX12v and EPS12v motherboard connections, which gives the unit full compatibility with server & high-end desktop motherboards as well as backwards compatibility with older boards. In a similar fashion, the ATX connector can be converted from 24-pin down to 20-pin for compatibility with older motherboards by simply uncoupling the additional 4 pins at the end of the ATX block.

As the usage of floppy disk drives is slowly declining, Tagan have decided to make the usage of floppy disk power connectors optional by supplying them on a separate Molex-to-Floppy extension cable. In my opinion this is a great idea, as it cuts down on the number of unused cables you need to hide away inside your case.

The TG700-U35 package also contains 4x SATA-to-Molex converters that should come in very handy if you want to use any of the 8 SATA cables for non-SATA devices.

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Looking Inside

As with all power supplies that pass through Overclock3D, I'll be taking a look inside the Easycon XL. By doing this I should be able to get a good idea of the overall build quality of the unit and how it is likely to perform in our tests.

The inside of the TG700-U35 is surprisingly spacious for a 700w unit, with two rather small aluminium heatsinks being used on the mosfets. Credit has to be given to Tagan for keeping everything tidy and using cable ties to bunch the wiring together for optimal airflow.

During my inspection of the Easycon XL, I came across the 3 potentiometers (pots) seen above. These pots are responsible for adjusting the output voltage on the +3.3v, +5v and +12v rails of the power supply, and can come in handy if voltages droop outside of ATX specifications.

Tagan have used a 135mm clear plastic fan to cool the TG700-U35 badged under their own name. Unfortunately I was unable to find any specifications for this fan on the Internet as no part of the serial number printed on the fans sticker turned up any results.

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Load Testing

In order for the results from all current and future PSU reviews to remain fair and comparable, Overclock3D uses a custom built Power Supply load stress tester.

The tester will be placing the following loads on each of the Easycon XL's rails:

+3.3v - 20a Load
+5.0v - 20a Load
+12v1 - 10a Load
+12v2 - 10a Load
+12v3 - 10a Load
+12v4 - 10a Load

The results are collected from a Mastech MAS-345 Multimeter which logs its readings via RS232 to a PC.

After checking and double checking the results I confirm that the voltages on the TG700-U35 actually increased under load. This is very strange behaviour for a PSU and could mean that voltage output is being traded off against amperage (as voltage increases amperage decreases). Never less, the TG700-U35 produced some good results that show Tagan are taking extra steps to ensure that their power supplies provide good voltages.

The same phenomenon can be seen on all four of the TG700-U35's +12v rails, with the voltage actually increasing by around 0.20v under load.

Efficiency Testing

Efficiency tests are performed by measuring the wattage consumed by the power supply at the mains against the power (in watts) consumed by the OC3D power supply stress tester. The results may not be as accurate as those produced by professional testing equipment, but will certainly come in handy when comparing several power supplies against each other.

The Tagan Easycon XL was placed under a load of 646 watts. This counts for a total of 92% of the power supplies rated output. At this load, the power supply required 810 watts from the mains to produce the 646 watts required by our custom made power supply tester. Therefore the efficiency of this power supply can be found by a simple equation: (646 / 810) * 100, which works out to be an efficiency rating of 79.7%.

Noise Testing

Possibly the hardest part of any PSU review is summarising the level of noise given out by the unit. The threshold for what is considered 'noisy' varies from person to person and therefore what I may consider a quiet unit, another person may consider extremely loud. A common way to resolve this issue is to use a dBA meter to measure the units noise level, however this doesn't take into account the pitch (type) of noise emitted and whether it is likely to irritate end users.

For this reason OC3D records all power supplies at idle and load in wav format for you to make your own informed decisions. All recordings are taken at 30cm away from the PSU and outside of a PC case. You will need to remember that noise levels will be reduced by varying amounts once the PSU has been installed inside your PC enclosure.

Idle Recording - Download
Load Recording - Download

At idle I found the TG700-U35 to be extremely silent with the 120mm fan running at a very low RPM. At load the fan speed increased to combat the extra heat produced by the components, but at no point would I have considered the unit to be noisy.

In my opinion, the TG700-U35 would be a suitable companion for a HTPC system and possibly even a silent PC build.

Tagan Easycon XL 700w TG700-U35 PSU Page: 7
Conclusion

If you are in the market for a high-wattage modular power supply then the Tagan Easycon XL should certainly be on your shortlist. Packing more power and managing to outperform any of the modular units we've tested to date here at Overclock3D, the TG700-U35 sets new standards on how modular PSU's should perform.

The voltage stability of the TG700-U35 was excellent, actually increasing the voltages under load. This looks to be a new feature from Tagan and ensures that your high-end graphics cards and other components are never starved of juice.

Issues with the TG700-U35 were minimal. In fact my only major gripe with the unit was its overly long modular plugs that added several centimetres extra to the units overall length. The unit did also fall slightly short of our expectations in the efficiency department, managing just under 80% on our test equipment, placing the unit a little lower than some other PSU's we've tested recently.

The TG700-U35 is currently in limited supply here in the UK, but thankfully can be found over at Specialtech for a competitive price of £108.

Pro's
• No voltage droop under load (actually increased).
• Silent operation.
• Plenty of cables and connectors.
• Shielded / twisted cables for cleaner power.
• Well designed modular cable system.
• Adjustable pots (for voltage adjustments).
• Attractive packaging that could serve other purposes.
• Full support for older ATX standards.

Con's
• Modular plugs add extra length to unit.
• Efficiency results slightly lower than expected

Editors Choice

Thanks to Tagan for providing this unit for review.

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