Overclock3D.Net :: Print Page :: Tagan Turbojet 1100w Quad SLI PSU

Tagan Turbojet 1100w Quad SLI PSU Page: 1
Introduction

It seems like only yesterday a 350w power supply was more than enough to power your high end pc. Since then a lot has happened in the world of computers, and power consumption has shot through the roof. People looking for the ultimate gaming machine have been turning to dual graphics card solutions such as SLI and Crossfire and realising that their generic 500w unit no longer has the grunt to power their systems.

Then came along the real power supply killer - Quad SLI. Released back in March 2006, Quad SLI combined 4 high-end graphics cards for the ultimate gaming experience. Due to the sheer power consumption of this new technology and the fact that it required 4 PCI-E power connectors, no power supply on the market at the time was able to reliably power the cards.

Today I'll be taking a look at one of very few Quad SLI certified units available on the market - the Tagan Turbojet 1100w TG1100-U95.

Packaging

For the most part, power supplies that have passed through the Overclock3D labs have been packaged in some form of cardboard box printed with funky graphics. However, this time round the Tagan Turbojet provides us with a new talking point - a leather suitcase!

Wrapped around the suitcase is a black cardboard sleeve printed with a picture of a stealth fighter jet. The front of the sleeve gives some basic information about the unit including: 36 month guarantee, RoHS compliance and the units output of 1100w. The sides of the sleeve give more detailed information about the unit including the types of connectors and the units power distribution across its 8 rails.

The suitcase is a very nice touch from Tagan, although some may question its aesthetical appeal (brown isn't a great colour). An obvious plus point to having the Turbojet packaged in this way is that there is almost no chance of any damage to the unit during shipping due to the suitcases rigid construction.

The function of the suitcase after the contents have been removed is entirely up to the user. Tagan have even put a few pockets in the case just in case you'd like to use it to store tools or other components.

For those of us who have no use for the suitcase, you may be wondering if the money could have been better spent elsewhere. However, after speaking to a representative of Tagan, the cost of the suitcase is minimal and adds no overhead to the total price of the unit.

The Turbojet is very tightly packaged into the suitcase which helps prevent the unit being damaged by any sudden movements during shipping. Both the unit and the connectors are contained within bubble wrap sleeves to further protect from knocks or scratches.

The contents of the package contains the following items:

1x Shielded power cable
1x Molex to floppy converter cable
4x SATA to Molex converters
4x Velcro cable ties
4x ATX case screws
1x Tagan Turbojet manual
1x Tagan Turbojet PSU

As you can see, Tagan have added quite a few extra's not provided with other power supplies on the market. This is a nice touch considering how competitively priced this unit is compared against other manufacturers.

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Specifications

The following information has been taken from the Tagan specification PDF available here.

* Perfect output voltage stability guaranteed by our DualTransformer Technology (DTT) even at the highest powerconsumption
* Four separate 6-pin cables for PCI Express graphic cards witha special EMI shielding for high-current requirements of graphic cards – both today’s generations and into the future
* Compatible with Intel EPS12V 2.9 and downwards
* Universal support for various motherboards because of 20+4 pin motherboard supply connector as well as 4 pin and 8 pin +12 Vconnectors for 20, 20+4, 24+4, and 24+8 supply configurations.
* Combo-S2M adapter for supplying all types of hard drives
* 110-240 VAC supply voltage input for using in all countriesin the world
* 36 months warranty with free phone support
* Efficiency better than 80% and directive 2002/95/EC conformity for a better environment friendliness

Noise

The Tagan Turbojet 1100w has an even distribution of 20a over each of its 12v rails which is more than enough power for the highest end Quad SLI systems. We can also see that Tagan have implemented a fan speed controller to reduce noise levels when the PSU is idle or under light load.

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Appearance

The Tagan Turbojet is certainly no lightweight, weighing in at 3.3kg I could instantly feel the sturdiness of this unit. I was also quite surprised to find that Tagan managed to cram 1100w into a unit no larger than a standard ATX PSU (150 x 86 x 170 mm), compared with some other units we've tested in the past that proved quite difficult to fit inside a standard ATX case.

Tagan like to keep things simple in the looks department with their power supplies. Having owned a couple of Tagan's myself in the past, the matt black paint job on the unit was somewhat expected.

The front and back of the unit make use of 2x 80mm fans, both of which are guarded by Tagan's 'trademark' fan grills.

Also around the back of the unit we can see that Tagan have utilised a rather large switch. This is a pleasant change from the tiny switched used by most power supply manufacturers that are often prone to problems.

You will also notice that the Turbojet does not have a voltage selection switch. This is because the unit is able to detect the input voltage automatically and switch accordingly.

As with the front and back of the unit, the top and sides are sprayed in the same matt black paint. The side of the unit you are most likely to see from within your case is largely covered by a Tagan specifications sticker, which gives you much the same information as displayed on the 'Specifications' page of this review. The top of the unit contains QC and Hi-Pot testing stickers to show that the unit has passed all safety checks before leaving the factory.

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Connectors

So we've got 1.1kw of power on tap, but do we have enough connectors to utilize it? The short answer would be YES! Let's take a look..

The bundle of cables included with the Tagan Turbojet is simply huge, and by far the bulkiest collection of cables I've ever seen reviewing power supplies here at OC3D.

All cables are sleeved up to the first connector for aesthetics and optimal airflow. Interestingly, all cables also feature twisted wires, which not only keeps things looking more tidy, but according to Tagan also helps to reduce EMI (Electro Magnetic Interference).

You will also notice that some of the cables providing power to some of the more sensitive components in your PC (Graphics cards, Motherboard..) 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 Turbojet 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 I mentioned earlier in the review, the Tagan Turbojet 1100w is Quad-SLI certified, and thus has 4x PCI-E connectors. To ensure that the load is distributed evenly between the rails in the PSU, Tagan have labelled each one of the PCI-E connectors with a number corresponding to what graphics card the cable should be connected to.

The Turbojet also has a shielded molex connector, which can be used to power either a hard disk or older PCI-E/AGP graphics card that requires dedicated power.

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 observant among us may have noticed a distinct lack of molex connectors in the images above. This is because Tagan opted to make the Turbojet series primarily SATA based (this is the way forwards after all!). However, for those of us who require more than the included 3 molex connectors, you will find 4x SATA-to-Molex connectors in the accessories box.

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Looking Inside

Being surprised by the rather 'standard' size of the Turbojet in comparison with some other 1kw+ units on the market, I was anxious to see what was inside the unit. Normally the quality of a power supply can be determined by the size and weight of the components inside the PSU, however, recently this theory was proved totally wrong when we reviewed a rather empty PSU that still managed to perform very well.

The Turbojet is crammed from edge to edge with components, all of which are carefully arranged to allow maximum airflow through the unit. Tagan have also done a good job of routing the cables inside the unit and have used cable ties throughout.

Spanning the length of the unit are two 'tube-like' aluminium heatsinks, which according to Tagan yield much better cooling properties than the standard square heatsinks found in many other power supplies.

Interestingly the Turbojet comes with two very different 80mm fans inside the unit. The fan used on the back of the unit (facing the outside of your case) is Manufactured by Globe Fan and utilises 'pits' on the fan blades to reduce noise levels. Unfortunately I was unable to find any information on this fan, but during the review I found it to run silently and at a low RPM.

Of course, this fan alone would not be enough to cool the heat put out by the 1.1kw unit when under load, so Tagan have installed another 80mm fan on the front of the unit. This fan is manufactured by Dynaeon and pushes significantly more air than the Globe Fan.

During my inspection of the Turbojet, I came across what appeared to be an adjustable potentiometer (pot for short). Pot's can be used to adjust the voltage output by the rails on the power supply, and can come in handy when voltages droop outside of ATX specifications.

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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 Turbojet 1.1kw's rails:

+3.3v - 20a Load
+5.0v - 20a Load
+12v1 - 15a Load
+12v2 - 15a Load
+12v3 - 15a Load
+12v4 - 15a Load

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

Both the +3.3v and +5v rails managed to maintain excellent rail stability with less than 1% fluctuation. Both rails were well within ATX specification and these results place the Turbojet amongst some of the best PSU's we've tested here at OC3D.

Yet again the Tagan impresses us with its excellent voltage regulation, this time managing to keep fluctuation on all of the +12v rails at or below 0.5%.

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 Turbojet was placed under a load of 886 watts. This counts for a total of 80% of the power supplies rated output. At this load, the power supply required 1072 watts from the mains to produce the 886 watts required by our custom made power supply tester. Therefore the efficiency of this power supply can be found by a simple equation: (886 / 1072) * 100 that works out to be an efficiency rating of 82.6%.

Noise Testing

At present Overclock3D doesn't have the professional equipment required to reliably measure the noise output of devices. However, as a new part of our testing procedure we will be recording the PSU at idle and load so that you can make your own judgments. All recordings are taken at 30cm distance from the unit.

Idle Recording - Download
Fan Increase Recording - Download
Load Recording - Download

Before you go away with the wrong impression from these recordings I'd like to remind you all that these recordings were taken outside of a PC case. As a result the PSU is actually quite a bit noisier in these recordings than it is in real life.

As stated earlier in the review, the Turbojet utilised two 80mm fans. The one closest to the back of your case is designed for silence, whereas the fan located inside your case is designed for performance. As a result the noise from the high-cfm performance fan is dampened by your case enclosure, and the majority of audible noise from the unit comes from the more silent Globe Fan.

Tagan have also impemented a fan speed controller that adjusts the rpm of the fans based on the PSU load. This works quite well, but you can expect the fans to be running at 100% once the PSU gets to around 75% load. You can hear the fan speed increase in the recording above.

For those of us looking for a silent PSU to go inside their HTPC system the Turbojet may not be ideal, however it is highly unlikely that a silent/HTPC system would ever need a whole 1.1kw of power. People utilising a Quad-SLI high-end system are likely to be accustomed to noise, and for these people the Turbojet's noise levels should be reasonably acceptable.

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Conclusion

The stability of the voltages provided by the Tagan Turbojet 1100w was simply amazing. Managing to keep fluctuation under 1% (and even 0.5% in some cases) when under an 886w is certainly an achievement Tagan should be proud of.

In addition to this, the Turbojet also managed a very respectable 82% efficiency at full load, which is just slightly above the 80% efficiency stated by Tagan and brings the unit in direct competition with other units specifically aimed at efficiency.

Add to these excellent properties a 3 year guarantee, a competitive price tag of £225 over at SpecialTech and nice touches such as the leather case and velcro cable ties, and we have winner on our hands.

Pro's
+ Excellent rail stability (Less than 1% fluctuation).
+ High efficiency of 82% at full load.
+ Quad SLI certified.
+ Plenty of cables and connectors.
+ Shielded cables for cleaner power.
+ Standard ATX size should fit all cases.
+ Handy leather suitcase.
+ Full support for older ATX standards.
+ Adjustable potentiometer (for voltage adjustments).

Con's
- Not suitable for people seeking a silent PSU.

Editors Choice

Thanks to Tagan for providing this unit for review.

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