HEC Compucase Cougar 1000CM Modular PSU
Introduction & Specifications
Published: 23rd October 2009 | Source: HEC | Price: £147.08 |
Introduction & Specificatons
I'd like to think that we've covered quite a wide range of PSU manufacturers here on OC3D over the past few years, but every once in a while a new review request drops into our inbox from a company that has been in the industry for an eternity, yet never really fallen under the Overclock3D radar. HEC Compucase is one such company, and founded in 1979 HEC Compucase originally started out life manufacturing metal sheet components for the automotive industry. However, almost 10 years later this knowledge was applied to PC chassis manufacture which was soon to become their primary focus.Natural progression finally saw HEC move into the PSU market in 1997 where the company focused mainly on supplying devices to OEM customers rather than direct to consumers. One such example of this was our recent review of the MESH Matrix II PC System which contained a HEC 550w PSU.
But times are changing, and with the release of the "Cougar" range which we will be looking at today, it would seem that HEC have their sights firmly set on entering the retail sector. HEC have sent us over the 1000w model, so let's waste no time and jump straight into the specs:
Compatible with the Latest PC Technologies
-Supports the newest specifications of ATX12V & EPS12V
-Created for usage with current and next-generation multi-core CPU and GPU platforms
Green Design for Energy saving
-80plus® certified, environmentally conscious green product design for lower energy consumption
-Meets Energy Star requirement - Standby (Off mode) <2W, Sleep mode < 4W
-High efficiency: Up to 87%
Ultra quiet
-Extremely Low Noise Level at < 23dB
-Ultra quiet 140mm fan with thermal control function. Keeps the Cougar cool and quiet at all the times
Efficient and stable component architecture
-Six independent and stable +12V rails promote the best performance to gamers
-High-end industrial grade capacitors provide more electrical power storage to promote higher efficiency and longer product lifespan
-With Active-PFC (PF>0.99) at 100% loading and Universal AC input (100-240Vac Full Range)
Modular Cable Management
-Modular cable design allows you to detach connectors freely and use only the cables you need
-Smart plug design: cable connectors are designed to connect to their proper input only
Full safety protection
-Full Protection: OCP, SCP, OVP, UVP, OPP
-Safety and EMI certified: CB, TUV, CE, UL, cUL, FCC, MIC, BSMI
-Supports the newest specifications of ATX12V & EPS12V
-Created for usage with current and next-generation multi-core CPU and GPU platforms
Green Design for Energy saving
-80plus® certified, environmentally conscious green product design for lower energy consumption
-Meets Energy Star requirement - Standby (Off mode) <2W, Sleep mode < 4W
-High efficiency: Up to 87%
Ultra quiet
-Extremely Low Noise Level at < 23dB
-Ultra quiet 140mm fan with thermal control function. Keeps the Cougar cool and quiet at all the times
Efficient and stable component architecture
-Six independent and stable +12V rails promote the best performance to gamers
-High-end industrial grade capacitors provide more electrical power storage to promote higher efficiency and longer product lifespan
-With Active-PFC (PF>0.99) at 100% loading and Universal AC input (100-240Vac Full Range)
Modular Cable Management
-Modular cable design allows you to detach connectors freely and use only the cables you need
-Smart plug design: cable connectors are designed to connect to their proper input only
Full safety protection
-Full Protection: OCP, SCP, OVP, UVP, OPP
-Safety and EMI certified: CB, TUV, CE, UL, cUL, FCC, MIC, BSMI
Although we'll take a proper look at the rail distribution in a minute, HEC have decided to split the +12v rail power over a total of six rails. Interestingly they attribute this decision as being in the best interests of gamers, but the last time I checked most other manufacturers were switching to a single +12v rail design for the very same reason. 87% efficiency is also on the cards, but with no mention of what mains voltage or load level(s) this is achievable at, this figure doesn't really mean too much. Additionally it would seem that the Cougar 1000CM has only been certified 80PLUS (Standard) rather than any of the newer Bronze/Silver/Gold ratings. This could possibly indicate that the efficiency of the unit drops as low as 80% at certain loads, or maybe that HEC just haven't got round to getting the unit properly certified.
Never-less, HEC state that the Cougar has been kitted out with high-end industrial grade capacitors to improve efficiency and MTBF. Hopefully they've also installed enough of the little electrolytic blighters to suppress any nasty ripple on the rails too!
A full set of safety features has been listed for the 1000CM with OCP (Over Current Protection), OPP (Over Power Protection) and SCP (Short Circuit Protection) all being be areas that will be tested for problems during the review today. Normally most units pass without any issue, but as we saw recently even the most respected of manufacturers can sometimes get things wrong.
| HEC Compucase Cougar 1000CM Rail Layout | ||||||||||
| DC Output | +3.3V | +5V | +12V1 | +12V2 | +12V3 | +12V4 | +12V5 | +12V6 | -12V | +5VSB |
| 30A | 30A | 20A | 20A | 20A | 20A | 20A | 20A | 0.8A | 4A | |
| Max Power | 175W | 960W | 9.6W | 20W | ||||||
| 1000W | ||||||||||
Each of the six +12v rails are limited to 20A with a maximum combined output of 960w across all rails. This layout is perfectly acceptable providing that HEC have evenly distributed the PCI-E connectors over each of the rails to ensure that multi-GPU configurations don't all end up trying to suck their power from only one or two rails. The +3.3v and +5v rails have also been given a reasonable amount of power with a combined max output of 175W.
Now that we've got the basics out of the way let's move on to the next page where we unbox the unit.
Most Recent Comments
Good on them! Nice to see a manuf listening.
thats quality from them, shud make u feel its all worth while;)
Now thats a pleasant suprise.
Its not often in this day and age that a manufacturer would actually listen to a review and even let the R&D dept know of the findings so pre production changes can be tweaked.
money spent pre production will save on warranty exchanges and give a "new kid on the block" a far better reputation.
Better to be known for reliability than have a good RMA service imo.
Good on you Compucase HEC. :)
As Tom mentioned, XFX come out of the shadows , we know you are watching, too ashamed perhaps?
Its not often in this day and age that a manufacturer would actually listen to a review and even let the R&D dept know of the findings so pre production changes can be tweaked.
money spent pre production will save on warranty exchanges and give a "new kid on the block" a far better reputation.
Better to be known for reliability than have a good RMA service imo.
Good on you Compucase HEC. :)
As Tom mentioned, XFX come out of the shadows , we know you are watching, too ashamed perhaps?
As Tom mentioned, XFX come out of the shadows , we know you are watching, too ashamed perhaps?
Maybe they will follow suit?
Or maybe they are too busy attempting to fix their PSU as we speak.
XFX's name is too good to be tarnished so they can not leave this behind.
I wonder why they didn't send you the better equipped German Version of the Cougar CM 1kW.
That Version has solid caps on the VRM for example and looks a little better, as you can see There planet3dnow.de/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=368324&garpg=4
The primary cap for example is a 105°C Nippon Chemicon over here...
I hope you can review the fixed version soon...
That is very interesting, thanks for bringing that up. Does indeed make me wonder why they decided to send us that model, especially when they knew the kind of equipment we'd be testing it on.
EDIT: Although its hard to see from the picture on their site, it does look like the unit still has a really weak amount of caps on the secondary side.
Jimbo, ya know if they are gonna send you a revised sample when made?
Furthermore, Compucase have also agreed to send us a revised unit when they are available.
1 character -.-
Compucase have responded to the review with the following statement:
Furthermore, Compucase have also agreed to send us a revised unit when they are available.
Good to hear Compucase are doing something about this.
Looking forward to the re-review
Oops... Read the response in the article, so skipped that post from Jim. :p
1 character -.-
That's a really awesome reply. *salutes*
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