ASUS ROG Thor 1000W Platinum II Review

Introduction

Power supplies eh. They are the bread and potatoes of the hardware world. Think back to when you were last putting together your dream, "ooh I've won the lottery" system build. You spent ages mulling the pros and cons of various motherboards, graphics cards and processors. You might have wasted a whole afternoon trying to decide on whether to go with RGB fans on your radiator or quieter, but less showy ones. The decision about low latency vs high speed DDR5 is one that can last for years, and to be honest it's one we still have in the office. But power supplies? You just sort by price, pick the most expensive and move on without a second thought.

More fool you. Smooth power delivery can be the difference between a system that runs at peak performance and efficiency, and one that blue screens at the slightest hint of provocation causing you sleepless nights and premature hairloss. A power supply is the bedrock of your rig, and if you don't get that right, or if you opt for the most affordable one to squeeze an extra terabyte of SSD in to your build, then you're going to be on a hiding to nothing. We don't change our power supplies as often as we change our carpets for goodness sake, so go big out of the gate and give yourself many years of stress free fun.

All of which brings us neatly to todays review, the ASUS ROG Thor 1000W Platinum II. 1000W is plenty of power for even the most avid gamer, and with 80 Plus Platinum certification it promises to sip gently at the whirring energy meter and deliver ultra smooth power to your components causing the fewest unexpected hiccups. Best of all, if you like such things, it's flashier than a gold Lamé suit at a Jean-Michel Jarre concert.

Technical Specifications