Thermaltake Toughpower PF3 1050w Modular Power Supply Review

The Thermaltake Toughpower line of power supplies has been around for a very long time and as I mentioned early in this review, I have been using the Toughpower Grand 1050w on the Ninjalane and Hardware Asylum test bench since 2011.  During that time the PSU has run completely stable though several overclocking sessions, countless motherboard and video card reviews and just worked.

In this review we looked at the new Thermaltake Toughpower PF3 1050w power supply.  This is an 80 Plus Platinum rated product supporting the latest ATX 3.0 and PCI Express 5.0 power standards.  The unit is fully modular and quite small when compared to other power supplies on the market.

The size shrink is due to improvements in power efficiency that is not only good for the environment but can also operate cooler with less fan noise.  Speaking of fans, the internal 120mm cooling fan is near silent when running and can be completely shut off using the Smart Zero Fan switch until the PSU loading reaches 40%.  I would have liked to see this be thermally controlled but in the sake of warranty and device safety the loading parameter makes sense.    

With the advent of PCI Express 5.0 and the new 12VHPWR power connection I felt it was time to given the test bench a quick refresh and the 1050w PF3 seemed liked a fitting replacement for the Toughpower Grand 1050w I have been using for years.  Not only will I get full 12VHPWR power control but will be upgrading efficiency to a Platinum level and won’t have to deal with a cooldown fan spinning after a testing session.

80Plus Platinum Rating
12VHPWR Video Card Support
Fully Modular Design
120mm Silent Fan
Flat Ribbon Cables
Storage Bag
Power Excursion Support up to 3x

Flat ribbon cables take longer to route
No RGB ?