As the economy still continues on the road to recovery, the number of consumers looking to save some money on computer upgrades has grown. The entire market is learning to wheel and deal in order to continue to do business. This means manufacturers have to be more aggressive in both price and product quality. One component that has increased in price over the last 5 years, but is not seeing dramatic drops in pricing is the computer power supply.
Consumers are searching for affordable power supplies that can get the job done, but don’t mind sacrificing features like modular cabling, flashy paint jobs, and LED cooling fans. Thanks to our friends over at CoolerMaster, we may have a power supply solution worth consideration. Let’s take a very close look at the Coolermaster GX Series 750 Watt Power Supply and see if it’s right for you.
Features and Specifications
The GX 750’s specs alone suggest Coolermaster did their home work figuring out the right amount of power per rail in an 80Plus power supply. Instead of following weaker PSUs that waste more than 30 amps on the 3.3V and 5V rails, you get a very respectable 25 amps per rail. The 12V rail gets the bulk of the wattage, providing a massive 60 amp dose to keep your computer more than happy.
Being that this is an 80Plus power supply, users can expect at least an 80% efficiency at about 50% load. The features say typical efficiency is 85% which is just a bonus. What will really earn it higher marks is whether or not the PSU can maintain at least 80% at greater loads all the way up to full load.
Even though the PSU is rated to 750 watts, the maximum output is 900 watts. Based on experience, we doubt that the PSU is capable of reaching, or maintaining that amount of output. It’s more plausible that the GX 750 will maintain 800 watts if pushed to that limit. None the less, we expect the PSU to maintain 750 watts without issue if it wants our illustrious recommendation.
The unit comes in a smaller 650W version and the 750W version as tested. If you’re looking for additional specifications, you can find those on the CoolerMaster product page. The rest of you, follow me.
What’s In The Box?
As you can see, just the bare minimums. After all, this is a value oriented power supply. Of course, you’ll get mounting screws, instructions, a power cord and the CoolerMaster GX Series 750Watt ATX Power Supply itself.
Closer Look at the GX 750
The non modular GX 750 is housed in black, which cuts down on costs without sacrificing the more important internal circuitry and black goes with everything. The power supply bears some weight which suggests that some good components were used in its design. It has a large 120mm cooling fan which appears to be capable of moving about 60 plus cubic feet of air per minute which means you should expect fan noise at around 25 db.
The GX 750 is equipped with four 6+2-pin PCI Express connectors for video cards, three 4-pin molex, one floppy drive connector, and nine SATA connectors on top of the standard 24-pin and 8-pin main power connectors. We’re not sure why so many SATA connectors. At least five 4-pin would seem more realistic given the devices gamers tend to connect to their PCs.
Let’s Look Inside
To get a better look at those heavy components, we popped the black enclosure open. As you can see, the heatsinks aren’t elaborate, but effective nonetheless. Each one has transistors that handle switching and PFC transistors attached. Everything seems quite reputable upon first glance. There’s also a single blue 560uF 400V capacitor made by Su’Scon; a company that makes lots of different with a history of both good and bad stories. Generally, they handle their objectives up to spec.
That said, it further supports my theory that the PSU probably won’t go much higher than 800 watts. And if it does, it most likely won’t maintain acceptable power rails at that level. Again, this is way outside the specs of the PSU so if you need more power, just buy a bigger power supply as CoolerMaster has many.
Configuration and Test Methods
We kept things very simple and real world. A high end gaming system was assembled to push the GX 750 to its rated spec. Depending on the maximum output test, we will be adding more to push it beyond. As long as everything continues operating as it should, we’re happy.
Our test system uses the following components:
- Intel Core i7 870 Lynnfield Processor
- GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD6 Motherboard
- Dual Zotac Geforce GTX295 Video Cards
- Patriot Memory 4GB Sector5 2000MHz DDR3 Memory
- Patriot Memory 128GB TorqX SSD
- Various cooling fans to mimic real world conditions
The power supply was installed on a modified load tester to see where the unit actually tops out at while recording each of the rails as well as maximum output. Anything beyond rated specs is considered extra credit.
Test Results
We were able to run the above test system without any issues. That alone indicates there’s extra power under the hood of the GX 750. The PSU managed the power rails correctly and maintained a level of efficiency that measures up to its 80Plus rating at 50% load. At full load, it’s efficiency dropped to 79% indicating there is a little bit of noise due to heat or switching.
What we observed in our unholy attempts to locate and find any weaknesses within the GX 750’s is that it will more than handle any and everyone’s requirements to just about 830 watts and was still about 76% efficient. Keep in mind, we’ve far exceeded specs at this point drawing an extra 86 watts. Not too shabby in this respect at all.
We did notice some slight voltage fluctuations closer to full load and some heat build up indicating the loss in efficiency. It doesn’t cause any havoc in testing, but it is something CM will want to keep an eye on in future budget revisions.
Final Thoughts
If you have plans to become the proud owner of an elite computer system, there are plenty of budget PSU choices that appear to save you money. But, very few actually measure up and exceed specs like the GX Series. The last thing you want to do is feed it dirty or substandard power. You’ll regret it months down the road when your components start failing or having other issues.
The Coolermaster GX Series 750W Power Supply is everything you want in a budget unit. Sure, you’re not going to get the modular cabling. But then again, those tend to cost another $30 or more and you can always use velcro ties. At a current cost of $110, it gives the money conscious consumer a better choice in a “mainstream” power supply and with a 5 year warranty, one heckuva value.
Pros:
- Nice clean power supply
- Neat braided cabling
- Measures up to its 80Plus rating
- Exceeds and maintains specifications
- Ideal for budget consumers
- Five Year Warranty
Cons:
- Heat and circuit noise could be improved
- Velcro straps would be nice
- Won’t attract modular PSU fans
Overall Rating: 8.5/10.0
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CoolerMaster GX Series 750 Watt ATX Power Supply Photo Gallery
