Introduction

Global WIN has been around for quite a while now, providing quality components for the computer market ranging from heatsinks to characteristic aluminium computer cases (for example the GAT001, reviewed by jmke). Thanks to Eurobizz France, we had the opportunity to take a closer look at one of Global WIN's latest products, the SAF520-Sapphire power supply unit.





A short summary of the most important specifications and features can be found on the official Global WIN site, as well as a .PDF which contains more extended information. I'll give you a list of the most important specifications and features:

520W power supply

20pin + 4pin ATX-12V power connector for Pentium4

auto ranging active PFC at 0.989

high efficient with thermal fan control inside ( control 5 fans ) for lowest noise

APS-HD technology : Asynchronous Protection System for Heat Dissipation

provide 3 more minutes power to keep rotating cooling fans (cpu cooler / case fans / PSU fans )

titanium-plated white power case with open windows

OVP / OCP / SCP on all 6 DC output rails

peak load 100 W allowance for 60 seconds

Fan washers fixed between power case and cooling fan to prevent from vibration

Some of these specifications don't make much sense, but this review isn't meant to take you on the technical specifications tour. For those interested, the .PDF I pointed out above proves to be interesting lecture.
Nevertheless, some things are worth mentioning, as Global WIN really did their best to deliver a quality product. They have equipped this power supply with no less then 5 different ways to protect your hardware: Over Voltage Protection, Over Current Protection, Short Circuit Protection, Electric-Shock-Free Protection and Scan-Disk-Free Protection. Another thing is the cooling: they opted for a two-fan design, placing the intake at the rear end. We don't get to see this very often, as most manufacturers put the intake at the bottom, right over the CPU. The advantage of a fan at the backside is that the warmth generated by the optical drives can finally go somewhere, without making a blowhole in your top plate.

Where most "standard" PSU's offer about five 4-pin Molex connectors, the SAF520 comes up with no less than ten of these, together with two 3-pin FDD power connectors. An excellent feature when looking to future upgrades. Speaking of connectors, this power supply is equipped with a dedicated S-ATA dongle with two connectors, and three 4-pin power control connectors for additional case fans.