Performance:
As stated earlier in this review, the ePower Xmicro is designed for SFF PCs due to the compact size, length/number of connectors, and 350W rating, which is rather small by today's standards. Seeking to give the Xmicro a beating, we actually installed it in one of our open-air systems. The PSU was plopped on a HighSpeedPC Tech Station with the following components:
| Hardware Components | |
| Processor: | Intel Celeron D 320 (2.40GHz) @ 3.24GHz |
| Motherboard: | Abit IC7-MAX3 |
| Memory: | 512MB Corsair XMS PC4400 |
| Graphics Card: | ECS ATI RADEON 9200 128MB w/ VIVO |
| Hard Drives: | Western Digital 80GB IDE (w/ IDE to SATA) |
| Optical Drives: | Memorex CD-RW 52x24x52 |
| Add-On Devices: | D-Link DFE-530TX+ (10/100) |
| Cooling: | 3R System Water Cooling (CPU, NB, VPU) |
| Case: | HighSpeedPC Tech Station |
| Software Components | |
| Operating System: | FedoraCore3 |
| Linux Kernel: | 2.6.10-1.770 |
A quick reading from the Seasonic Power Angel revealed the system was able to handle a 350W PSU. A RadioShack (Cat No: 22-810) multimeter was used to record the PSU voltages. Idle voltages were attained 30 minutes after the computer was idling. Load voltages were taken 30 minutes after CPUBurn-In v1.00 was running.
Conclusion:
When we had wrapped up the testing, we were surprised to see the minimal voltage fluctuation that had actually occurred between idle and load. Not only was the voltage fluctuation kept to a minimum, the rails barely wandered off their ideal voltages. Although the power supply was rather plain, the mirror-like surface was a nice touch though. A 350W is very much a bare minimum for any PSU expected to compete with the demands present in today's desktop systems, but for a SFF (Small Form Factor) PC, this ePower 350 Watt PSU should be suitable in most situations. During the testing process, the PSU was barely audible, due to the small dual 60mm fans. Nevertheless, the Xmicro 350W from ePower is another great offer.
Pros:
· Very little voltage fluctuation
· Silent
· Perfect length cables and quantity of connectors for SFF/Open Air PCs
· Good Performance
· Reliable quality
Cons:
· Not all cables sleeved
· 350W is a minimum in today's markets
Discuss this article in our forums, IRC channel, or email the author. You can also follow our content via RSS and on social networks like Facebook, Identi.ca, and Twitter (@Phoronix and @MichaelLarabel). Subscribe to Phoronix Premium to view our content without advertisements, view entire articles on a single page, and experience other benefits.
Phoronix Product Rating: 8 / 10
