Mushkin HP-580AP Enhanced
Examination:
When we had received the HP-580AP a few months back it was our first time trying out a Mushkin power supply after having used and were satisfied with their memory in the past. At the rear of the power supply is the power connector, power switch, Rail Fusion indicator, and a sticker letting the user know that this power supply uses Active PFC. The entire rear of the power supply is made up of diamond-shaped vents to allow for adequate airflow while eliminating any need for a fan at this end of the power supply. Mushkin's Rail Fusion technology allows the +12V rails on the quad-rail power supply to combine, if on one rail you are pulling too much power. Rail Fusion technology should be very beneficial in the world of multi CPUs and GPUs. The quad-rail Mushkin HP-580AP is in sharp contrast to the high-performance single-rail SilverStone Olympia OP650W power supply.
On the bottom of the power supply is a 120mm fan with a Mushkin enhanced logo covering the motor housing. At the top of the power supply is a HP-580AP sticker indicating that each of the +12V rails are able to provide 20Amps independently while the +3.3V and +5.00V each provide 24Amps.
Reaching the opposite end of the power supply we meet the motherboard power cables and the modular cable connectors. The motherboard connectors are not modular, as in 99% of the cases you will be connecting the power supply to the motherboard. These two connectors include a 20+4 and 4+4 interface. In recent years these power supply connectors have been fairly common on new power supplies, but with the HP-580AP, Mushkin refers to them as VersaPlug. The other cable extending from the 580W PSU is for grounding the power supply inside the case.
The modular connectors include six black and two blue connectors. With all cables attached, there would be a grand total of two PCI-E, eight Serial ATA, six 4-pin Molex, and two FDD connections. The advanced thermal and acoustic design of this power supply also makes it automatically adjust the 120mm PSU fan depending upon the system load and temperature, with variable fan speed adjustments being common among high-end power supplies.