Ultra Products X-Finity 500W ULT31843

Examination:

While the Ultra X-Connect was very decorative with its reflective finish and UV modular cables, the X-Finity we have in front of us was relatively nonchalant. When it comes to the features for this power supply, Ultra Products weighs heavily on the fact that this unit features "Dual Rail Technology", which is their term for having dual +12V rails. In all modern-day systems having at least two 12V rails should be a must for separating the CPU and graphics cards onto different rails. Some high-end power supples, such as the SilverStone Zeus ST75ZF, even boasts four +12V rails. The Ultra ULT31843 also uses active Power Factor Correction as opposed to passive. Most modern performance power supplies (such as the OCZ GameXStream or SilverStone Zeus series) boast a power efficiency greater than 80%, while the level reported by Ultra Products for the ULT31843 is at 70~78%. This power supply, however, is certified by NVIDIA for SLI usage. According to SLI Zone, the Ultra X-Finity 500W is certified for dual GPU use outside of the GeForce 7900 series.

This power supply also features FlexForce for making the power cables more manageable, increasing the airflow, and improving the design with a sleek appearance. The X-Finity series is not modular, but Ultra Products has replaced the X-Connect series with the X2. All of these power supply cables on the X-Finity 500W have a titanium-like finish. According to Ultra Products, FlexForce allows for up to 30% better airflow than standard PSU cables. The connectors on the power supply is one 20/24-pin motherboard, one 4-pin +12V P4, eight 4-pin molex, two 4-pin floppy, two PCI Express 6-pin, four Serial ATA, and one 8-pin EPS.

Finally looking at the power supply itself, the exterior is black and relatively plain unlike previous Ultra Products power supplies. The 500W ULT31843 does, however, boast a 135mm fan for improved airflow. At the rear of the power supply is a series of holes as well as the power plug and switch.