Original Link: https://www.anandtech.com/show/10461/the-raidmax-rx700at-700w-80plus-titanium-psu-power-supply-review



Founded back in 1988, Raidmax is one of the oldest PC case and PSU manufacturers. Due to the lack of brand management, the company is not very well known in several parts of the world, but they are highly regarded in Asia and relatively well-known in the American market. The primary philosophy of the company was, and still is, the provision of unique but cost-effective designs. Over the last few years, the company has released several high performance products that stray away from their typical base philosophy to appeal to enthusiasts.

Introduction

Today we will be having a look at the Monster Power RX-700AT, one of Raidmax's most advanced PSUs currently available. The RX-700AT is a product that strays away from the company’s main philosophy, as it is an 80Plus Titanium certified, top tier performance PSU with a hefty price tag of $160 plus shipping at the time of this review. 80Plus Titanium certified units generally are very expensive, so Raidmax has stepped in to try and offer one at a relatively reasonable price that could appeal to a larger user base. It has rather impressive specifications but it remains to be seen whether it can also be a competitive product with such a retail price.

Power specifications ( Rated @ Unknown °C )
AC INPUT 100 - 240 VAC, 50 - 60 Hz
RAIL +3.3V +5V +12V +5Vsb -12V
MAX OUTPUT 20A 20A 58A 2,5A 0,3A
100W 696W 12.5W 3.6W
TOTAL 700W

Packaging and Bundle

Raidmax supplies the RX-700AT inside a well-designed, sturdy cardboard box. The artwork on the box is attractive without being extravagant, mainly focused on pictures of the PSU itself and icons denoting its main features. Inside the box, the PSU is well protected sandwiched between two thick pieces of polystyrene foam.

Raidmax supplies a fairly rich bundle alongside their top tier PSU. Inside the box we found a standard AC power cable, four silver mounting screws and four black thumbscrews, several cable ties in two lengths, three classic cable straps and a fairly informative manual.

The modular cables of the Monster Power RX-700AT PSU come supplied in a reusable nylon bag with a zipper. All of the wires and the connectors are black. Moreover, the thicker PCI-E cable is the only modular cable with a single sleeving encompassing all of the wires. The Molex and SATA connector cables have per-wire sleeving.

RaidMax RX-700AT 700W 80Plus Titanium
Connector type Hardwired Modular
ATX 24 Pin 1 -
EPS 4+4 Pin 1 -
EPS 8 Pin - -
PCI-E 6+2 Pin 2 2
PCI-E 8 Pin - -
SATA - 8
Molex - 4
Floppy - 1


External Appearance

Externally, the design of the Raidmax RX-700AT PSU is very subtle and simple. If not for the fan finger guard with the thicker outer rim and parallel grid, it could be easily mistaken for yet another “run of the mill” product. Raidmax markets the RX-700AT as the “shortest 700W 80Plus Titanium” power supply, but the chassis is 165 mm long and will still not fit inside several cases that can only accommodate PSUs fully adherent to the ATX standard (160mm). A well-applied satin black paint covers the chassis of the PSU, with fairly good anti-fingermark capabilities.

 

Raidmax placed the sticker with the electrical specifications and certifications of the PSU on the left side of the chassis, making it visible from a windowed side panel if the PSU is installed with its fan facing downwards. The right and top sides of the chassis are entirely plain.

The rear of the RX-700AT is very simple, with only the AC cable receptacle and a small on/off switch to be found. Four connectors for the modular cables can be found at the front side of the PSU, next to the hole where the hardwired main cables exit the chassis from. All of the hardwired cables have black connectors, black wires and standard single sleeving.

 

It's worth repeating the cable arrangement again from the first review page:

RaidMax RX-700AT 700W 80Plus Titanium
Connector type Hardwired Modular
ATX 24 Pin 1 -
EPS 4+4 Pin 1 -
EPS 8 Pin - -
PCI-E 6+2 Pin 2 2
PCI-E 8 Pin - -
SATA - 8
Molex - 4
Floppy - 1

Typically in a 700W power supply, especially in light of the recent release of the RX480 (and claims that two cards can outperform a more expensive card), having the potential for multiple PCIe devices can be a draw to potential buyers. Having a total of four (two fixed and two optional) 6+2-pin connectors is ideal here. With that being said, the presence of a single EPS 4+4 pin connector may be limiting to users who want to push a high-end desktop platform. 700W with an 80Plus Titanium rating will fit nicely with a number of HEDT users who require a discrete graphics card, and a number of HEDT arrangements when overclocked have the ability to add another EPS connector to assist in power delivery to the processor. This ultimately affects a small number of users, so it would seem that Raidmax aiming for the mass market could potentially reduce the price with only a single EPS connector.

Internal Design

A black 135 mm fan is responsible for the cooling of the RX-700AT. Raidmax has replaced the branding sticker on the fan’s engine with one of their own but our investigation revealed that the original manufacturer of the fan is Shenzen Poweryear. We could not find a datasheet for the particular fan model but it has a dual ball bearing engine and a maximum speed of 1500RPM.

A look inside the Raidmax Monster Power RX-700AT instantly revealed that the OEM behind the unit is Andyson, as the layout is almost identical to that of the Andyson N500 PSU that we reviewed last year. The design is based on a half-bridge inversion stage with resonant conversion, which is good but atypically basic for such a high efficiency product. It has two rectifying bridges on the same heatsink as the active PFC components, two transistors and one diode.

 

The main capacitors of the RX-700AT are two Hitachi products, rated at 420V/330μF each. These are very high quality capacitors but their combined capacitance appears to be far too high for a 700W PSU, which is likely to cause high inrush currents when plugging the unit in. The secondary side capacitors are supplied by Nippon Chemi-Con and Nichicon. FPCAP supplies the polymer capacitors.

 

The assembly quality of the RX-700AT is generally acceptable but there were several points that could use better attention, especially considering the very high retail price of the PSU. The soldering job is great, without loose or overly large joints. Most of the problems that we encountered seem to involve tasks that were likely made by hand. For example, most of the heatshrinks hardly cover the joints, with some being wrapped around just the insulation of the cable alone. One of the X-type filtering capacitors that was supposed to be glued on the side of the AC receptacle was detached and floating inside the chassis, most likely because the silicone glue used was not of good quality or did not cure properly. Such quality errors could be passable in a $30-40 unit, but they are definitely not something we expect to see in a >$150 product. 



Cold Test Results

For the testing of PSUs, we are using high precision electronic loads with a maximum power draw of 2700 Watts, a Rigol DS5042M 40 MHz oscilloscope, an Extech 380803 power analyzer, two high precision UNI-T UT-325 digital thermometers, an Extech HD600 SPL meter, a self-designed hotbox and various other bits and parts. For a thorough explanation of our testing methodology and more details on our equipment, please refer to our How We Test PSUs - 2014 Pipeline post.

The conversion efficiency of the Monster Power RX-700AT at room temperature is very good, surpassing 94.3% at about 50% load and 92.1% at maximum load. The average efficiency within the nominal load range (20% to 100% of the unit's capacity) is 93.1%. However, the platform does not meet the 80Plus Titanium certification levels for 230V AC input, as it would have to reach a conversion efficiency of at least 96% at 50% load. According to the certification documentation of the platform, it has received the 80Plus Titanium certification with a 115V AC input voltage, under which the certification parameters are not as strict.

The RX-700AT does not have a “semi-fanless” control mode, meaning that the fan starts immediately when the PSU is turned on, regardless of the load. The speed of the fan increases almost linearly in relation to the load. With the PSU operating in room temperature, the fan is nearly inaudible until the load reaches about 55-60% of the unit’s maximum capacity. Due to the very high efficiency and average maximum output of the PSU, the RX-700AT holds very low operating temperatures, barely reaching above 48 °C when operating in room temperature. 



Hot Test Results

Switching over to our hot testing results, as we see in the following tables, the Raidmax Monster Power RX-700AT displays excellent voltage stability when thermally stressed.  Voltage regulation is clearly stronger on the 12V line, with a regulation of 1.25% across the load range. On the other hand, the regulation of the minor voltage lines is considerably worse, at 2.1%/2.3% across the load range for the 3.3V/5V lines respectively, but that remains a very good performance figure for such a PSU.

Main Output
Load (Watts) 141.88 W 353.26 W 525.74 W 700.04 W
Load (Percent) 20.27% 50.47% 75.11% 100.01%
  Amperes Volts Amperes Volts Amperes Volts Amperes Volts
3.3 V 1.8 3.37 4.49 3.35 6.74 3.32 8.99 3.3
5 V 1.8 5.06 4.49 5.04 6.74 4.97 8.99 4.94
12 V 10.42 12.16 26.06 12.11 39.09 12.02 52.12 12.01

The power output quality of the RX-700AT is good. The maximum voltage ripple on the 12V line is reaching 62 mV at maximum load, which is about half that of the design limit (120 mV). Similarly, the maximum voltage ripple on the 3.3V and 5V lines is 20 mV and 30 mV respectively, with the design limit being at 50 mV.

Line Regulation
(20% to
100% load)
Voltage Ripple (mV)
20% Load 50% Load 75% Load 100% Load CL1
12V
CL2
3.3V + 5V
3.3V 2.1% 14 16 20 20 18 20
5V 2.3% 16 22 26 30 16 34
12V 1.25% 22 30 46 62 60 28

Now to the hot box testing. We should mention that this PSU does not have a clear temperature rating. This most likely means that it has been rated at 40°C, as this is the commercial computer PSU temperature standard. However, in order to match the 50°C rating of several high-end products, we perform our testing at temperatures higher than 45°C. We could reduce the ambient temperature of our hotbox testing but we chose not to do so as the results would then not be comparable to those of our previous reviews.

According to our testing results, the RX-700AT would have no trouble getting a clear power output rating at 50 °C. The impact of the high ambient temperature on the performance of the PSU is minimal, even though the operating temperatures nearly double. It loses only 0.5% of its average energy conversion efficiency, which drops to 92.6% across the nominal loading range. The drop is evenly distributed across the load range and does not seem to increase in effect as the load increases, suggesting that the PSU's capacity is virtually unaffected by the high environmental temperature.

The operating temperatures of the Monster Power RX-700AT reached between 75 °C and 80 °C when the unit was fully stressed inside our hotbox, which are good figures for a PSU with that kind of output, even for one with an 80Plus Titanium certification. However, the strong fan is to blame for the low temperatures, as the RX-700AT is rather loud under such conditions. The design relies on its own high efficiency and the heatsinks are small, so the fan is the only way for the PSU to combat adverse operating conditions. Ironically, the dual ball bearing fan that the company advertises as quiet is what makes the RX-700AT so loud. Dual ball bearings are exceptionally reliable but are one of the loudest (if not the loudest) type of bearings for high speed fans, which is why we see hydraulic/hybrid/magnetic and other types of bearings on high performance fans.



Conclusion

With the Monster Power RX-700AT, Raidmax is reaching out to a very specific segment of the market, the very small segment of power users that want top tier PSUs with exceptional efficiency. However, most 80Plus Titanium PSUs that have found their way into the retail market are behemoths with three times higher power output than what most home and gaming PCs require. Andyson’s platform that the RX-700AT is based on is one of the few that combines top tier efficiency with a reasonable power output, making it a more marketable choice for most home and gaming PCs.

Aesthetically, the Monster Power RX-700AT is simple and subtle, which should ideal for most users who usually prefer the PSU and its cables hidden away from sight rather than standing out. The use of per-wire sleeving on the smaller cables however is of questionable value, as it increases the stiffness and bulk of the wires, having a negative impact on cable management. Some modders do find per-wire sleeving aesthetically appealing though.

The quality of the PSU has left us with mixed feelings. On one hand, the RX-700AT is based on a very good platform and is using some of the best quality parts currently available, most of which are severely oversized for a PSU with this kind of output. It can easily reach its maximum output operating in adverse conditions, without a significant performance drop. On the other hand, the manufacturer only offers a two-year warranty, which is very little for a PSU of this class. Top tier PSUs usually have a warranty that lasts at least five years. The assembly quality of the RX-700AT could also be improved.

The performance of the RX-700AT also is a complicated topic. We were not surprised that the PSU could not meet the 80Plus Titanium efficiency ratings with an input voltage of 230V AC as bery few designs can currently do so and Andyson’s platform seems to have been designed with 115V AC input in mind. It has excellent voltage regulation and good power quality on all of the voltage rails but, conversely, these performance figures are unimpressive for a top-tier PSU with such a price tag. With the unit operating in room temperature, the internal temperatures are low, especially considering the very small heatsinks of the PSU, prolonging the life of the PSU itself and reducing the fan’s noise levels. If the ambient temperature is very high, the small heatsinks of the PSU shift the cooling burden towards the fan, which can become quite loud under high loads. Overall, the performance of the RX-700AT is rather unbalanced and strongly depends on the specifics of the application, or liable to the specific needs or expectations of the user.

There is only one major issue with the Monster Power RX-700AT and that is its retail price. With a price tag of $160 plus shipping, the RX-700AT is hardly a competitive product. 80Plus Titanium certified units are few and very expensive, but it is easy to find high quality 1000W+ 80Plus Platinum certified PSUs retailing at this price point, or units with a similar power output with better features and much longer warranties retailing for significantly less. Raidmax is obviously aiming for the small group of users who feel that they need the top tier efficiency of an 80Plus Titanium PSU. In that case, considering that most 80Plus Titanium certified models currently cost well over $200, the RX-700AT is a choice to consider, with good power output and an equitable price tag.

Editor's Note: Raidmax informed us that the warranty of this particular PSU series has been extended from two to five years.

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