I'm using a NeoPower in my system(below) and it runs things just dandy.I really appreciate the silence and the fact that I could seperate video card power onto it's on own power lead since I have as high end power consuming card.I noticed the "hot exaust" deal almost immediately too,but given that it's 180W more than my previous PSU,I dismissed any further concerns.
Later on,after reading some articles,I came to the conclusion that since it has a bottom mounted 120mm fan that sucks air up into the PSU from the case and almost directly from the CPU/HSF area(heat rises) I realized that the PSU really was only doing a fantastic job of aiding in evacuating hot air from the case interior and not just it's own heat production.I haven't tested it,but I think that if you were to seperate the PSU from the case and run it at load,you'd find it not expelling as much hot air as it does when it's within the case,where it aides in evacuating hot air from within the case that's created by the MB,CPU/HSF,HD's,optical drives and GPU's/HSF's.Being that it's the upper most exhaust component in the case means that it's the last means for exahausting all the hot air that rose to the top of the case,escaping the rear exhaust fans suction.Enough on that.
I was kinda dismayed about the voltage readings I was getting from my MB bios/MB5.I tallied that up to MB sensor fluctuations/inaccuracy(common),but after reading the review on TechReport,where they actually measured the rails properly using a multimeter,my dismay has been confirmed.
Dismayed I may be by tech. reports statistical evaluation,but I can't say I have noticed anything peculiar or any absense of performance in real life usage of this PSU.In fact my perception is that it's the best PSU I've ever owned.The vast mojority of my prior PSU's have been Antec,Fortron,Enermax.
I did put my NeoPower to the test in the beginning because I had 3 optical drives(Pextor CDRW 40x12x40A - Pioneer DVD ROM - Pioneer DVR 108) & 3 HD's (Seagate 200GB SATA - WD 120 ATA - Maxtor 80GB ATA) and all my current components listed below otherwise.All that ran fine on the NeoPower and without a hiccup! And I put my computer through some stress tests,memory tests and lotsa hard gaming at high & even highest settings. (FarCry,Joint Ops,SW Battlefront,Star Wars Galaxies etc.)
So i can safely say that those numbers that Tech Report came up with do NOT equate to any real life/actual usage shortcomings whatsoever.They're merely numbers on paper(monitor)
The only thing I didn't do is overclocl my system,wich I just don't believe in.But I'm sure other NeoPower owners can chime in concerning overclocking & power consumption/fluctuations etc. and deliver us some of their observations & opinions.
I'm willing to bet they don't have any problems with the NeoPower overclocking on high end systems.
So overall I'm very satisfied with the NeoPower,because it does deliver adequate power for all my needs and more (I've since transferred the Plextor CDRW & Pioneer DVDROM & WD 120GB & Maxtor 80GB back into my 2nd system and I'm planning on adding another DVDRW and 2nd Seagate 200GB into my current setup below)
One thing I have to really frown at and totally disagree with Tech Report on is the appearance comments.
When I recieved my NeoPower,opened up the box,I thought to myself,WOW!,this is one great looking PSU.
Then again I'm a bit conservative and do not cater to the flashy colors and disco lights and gimmicky add-on crap so often applied to computer products these days.I very much appreciate the conservative,but handsome construction and color of this PSU.Then again how often do I or have I looked at it since it's installation in my case? Ummmm ZERO!So it doesn't really matter anyways.
What's more important to me is it's function and realibility.I can say that sofar it functions up to expected standards and probably better.
What I can't comment is it's reliability.Here I am relying on Antec's excellent reputation for being a very reliable high end PSU manufacturer.Unfortunately Tech Report didn't report on that issue at all.I'm not sure how they would since reliability is a time test that would somehow have to project usage and specifications over a period of years.Here's where the reputation comes into play folks.
Would you rather trust your system to a brand new brand on the market that has no concrete reputation or one that's churned out a gazillion products over many years and has a solid reputation?Afterall your entire computer could be at stake here.
I think I'll rely on a solidly confirmed reputation and dismiss an undervolted rail(on paper)
Otherwise I agree with Tech Report and their choice for Gold Medal winner,the Enermax CG 485W.
Enermax is a very reputable performance PSU manufacturer as well and I would recommend them just as soon as I'd recommend Antec.
I can't say the same for UltraX,SH,Vantec,Silverstone,OCZ or Zalman.They simply haven't been around long enough(with the exception of Vantec) to compare reliability levels on a scale of oh say a decade or so.And I'm not a gambler when it comes to my entire computer system being at stake.It horrifies me to hear/read/see about those cases where a PSU has fried out an entire computer system.
Not that I'd just worry about my computer system,but I have worries about it maybe causing a housefire as well.I just survived on of those not but a a little over a year ago where I lost my entire lifes belongings and barely made it out alilve myself(nothing to do with computers being the cause though)
My point is the quality/reliability factor here.I "feel" safer knowing I have a good quality reputable product.
Time will tell how the other brands in that comparo will stack up in the reliability dept.
I have already noticed an alarming number of complaints regarding UltraX PSU's on here and other sites on the web.Could be just because it's a new modern PSU with bells and whistles that's becoming popular with those that regard them "cool & sexy" due to design and lighting etc. and therefor they are stealing the spotlight .