Ultra X-Connect 500W PSU

[dtboos]

thanks

 

[crossphyr]

im 11 or 12 cuz i have an attitude.. ouch.. good one man

 

[crossphyr]

odd how last time smoeone said they were powmax ultra got pissed and even replied to it directly and said it wasnt.. it was the other way around.. please unless you right now are going to post evidence..besides ur own thoughts or beliefs.. show me where its proven its a powmax.. proven to destroy someones machine.. proven to be unstable overclocked.. so forth and so on.. till than stop with your here say because you cant prove a point!@!



just to add.. If aesthetics are your main concern, Ultra's X-Connect is the swankiest power supply of the group. With a mirror blue finish and gorgeous UV-reactive modular cables, the X-Connect is a case window's dream. Performance is pretty decent, too?nothing spectacular, but no major problems either. Unfortunately, the X-Connect's chances at stardom are ultimately stymied by the power supply's relatively high noise levels and stingy one-year warranty. basically it has a crap warranty.. which they just moved to 3 years.. btw.. and its high noise level.. not to be rude to anyone.. but to me i could give a crap whats loud.. cuz i myself cant hear my psu over even my side fan.. so unless ur laying on ur floor with ur head against ur psu's rear dont complain..


and just more fun :::::::::::The Power Supply Round-up in the January issue of Maximum PC has been addressed. I sent a letter to the editor, which will be published in the March issue, and Maximum PC, having received complaints from other manufacturers cited in the article, is reviewing their testing procedures.

It is my personal belief that Maximum PC tested a pre-production model that I sent them back in June for aesthetic purposes only. It is also highly suspect that we garnered a score of 4, when plenty of other sources have extensively tested the X-Connect, with positive results under similar test parameters.

I would like to reference Athlon64fx's comment that some manufacturers are shown favoritism to an undeterminable degree. I would like to adamantly say that articles are written by individual editors rather than "magazines". We firmly believe in our product.

Click here to read more reviews on the X-Connect:



thats one bad review.. and even tells what the magazine did.. odd and notice one thing.. youve backed up your opinion on one thing.. but like i said.. no one is quoting these psu's are the greatest gift to the pc world.. but there is definetly nothing wrong with them.

 

[Yossairian]

Are you guys serious ?

www.powmax.com

*hint* click >power<

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: Yossairian
Are you guys serious ?

www.powmax.com

*hint* click >power<

*official* :evil: 0wned! :evil: *official*

http://www.powmax.com/mainpower.htm

 

[crossphyr]

this is just for the sound comment




As far as noise, I constantly kept finding myself putting my hand up to the exhaust just to make sure that it was actually running due to the fact that I never heard a whisper. that was from a review... thanks have a nice day

 

[crossphyr]

who did u own tough internet geek? lol

 

[Operandi]

Just go to the Powmax web site, the Ultra is listed right there. Ultra is not a manufacture, they are a marketing company only; simple logic will tell you Ultra is based on a Powmax design.

For the record, Powmax is built by a company called Leadman Electronics, they are the source for some the poorest quality PSU?s ever made (Deer).

 

[crossphyr]

even so, which its not my job to defend their company because my psu runs with 6 fans a 6800gt a dvd/cdrom and overclocked at 2.6 and have had no problems yet.. but if thats so why do 9 out of 10 reviewers give it a perfect score except for the cables being kind of stiff.. and pcmagazine which they already commented on?

 

[crossphyr]

go check out leadman site.. that doesnt show anything.. just saying.. not that proves anything.


Typo here, not POWMAX. The best power supply I have used to date. Nothing better than being able to unplug un-used power cables. Ultra also sells more cables so if you have SATA hard drives that only use the new SATA power adapter you can order a single cable from them. As they become more popular im sure more stores will carry extra cables.

Great Supply. Wrong name on site...
By CKOLLWITZ (4) on December 31,2004
Don't let the title fool you, this is not a POWMAX product. This is actually made by ULTRA. This is a great and stable PSU. I would most definately use it in any rig that you could.


thats just some more.. and not to mention u say they just market stuff.. so why dont u see the other 500 ultra products on the powmax website.. answer that and ill agree.. and it still doesnt answer the question if it is a cheap psu because everyone talks about the small hsf.. which i agree they are small..... than why are they only 2 degrees warmer than the ocz under full load.. so basically the small heatsinks are irrelevant to ur argument.. because they dont hurt performance as u can see.

 

[Patrick Wolf]

I e-mailed ULTRA and asked them if PowMax manufactures their X-Connect PSU's, or if they have any affiliation with PowMax at all. Hopefully they respond soon....

 

[crossphyr]

ill tell you what i really really doubt powmax actually produces ultra products. or evn their psu.. i think ultra sold it to them to sell or whatever.. i dont know how these companies work.... is it odd.. yes.. does anyone actually know why or what it means NO.. so till wolfy there gets an answer i guess we are all at a stand still... but in the ultra forums someone actually discussed this ill see if i can find the discussion brb.

 

[crossphyr]

good day.. here u go from the actual ultra mod



Gene wrote:
I too feel your pain. I had one for 2 months and the smell never went away however you will eventually get used to it.Now I upgraded to the one with the lighted side window and it does not smell like my old one.I really enjoy my X-connect but if I would have known they are made by Powmax I never would have bought it.


Just to let EVERYONE know, Ultra Products manufactures this power supply, we sell the X-Connect to Powmax.

It is Ultra engineered, built, and supported. if u need be ill send u the link too but i think this is enough proof








Ultra Products is a global, technology-solutions provider headquartered in Fletcher, Ohio. The company offers a wide range of solutions, products, and services to resellers and end users worldwide. Ultra?s expansive product line provides business partners with the time-saving convenience of one-stop-shopping, along with quality products at exceptional price points.

It is Ultra's mission to be the best provider of technology-solutions in the global market. By offering superior products and complete technological solutions, the company seeks to create new and profitable ways for business partners to grow and for their revenues to increase. Employees professionally handle every step in the order process - from monitoring calls to ensuring a high level of customer service. By constantly training employees, Ultra guarantees business partners receive fair and exceptional service, no matter what size their order is.

Innovative and Quality Products
Ultra Products is constantly monitoring industry developments to guarantee the product lines are up-to-date with the latest innovations; products are manufactured and engineered to exceed customer application requirements. Ultra currently offers: case fans and lights, CPU designer cases, DVD products, hard drive coolers, media drives, complete memory solutions, memory coolers and power supplies.

Extensive Service Offerings
Ultra Products constantly searches for opportunities to grow and to improve its services to meet the customer's changing needs. Customer service does not end but begins with the sale and Ultra's relationship with the customer continues to build from there.

Corporate Values
Ultra's reputation is critical to the continued growth and success of the company. From top to bottom, every Ultra Products employee is trained to treat its partners in the same courteous and professional manner as Ultra wishes to be treated.

Ultra Products will continue to design exclusive, breakthrough add-ons and components that make end users' computing experience more exciting and enjoyable!

 

[Operandi]

Originally posted by: crossphyr

Just to let EVERYONE know, Ultra Products manufactures this power supply, we sell the X-Connect to Powmax.

It is Ultra engineered, built, and supported. if u need be ill send u the link too but i think this is enough proof

Belivhe what you want.....

Ultra is not a manufacture of PSU's, they may make the cables and exterior case but that?s it. There are only a half dozen or so real manufactures and they all make them in mass quantities. Ultra would be lucky if they have .5% of the PSU market, it would economically impossible for a company like Ultra to make their own units on their own.

Originally posted by: crossphyr
but if thats so why do 9 out of 10 reviewers give it a perfect score except for the cables being kind of stiff.. and pcmagazine which they already commented on?

It's easy to give a good score when you don't bother to do a proper test. Loading a 500 watt PSU with a 150 watts worth of hardware and monitoring the voltages with motherboard monitor is completely pointless and no way to test a PSU yet this what the vast majority of reviews consist of. If you want a real indication of how the Ultra performs under a real test check out the Jan issue of Maximum PC.

 

[mechBgon]

So.... if I understand this correctly, Gene at Ultra claims that Ultra manufactures these power supplies and sells them to one of the largest Chinese PSU makers, at a profit? Ask him why one of the high-volume Chinese PSU makers would buy anything from his little factory, if he really had one, when they could make their own PSUs and not have to pay an outsider to do something they're able to do for themselves cheaper.

~ hmmmmm...

 

[crossphyr]

im going to bed.. u do some research.. back up 2 things for me while u spend ur lonely night... find actual proof they are rebadged powmax.. besides them being on powmax site.. that doesnt tell us anything anyone can be a reseller... and also own one test it.. im running my system completely fine..

 

[mechBgon]

If it being on PowMax's site isn't enough proof for you, :camera:s and all, then I don't know what would be.

As for owning one myself? Over my dead body will I own anything that appears on PowMax's site. :evil: After five years here, and >15,000 tech-support posts focusing on troubleshooting other people's problems, I don't need to step in the dog poop myself to verify that it's going to be stinky.

im running my system completely fine..

And so was dgevert, for a while. I sincerely hope your luck holds better than his did...

Dude, actually, I am not happy with my X-Connect (any more). It appears that mine is dead too.

 

[Googer]

BAD! Ultra emits smoke and is a possible fire hazzard.

PC POWER AND COOLING makes the world most stable and reliable high quality psu.







4



quote:
Originally posted by: jewno

quote:
Originally posted by: boggsie

quote:
Originally posted by: jewno
I'm thinking...Ultra X-connect 500w PSU would fit your need.



It sure is pretty, that's for sure.



I have that PSU and it runs like charm. Obviously, I run a lot of programs on my computer so I need a better PSU to handle them all.





Here is the Article from this months Maximum PC, I have taken the time to type it verbatim.
Excerpt from January 2005 Copy of Maximum PC and written by Omeed Chandra of Maximum PC.


ULTRA PRODUCTS X-Connect
A sexy-looking power supply with and ugly disposition

The Ultra X-Connect is like a bad first date. It?s sleek, intricate fan grille and shiny silver finish are immediately impressive, but after about 20 minutes, it clearly comes up short on inner beauty.

Ultra claims the X-Connect can continuously deliver 500 watts of power, but our load test proved otherwise. Everything seemed fine at first, with the X-Connect typically drawing around 350 watts from the outlet. But a few Minutes into the test, we witnessed extreme artifacting in 3Dmark03- a sign of an unclean power stream. At times, a few moving white lines were all that could be seen on an otherwise black screen. Soon thereafter, the power supply started to emit a strange and rather worrisome burning smell.

Concerned we immediately closed 3Dmark03 and shut down the computer, noticing that the Windows Desktop was also badly distorted. After letting the X-Connect cool off for a few minutes, we re-booted and the graphical distortion had vanished. Fire extinguishers in hand we tried running the load test a second time and quickly reproduced our earlier results.

In the voltage sag test*, the X-Connect was a mixed bag. We measured an initial voltage of 12.57v on the 12 volt power rail- the biggest deviation of any PSU in this roundup, and dangerously close to the 12.6v maximum tolerance of the ATX spec. It?s conceivable this could damage cheap or poorly designed hardware over time. On the other hand when we dropped the input voltage to 60v, the X-Connect maintained an output voltage of 11.54v. that?s high enough to avert a system crash.

The X-Connect ships with sturdy shielded power cables that glow under UV light, and extra cables can be disconnected to reduce case clutter. But active power factor correction- the ability to smooth out distortions in the current being drawn from your wall outlet- is absent, and the Ultra?s power factor rating of 63 percent is was the lowest of the round up.

MAXIMUM PC VERDICT- 4
+ CLASSIC ROCK
Sturdy, modular shielded cables and exceptional fit and finish.

- ELECTRIC SHOCK
Poor voltage accuracy, no active power factor correction, and it failed our load test.

$100, www.ultraproducts.com

© 2004/2005 Maximum PC



Googers Take:
The only other product to be have failed the test was Vantec Stealth VAN-520A. Both PSU?s were beaten by a generic no name 400 watt PSU. All PSU?s were tested in the same manner using the same equipment. Some passed while others failed. Only PC Power and Cooling could maintain a PFC Rating of 98% and a consitant 12.08 volts no matter what the conditions were during these tests, Most of the other Makers fell short of these marks.

Conclusion if you want the ultra don?t waste your money, get a $35 generic special that can out perform the Ultra X-Connect. Pure Gimmick if you ask me, so don?t be fooled.

http://www.pcpowercooling.com
Enermax is just another generic psu all dressed up to look pretty, but underneith it is one unly a*sed S.O.B. with poor voltage regulation.

And modular cables are bad since theab the connection weakens and reduces the amount of current going to the devices. Eventually detechable cables can fall off or break. Its just a sales gimmick dont be one to fall for it

 

[Operandi]

Originally posted by: crossphyr
im going to bed.. u do some research.. back up 2 things for me while u spend ur lonely night... find actual proof they are rebadged powmax.. besides them being on powmax site.. that doesnt tell us anything anyone can be a reseller

Use some common sense; PSU makers don't go around selling each others products for the fun of it, it wouldn't make any sense. Powmax and Ultra are for all practical purposes the same thing, I can understand why Ultra would want you to think otherwise however.

Originally posted by: crossphyr
and also own one test it.. im running my system completely fine..

Simply owning one and verifying that it powers your PC doesn?t mean anything. To know anything about a PSU you have to properly test it, voltage regulation, ripple ect. Also for a 500 watt PSU that means a load at least relatively close to its rated output.

 

[crossphyr]

if u found 15,000 people saying bad things about it u must have 15000 dumb friends just like urself.. i searched last night for over 4 hours on about evrey possibly site and at most maybe found like 20 ppl having problems. and not to mention one thing you're forgetting is A PCP IS 197 DOLLARS FOR A 500 WATT psu.. u are insane if u spend that much.... and i have had np's yet... and if it does blow something up the company is responsible.. but like i asked the other guy why every person that did the review said ULTRA is the manufacturer???? but on some sites that sell it they show powmax being the manufacturer.. which does make sense in a way because they would be a reseller.... do i know if any of it is true or false no? do i know it powers my 6 fans my cpu overclocked to 2.6 my cd/dvd drive my 6800gt with no artifacts... overclocked to 420 1.2 YES so my point is i own the freaking thing and i have a real life situation with it... and if thats not enuff not to mention the forty sites that have reviewed it.. not to mention they just upped their WARRANTY TO 3 years.. i doubt a pos would do that they would lose tons of money.. if u think of it logically like that they wouldnt want to have to rma thousands of things for the next 3 years and consecutively as people buy them.. they would keep it at the 1 year they obviously feel confident about their product... AND LIKE EVERYONE HAS ALREADY SAID ABOUT THE PC MAG they were sent a ultra x connect to show how nice it looked IT WAS NOT SUPPOSE TO BE USED FOR TESTING PURPOSES it was basically a beta model they just sent so ppl could check it out.. and pc mags dumb idiot decided to test it.. i have found that reply about 40 times... but u still cant prove one thing.. even tho u dont think its logical that they would sell it to powmax.. doesnt mean its not true.. so once that guy finds out for himself because he emailed them and asked them that directly we wont know.. and just beacuse u think it is a rebadged product and basically one reviewer had problems oh well.. i spend 70 bucks on the thing.. if it goes i get a knew one or i just say F it and go to the next greatest brand.. but till than IDC what other people say.. i own a honda car and its one of most reliable cars on the earth.. u think there isnt ppl that hate them and have had nothing but problems with theirs???? its common sense dude.. any new company is gonna have bugs to tweak and thats why they offer great customer service.... i dont knw what to tell u besides what i wrote about but i dont understand why u are so against it...!@#!#!@#! if u want go look up on every forum besides HARD THAT IS 99 PERCENT here say... and give me all the horror stories.. cuz if u look in ultra forum a couple people had to rma because it didnt work ONE GUY DIDNT EVEN HOOK IT TO HIS MOTHERBOARD AND THOUGHT IT WAS DEAD member user error is a possibility also.. i can own a bfg 6800gt and overclock it to 450 1.5 and than say its a pos it fried and just say it was never overclocked.. u think everyone is honest on these sites???????

 

[Gamingphreek]

L-E-A-R-N
T-O
P-U-N-C-T-U-A-T-E

Crossphyr you know you posted like 5 different times with one sentence each. YOu can post more than one sentence at a time and you can edit your posts. You do know that right?

You know you sound exactly like Zinn2b. I posted the entire linked list of every CPU made today and their prices and all he could say is you missed one. He wouldn't acknowledge that i used any resources.

Secondly you are openly flaming people now and not posting, facts. Why dont you link us to some sites. I HIGHLY doubt you searched for 4 hours just to try to prove us wrong :roll:

You seriously need to get your facts straight. You just jumbled reviews and everything all in like 1 sentence with a bunch of ellipses. I cant even understand half of the post.

We want sources, we have given you multiple sources now why dont you give us multiple sources. Back up your claim and stop with the mudslinging!

-Kevin

 

[jonnyGURU]

Operandi is right. VERY FEW companies actually manufacture power supplies and that list includes Ultra AND Powmax. It also includes OCZ, Antec, MadDog, Enlight, Themaltake... You get the hint.

It's like when I used to own a bike shop. We sold 6 or 7 different brands and services dozens of others, but 90% of them were all made by the same three factories in Taiwan (Giant, Merita and I forget the third... Ming Tien, maybe?)

The same is true about PSU's. Powmax doesn't make Ultra. Hell, Powmax doesn't make Powmax. But Ultra doesn't make Ultra either. Much like the way PCP&amp;C test, rate and make cable rails to order for most of their power supplies that are re-badged power supplies, Ultra just takes a high end Wintech (I think it's Wintech) and add the rail with the cables, etc. It's like their Dragon case. They didn't even bother chaging the name! Just buy Dragons from Chen Ming and give it a glossy paint job and you've got an Ultra product. What difference does it make? None, IMHO.

I've got three Ultra's and I'm happy. 2 X-Connects for me and my wife and one of the cheap-o 300W units with the mirror finish for a Multimedia box I have (I traded in two dead Antecs and got a third as an eval from a distributor.) No problems so far (knock on wood) and the oldest one is in my PC, runs 24/7 and is now almost a year old. But of course, my account should be taken with a grain of salt just like anyone else's. Most accounts are that it's a good power supply... for a 350W with modular cables. I wouldn't put it up against a 500W from OCZ or PCP&amp;C, but you don't get power supplies with modular cables from those guys for under $100 either.

And Gamingphreek: As for Crossphyr, he seems to be just that way. He went over to Ultra's forums and started with the "you guys suck. I emailed you 5 minutes ago and you haven't responded. I'm never buying from you again." because he's getting voltage spikes and instability and wanted an RMA #. I followed him over there and pretty much said, "If you called me at TCWO with that attitude, I'd just hang up on you!" No offense Crossphyr, but you need to take it down a couple notches, Ok? Less coffee.

 

[0010010110]

Originally posted by: jonnyGURU
Ultra just takes a high end Wintech (I think it's Wintech)

Correct, they are infact rebadged wintech.

Originally posted by: ipotech
Well, I just opened up one of my Ultra Continuous power supplies and sure enough....It's got "WIN" on many of the components, so I guess you're right! Never really heard of Wintech, but I've had good luck so far so I shouldn't complain.

The person that told me that CWT was a supplier was actually an employee of Ultra. Guess he was confused because Ultra's source for cases and fans is the same as Antec's, so why not the power supplies?

MrFuriousX: I've seen that article, but I've also seen all of the reviews that say it's a good power supply. It's come up in discussion over at Ultra's forums and it seems that the concensus thinks that MaxPC got a faulty unit. Those numbers MaxPC got were way not normal. I've got two of Ultra's units and have installed several others and have NEVER seen numbers like what MaxPC got.

Originally posted by: mechBgon
As for owning one myself? Over my dead body will I own anything that appears on PowMax's site. After five years here, and >15,000 tech-support posts focusing on troubleshooting other people's problems, I don't need to step in the dog poop myself to verify that it's going to be stinky.

Agreed with mech on that one, IMO these things are still cheap pieces of cr@p.
Looking at the box, it looks like a childs toy or something. :S

 

[mechBgon]

but 90% of them were all made by the same three factories in Taiwan (Giant, Merita and I forget the third... Ming Tien, maybe?)

Giant, Merida, and China Bicycle Company, if my memory serves me correctly But I put down my apron about three years ago and began trying to un-learn the special bicycle mechanic handshake (the one where you look at your hand first, to check for grease), so I could be behind the times anymore.

 

[Operandi]

Originally posted by: mechBgon

but 90% of them were all made by the same three factories in Taiwan (Giant, Merita and I forget the third... Ming Tien, maybe?)

Giant, Merida, and China Bicycle Company, if my memory serves me correctly But I put down my apron about three years ago and began trying to un-learn the special bicycle mechanic handshake (the one where you look at your hand first, to check for grease), so I could be behind the times anymore.

I have a Cannondale Team Saeco Caad 4 and a Specialzied M4 S Works . I'm pretty sure both Cannondale and Specilzied both make their own frames?