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Powertek International PTI-400AR-T
Powertek is another brand which I’m not exactly new to. I do run into them from time to time and have opened a couple up before. Although I don’t really know what these units sell for, It just screams “I’m cheap and nasty” at me. It came with a cheap and flimsy case, it doesn’t have very many connectors and it doesn’t feel that heavy. Only the tester will tell us for sure, but my prediction is that it won’t do all that well.
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Well, I already have a prediction as to who the OEM might be. The logo on the label looks almost identical to that of HEC Compucase, only, with PTI in the green squares. The layout also looks similar. The label doesn’t have a UL number, though, so I can’t confirm. We’ll see if we can find out later when I open it up whether it’s a HEC unit or if Powertek are just copy cats.
Load Testing
Test 1 (118.18W Load – Cold)
| Rail | Load | Voltage | Ripple |
| 12V | 4.84A | 12.1V | 10.0mV |
| 5V | 5.06A | 5.06V | 7.5mV |
| 3.3V | 10.15A | 3.35V | 8.13mV |
| −12V | 0A | −12.73V | 8.75mV |
| 5Vsb | 0A | 5.07V | 22.5mV |
| AC Power | 162.1W | ||
| Efficiency | 72.90% | ||
| Power Factor | 0.6 | ||
Test 2 (198.16W Load – Cold)
| Rail | Load | Voltage | Ripple |
| 12V | 9.48A | 11.85V | 22.5mV |
| 5V | 10.18A | 5.09V | 14.4mV |
| 3.3V | 10.15A | 3.35V | 8.13mV |
| −12V | 0.11A | −12.7V | 21.3mV |
| 5Vsb | 1A | 5.00V | 19.4mV |
| AC Power | 269.8W | ||
| Efficiency | 75.80% | ||
| Power Factor | 0.58 | ||
Unfortunately, Test 2 was as far as I got. That was only about 200W, a far cry from the 400W claimed by the label. When I increased the load to around 250W for the next test, it lasted about 20 seconds before there was a loud pop and it died. Unfortunately for any of you explosives enthusiasts, there were no fireworks. The good news, though is that the performance was exceptional for a cheap unit. The ripple on the 12V rail was only 22.5mV during test 2 and for all of the other rails, with the exception of the −12V rail, it was below 20mV. The voltage regulation was also excellent, with the −12V rail staying within 6%, and all other rails within 2%. The efficiency, though was only 75.8% at it’s best, which isn’t great considering that the AC voltage was 240V. It would be even worse with a lower input voltage.
| Rail | Test 1 (118.18W) | Test 2 (198.16W) |
| 12V |  |
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| 5V |  |
 |
| 3.3V |  |
 |
| −12V |  |
 |
| 5Vsb |  |
 |
A Look Inside
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Well well well, this isn’t a HEC build at all. It’s actually a Huntkey. I’ve seen a unit which was identical to this, even down to the markings and part numbers on the transformers, which was a Dynex brand, who only use Huntkey as their OEM. The unit’s input filtering consists of two X capacitors, 3 Y capacitors and one common-mode choke. It still needs an extra choke and an MOV. The two input capacitors are only 330μF parts from an obscure brand. The primary switching transistors are Fairchild FJP13007H2TUs, rated at 8A at 25°C, although Fairchild do not specify what they can handle at higher temperatures. Unlike the Besta PT-500, this power supply uses four discrete diodes as opposed to a rectifier. They are rated at 3A. Since the efficiency was around 75% during the testing, the unit would be able to deliver about 414W from a 230V input or 207W from a 115V input (de-rating them to allow for the nature of the current waveform), although in this case, the switching transistors failed first.
On the secondary side, the 12V rail uses a BYQ28E-200 ultrafast recovery rectifier from NXP semiconductors. Unfortunately, the maximum forward current of this device is just 10A – barely over half the label rating. The 5V rail uses a MOSPEC S30D40C Schottky rectifier rated at 30A. It’s good enough for an Athlon XP, but not for the 40A that the label claims. The rectifier on the 3.3V rail is also insufficient. The label claims 30A on this rail, but the part used is a MOSPEC S16C40C schottky rated at only 16A. The capacitors, with the exception of one Teapo, are a grab bag of obscure brands.
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The fan is a sleeve bearing part from Yate Loon, rated at 25CFM at 2000RPM. It is temperature controlled, so it was fairly quiet during the testing.
Actual specifications
| Real Wattage | 200W |
| OEM | Huntkey |
| PFC | None |
| Price | Unknown |
| ATX Connector type | 20 pin |
| Worst-case voltage regulation (12v, 5v, 3.3v) | 1.3%, 1.8%, 1.6% |
| Worst-case ripple (12v, 5v, 3.3v) | 22.5mV, 14.4mV, 8.13mV |
| Worst-case efficiency | 72.9% |
| Input filtering | Inadequate |
| CPU Connector | ATX12v (4 pin) |
| PCIe Connectors | None |
| Molex (Peripheral) Connectors | 4 |
| FDD Power connectors | 1 |
| SATA Power connectors | None |
Conclusions
Pros: Voltage Regulation, Ripple Suppression, Quiet
Cons: Can only deliver 200W, Inefficient, Not enough connectors, Inadequate input filtering, Low quality capacitors, No PFC
Bottom Line: The voltage regulation and ripple suppression are great, but it’s inefficient, it blows up under only 250W load, has few connectors and the ripple suppression isn’t going to stay good once the capacitors fail.
Score: 3/10
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