HEC Ace Power 480W

[Per Hansson]

Re: HEC Ace Power 480W

Just curious Willa; Why do you prefer dual fans?

In my opinion they just work against eachother (this is also the opinion of MikeC at SPCR...)

I much more prefer to have a very silent 120mm fan at the bottom of the PSU, pushing air through it at about 800rpms...

Then a silent case fan below the PSU in the computers chassi blowing out the air from the computer itself... This is pretty much a must of course otherwise the tempcontroller will rev up the built in fan in the PSU because it is starting to get hot in there...

[tiresias]

Re: HEC Ace Power 480W

Just curious Willa; Why do you prefer dual fans?

In my opinion they just work against eachother (this is also the opinion of MikeC at SPCR...)

Assuming the PSU is properly designed in this regard, I guess two fans would enable it to continue cooling adequately even if one fan should fail. In essence, that which Supermicro's PR department markets as "... with redundant cooling feature".

On the other hand, I do agree that all too often dual fans (triple fans almost invariably so) are used as marketing gimmicks - bling, if you will, to raise an otherwise inglorious Powmax or Q-tec's apparent value in the eyes of those less-than-astute customers.

[willawake]

Re: HEC Ace Power 480W

i think Frank should answer that one. Actually my preferences change over time. I was pessimistic about the single 120mm design although i know that turbulence effect is a good cooling, but after checking out a Fortron Bluestorm i can say that it works very well. All 120mm in the case and psu is likely to make a quiet but well cooled pc.

Whether the dual 80mm design is effective or not in theory, i prefer to discuss manufacturers implementation of the design. I found the HEC to provide good airflow and cooling. Two fans close together i know are not efficient but there is some distance between them. Two fans could definitely have helped on my Fortron server psu which dood correctly pointed out the lack of airflow, but not so much in the more open design of the HEC. It is perhaps a bonus feature.

FSP460-60PFN
https://www.badcaps.net/forum/attach...tid=1044&stc=1

I probably wont purchase another of these HEC though, i am still on the quest for the perfect PSU and it is likely i would buy an active next. I am looking at Seasonic most likely, otherwise Tagan. The only real issue i had with the HEC though is the paint which scratches too easy, like every time you take it out of the case. The bluestorm paint is better quality.

[frankgehry]

Re: HEC Ace Power 480W

My preference is a dual inline fan setup, but I wouldn't say this is always the best way to go. The antec p180 case is the actualization of the best ideas at spcr, and it was designed with the seasonic super silencer in mind, a single 80mm fan design (no longer made).

Two fans in series doubles the pressure and since heatsinks and other psu components offer a lot of air flow impedance, this is an advantage. The two fan concept in the enermax noisetaker, for example, does not really exploit basic fan concepts. The result is often psu exhaust flowed into the computer case from the front vents as all of the air from the bottom 92mm fan is not exhausted by the rear 80mm fan - not good. This can also happen with 120mm power supplies with front vents. Front vents in a 120mm psu allow for lower air flow resistance, with better component cooling, and lower noise levels.

The air flow with a single or dual 80mm fan design is always predictable, where a single 120mm fan often competes with the cpu fan and case exhaust fan. Sometimes it is better to turn the rear case fan around to supply cool air to the cpu, and use the psu as the main exhaust. Even the new seasonic m12 (modular cable version) has an additional 60mm fan at the front to improve psu component cooling.

Inline fans in my opinion offer better psu cooling, but work best with a psu duct or separate psu compartment.

[willawake]

Re: HEC Ace Power 480W

i checked the hec yesterday. under 24/7 folding duty with no case fans it is very hot. the psu fans dont seem to increase speed adequately under load.

[tiresias]

Re: HEC Ace Power 480W

i checked the hec yesterday. under 24/7 folding duty with no case fans it is very hot. the psu fans dont seem to increase speed adequately under load.

Alas, weak/undervolted fans are sometimes marketed as an extra "silent" feature. I guess you could always wire the fan(s) directly to the 12V rail.

[willawake]

Re: HEC Ace Power 480W

I guess you could always wire the fan(s) directly to the 12V rail.

12v is quite loud, i have one like that. i will probably take 7v off one of the molex and see how that goes. i prefer to work with molex extenders cos i change my mind a lot.

[willawake]

Re: HEC Ace Power 480W

ok here is a further impression of the HEC after owning it for a while.

- the fans spin slow

quiet fans are indeed a problematic feature in psu selection these days. In the case of the Ace Power both fans are connected to the pcb with 2 pin connectors. I am not sure if there is a temperature/fan speed control circuit, i dont see it, nor do i see the fans speeding up adequately when temperature rises. In the end the fans are too slow and the unit therefore heats up so much as to raise the case temperature significantly. Now i have connected the rear fan to the 12v on the bottom of the pcb and the airflow is satisfactory and the noise is not annoying. The rear fan was a problem to upgrade to 25mm because of proximity to the passive pfc. i might have been able to do it after some playing but in the end i decided i liked the original rear fan's noise at 12v.

- the design?

i would class it similar to fortron, it is a quality product with all the features but with active models available now in similar price range, going with a passive pfc model is probably not the best idea.

- the paint?

yes it scratches very easily.

[hkivan]

Re: HEC Ace Power 480W

AFAIK, HEC is not on the same class of Delta,
FSP, Seventeam, Seasonic, Acbel..., among the
tw brands. I read many chinese reviews which
gave seldom appreciation on their products.

Acepower is a recent released series which has
better comments compared to other offerings of HEC.
As from the pictures and the review, the is quality OK too.
Well, it seems that is it worthy or not solely depend
on the price!

For 70 euro ~ 700HKD, I can buy an APF PSU
in HK such as AcBel 500W EPS12V,
Antec NeoHE 430,
Seventeam 550W server psu,
Tagan TG430-u22 430W,
2theMax ( i.e. Topwer OEM ) 550W EPS12V
or an Antec TP-II 550W.

As for the fans ( and the thermal issue ), I am very
interested in the discussion. Perhaps, I will post a
new thread when I get more on its.

[larrymoencurly]

Re: HEC Ace Power 480W

Is Ace Power HEC's best line? I know that Orion is their worst, but where to their Win and Windmill lines rank, not only in the HEC product line but also for PSUs in general.

[willawake]

Re: HEC Ace Power 480W

Retail
Oem

Atx12v 2.2 Passive PFC
Silent Pro : 335, 385w, grey 2x80mm fans
Windmill Pro : 335, 385, grey, 120mm fan
Ace Power : 350, 380(non pfc), grey, 2x80mm fans
Ace Power : 420, 480, black, 2x80mm fan (ball bearing fans appear here), SLI

ATX12v 2.2 Active PFC
Win Power : 420, 480, 550, black, 120mm fan, SLI
Zephyr : 600, 650, black nickel painting, 2x80mm fans, SLI

all are >75% efficient, except for the zephyr which are >77, >80

[hkivan]

Re: HEC Ace Power 480W

I know that Orion is their worst, but where to their Win and Windmill lines rank, not only in the HEC product line but also for PSUs in general.

There were some HEC oem psus turn up on
retail market b4 but recently ,I can't find any of them.
Nither they are popular in mainland china.

Here is some PSU info for your reference.

1 euro ~ 10 HKD
Seventeam ST-350BKV 350W HKD$250
ST-400EAG 400W EPS HKD$600
ST-420BKP 420W HKD$370
FSP460-60PFN HKD$750
FSP550-60PLN HKD$850
FSP600-80GLN EPS12V HKD$800
FSP700-80GLN EPS12V HKD$950