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Case, Power Supply, Fan Reviews
  Product:     Vantec VAN-400B Ion 400 Watt Power Supply  
  Price:     $80 (CAN) / $60 (U.S) 
  Supplied By:     Vantec
  Author:     BigDaddy
  Date:     July 12th, 2003
  Rating:     star star star star star star star star star

MODTHEBOX would like to thank Clare from Vantec for sending the VAN-400B Ion 400 Watt Power Supply for review.

Vantec

Introduction:

For the PC user on a budget, the key word is usually "compromise". With limited funds, system builders will look to cut corners on the less critical components, in order to be able to afford much higher quality components like motherboards, CPU’s and video cards. More often than not, the system power supply becomes a key component to fall to the budgeting axe. But does being on a budget mean having to settle for fewer features, lower quality and less peace of mind? Today in the MTB Labs, we will be evaluating a Vantec's new budget priced power supply, the 400W Ion.

Specifications:

The Ion is a 400W power supply with similar features to the Stealth series of power supplies but is being marketed as a budget-priced solution. A dual-fan configuration with a built-in thermal fan control switch and near silent operation are some of the major features of the power supply. Here are some of the specifications taken directly from the Vantec website:

VAN-400B Ion 400 Watt Power Supply - Key Specifications:
VAN-400B Ion 400 Watt Power Supply: Manufactured by Vantec
Serial ATA ready
Two temperature controlled fans
Three speed thermal fan control switch
Additional AC Outlet for peripherals
ATX-12V
Electric Shock-Free Protection
Over Voltage Protection
Over Current Protection
Short Circuit Protection
Low Noise Level

Vantec VAN-400B Ion 400 Watt Power Supply
Click image for larger view
Vantec VAN-400B Ion 400 Watt Power Supply
Click image for larger view
 

The unit ships in a standard retail box which breaks from Vantec’s traditional colour scheme, and displays the product logo and additional information in silver and blue. A bright orange banner along the top corner boasts the unit as "SATA Ready", while a product sketch and some of the major features make up the bulk of the display.

Inside the box, the power supply is tightly packed in bubble wrap with the cabling sitting snugly along the right and bottom sides. There are certainly a fair amount of extras included with the supply. Along with a standard AC power cord, the unit comes with mounting screws, a 20-page user’s guide, and cable ties of two differing lengths. What most users will appreciate, however, are the included two SATA hard drive power adapters, which are wired for a standard 4-pin Molex at one end, and the 15-pin SATA configuration on the other. Given that, in my opinion at least, hard drive manufacturers should really be the ones responsible for providing these adapters until they become common place, it was very nice to see Vantec including them with their unit. This is especially the case given the budget-pricing on the unit. Mind you, cable ties and power converters aren’t exactly big ticket items, but for an $80 power supply, most consumers would only expect a power cord.

Vantec VAN-400B Ion 400 Watt Power Supply
Click image for larger view
Vantec VAN-400B Ion 400 Watt Power Supply
Click image for larger view
 

Out of the box, the unit doesn’t have the flash and appeal of its big brother, the Vantec Stealth. A simple steel housing holds the two 80mm ball bearing fans mounted on the top and the rear of the power supply to help in overall case airflow.

The rear panel of the unit has an 80mm exhaust fan protected by a chrome fan guard. The unit includes a standard 115/230V voltage switch, a standard ON/OFF rocker switch, and an AC inlet. Two additional features include a 3-position fan control switch, and an AC output. The AC output is an ideal choice for user’s looking to power an additional AC device, such as a monitor or any water cooling pumps simultaneously with the computer.

The 3-position fan control switch has three settings: Auto, Low & Medium. While the 20-page user guide is chock full of documentation on output capacitive loads, inrush current values and other statistics most users will never want to know, there is very little describing exactly what each setting on the switch does. Obviously, low and medium reflect the fixed speed settings for the fans, but without any RPM monitoring functions, it is not easy to determine the differences between the two settings. Auto, presumably, allows the fans to be thermally controlled, increasing and decreasing RPM’s with the system temperature.

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