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Product:
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Vantec ION2 350W Power Supply |
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Price:
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$52 (CAN) / $40 (U.S)
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Supplied By:
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Vantec
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Author:
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Mantis
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Date:
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September 7th, 2004
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Rating:
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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The rear portion of the Vantec ION2 350W Power Supply is rather simple in design and function. A honeycomb
style vent occupies the entire rear and is designed for enhanced airflow. By eliminating several 80mm based
fans throughout, a single 120mm fan can be run at decreased speed to produce superior results with a
fraction of the noise levels. This approach is becoming much more popular amongst manufactures and can
be seen in similar products offered by Thermaltake, SilverStone, Antec and Cooler Master. The necessary
power plug along with a simple on/off switch is located towards the lower corner of the unit. Absent was
any additional AC power plug for powering extra or external devices.
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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A single 120mm x 120mm x 15mm fan complete with wire grill has been integrated into the bottom portion
of the Vantec ION2 350W Power Supply and acts as the single point of exhaust situated directly above the
CPU socket. The 120mm based fan is thermally controlled and will automatically adjust the speed according
to the temperature level detected. I was unable to obtain exact specifications or temperature levels at
which the speeds are triggered. A large sticker listing the Vantec ION2 350W Power Supply specifics along
with all the necessary Canadian and American certifications can be found on the side of the unit. The 3.3V
Rail is rated at 14.0A, the 5V Rail is rated at 30.0A and lastly the 12V Rail is rated at 15A for a maximum
combined wattage of 323 Watts.
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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Removal of the top cover reveals the interior portion of the Vantec ION2 350W Power Supply. The overall
layout is clean and rather spacious to allow for great airflow. I did note the heatsinks used to be much
smaller than others I have seen on similar units. This may be due to the close proximity of the 120mm fan.
Installation of the unit is rather straightforward and can be completed in less than 15 minutes. Once
installed, the benefit of the 120mm exhaust fan becomes apparent, as it will help decrease overall CPU
and system temperatures. The sleeved cables allowed for a tidy installation and can be neatly tucked away
when not in use. I found the EZ-Grip connections to be a nice change when adding or removing power to any
device and eliminate the hassle of stubborn Molex connections. Lastly, the Vantec ION2 350W Power Supply
brings a nice touch of aesthetics to the interior portion carrying the theme of black.
Testing:
The Vantec ION2 350W Power Supply was installed into D.vine 4 HTPC case along with my current nForce 2
workstation. In order to stress the system I will be using the Stanford University Folding@Home client
to set the processor under 100% load for 1-hour intervals. Results covered will be for the overclocked
load settings of 10 x 200 FSB with a Vcore of 1.65 Volts. The comparison unit used is Ahanix 350W Silent
HTPC Power Supply. Motherboard Monitor version 5.3.7.0 was used to gather voltage readings. The test
system consists of the following components:
- AMD 2100+ Tbred B CPU
- Albatron KX18D Pro II Motherboard
- 2 x 512MB Kingston HyperX Low Latency memory
- 48x24x48 Lite-On CDRW
- 80GB WD SE 8MB Cache HDD
- 60GB WD HDD
- ATI Radeon 7500 Video Card
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Ahanix 350W Silent HTPC PSU MBM results
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Vantec ION2 350W PSU MBM results
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Under overclocked load conditions, we can see similar performance of the 5V and 3.3V rails when compared
to the Ahanix HTPC 350W model with little to no fluctuation. The 12V line maintained a solid level showing
as 12.16V when compared to the undervolted 11.92V displayed by the Ahanix unit. The Vantec ION2 350W Power
Supply managed to decrease overall system temperatures by a welcome 3 degrees while operating at respectable
noise levels and adjusting automatically due to the thermally controlled fan.
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Conclusion:
The Vantec ION2 350W Power Supply provides a solid, well-designed unit paired with an excellent cooling
configuration. The overall noise levels produced range from near silent to acceptable thanks to the
thermally controlled 120mm based exhaust fan. One of the clear benefits of the Vantec ION2 350W Power
Supply is the addition of several pre-modified features such as cable sleeving and EZ Grip Molex connections
eliminating the additional cost and effort of the DIY approach. Consumers who utilize SATA based devices
will appreciate the addition of dual integrated SATA power connections. With a total rating of 350W, the
Vantec ION2 350W Power Supply is designed to accommodate the majority of standard configurations, power
users should look elsewhere. The overall price point of the Vantec ION2 350W Power Supply is quite appealing
and represents a worthy budget oriented candidate. I didn’t encounter many negative aspects during the
evaluation period. The only note worthy issue is the lack of RPM monitoring header to determine the various
speeds of the 120mm based exhaust. Overall, I’m rating the Vantec ION2 350W Power Supply with a final
rating of 8 out of 10. If you have any
questions regarding this review be sure to visit the Vantec
website for more information or discuss them in our forums.
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Pros:
- Thermally controlled 120mm fan
- Over current, Over voltage and Short current protection
- Intel & AMD Certified
- Pre-sleeved
- SATA Ready
- EZ Grip Molex Connectors
- Price
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Cons:
- Unable to monitor fans speed
- 50W decrease In comparison to original ION
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