FSP/Fortron: Boxed Mobile PSUs and Modular PSUs in a Box
There are so many power supply units on display at Computex. Most manufacturers focus on showcasing the big stuff, meaning 1,000-W PSUs and up. Most companies offer units that provide up to 1,200 W, and some are already talking about 1,500 W. Those ones, however, don’t fit into the compact standard ATX dimensions of 163x150x85 mm. FPS’s new and modular 1,200-W model Everest Pro 1200/1250 is slightly larger: 180x150x85 mm. It has all the features you’d expect from a high-end PSU: Active PFC, a 135-mm fan, ATX12V 2.2 compliancy and EPS12V 2.92 compliancy, a modular cabling design, multiple 12-V rails and support for both Crossfire and SLI multi-graphics setup. However, FSP’s product presentation was somewhat misleading, as the firm put the 80plus Gold logo right above this new PSU. In fact, it isn’t certified for Gold (no PSU has officially reached the Gold standard yet), but it was already submitted to 80plus.org. One last word on the packaging, which we aren’t sure it truly adds value: All Everest Pro 1200 PSUs are shipped in a small aluminum case. At least it looks really nice.
We found two more products on the FPS booth. The second discovery is the firm’s new notebook power supply, called the NB Plus. This is a compact and portable power supply, which can be used universally, for almost all notebook devices that require no more than 90 W maximum power input. The NB Plus can be set to output between 15 V and 21 V in 1-V increments. It will remember the last setting, so you don’t have to configure it every time you switch it on. A little LED display on the front will tell you the current output voltage.
As a nice addition, the NB Plus also comes with a USB port, which can be used to charge or operate USB devices without you having to switch the notebook on. Hence you could use this to charge a cell phone or an MP3 player. The NB Plus has a height of 16 mm and is smaller than high performance notebook power supply units.
Stay On the Cutting Edge: Get the Tom's Hardware Newsletter
Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.