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Packaging, Contents, Exterior And Cabling
Packaging
On the front of the small box we find the product's model number; right below that is a short list of its most important features. Near the bottom-right corner, several icons depict the exclusive use of Japanese capacitors, the five-year warranty, the Silencio fan and the Gold-rated efficiency. The back of the box has two graphs depicting the efficiency and fan speed curves. According to the corresponding chart, the fan's speed is close to 1500 RPM with the PSU delivering full load. Unfortunately, Cooler Master doesn't provide any information about the ambient temperature used to generate the fan speed graph.
Contents
The PSU is protected by packing foam inside the box, and on top of that it is stored inside a cloth bag.
The bundle includes a set of fixing bolts, several cable ties, the user's manual, an AC power cord and a nylon pouch that can be used to store unneeded modular cables.
Exterior
The silver frame around the fan grille looks nice. Cooler Master's logo in the center adds a bit of style. And the dark finish appears to be fairly scratch-resistant. A small on/off switch is located below the AC receptacle, while the model number and Cooler Master logo grace the sides. Finally, you'll find a large spec table on the bottom.
The modular panel has plenty of sockets, including a quartet of eight-pin connectors for the two pairs of EPS and PCIe cables. The main ATX attaches via a pair of sockets, making setup more difficult since the connectors don't seem to fit well.
Extra-small dimensions make this look more like a 450W or 550W PSU. The design isn't extraordinary, though the silver frame around the fan does differentiate it a bit.
Cabling
The modular cable quality isn't particularly good. Although the cables are supposed to be stealth, the markings on them are striking. And the 24-pin ATX lead isn't ribboned, making cable routing more difficult. But what really left us dissatisfied was the effort needed to connect and disconnect the 24-pin ATX lead on both of its ends. We resorted to an extreme method: using a flat screwdriver as a lever to pry it free. In a PSU that costs above $100 and faces such tough competition, such problems must be solved at the factory before they reach end users.
