Installation and Power up

As with any new psu we test out, we use a PSU tester as prevenative measures to ensure we are working with a fully operational unit for a trouble free installation. For this procedure we will use the EZ Power Supply Tester by CaseBuy. This handy tester will end the problem of installing a psu into a rig to only find out its dead on arrival.

AC INPUT		115V/230V 10A/6A 60/50Hz
DC OUTPUT		+3.3V	+5V	+12V	-12V	-5V	+5VSB
500W	Max Combined Watts	28A	30A	34A	0.8A	0.3A	2A
		500W

We plugged in the 20-pin atx connector too the psu and connected the otherside to the EZ Power Supply Tester. We turned on the psu and the EZ Power Supply Tester went to work and tested each circuit and gave us a green light in all test's. Provides +3.3v, -12v, PG, +12v, +5vsb, -5v, +5v testing as this PSU past them all. So on to the installation.

The installation was just like any other psu installation. Only thing is we noticed the finish can scratch real easy against metal when installing the X-Connect into our Cooler Master Stacker Case. Once we bolted the psu in place we installed the modular cables.

Here is a close up shot of the 20-pin to 24-pin ATX power cable. The Stacker case design, allowed us to use the cables without a hitch. We noticed the cables do not lock in place and while most of the time this would not pose a problem, the chances of yanking a power cable could happen.

Once we wired up the entire rig with the amount of cables we needed we decided to add some UV lights and see what all this fuss is about! I can see where this PSU would place very well in a green uv themed rig. Ok power cables are installed and we double checked everything and now its time to power up.

The UV reactive green glows really bright under 4-12" UV tubes. Here you can see what you can expect from the X-Connect from Ultra. While UV is nothing new, the fact the PSU looks so good and glows so bright, makes the over all appearance of your rig look really cool. Inside the PSU, Ultra put one 80mm UV CCFL mounted to a 80mm fan giving off the a cool radio-active like effect. The UV CCFL is super bright and makes the interior of PSU stand out big time.

Taking a sample reading from our digital voltmeter we found the power supply would supply approximately +12.10v under continuous load. We also noticed the psu would auto-detect load and run in a variable output mode. What this means is the psu senses load and will crank up the volts to a true and continuous +12v rating. Thus giving you ample power when needed and the PSU will conserve power under idle conditions. Neat!

Ultra sells more than just power supply units, our friend Malsert Chapman sent along some additional goodies for familiarization to aid in our Ultra X-Connect review. Included in the lot are 2 80mm UV CCFL units and 2 300mm UV tubes, along with 2 80mm Ultra uv green fans and one 24-pin ATX power cable for our 925X motherboard.

Final Thoughts:

We love the Ultra X-Connect and its superb continuous power is best in its class giving enthusiast's cutting edge style, performance and versatility. The cables are easily routed to any location and can improve system cooling by reducing clutter.

This is probably one of the best looking psu packages we have ever seen, however there are some little known issues that should be addressed. The cables are rather loose fitting and do not provide a positive lock between the connection. While this might not effect everyone, someone will inadvertently cause a connector to come loose.

The operation at the 12v rail never dipped below +12.050v according to our tester and the fluctuation on the +12v rail was only .250v, this is not bad considering you will never have to worry about drop out. The +5v and +3.3v rails all kept there respective rating and often sustained + levels during our test's.

On an ending note this psu is awesome, it performs at high end specifications and the looks are simply incredible. This is by far the best PSU we have seen. The Ultra X-Connect kick's ass!

Pro's:

• Beautiful Looks and Appeal
• Outstanding Modular Design
• Clutter Free Cable System
• Continuous Power System
• Excellent easy to use UV Color Cables
• 24-pin ATX Ready (with optional 24-pin connector)
• Craftsmanship
• Unique Colors Available
• Variable Load Sensing
• +12v Rail rated at +12.10v
• +12v Fluctuation -/+ .250v
• +5v Rail rated at 5.05v
• +5v Fluctuation -/+ .300v
• 3 Year Warranty

Con's

• Not PCI-Express Ready (no 6-pin pcx cable at this time)