In-Win 460W Compact PSU Review

Cases & PSU/Power Supplies by KeithSuppe @ 2006-05-31

In-Win began over ten years ago in 1985 fabricating PC-chassis, today were testing their 460W PSU solution which uses a 12cm lighted fan for cooling. At 150x86x140mm (W/H/L) the unit is diminutive and will fit any ATX case. Stay with us as we discover if the In-Win 460W packs a performance punch.

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Testing Conclusion

In-Win System Tests


Madshrimps (c)


As I stated in the introduction the P460 was tested in the Titan Robela water-case which not only utilizes twin 120mm fans, a DC-pump and a plethora of automated circuitry, there is an additional LED panel and rear 90mm fan as well. The same system used to test the Robela was powered by the IP460 Q3-2.

AMD Test System
CPU Opteron 148 (CABE2) Socket-939 Retail
Mainboard DFI LAN party UT nF4 Ultra-D
Memory Corsair XMS-Pro TwinX2048-4400PRO
Graphics Sapphire Radeon X800XT
Power Supply In-Win IP460Q3-2 460W
Cooling AMD Stock Retail cooler for Opteron
Thermaltake RX-K8 Silent Boost
Titan Robela
Operating System Windows XP


Test Methodology
Foremost the system will be run at default speeds (2.2GHz)and then overclocked to 10x250HTT or 2.5FGHz, while the overclock could be higher we're slightly limited by Robela's diminutive pump and fans regulated by automated circuits. These are meant to keep the system running silent and not necessarily to cool the processor and graphic cards as low as possible for overclocking. I chose to test the In-Win P460 n the Robela case since it does place a greater overall load on a PSU one might not consider for water-cooled system. All voltage rail measurements were recorded using the Exectech MiniTech digital multimeter probes into the reverse end of the In-Win 24-pin ATX connector as seen below.

Madshrimps (c)


This is the only method which allows readings to be recorded on the 12V, 5V, 3.3V rails running "hot" and under LOAD. To produce LOAD I ran the latest version of S&M v.1.80. In addition to the 3.3V, 5V, and 12V measurements Vcore can be measured off the DFI LAN-Party nF4 UT by testing the circuits indicated in the photo below.

Madshrimps (c)
Thanks go to the Xtremesystems.org community for the photo


OK onto the testing, below I've included a screenshot to exemplify methods used to test the PSU. While the voltage measurements are rarely close to the multimeter readings each screenshot taken was taken at the point multimeter results were also recorded. I did find Vcore is very close to what SMART Guardian displays.

2.2GHz IDLE |||||| 2.2GHz LOAD |||||| 2.5GHz IDLE |||||| 2.5GHz LOAD

Madshrimps (c) Madshrimps (c) Madshrimps (c) Madshrimps (c)


Madshrimps (c)


Sound Tests
Noise was measured by placing an SPL meter 50cm from the source and then subtracting that reading from the ambient noise level of the room (42.3dBA). For those whom may wonder why measurements aren't taken placing the SPL meter right next to the PSU, any result would be erroneous since we don't sit with our ear next to the PSU. In the introduction I mentioned the IP460's compact size made it an ideal choice for our Titan Robela review. Initially this was based on the 140mm L of the unit since the Robela I was sent hadn't yet undergone the modification to allow for 150mm L PSU's. In that review I stated the Robela was the quietest water-cooled case/system I have ever tested and the In-Win IP460 obviously played a "passive" role in that observation.

SPL meter readings in dBA:

1. - 2.2GHz LOAD = 4.1dBA
2. - 2.5GHz LOAD = 4.4dBA

Conclusion

In the Shock and Awe marketing influenced PC-industry, rarely does a product impress by virtue of its simplicity. The In-Win IP460 Q3-2 460W-PSU is such a product. This is a Power Supply which distinguishes itself by adhereing to basic engineering principles. Without a doubt its "compact" stature belies the power it packs. The unit was well suited for the Titan Robela water-case initially for its size and then purely based on performance. The unit powered 2-Optical drives (1xSATA DVD), 2x SATA HDD's, a Sapphire X800XT videocard, Corsair 2GB-kit XMS PC4400 (LED), 1x 90mm case fan, 2x 120mm radiator fans, H20-pump, assorted H20-regulation circuitry for Robela, and finally the Opteron 148. All these devices ran flawlessly at deafult as well as overclocked under full LOAD. If this weren't enough it's important to remember temperature dictates everthing in the PC-system, the Robela had just a single 90m case exhaust fan (no inlet besides the radiator fans) which by default left the In-Win IP460's 12cm fan as the primary exhaust for the entire system. Given all that was thrown at this diminutive power plant she still ran silent and kept case temps at a reasonable level, very impressive.

Pros
+
Powerful steadfast performance
+ Silent operation
+ Eschews modular connectors
+ 19A maximum peak on 12V2-Rail (CPU)
+ Nice ergonomics (blue LED)
+ Unreal price!

Cons
-
Slightly ambiguous specs for 12V-Rails

At the time of writing the In-Win P460 Q3-2 was just $57.99 at Newegg. I would instantly recommend this PSU for anyone building an ATX, or Micro-ATX system PCIe/SATA (non SLI) with or without water-cooling.

Thanks to go to In-Win for the opportunity to test this PSU.

Questions/Comments: forum thread
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