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- Date:
- Tuesday , July 28, 2009
- Author:
- Paul Johnson
- Editor:
- Kyle Bennett
- Google +1
BFG EX-1000 1000 Watt Power Supply
BFG Tech has done a very good job at commanding respect in the computer power supply market in the last year. It has stepped up its game and along with that it is now entering the tremendously demanding 1 kilowatt PSU market. 1000 watts of power is not easy to deliver while doing a good job of it.
Build Quality
As we already know the BFG EX-1000 features a single 135mm fan design that is used in the same vein as 120mm fans in that they can provide for quiet cooling environments due to the ability to move a larger volume of air at slower speeds than a smaller diameter fan. The 135mm fan is just short of the largest diameter fan we are likely to see in ATX power supplies given the physical constraints of the form factor. While great for quiet computing environments the key criteria in our evaluation is whether or not the cooling solution is sufficient, not necessarily it’s sound output level or form factor, although we certainly listen for offending units.
External Build Quality
The external build quality of the EX-1000 is excellent and comes trimmed out just like we saw with the BFG ES-800 that was so revolutionary a little over a year ago. The unit is clad in an attractive reflective finish and is dominated by the lone 135mm fan that cools the unit. The back of the unit features the typical sparseness found on full range power supplies, however the rocker switch on this unit is once more labeled "on/off" rather than the usual "-/0." The front of the unit sports the modular interface which looks good and identifies which plug is for what type of connection. What it doesn't do however, is identify which 12v rail feeds which connector which would be of great help to many users.
The EX-1000 is 6 1/2 inches long and the cables all reach out to ~19 inches at the first or only connector with the sleeving being complete and well done on all of cables including as well as can be expected on the modular ones.
Internal Build Quality
As soon as we open the BFG EX-1000 we are left looking at a new Andyson Frequency Conversion model, the AD-MT9. This unit follows in the design principles we first saw with the BFG ES-800 and to date these two units are the only ones we have seen on the US market that do have this "Frequency Conversion" (and it was one of the first we saw with DC-DC conversion on the secondary). From the overhead shot we see that the arrangement of this unit is significantly different from the ES-800 and its AD-MT8 platform. The +5vsb standby is right in the middle of the unit just in front of the 12v transformer between two thin looking heatsinks (especially that secondary heatsink which is just a slab of aluminum). The heatsinks and unit in general are cooled by a Young Lin Tech fan rated at 0.25A at 12v. Lastly, we see on the PCB here that this platform comes in 800W, 1000W, and 1200W models and that, while looking a bit cluttered, the top side of the PCB houses fairly neat integration (the soldering on the rear is functional but not robotic or amazing).
As we move over to the primary side we see that we have a pair of coils and a pair of primary capacitors which are again in a much different arrangement than what we saw with the ES-800, even though the unit still uses the same variable switching frequency type of PWM chip (it’s on the back of the PCB). The pair of primary capacitors on this unit are provided by Nichicon and are rated at 470uF 450v 85c.
As we swing over onto the secondary we see that the unit still uses DC-DC conversion for its minor rails. We also see here that the capacitor selection is actually mixed in type with there being a few solid Nippon Chemi-con capacitors along with the standard Nippon Chemi-con electrolytics. The large upright add-in PCB we see here houses the protection circuitry and the fan controller for this particular unit. Behind it, we find the wiring bundled up and run to the fixed cables which exit out of the housing through a wire guard and with the sleeving being run back into the housing. The wiring that runs to the modular PCB is tucked behind the main transformer and terminates in some decent but not amazing soldering at the modular interface PCB. At these terminations we find some additional Nippon Chemi-con capacitors on the 12v rails.
Build Quality Summary
The BFG EX-1000 is generally a well built power supply like the BFG ES-800 before it, and like the ES-800 before it, it features a unique design with its combination of Frequency Conversion and DC-DC regulation. However, before we even get to that we see that the exterior of the unit comes trimmed out just like the ES-800 as well. The only major change is the addition of the modular interface and this too has a good fit and finish as we would expect from a BFG unit. It does however lack labeling of which 12v rail feeds which connector. Internally the unit looks to have a much better integration than what we saw with the ES-800. The EX-1000 is fitted such that the oddly angled PCB's of the ES-800 are no longer necessary and all the components can be seated without having to be frosted in caulk to hold them to other components as opposed to just the PCB. One thing that could use some work is the modular interface as it is one of the less impressive we have seen on a high-end unit, but it is functional. Lastly, the capacitor selection is once again top notch as the primary capacitors are provided by Nichicon and the mix of solid and standard secondary electrolytics are provided by Nippon Chemi-con.