Athena Power AP-MFATX35 350 W Power Supply Review

Introduction

The Athena Power AP-MFATX35 measures only 3.2" x 1.7" x 6" (80 x 40 x 150 mm) (W x H x D), being targeted to small form factor (SFF) computers with Mini-ITX motherboards. Rated at 350 W, is has the 80 Plus Bronze certification, which promises at least 82% efficiency. Let’s see if this product is a good option.

Figure 1: Athena Power AP-MFATX35 power supply

Figure 2: Athena Power AP-MFATX35 power supply

Because of its reduced size, it uses a tiny 40 mm fan, a Sunon KDE1204PKVX-A with MagLev bearing.

The cables are permanently attached to the power supply, and they don’t have nylon sleeves. This power supply comes with the following cables:

• Main motherboard cable with a 20/24-pin connector, 15” (38 cm) long
• One cable with three ATX12V connectors, with the first forming an EPS12V connector, 15” (38 cm) to the first two connectors, 5.1” (13 cm) to the third connector
• One cable with two six-pin power connectors for video cards, 15.8” (40 cm) to the first connector, 5.7” (14.5 cm) between connectors
• One cable with three SATA power connectors, 15.8” (40 cm) to the first connector, 10.2” (26 cm) between connectors
• One cable with two peripheral standard power connectors and one floppy disk drive power connector,16.1” (41 cm) to the first connector, 5.9” (15 cm) between connectors

All wires are 18 AWG, which is the correct gauge to be used.

The cable configuration is outstanding for a 350 W product since it comes with two power connectors for video cards, a feature not usually found on power supplies in this power range. One strange thing about this unit, however, is that it still has the -5 V output (white wire), which was removed from the ATX12V specification in January of 2002.

Figure 3: Cables

Let’s now take an in-depth look inside this power supply.