Kingwin Mach 1 ABT-700MA1S 700 W Power Supply Review

[nextpage title=”Introduction”]

This power supply features a modular cabling system with rounded sockets that glow blue when cables are connected and can be found being sold under several other brands such as AXP, eXtream, Hiper, Super Flower and XION and is available with several different power configurations. Featuring a 140 mm fan and with Kingwin saying that it can deliver 700 W at 50° C will this popular unit without active PFC survive our tests? Check it out.

By the way, as far as we can tell from the markings available inside the power supply (“SF” on the transformers and printed circuit board) this power supply is manufactured by Super Flower.

Figure 1: Kingwin Mach 1 ABT-700MA1S 700 W power supply.

Figure 2: Kingwin Mach 1 ABT-700MA1S 700 W power supply.

As we briefly mentioned, the modular cabling system uses rounded sockets instead of squared connectors. These sockets come covered with light blue plastic protections. In Figure 3, you can see these sockets without these covers. Each socket is threaded, so you need to screw the connector from each peripheral cable you want to use to its socket. We think this mechanism is quite interesting, as each cable will be very well attached to its socket.

Figure 3: Sockets from the modular cabling system.

Each socket has a blue LED around it that glows when a peripheral cable is installed. You can see this in Figure 4. Pay attention on how LEDs from unused sockets stay turned off.

Figure 4: Power supply turned on.

[nextpage title=”Introduction (Cont’d)”]

As you could see in the previous page, this power supply uses a big 140 mm sleeve bearing fan on its bottom and a big mesh on the rear side where traditionally we have an 80 mm fan. We like this design as it provides not only a better airflow but the power supply produces less noise, as the fan can rotate at a lower speed in order to produce the same airflow as an 80 mm fan.

This power supply does not have active PFC, so it can’t be sold in Europe, and because of that it also doesn’t feature auto voltage selection (see the 110/220 V switch in Figure 1). Super Flower, however, offers a model targeted to the European market. Kingwin says this unit has 70% minimum efficiency, so we had low expectations regarding efficiency, as with good power supplies the manufacturer will guarantee an 80% minimum efficiency. Of course we will measure efficiency during our tests.

The main motherboard cable uses a 20/24-pin connector and this power supply has one ATX12V connector and one EPS12V connector using separated cables and coming directly from inside the power supply.

The power supply modular cabling system has six sockets, two for video card auxiliary power connectors and four for peripheral and SATA power connectors.

Figure 5: Peripheral power connectors.

This power supply comes with six peripheral power cables: two auxiliary power cables for video cards, each one with one 6-pin connector and one 6/8-pin connector; two cables with three SATA power cables each; one cable with four standard peripheral power connectors and one floppy disk drive power connector; and one cable with four standard peripheral power connectors.

The number of connectors provided by this power supply is enough even for the most demanding user, although we don’t like the way the video card power connectors are achieved. Even thought this power supply has four video card power connectors, they are connected together in two cables instead of using four separated cables (this configuration would require the power supply to have more sockets on its modular cabling system). So for a better power distribution use separated cables instead of using the two connectors provided on one of the cables if you have two video cards.

On this power supply all wires are 18 AWG except the orange wire (+3.3 V), which is 20 AWG (i.e., thinner). It would be nice to see all wires being 18 AWG or thicker.

On the aesthetic side the manufacturer used nylon sleevings on all cables and on the cables that come from inside the unit these protections come from inside the power supply housing.

Now let’s take an in-depth look inside this power supply.

[nextpage title=”A Look Inside The Mach 1 ABT-700MA1S”]

We decided to disassemble this power supply to see what it looks like inside, how it is designed, and what components are used. Please read our Anatomy of Switching Power Supplies tutorial to understand how a power supply works and to compare this power supply to others.

This page will be an overview, and then in the following pages we will discuss in detail the quality and ratings of the components used.

Figure 6: Overall look.

Figure 7: Overall look.

Figure 8: Overall look.

[nextpage title=”Transient Filtering Stage”]

As we have mentioned in other articles and reviews, the first place we look when opening a power supply for a hint about its quality, is its filtering stage. The recommended components for this stage are two ferrite coils, two ceramic capacitors (Y capacitors, usuall
y blue), one metalized polyester capacitor (X capacitor), and one MOV (Metal-Oxide Varistor). Very low-end power supplies use fewer components, usually removing the MOV and the first coil.

On this stage this power supply is flawless, providing two extra Y capacitors and one extra X capacitor. Since this power supply does not have active PFC circuit the two MOVs are installed after the rectifying bridge and physically located between the two electrolytic capacitors from voltage doubler, as this is the usual configuration with power supply without active PFC.

It also interesting to note that this power supply uses a fuse holder, which is a rarity nowadays.

Figure 9: Transient filtering stage (part 1).

Figure 10: Transient filtering stage (part 2).

In the next page we will have a more detailed discussion about the components used in the Mach 1 ABT-700MA1S.

[nextpage title=”Primary Analysis”]

On this page we will take an in-depth look at the primary stage of Kingwin Mach 1 ABT-700MA1S (a.k.a. Super Flower Aurora 700 W). For a better understanding, please read our Anatomy of Switching Power Supplies tutorial.

This power supply uses one PBU1005 rectifying bridge in its primary, which support up to 10 A at 100° C. This bridge is attached to an individual heatsink. This is more than adequate rating for a 700 W power supply. The reason why is that at 115 V this unit would be able to pull up to 1,150 W from the power grid; assuming 80% efficiency, the bridge would allow this unit to deliver up to 920 W without burning this component. Of course we are only talking about this component and the real limit will depend on all other components from the power supply.

Figure 11: Rectifying bridge.

On the switching section this power supply uses two traditional bipolar power transistors (BJT) in half-bridge configuration instead of two power MOSFET transistors in forward configuration. This is normal on power supplies without active PFC. Traditionally power supplies based on BJT present a lower efficiency. This power supply uses two 2SC4140, which can deliver up to 18 A in pulse mode at 25° C.

Figure 12: Switching transistors.

As we already mentioned, this unit does not feature active PFC circuit. The primary is controlled by a KA7500C integrated circuit, which is physically present on the secondary side of the power supply.

Figure 13: PWM controller.

The two electrolytic capacitors used on the voltage doubler circuit are rated at 105° C, which is great (usually power supplies use capacitors rated at 85° C here). They are from Fuhjyyu, a Taiwanese company.

[nextpage title=”Secondary Analysis”]

This power supply uses five Schottky rectifiers on its secondary.

The +12 V output is produced by two S30D60C Schottky rectifiers connected in parallel. Each device supports up to 30 A at 80° C (15 A per internal diode). Since this unit is based on the half-bridge topology, to calculate the maximum theoretical current is easy, it is the simple addition of the maximum current each diode can handle, i.e. 60 A or 720 W for the +12 V output. The maximum current this line can really deliver will depend on other components.

The +5 V output is produced by two S40D40C Schottky rectifiers connected in parallel. Each device supports up to 40 A at 100° C (20 A per internal diode). Since this unit is based on the half-bridge topology, to calculate the maximum theoretical current is easy, it is the simple addition of the maximum current each diode can handle, i.e. 80 A or 400 W for the +5 V output. The maximum current this line can really deliver will depend on other components.

The +3.3 V output is produced by one S30D40C Schottky rectifier, which supports up to 30 A at 80° C. Since this unit is based on the half-bridge topology, to calculate the maximum theoretical current is easy, it is the simple addition of the maximum current each diode can handle, i.e. 30 A or 99 W for the +3.3 V output. The maximum current this line can really deliver will depend on other components.

Even though this power supply uses a separated rectifier for the +3.3 V output, it is generated from the same transformer output that feeds the +5 V rail, so the maximum current the +5 V and +3.3 V outputs can deliver together is limited by the transformer.

It is also interesting to see that the +5 V output uses “stronger” rectifiers compared to the +12 V output. This configuration is typically seen on power supplies with older projects, since in the past a typical PC pulled more current from the +5 V outputs than from +12 V outputs. The trend nowadays is the computer pulling a lot more from the +12 V outputs, since the CPU and the video cards are fed with +12 V, and power supplies with updated projects will use “stronger” rectifiers on the +12 V line than the ones used on the +5 V line.

Figure 14: +12 V and +5 V rectifiers.

Figure 15: +3.3 V, +5 V and +12 V rectifiers.

This power supply uses a WT7510 monitoring integrated circuit, which is in charge of the power supply protections. This integrated circuit features ov
er voltage protection (OVP) and under voltage protection (UVP) only.

Figure 16: WT7510 monitoring integrated circuit.

The thermal sensor is attached to the secondary heatsink and you can see it in Figure 14. This sensor is used to control the fan speed according to the power supply internal temperature.

This power supply uses capacitors from CEC on the secondary, a company from Hong Kong.

[nextpage title=”Power Distribution”]

In Figure 17, you can see the power supply label containing all the power specs.

Figure 17: Power supply label.

According to the label, this power supply has four virtual rails. However, since this power supply does not have over current protection (OCP) circuit, it is in fact a single-rail unit. The difference between a single-rail power supply and a multi-rail one is the presence of individual OCP circuits on each +12V rail, feature not present on the reviewed model. So the information present on the label listing four rails is just an ornament as this power supply uses in fact a single rail design. For more information, read our tutorial on this subject.

Now let’s see if this power supply can really deliver 700 W of power.

[nextpage title=”Load Tests”]

We conducted several tests with this power supply, as described in the article Hardware Secrets Power Supply Test Methodology.

First we tested this power supply with five different load patterns, trying to pull around 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% of its labeled maximum capacity (actual percentage used listed under “% Max Load”), watching how the reviewed unit behaved under each load. In the table below we list the load patterns we used and the results for each load. Then we tried to pull even more power from this unit and the results for this test are in the next page.

If you add all the power listed for each test, you may find a different value than what is posted under “Total” below. Since each output can vary slightly (e.g., the +5 V output working at +5.10 V), the actual total amount of power being delivered is slightly different than the calculated value. On the “Total” row we are using the real amount of power being delivered, as measured by our load tester.

+12V2 is the second +12V input from our load tester and during our tests we connected the power supply EPS12V connector to it. As explained, even though this power supply is listed as having four +12 V rails this information isn’t correct, as it uses a single-rail design.

Input	Test 1	Test 2	Test 3	Test 4	Test 5
+12V1	5 A (60 W)	10.5 A (126 W)	15.5 A (186 W)	20.5 A (246 W)	25 A (300 W)
+12V2	5 A (60 W)	10.5 A (126 W)	15.5 A (186 W)	20.5 A (246 W)	25 A (300 W)
+5V	1 A (5 W)	2 A (10 W)	4 A (20 W)	6 A (30 W)	10 A (50 W)
+3.3 V	1 A (3.3 W)	2 A (6.6 W)	4 A (13.2 W)	6 A (19.8 W)	10 A (33 W)
+5VSB	1 A (5 W)	1.5 A (7.5 W)	2 A (10 W)	2 A (10 W)	2.2 A (11 W)
-12 V	0.5 A (6 W)	0.5 A (6 W)	0.5 A (6 W)	0.5 A (6 W)	0.5 A (6 W)
Total	140.1 W	279.6 W	416.8 W	550.8 W	686.9 W
% Max Load	20.0%	39.9%	59.5%	78.7%	98.1%
Room Temp.	45.3° C	46.1° C	47.5° C	46.0° C	50.3° C
PSU Temp.	49.0° C	48.7° C	50.2° C	49.7° C	55.4° C
Voltage Stability	Fail on -12 V	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass
Ripple and Noise	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass
AC Power	170 W	333 W	505 W	702 W	932 W
Efficiency	82.4%	84.0%	82.5%	78.5%	73.7%
Final Result	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass

This power supply could not only deliver its labeled power at 50° C, but more than that (see results in the next page).

The -12 V output, however, was out of spec when we pulled 20% of the power supply nominal capacity (140 W), reading -10.74 V while the maximum allowed for this output is -10.80 V. On tests one and two +5 V output was with a voltage a little higher than we’d like to see, but still within the 5% limit set by the ATX specification.

On the other hand ripple and noise levels were very low, far below the maximum allowed. Below you can see the results achieved for test 5. Noise level at +3.3 V and +5 V was lower than half the maximum allowed (50 mV peak-to-peak) and noise level at +12 V was less than a third of the maximum allowed (120 mV peak-to-peak).

The bad news about this power supply is its efficiency. It can only stay above 80% efficiency if you pull up to 60% of its nominal capacity (420 W). If you pull around 80% of its capacity you will see efficiency dropping below the 80% mark, with it sinking to around 74% when you pull the full 700 W from the reviewed unit.

Figure 18: Noise level at +12V1 input from our load tester with the reviewed unit delivering 700 W (37.8 mV).

Figure 19: Noise level at +5 V input from our load tester with the reviewed unit delivering 700 W (31 mV).

Figure 20: Noise level at +3.3 V input from our load tester with the reviewed unit delivering 700 W (22.2 mV).

Now let’s see how much power we could pull from this unit keeping it working inside ATX specs.

[nextpage title=”Overload Tests”]

Before overloading the power supply we always test to see if the over current protection (OCP) circuit is active and at what level it is configured.

To test this we configured our load tester to pull only 1 A from its +12V1 input and 33 A from its +12V2 input, which was connected to the power supply EPS12V connector. Under th
is scenario the power supply should have shut down, what didn’t happen, showing that this unit does not feature over current protection. In fact if it doesn’t have OCP circuit, this means that its +12 V rails are not independent and this power supply in fact uses a single rail design. The difference between single rail and multiple rail design is the use of individual OCP circuits for each rail on the latter (click here to learn more about this).

Then starting from test number five shown in the previous page, we started increasing currents on the two +12 V inputs from our load tester. If we tried to pull more than 29 A on each input the power supply shut down, showing that one of its protections entered in action, which is terrific.

The maximum we could pull from this unit is summarized in the table below.

Input	Maximum
+12V1	29 A (348 W)
+12V2	29 A (348 W)
+5V	10 A (50 W)
+3.3 V	10 A (33 W)
+5VSB	2.2 A (11 W)
-12 V	0.5 A (6 W)
Total	776.9 W
% Max Load	111.0%
Room Temp.	48.7° C
PSU Temp.	52.5° C
AC Power	1050 W
Efficiency	74%

Ripple and noise were still very low, at 44.4 mV on the +12V1 input from our load tester and at 34.4 mV on the +5 V input from our load tester.

As you can see, efficiency stayed on the same level as when we were pulling 700 W from this unit.

Short circuit protection (SCP) worked fine for both +5 V and +12 V lines.

In summary, you won’t burn or explode this unit if you try to pull more than it is capable of.

[nextpage title=”Main Specifications”]

Kingwin Mach 1 ABT-700MA1S (a.k.a. Super Flower Aurora 700 W) power supply specs include:

• ATX12V 2.2
• EPS 2.91
• Nominal labeled power: 700 W at 50° C.
• Measured maximum power: 776.9 W at 48.7° C.
• Labeled efficiency: 70% minimum at full load.
• Measured efficiency: Between73.7% and 84% at 115 V.
• Active PFC: No.
• Motherboard Power Connectors: One 20/24-pin connector, one ATX12V connector and one EPS12V connector.
• Video Card Power Connectors: Four, two 6-pin connectors and two 6/8-pin connectors.
• Peripheral Power Connectors: Eight.
• Floppy Disk Drive Power Connectors: One.
• SATA Power Connectors: Six.
• Protections: Over voltage (OVP, not tested), under voltage (UVP, not tested), over power (OPP, tested and working) and short-circuit (SCP, tested and working).
• Warranty: One year.
• More Information: https://www.kingwin.com
• Average price in the US*: USD 155.00

* Researched at Newegg.com on the day we published this review.

[nextpage title=”Conclusions”]

We were surprised to see this power supply not only delivering its labeled 700 W at 50° C, but going stable up to 777 W at a room temperature of 48° C. This is impressive, especially when we think that the internal design of this power supply is a little bit dated.

It was also great to see the power supply protections in action, meaning that you won’t burn or explode your unit if you try to pull more than it is capable of handling.

We liked its different modular cabling system with its screw-type sockets and blue LEDs. We think it can provide a good visual impact on your PC if you have an all-acrylic case or at least with a transparent side window and, of course, like lights.

The only real weak point of this product is its efficiency. You will have to install this power supply on a PC pulling up to 420 W in order to get a relatively decent efficiency. If your PC pulls more than that, we strongly recommend you getting a different product as it will make a big difference on your electricity bill, especially if you are building a high-end PC.

On the same price tag we have Zalman ZM600-HP which, despite its name, is a 700 W power supply with modular cabling system and a far higher efficiency. If you want to save some bucks and are willing to give up the modular cabling system, the best cost/benefit ratio on the 700 W range is with OCZ GameXstream 700 W, which is internally the same power supply as Zalman’s but without the modular cabling system. But, of course, these two other options do not offer the blue LEDs on the modular cabling system.

In summary, it is a good option if you know its limitations, namely a far lower efficiency compared to other power supplies on the same price range or even cheaper.