Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 1200W offers high performance and compatibility with ATX v3.0 and PCIe 5.0. The fact that it’s loud under load didn’t stop it from entering his list of best PSUs, whose main competitor is the Cooler Master MWE Gold 1250 V2. This he is not ATX v3.0 capable and lacks the 12VHPWR connector.
Thermaltake recently introduced the GF3 line from 750W to 1,650W. The lower capacity models up to 1200W are from Channel Well Technology and the 1350W and 1650W units are from High Power. In this review, we’ll cover the mightiest of his GF3 units made by CWT with a 600W 12VHPWR connector supporting Nvidia’s flagship RTX 4090. No ATX v3.0 or PCIe 5.0 required for above graphics cards. You just need a powerful PSU, ideally 1,000W or more. But if you want to avoid adapters and future proof, a PSU like the GF3 1200 is the way to go.
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The Toughpower GF3 1200W has a native 12VHPWR connector and is compatible with ATX v3.0. This means it can deliver double the power of 2,400W for 0.1ms without shutting down or causing other operational issues. This is to handle power spikes from the GPU or other system components. Thermaltake also equips itself with fluid dynamic bearing fans and other top quality parts that should last well beyond the 10 year extended warranty period.
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specification
| Manufacturer (OEM) | CWT |
| maximum. DC output | 1200W |
| efficiency | 80 Plus Gold, Cybernetics Gold (87-89%) |
| noise | Cybenetics standard (40-45 dB[A]) |
| base unit | ✓ (completely) |
| Intel C6/C7 power state support | ✓ |
| Operating temperature (continuous full load) | 0 to 40°C |
| Overvoltage protection | ✓ |
| low voltage protection | ✓ |
| over power protection | ✓ |
| Overcurrent (+12V) protection | ✓ |
| Overheat protection | ✓ |
| short circuit protection | ✓ |
| surge protection | ✓ |
| Inrush current protection | ✓ |
| Fan failure protection | ✗ |
| No-load operation | ✓ |
| cooling | 135mm fluid dynamic bearing fan (HA13525H12SF-Z) |
| Semi-passive operation | ✓ (selectable) |
| Dimensions (width x height x depth) | 150×85×160mm |
| weight | 1.81 kg (3.99 lbs) |
| form factor | ATX12V v3.0, EPS 2.92 |
| Supports Alternate Low Power Mode (ALPM) | ✓ |
| guarantee | Decade |
Power supply specifications
| rail | row 0 – cell 1 | 3.3V | 5V | 12V | 5VSB | -12V |
| maximum.Power | Amplifier | twenty two | twenty two | 100 | 3 | 0.3 |
| row 2 – cell 0 | Watt | row 2 – cell 2 | 120 | 1200 | 15 | 3.6 |
| total max. Power (W) | row 3 – cell 1 | row 3 – cell 2 | 1200 | row 3 – cell 4 | row 3 – cell 5 | row 3 – cell 6 |
cables and connectors
| explanation | number of cables | Number of connectors (total) | gauge | with cable capacitor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATX connector 20+4 pin (600mm) | 1 | 1 | 16AWG | No |
| 8-pin EPS12V (700mm) | 1 | 1 | 16AWG | No |
| 4+4 pin EPS12V (700mm) | 1 | 1 | 16AWG | No |
| 6+2 pin PCIe (500mm+150mm) | 2 | Four | 16-18AWG | No |
| 12+4 pin PCIe (600mm) (600W) | 1 | 1 | 16-24AWG | No |
| SATA (500mm+150mm+150mm+150mm) | 3 | 12 | 18AWG | No |
| 4 pin Molex (500mm+150mm+150mm+150mm) | 1 | Four | 18AWG | No |
| FDD adapter (100mm) | 1 | 1 | 22AWG | No |
The cables are long and the distance between peripheral connectors is good. Having three EPS cables and connectors would be nice, but the modular PCB doesn’t have room for additional sockets. The number of traditional PCIe connectors is small, but with the 12VHPWR (600W) connector, it’s ready to go. Finally, there are no internal cable caps and all cables use heavyweight 16AWG gauge to reduce voltage drop under heavy loads.
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Component analysis
I highly recommend taking a look at the PSU 101 article which provides valuable information on PSUs and their operation. You will be able to better understand the components that we are going to discuss.
| general data | – |
| Manufacturer (OEM) | CWT |
| platform | CSZMore |
| Substrate type | both sides |
| primary side | – |
| transient filter | 4x Y Cap, 2x X Cap, 2x CM Choke, 1x MOV |
| Inrush protection | 1x NTC thermistor SCK-207R0 (7 ohms) & relay |
| bridge rectifier |
2x Vishay LVB2560 (600V, 25A @ 105°C) |
| APFC MOSFET |
3x Infineon IPA60R099P6 (600V, 24A @ 100°C, Rds(on): 0.099 ohms) |
| APFC boost diode |
1x ON Semiconductor FFSP1665A (650V, 16A @ 135°C) |
| bulk cap |
1x Rubycon (420V, 680uF, 2,000h @ 105°C, MXE) & |
| main switcher |
2x Infineon IPA60R099P6 (600V, 24A @ 100°C, Rds(on): 0.099 ohms) |
| APFC controller |
Champion CM6500UNX & CM03X |
| resonant controller | Champion CU6901VAC |
| topology |
Primary Side: APFC, Half Bridge & LLC Converter |
| Secondary side | – |
| +12V MOSFETs | 8x Infineon BSC010N04LS (40V, 178A @ 100°C, Rds(on): 1mΩ) |
| 5V & 3.3V | DC-DC Converter: 2x UBIQ QN3107M6N (30V, 70A @ 100°C, Rds(on): 2.6mOhm) & 2x UBIQ QM3054M6 (30V, 61A @ 100°C, Rds(on): 4.8mOhm) PWM Controller: uPI-Semi uP3861P |
| filtering capacitor |
Electrolyte: 3x Nippon Chemi-Con (105°C, W), 1x Nichicon (2-5,000h @ 105°C, HD), 2x Nichicon (4-10,000h @ 105°C, HE), 1x Rubycon (6- 10,000 h @ 105°C, ZLH), 1x Nippon Chemi-Con (4-10,000h @ 105°C, KY), 1x Nippon Chemi-Con (4-10,000h @ 105°C, KYA) |
| Supervisor IC | Welltrend WT7502R |
| fan controller | Microchip PIC16F1503 |
| fan model | Hong Hua HA13525H12SF-Z (135mm, 12V, 0.5A, Fluid Dynamic Bearing Fan) |
| 5VSB circuit | – |
| rectifier |
1x D10S45L SBR (45V, 10A) |
| Standby PWM controller | Onbright OB2365T |
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The GF3 1,200W uses CWT’s CSZ platform. The design is modern enough, with analog controllers handling all the circuitry to keep costs low. The CWT used high quality, including Vishay bridge rectifiers, Infineon FETs and Japanese caps. The cooling fan is also of high quality. Finally, with such a powerful PSU, we expected to see a full-bridge design instead of the half-bridge that CWT used. The former increases efficiency, but also affects production costs.
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Transient/EMI filters have all the necessary components including MOVs. There are also NTC thermistor and bypass relay combinations to suppress high inrush currents.
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A pair of bridge rectifiers can handle currents up to 50A.
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The APFC converter uses three Infineon FETs and one boost diode. APFC controllers are champions CM6500UNXsupported by the CM03X IC.
The main FETs are two Infineon IPA60R099P6 Installed in a half-bridge topology. LLC resonant converters are also used to increase efficiency.
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All eight Infineon FETs regulating the 12V rail are mounted on a vertical board right next to the main transformer. In this way energy losses are minimized. A minor rail is generated via a pair of VRMs.
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Filter caps are from Japanese capacitors, and besides electrolytic capacitors, there are also many polymer caps.
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The standby PWM controller is On-Bright. OB2365T I C.
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The modular board has multiple polymer caps that form additional ripple filtering layers.
The main supervisor IC is Weltrend WT7502R.Installed on the same board as the microchip PIC16F1503is the fan speed controller.
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The soldering quality is good.
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The cooling fan is 135 mm in diameter and uses fluid dynamic bearings for low noise output and long life. Hong Hua is a good name, so expect this fan to be reliable in the long run.
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