The test that was done for this power supply was fairly simple. We had to test for the voltage stability of this unit. To generate conditions for testing voltage stability, we had to get the system at full load to get a higher load on the power supply. This was done by running both Prime95 and SiSoft Sandra 2002's burn-in module. We monitored the system's 12V and 5V fluctuations via Motherboard Monitor. The refresh rate for Motherboard Monitor was set to every 5 seconds. This process continued for 6 hours. As a reference, we used an Antec PP-412X 400w power supply. Here's the specs on the PC used in this test.

Test System:
• Antec SX800 Series Case
• Intel Pentium IV 1.6A @ 144MHz FSB - 1.55v
• Alpha PAL8942 w/ Thermaltake 80mm Fan and 72w Peltier Pad
• 4 80mm Antec Fans
• Asus P4S533
• 512MB PC2700 Mushkin Memory (2x256MB)
• GeForce4 Ti4400 with Memory Set to 650MHz
• Creative Audigy
• Promise Fasttrak100
• TDK 40X CDRW Drive
• Pioneer 16X DVDROM Drive
• IBM 30GB ATA100 7200RPM HDD
• (2) IBM 45GB ATA100 7200RPM HDD in RAID0

With a system like this, any power supply is sure to get a good work out from it. Let's take a look at the results.

As you can see, even with the extended torture test on a system that sucks an enormous amount of power, both power supplies managed to maintain voltages within 10% of specifications. In ideal conditions, a system's +/- 5v line should maintain within 5% of specifications, and the KingWin also managed to do just that. It is noteworthy that the KingWin managed to maintain voltages much closer to spec than the Antec.

The KingWin KWI-450W brings a lot of things to the table. It offers great cooling via 3 fans that have fairly low noise levels along with a manual override switch (NOTE: manual override only provided 1-2 degrees (F) extra cooling during tests). The power supply also performed wonderfuly against the Antec PP-412X - quite an admirable feat. The extra power connectors and braided cabling is a definite plus. The only features I would have like to seen on this unit would have been a fan monitoring funtion (which was optional) and an A/C output socket for peripheral(s) users may want to power in unison with the system. Overall, this unit provided solid performance, low noise, and a sweet price. I would not hesitate to suggest the KWI-450W to anyone looking for a power supply. If KingWin keeps this up, we'll see them as a household name in no time.

Pros:
• Low Noise Temperature Controlled Fans
• Manual Fan Override
• Great Performance
• Braided Cabling
• Abundant Power Connectors
• Great Price/Performance Value

Cons:
• No Standard Fan Monitoring Function (Optional)
• No A/C Output Socket
• Manual Override for Fan Didn't Provide as Much Extra Cooling as Expected

A BIG thanks goes to the nice folks at KDC for making this review possible. They currently have the KWI-450W on sale here. Kudos to KingWin for making a solid product.

Editors Note: KDC says they will be getting in a new 3 fan LED Aluminum model, due next week! Todays date is 01/21/03