ASUS ROG Thor 1000W Platinum II Power Supply Review

A Closer Look

Out of the box, the ASUS ROG Thor 1000W Platinum II looks absolutely fantastic. The presentation has clearly been a huge factor in the design of this PSU, and it definitely seems to have paid off with an exceptionally eye-catching aesthetic.

Without a doubt, your eyes are immediately drawn to the top of the power supply. With its brushed steel effect and diagonal crossing fan cover, this is perhaps one of the best looking power supplies I have ever encountered. With nice large gaps to the vented section, however, that fan (which you can just make out below) should be capable of drawing in an excellent amount of airflow.

Branding is evident throughout all of the ASUS ROG Thor 1000W Platinum II. Despite its somewhat demanding nature, however, it is neither overly large nor garish. In fact, everything both looks really well placed and sized that definitely adds to the overall aesthetic rather than detracts.

In taking a closer look at the side panel, although not immediately evident with the power switched off, you can just make out the OLED panel (look for the discoloured square on the silver). From this section, the ASUS ROG Thor 1000W Platinum II will display exactly how much power it is drawing during operation. A very important piece of information for enthusiast users and particularly those who like dabbling in the realms of high-end overclocking.

Oh, and just because we think it worth mentioning, that ‘ROG THOR’ branding to the bottom right is blurred because it’s incredibly unphotogenic (even ASUS’ own pictures of it aren’t great). From the naked eye, however, trust me when I say that its 3D effect looks fantastic!

As noted earlier, while there are some ARGB lighting effects to this power supply, they are relatively understated and primarily located within the corner pictured below. Exactly how visible these would be when installed in a system would entirely depend on the case. – If you do, for example, have a PSU shroud (which is very common on a lot of chassis designs these days) then the sad aspect is that you’re not going to get to see much of anything here. With the right case though, it could definitely add a bit of icing to your ARGB cake!

The cable input bank is exceptionally well presented with each section being clearly denoted for its use. The only criticism I have with this, however, is that without a ‘back to back’ design, removing the cables can be tricky work. Just for example, while testing this PSU I had two PCIe cables inserted into the two ports on the bottom left-hand side. The removal of these didn’t give me much ‘wiggle room’. I could do it, but not without uttering a few choice words under my breath.

As such, it is perhaps strongly suggested with this PSU (as many consider to be good practice anyway) to, if not space your cables apart, then to at least have them all pre-inserted before you fit this PSU into your case. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not impossible to add and remove cables. When the ports are crowded though, it’s definitely fiddly!

The rear of the power supply is exceptionally well vented with practically all of the available area allowing for airflow. This is an important factor as the ASUS ROG Thor 1000W Platinum II comes with a ‘ZERO RPM’ fan mode (denoted here as ‘0 dB Fan’) that effectively places it in a passing cooling state for as long as possible.

Cabling

The cabling with the ASUS ROG Thor 1000W Platinum II is of some of the highest quality we have seen. Coming in both a strong and flexible braided casing, this isn’t just more than long enough but offers excellent levels of flexibility to ensure the best levels of cable management possible.

With each cable denoted for its use (as well as which end goes where), this is a foolproof design that both beginners and experienced hands will appreciate.

Internals – A Look Inside!

Getting inside the ASUS ROG Thor 1000W Platinum II isn’t easy. In fact, I would describe it as something of a Rubix cube of screws. Put simply, it seems that ASUS really doesn’t want you to get in here. Neither should you either as this will clearly invalidate your 10-year warranty. – At an initial glance, however, this power supply is presented very well with a nice clean internal aesthetic.

The fan itself is a third-party design coming from ‘Champion’. A manufacturer that I’ll freely admit that I’ve never heard of or seen before. When it comes to power supplies, however, this honestly isn’t unusual. In fact, it’s far more unique to see manufacturers who do use their own branded technology for this cooling aspect. – Using an alternative manufacturer is often an excellent means of reducing the cost of one component while not compromising on the overall quality. Why? Well, PSU fans honestly shouldn’t ever have to work too hard at their job!

A closer look at the PCB shows an exceptionally tidy and clearly well-thought-out design. Admittedly, it’s very busy inside with a lot of components tightly packed. You will, however, note the use of ASUS’ own ROG thermal solution. In essence, these are high-quality heat sinks that are, at least in theory, significantly better than what is usually seen on a PSU (the majority of designs generally tend to just leave the heat sink metal exposed ‘as is’).

Citing that the ASUS ROG Thor 1000W Platinum II comes with 100% Japanese capacitors, a closer look confirms this to be an entirely accurate claim. Coming from ‘Nippon Chemicon’, this is a well-recognized and highly reputable manufacturer of capacitors. Rated to 105C, this is exactly what you want to see in any kind of good quality PSU.

Overall Thoughts!

Both internally and externally, the ASUS ROG Thor 1000W Platinum II is, without a doubt, one of the best-looking power supplies we have ever encountered. It just screams, from top to bottom, of an exceptionally high no-compromise design.

In specific regards to the ARGB lighting, as noted above, this is somewhat understated but is still more than bright and vibrant enough to definitely act as a strong addition to the overall aesthetics. To get the best out of it, however, you are going to need a case that ideally has a cutout section on the PSU shroud. Or simply a case that leaves the PSU exposed. Without this, everything is going to be hidden. And for a PSU that looks this good, that would be a real pity!

So, the ASUS ROG Thor 1000W Platinum II definitely looks fantastic both inside and out, but how does it perform? Well, there’s only one way to find out. Let’s get this hooked up to our test bench and see what happens when we crank that wattage up!