Thermaltake Dr Power III AXT Power Supply Tester Review

In the eTeknix office, we're very fortunate to have an extremely advanced power supply load tester, but it has three main problems. Firstly, it weighs 150KG, secondly, it stands about 3 feet tall, and lastly, it costs around $8000 to have custom-made. Any of those factors is enough to make it pretty impractical for your average PC enthusiast or overclocker to own one. However, Thermaltake has a rather elegant, simple and surprisingly affordable solution, and while it's nowhere near as advanced as our tester, the Dr.Power III offers a simple and effective way to test your PSU output voltages. Admittedly, the market for such a device is pretty small, but if you have a lot of computer hardware, and regularly find yourself trying to identify issues while performing repairs, or ensuring the reliability of your hardware, especially on high-end systems or for overclocking, being able to ensure your PSU is delivering the exact voltages you need can be tricky. While some can do it with a volt meter, that's not always as easily done either. With support for up to ATX12V v3.1 PSUs, you can simply plug in all the PSU cables to the Dr.Power III, hit the test button and get your answers very quickly indeed. Available Connectors 12+4pin connector. 24pin connector. Peripheral connector. PCI-E 6-pin/8-pin connector. SATA connector. CPU 4-pin/8-pin connector. What Thermaltake Had to Say Dr. Power III PSU Tester has been meticulously crafted to accommodate all contemporary ATX power supplies, up to ATX12V v3.1. Its inclusive design incorporates the PCIe 12+4pin connector and adeptly detects SENSE0/SENSE1 sideband signals. The LCD display enhances the experience, allowing users to effortlessly read and interpret the test results with clarity and ease. Real-Time Voltage LCD Display The real-time LCD monitoring displays the output voltage for +12V, +5V, +3.3V, and +5Vsb. This instant feedback facilitates immediate assessment of power supply performance, enabling users to make informed decisions regarding their system's power delivery. Precision in PCIe 12+4pin Connector Detection The device meticulously detects the SENSE0/SENSE1 sideband signals of the latest PCIe 12+4pin connector, distinguishing power levels of 150W, 300W, 450W, and 600W, ensuring compatibility with a range of PCIe Gen 5.1 graphics cards and components. Flexible Testing Modes Users can choose the approach that best suits their preferences with both manual and automatic testing modes, enabling them to quickly diagnose the power supply output status. Built-In Diagnostic System for Proactive Maintenance Dr. Power III incorporates a robust built-in diagnostic system that identifies issues such as low-voltage, high-voltage, no voltage, and PG alarm systems. If no fault occurs during the test, the LCD backlight will remain white. Once any fault occurs, the LCD backlight will turn red and make a “beep” sound. This proactive approach to diagnostics ensures that users are alerted to potential problems. For more information, you can check of the official product page here. Packaging & Accessories The box is simple enough, this isn't a big product, with the box about the size of a 3.5" HDD. There's a nice product shot on the front, and we can see it's supported with a 3-year warranty. Around the back, there's a quick run-down of the hardware support, and connectors, and a couple of small diagrams of how it is set up. It's well protected too, with a thick layer of compressible foam around it, and a protective bag to ward off dust and debris. A Closer Look The Dr.Power III is a simple enough looking bit of kit, not unlike a stud finder, with a read-out display and a single button in the middle for operation. The button is multi-function, allowing you to press or hold it to enter an automatic testing cycle or a manual one that will allow you to select which voltage rail you wish to perform a test on. The display is LCD, and comes with a two-colour backlight, with blue for normal operation, but it can also turn red when it detects an issue, making things pretty clear and simple to understand. It's a durable plastic construction for the outer casing, but it's nicely finished, with rounded corners and trimmed edges. This is effectively a hand-held unit, so I appreciate they've made it reasonably compact and comfortable to handle. There are connector points all around the unit, with the top having the PCIE 6+2 and CPU 4+4 pin connectors, while in the middle there's both a Molex and a SATA connector stacked on top of each other, a little crowded, but you can connect all of them at the same time easily enough. They're all easy enough to understand, but there are some labels at the top on the back should you get mixed up. Along the side, there's the 12VHPWR connector for modern PSUs. There's nothing on the right side though. And finally, there's the 24-pin connector on the bottom, which gives you some idea of the overall size of this unit. Still, it's easy enough to hold in your hand, and it's not overly heavy either, so it's hardly a burden to keep it in your PC-repair tool bag. Well, this isn't the most complicated device ever, in that you can only really do one thing with it, and that's to see if each rail on your PSU is delivering the desired target voltages. As you can see, I've hooked up a bundle of cables from my test PSU, and as I connect each cable, an icon shows on the bottom of the display to confirm what is connected; 24P, CPU, PCI-E, and MOX, the missing one in this case being SATA. To perform a test, you simply press the big power button in the middle, and it'll enter the auto-testing cycle. My PSU is in perfect health, but to simulate a fail I disconnected a cable on the PSU, and also turned the PSU switch off, simulating a power loss, and as you can see, it's showing F to pay respects. The big red display really makes it clear to understand "ALL IS NOT WELL". The unit doesn't actually have any batteries, it runs from the PSU itself, but interestingly, if I turn the PSU off at the mains, the unit stays powered for a little while as it likely has some capacitor to allow readouts after a PSU failed test or loss of power. You can perform a manual test too, allowing you to cycle through and select a connector. Here you can see a clean bill of health for the CPU 4+4 connector, delivering 12.1 volts, which is well within safe limits. Ideally you want to be within +/- 5% for 3.3v, 5v and 12v, but the closer to the target, the better obviously. As you can see, we're getting extremely close to the targets here, with 12V, 5.06 and 3.32v all reading great, and no red lights. The unit beeps too, it's that obnoxious "PEEP PEEP PEEP" noise you get from cheap alarm clocks, but it gets the job done. It's great to see the 600W PCI-E 12VHPWR connector is supported too, we all know they're getting a bit of a tarnished reputation for melting, so having some way to test those cables and the PSU is certainly welcome. How Much Does it Cost? The Thermaltake Dr.Power III Power Supply Tester is available now from Scan.co.uk for a very reasonable £39.98. This is a pretty unique piece of equipment and I have to admit, I think the market for it is tiny, but it could be a vital tool for PC hardware repairs and maintenance when it comes to problem-solving. Of course, the enthusiast market will likely get a kick out of being able to check the voltage stability of their power supply too, as stable and accurate voltages can be vital to overclocking and optimal system performance. Overview I think Thermaltake has a great product here, and again, it is a niche product, but it promises to do one thing, and I think it does it pretty well. It's really quite a simple device, you just plug in all the connectors that you want to test and hit the go button. Do that and it'll either give you the thumbs up, or the beeping and red screen of death telling you there's something wrong. Beyond that, there's not a right lot a consumer can do with a dead PSU, short of replacing a cable or an RMA. However, if you're having system problems, this is either going to tell you it's not the PSU, or that it's time to get a new PSU, and could save you a lot of time. In terms of build quality, it's relatively simple, with some durable connectors on the top, left side and bottom, and even supports the latest 12VHPWR 600W connector, meaning modern PSUs are easily supported. The housing is plastic, but it feels durable enough and is comfortable to handle. I like the display too, it's only LCD, but it's nice and large and easy to read. The dual colour backlight makes it very easy to see if things are going well, or if your hardware is busted, and failing that, the obnoxious beep gets your attention. I'd love to see a more advanced version of this in the future that allows for pass-through, so you can run your PC and monitor the voltages under real-world loads. Of course, I'd expect that to cost more, but I can see there would be interest in this from the enthusiast market and it would give some way for consumers to really review their power supply with real-world testing. Should I Buy One? This is a tricky one, as I don't think your typical consumer or PC gamer has much need for this. I guess it's like having a code reader for your car, it's a tool, and it can be useful for finding problems, but otherwise, I don't think it serves a purpose for a lot of people. However, it promises to do a specific job, and it does it easily and for a very reasonable price, so adding one more tool to your PC repair setup could be a pretty handy investment.