Thermaltake Smart RGB 500w Power Supply Review

A Closer Look

Thermaltake has some of the best information available in terms of packaging. In all of their products, we find that they are one of the best brands for making all the information easily visible to you at a glance. The front of the book includes all the information you need to know about the power supply with specific attention to the RGB system, the wattage and the 80-Plus rating.

The sides of the packaging include information regarding the patented 256 RGB fan system which is one of Thermaltake’s centrepieces of their modern designs.

The rear of the packaging is equally good in terms of the information provided. Everything is nice and clearly laid out including the efficiency rating, features, output specifications and the cabling. In terms of the packaging overall, the only matter which I do find to be excluded in the non-modular aspect which could be a concern for anyone who buys this without knowing.

Whats In The Box?

Open opening the Thermaltake Smart RGB everything is well presented in what is quite a small package. The power supply is kept inside bubble wrap. The non-modular cables are not wrapped but are well enclosed in the packaging. In addition, there is also a protective sleeve to prevent any potential scratching of the case.

You are also provided with your product manual as well as warranty information. Incidentally, this power supply does come with a 5-year warranty.

The information provided is to a decent standard and is very easy to read and understand. In terms of power supplies though, in truth, most things are quite logical.

The Power Supply

For a 500w power supply, this is a decent size and the product as a whole has a nice well-built feel to it. As can be seen below, this is a non-modular power supply, but the cables are protected with a nice thick quality sleeving which is both easy to handle and also reassuringly tough.

Although this power supply does not have any hybrid mode, cooling is a reasonably straightforward affair. To help compliment this though, the power supply has some nice large vented areas which cover as much area as possible.

Aside from the on/off switch to the rear, the only other control is for the RGB lighting. This is a very straightforward on/off but as detailed in the video above, is the main control for the RGB lighting effects. The vents to the rear are a little larger than we would usually like to see. This is particularly concerning as you can clearly see the internal workings and especially two of the copper coils. A tighter vent design may have been more prudent to prevent any potential ingress.

Interior

Internally, the power supply has a nice, neat and tidy presentation. There isn’t too much clutter and all cables are well organised. This isn’t something that is usually seen in non-modular designs. As such, it’s clear that Thermaltake has made some effort in the internal design to allow for good airflow and cooling.

There are a few areas of minor concern. Particularly the rather excessive soldering to the power input control board. Overall though, it’s hard to find any faults in terms of the internal layout. This, by proxy, means that we have very little concerns that this shouldn’t be able to fully justify the 5-year warranty provided.

In terms of the capacitor, we do note that none of the box work would appear to indicate that the Thermaltake Smart RGB has fully-Japanese capacitors. Despite this though, there is evidence to suggest that at least the main capacitor may be Japanese.

Unfortunately, due to the position, it’s hard to get a clear view of the manufacturer. It does, however, appear to be a company called ‘Ichi’. We must confess, this isn’t a manufacturer we have heard of and we did consider the possibility that this may have been Nichicon. It is, however, definitely ‘Ichi’ on it. So make of this what you will. Ichi is a Japenese word (for 1), we wouldn’t, however, be comfortable stating that this is Japanese as a 100% fact.

The cooling fan is at it’s best when clearly operating with the full RGB effects on show. Despite this though, we have always found Thermaltake fans to be well-built and reliable. This particular model does not appear to have the hydraulic bearings that we see in more updated designs, but it still appears to be more than competent for the task at hand.

Important – Please Read

To understand the results on the new few pages, please take the time to read our detailed testing methodology page. The next page of this review will help you understand what the results of our testing mean, and educate you on the various qualities we look for in a good PSU.