Thermaltake Toughpower GF1 ARGB Power Supply Review

A Closer Look

The power supply, on the surface, carries the no-nonsense approach we’ve gone to expect from the Thermaltake Toughpower branding. You will, however, note that this power supply has taken as many opportunities as possible to promote the best airflow possible.

For example, unlike many (if any other) power supplies, this one has vents to the side.

The fan (which provides all that RGB goodness) sits on top of the power supply (or bottom if you prefer). With the Thermaltake logo to the center, you’ll again note that this side of the power supply has allowed for as much ventilation as possible.

The cable input section of the power supply is well laid out with a ‘back to back’ design promoting the easy insertion and removal of cables. Some may be surprised to see so few ports, this isn’t, however, uncommon in power supply designs these days. Particularly those on the lower end of the wattage scale. Not that 650 watts are that low.

The control panel carries the style of having plenty of ventilation. In addition to this, however, you’ll also find the switch for the ‘zero-fan’ as well as manual controllers for the lighting colors and modes.

At this point, we have to credit Thermaltake for clearly placing more emphasis on the overall practicality of the design rather than wasting any space with black panels or useless advertisements. We said earlier in the review that the ‘Toughpower’ brand is all about business and, so far, this is looking fantastic!

Cabling

The cabling is protected by a black sheathing which is nice and flexible. Admittedly, the cables themselves are not overly long, but unless you have a particularly complex system (or unforgiving chassis) these shouldn’t provide you with any problems.

Internals – A Look Inside!

Looking at the fan, we can see in the picture below that this is a Thermaltake own TT-1425. This is a design we have seen used in many of their products in the past and it has always proven to be a reliable choice.

Looking at the PCB, we must admit that, at a glance, it’s not particularly tidy in here. Admittedly, this isn’t uncommon for power supplies, particularly those that incorporate RGB lighting. It is, however, somewhat disappointing (and might we add, by Thermaltake’s usual remits, unusual) to see such a heavy-handed usage of the white glue.

A quick look at the two main capacitors shows that they are manufactured by ‘Nichicon’. A well-known Japanese supplier of electronics and, as such, Thermaltake has picked an excellent choice as they are among the best currently available on the market.

Overall Thoughts!

We decided to take a picture of the RGB lighting while the case was lifted from the power supply just to give you a true impression of how amazing the effects look. Admittedly, these do get a little muted through the upper ventilation covering, but on the whole, if you needed a cherry on the cake, this is it!

So, on the whole, the Thermaltake Toughpower GF1 ARGB 650w power supply looks like an amazingly solid workhorse. Well, with the RGB lighting, a workhorse with a very attractive bow in its mane.

We can’t, however, let looks distract us from the most important aspect of this review. Namely, how it performs.

Onto the testing!