Nearly 1μF capacity per watt, experience Tt Steel Shadow Toughpower GF A3 Snow 1
2024-04-22 / tech
We understand that the ATX 3.0 power supply is a product based on Intel's new specifications, and in the past two years, many power supply brands have positioned ATX 3.0 power supplies in the mid-to-high-end market. Nowadays, mainstream power supply manufacturers in the market have launched one or more power supply products based on the ATX 3.0 or ATX 3.1 specifications, which has also made the prices of ATX 3.0 power supplies gradually more affordable. Last year, MC had reviewed the Tt Toughpower GF3 series ATX 3.0 power supply launched by Tt, which is mainly focused on high performance, hence the relatively higher price. In order to cater to the needs of more users who pay attention to cost-effectiveness, Tt quickly responded by launching a brand new ATX 3.0 series of power supplies: Tt Toughpower GF A3. So, how is this new series of power supplies? Next, we will reveal the answer by reviewing this Tt Toughpower GF A3 power supply with a rated power of 1050W.
Product Specifications
Product Dimensions: 150mm (W) × 140mm (L) × 86mm (H)
Fan Specification: 120mm
Efficiency Certification: 80PLUS Gold
Input Voltage: 100V～240V
Input Current: 8A～16A
Rated Power: 1050W
Product Warranty: 10 years
Reference Price: 899 yuanPower coverage from mainstream to mid-to-high-end
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As a professional peripheral brand, Tt offers a wide range of products including keyboards, mice, headphones, cases, and power supplies. Particularly in the power supply sector, Tt boasts a rich array of product series, tailored to meet various needs. The SMART RGB series focuses on high cost-performance ratio, while the Steel Shadow ToughPower series is dedicated to high stability. The ToughPower PF1 and ToughPower GF3 we previously reviewed are quintessential representatives of the latter.
In terms of product coverage, the Tt Steel Shadow ToughPower GF3 series is primarily aimed at high-power demands, with a higher starting power output, offering six power levels to choose from: 750W, 850W, 1000W, 1200W, 1350W, and 1650W. The GF A3 series, on the other hand, covers mainstream to mid-to-high-end power requirements, with a lower starting power output, providing five power levels: 650W, 750W, 850W, 1050W, and 1200W. The model we are experiencing this time is the highest power level in this series: the Steel Shadow ToughPower GF A3 1050W.
Compact body design
Support for Zero RPM mode
The Tt Steel Shadow ToughPower GF A3 1050W power supply is available in black and white color options, and the one we received is the white Snow version. As a standard ATX specification power supply, its length is more compact compared to the ToughPower PF1 and Toughpower GF3 power supplies we have previously experienced, with dimensions of 150mm (width) × 140mm (length) × 86mm (height). This shorter body design offers better compatibility for users and saves more space, making the entire system assembly more flexible and convenient. The Tt Steel Shadow ToughPower GF A3 1050W power supply is equipped with a 120mm hydraulic bearing fan, model number TT-1225. The fan features 7 blades, with a power supply voltage and current of 12V/0.35A, and a power consumption of 4.2W.
Furthermore, to enhance user experience and meet higher cooling demands, the GF A3 Snow 1050W also supports the Smart Zero Fan function. The power supply is designed with actual user needs and convenience in mind. In addition to a standard power switch, a "Smart Zero Fan" hardware switch is specially placed next to the power interface. When users activate this switch, the power supply intelligently monitors the PC's load. It can sense changes in load in real-time and automatically adjust the fan speed according to the load level. Once it detects that the PC is in a low-load state (i.e., the load is below 30%), the fan will automatically stop rotating, instead employing passive cooling. This ensures sufficient cooling when operating under high loads, while effectively reducing the noise generated by fan operation during low-load conditions, achieving a balance between cooling and silence.
The power supply has high requirements for its own cooling design when in passive cooling mode. Therefore, the GF A3 Snow 1050W has large areas of ventilation openings on both the fan position and the side, effectively enhancing air circulation and ensuring that the power supply can maintain stable performance even in passive cooling conditions.As a mid-to-high-end power supply, the Tt Steel Shadow ToughPower GF A3 Snow 1050W naturally comes with a fully modular interface, providing users with more flexible usage options. This power supply is equipped with a total of 12 sets of interfaces, including 3 sets for CPU and PCIe power supply, and they are interchangeable to prevent incorrect insertion.
In addition to the number of interfaces, the Tt Steel Shadow ToughPower GF A3 Snow 1050W also puts effort into the selection of cables. The PCIe 5.0 CEM cables are wrapped in nylon braided mesh, offering better protection. Other cables are of the flat type, which not only facilitates cable management for users but also makes the interior of the computer case more neat and aesthetically pleasing.
The power supply also offers a rich selection of cables, including 1 x 20+4pin mainboard power supply (600mm), 2 x 4+4pin CPU power supplies (650mm), 3 x 6+2pin graphics card power supplies (500mm/500mm+150mm), 1 x 12+4pin PCIe 5.0 CEM graphics card power supply (600mm), 2 x SATA power supplies (500mm+150mm+150mm+150mm), 2 x 4pin peripheral device connector power supplies (500mm+150mm+150mm+150mm), and 1 x drive power cable (150mm).
80PLUS Gold Certification
Supports Intel C6/C7 Deep Energy Saving
From the nameplate of the power supply, we can learn some information about the GF A3 Snow 1050W: it supports a wide range voltage of 100V to 240V, with an input current of 8 to 16A. The +12V of this power supply can output a current of 87.5A, which is 1050W of power. The +3.3V and +5V can output 20A of current respectively, jointly providing 100W of power. Additionally, its -12V can output 0.3A of current, and +5VSB can output 3A of current, providing 3.6W and 15W of power respectively.
On the nameplate of the GF A3 Snow 1050W, you can see a row of neatly arranged certification logos, like badges of honor, whose purpose is to highlight that this power supply has passed the compliance of many countries, regions, or institutions, proving its excellent performance and safety. Among these certification logos, the most eye-catching is the prominent 80PLUS Gold certification logo. This signifies that the power supply has an excellent power supply conversion efficiency: with an input voltage of 115V, the conversion efficiency is not less than 87% at 20% load, not less than 90% at 50% load, and not less than 87% at 100% load.In fact, the GF A3 Snow 1050W achieved a conversion efficiency of 90.35%, 90.79%, and 87.88% at 20%, 50%, and 100% load under 115V input, respectively, with an average conversion efficiency of 89.67%. A power supply that passes the 80PLUS Gold certification indicates high efficiency and energy savings, and it also indirectly proves that the power supply has good quality components, as only superior materials can easily pass the 80PLUS Gold certification.
Additionally, this power supply also supports the C6/C7 power-saving states for Intel processors. The C6 state is a deep sleep state of the CPU, also known as the "Half-Idle" state. In this state, some functions of the CPU are shut down to reduce energy consumption. The C7 state is referred to as the "Full Idle" or "Deep Sleep" state, which is even more energy-efficient than the C6 state. In the C7 state, the CPU shuts down more functions, including core voltage, to further reduce power consumption.
The C6/C7 power-saving states are achieved through Intel's C-State (CPU power management state) technology, which is a function for controlling CPU power consumption. C-State allows the CPU to switch between different working states to save energy. For example, the C1 state is the most basic power-saving state, while C6 and C7 are deeper power-saving states. It should be noted that not all power supplies support the C6/C7 states, and the GF A3 Snow 1050W is one of the few that do.
It is worth mentioning that the GF A3 Snow 1050W also supports an extended warranty period of up to 10 years. This demonstrates Tt's confidence in the quality of its power supplies and gives users peace of mind when purchasing and using the product. We specifically consulted the official after-sales service about the 10-year warranty policy, which states that if the power supply has quality issues during the warranty period, it will be replaced rather than repaired.
All power supplies are precisely stable
We used professional equipment to test the various input voltages of the GF A3 Snow 1050W. After testing, its -12V voltage is 11.9V, +12V is 12.1V, +5V is 5.0V, 5VSB voltage is 5.0V, +3.3V voltage is 3.3V, and the PG time is 80ms. All voltage values are within the normal range. From these test results, it can be seen that the voltage of the GF A3 Snow 1050W is accurate.
In addition to the accuracy of the power supply voltage, we also observed that there was no fluctuation in the voltage values during the testing process. This indicates that the input voltage of the GF A3 Snow 1050W is very stable. Stable input voltage is crucial for the normal operation of devices such as the motherboard, processor, graphics card, and memory. If the voltage fluctuates significantly, it may cause instability in the devices or even lead to failures. Especially for key components like the motherboard and processor, they are very sensitive to voltage fluctuations. Fluctuating voltage can lead to computer system crashes, freezes, or unpredictable errors.We further tested the fan noise of the power supply under different loads. The results show that regardless of the load level, the noise of the power supply fan is consistently low. Especially under high load conditions, the subtle sound of the power supply fan is completely overshadowed by the graphics card fan. Particularly after installing the power supply into the case, with the increased distance, the noise of the power supply fan is completely inaudible. It is worth mentioning that during the operation of the power supply, there were no abnormal conditions such as coil whine, and the overall performance is stable and reliable.
Generous Materials
Nearly 1μF of capacitance per watt
As a mid-to-high-end ATX 3.0 power supply, what is the internal material and circuit design of the Tt Steel Shadow ToughPower GF A3 Snow 1050W? After disassembling it, we can see a general design inside — an active PFC + LLC resonant + DC to DC scheme, which is a common and very mature circuit design, and most mainstream power supplies adopt this scheme. Due to its shorter body, the layout of the components inside the power supply is more compact.
The GF A3 Snow 1050W has a complete set of primary and secondary EMI filtering circuits. For example, its primary EMI filtering circuit is at the AC input end, where it uses two Y capacitors and one X capacitor directly soldered at the back of the AC interface, with the X capacitor being wrapped for insulation. The primary EMI filtering circuit is mainly used to filter out transient voltages and high-frequency interference from the mains, while also preventing high-frequency interference generated by the switching tubes from being transmitted to the mains, which could affect other electrical appliances.
The secondary EMI filtering circuit on the main PCB is located below the primary EMI filtering circuit, close to the power socket position. The design of this filtering circuit is very important as it can further reduce electromagnetic interference in the power supply. In this secondary filtering circuit, two Y capacitors are configured together, and their function is to filter high-frequency noise by connecting the capacitors between the ground and the power lines. In addition, between the two common-mode inductors, there is an X capacitor configured, which can provide additional filtering effects. The rational configuration of these components can effectively eliminate common-mode interference in the power supply.
In this secondary filtering circuit, an additional NTC thermistor is also configured. This NTC thermistor can change its resistance value according to temperature changes. When the power supply experiences high input current or voltage that causes the temperature to rise, the resistance value of the NTC thermistor will decrease, thereby providing better filtering effects. In this way, even in high-temperature environments, this secondary filtering circuit can maintain the stability of its filtering performance.Attentive readers may have noticed that power supplies typically have a first-stage filtering circuit at the power socket end and a second-stage filtering circuit at the PCB end. Why is that? The advantage of having this second-stage EMI filtering circuit on the main PCB is that it can effectively filter out high-frequency noise and electromagnetic interference from the power supply. If these noises and interferences are not filtered out, they may adversely affect the entire circuit system and even cause system failures. Therefore, by configuring this second-stage filtering circuit on the main PCB, the stability and reliability of the entire system can be ensured. The role of the second-stage EMI filtering circuit is to filter out common-mode interference and prevent overcurrent, protecting the downstream circuits. That is to say, the first-stage filtering circuit is mainly to filter out high-frequency noise from the mains, while the second-stage filtering circuit, in addition to further filtering and anti-interference, also needs to protect the downstream circuits.
On the other side of the common-mode inductor in the second-stage EMI filtering circuit is the rectification circuit of the GF A3 Snow 1050W, which is equipped with two rectification bridges with the silk-screen model number "J2323". These two rectification bridges share a single heat dissipation module. The GF A3 Snow 1050W uses a coil-type PFC inductor, which has a solid volume and coil winding density. Next to the heat sink below the power supply on the outer side is the power supply's two PFC switch tubes and one PFC boost diode. Its PFC switch tube comes from LONTEN (Longteng Semiconductor), with the specific model number "LSD55R140GT", rated at 550V/23A. The PFC diode is from Taike Tianrun, with the model number "G3S06510A", rated at 650V/10A. In addition, next to the PFC diode, there is also an NTC and a relay from Yuanze.
Next to the PFC circuit, the power supply is equipped with a large main capacitor from the first-tier brand Nichicon, with a specification of 400V/1000μF/105°C, which translates to approximately 0.95μF per watt of electrical capacity. Generally speaking, the electrical capacity per watt of a power supply should not be less than 0.5μF, and it is evident that the GF A3 Snow 1050W is very generous in its materials. This capacitor can withstand high temperatures of up to 105°C and has an exceptionally long service life. We have disassembled many power supplies, and most kilowatt-level power supplies are equipped with two main capacitors. So why doesn't this power supply choose to pair with two smaller capacitors? I speculate that this is to save space inside the power supply. Using two smaller-capacity main capacitors would occupy more space, while a single main capacitor, although also occupying a relatively large space, is smaller compared to two main capacitors. However, using a single large-capacity main capacitor may lead to increased costs, as high-capacity capacitors are usually more expensive.
On the other side near the main capacitor, two heat dissipation modules stand upright, with the main switch tube of the power supply located below the heat dissipation modules, carrying two each, totaling four. The switch tube comes from Longteng Semiconductor, with the model number "LSD55R140GF". This is an ultra-junction MOS with a voltage rating of 550V/23A and a conduction resistance of 140mΩ, featuring low gate charge characteristics. It is suitable for applications such as PFC power factor correction, switch-mode power supplies, and UPS.
Next to the main switch tube heat dissipation module inside the power supply is its standby transformer and resonance transformer, as well as the main transformer. In the resonance circuit, there is also a "MMKP82" double-sided metallized polypropylene film resonance capacitor from Guangdong Dongguan Weiqing, used for instantaneous voltage boosting and frequency regulation in the circuit. Next to the main transformer is its +12V circuit. A sub-board standing near the edge is used for the +12V output of the power supply, employing a synchronous rectification module, with three rectifier tubes and freewheeling diodes all from Longteng Semiconductor, with the model number "LSGN04R013WE", rated at 40V/160A.
Between the +12V module and the output module is the power supply's DC to DC sub-board, responsible for converting +5V and +3.3V voltages. This sub-board is equipped with two coil inductors, with an ANPEC (Motech Industries) APW7159 controller behind each inductor. At the same time, the DC to DC module also has multiple solid-state capacitors for filtering.In its output module section, a large number of solid-state capacitors and electrolytic capacitors are also arranged for the final stage of output filtering. From its materials, it can be seen that the GF A3 Snow 1050W maintains a high standard in terms of circuit design and materials, with component suppliers from well-known domestic and international brands. The materials are generous and of high specifications, providing excellent electrical performance for the power supply.
In conclusion, the Tt ToughPower GF A3 Snow 1050W, as a kilowatt-class ATX 3.0 power supply, has been tested to have stable and accurate voltages across all rails. Compared to the ToughPower GF3 series, its compact size is more suitable for small cases with limited space, which poses a certain challenge to the internal circuitry of the power supply. However, through reasonable design, it can also maintain excellent passive heat dissipation performance while keeping a small size. This is thanks to its solid internal materials, such as a complete filtering circuit, protection circuit, resonant circuit, first-tier brand main electrolytic capacitors, synchronous rectifiers, etc., all of which are the foundation for ensuring the power supply can run stably for a long time. For users who want to purchase a high cost-performance, compact, kilowatt-class, ATX 3.0 power supply, the GF A3 Snow 1050W is believed to be a satisfactory choice.
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