Conclusion:
Ultra Products hit the nail on the head with the X-Finity 500W PSU with Active PFC. It not only addressed the bulk of issues I had with previous X-Finity units provided for review, but the new look is very much to my liking. The monotone black appearance may be boring to some, but it looks mean to me. To make a car analogy, it's more like an old school hot rod, while some of the other X-Finity models are the flashy import tuners.
Sure the appearance changed, but that would have been a wasted effort if the performance suffered. Ultra Products addressed that area too, by increasing the fan size, using an aluminum housing for better cooling, and finally including Active PFC in one of their units. The specifications are otherwise about the same as the other X-Finity units out there, and testing showed that the two types tested are able to perform quite well on a power hungry system with a rather aggressive overclock.
The changes to this model of X-Finity are all welcome enhancements, but there is one area that I would still like Ultra Products to address... Efficiency. At 500W, the unit is about 73% efficient, and it peaks out at 78% efficient around 300W (see chart). Other manufacturers offer power supplies with better efficiencies, and every little bit is welcome when it translates into a lower electric bill!
A search of PriceGrabber shows that the Ultra Products X-Finity 500W PSU with Active PFC is available from a number of retailers (although not many of the big names I usually look for) for about $90 and up. This is a competitive price for a power supply of this caliber, and definitely worth looking into if you have had your eye on Ultra Products, but wished they offered a PSU with slightly more "sophisticated" looks.
Given the mean appearance, respectable performance, near silent operation, and the long overdue arrival of Active PFC, I award the X-Finity 500W PSU with Active PFC the awards of being "Highly Recommended" and "Whisper Quiet".
 
Pros:
» Mean, all black design (think Vader)
» Respectable, stable performance
» 135mm fan is just about silent
» FlexForce cables look good and are easy to work with
» Good number of connectors
» Finally, Active PFC
» Competitively priced
» SLI ready
» Limited lifetime warranty
Cons:
» Efficiency is still rather low compared to other brands
Special thanks to Ultra Products for providing the Ultra Products X-Finity 500W PSU with Active PFC to Bigbruin.com for review!
Please drop by the Bigbruin.com Forum and feel free to post any comments or questions.
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