External Examination:

While the aesthetics of a power supply might not matter to many people, Kingwin has focused quite a bit of attention on the looks of their Mach-1 series. You may have noticed the unique modular connections already, but there are plenty of other details intended to make the visual appeal of this unit a key feature.

The images below provide an overhead view of the 1000W Mach-1, looking down in to the opening for the translucent 150mm cooling fan. The housing is done up in a deep metallic finish, perhaps best described as titanium in color. The cooling fan has a a bluish tint to it in the images below, but when powered up a series of LEDs will kick up the blue effect quite nicely.



The next two images take a look at the exhaust side of the power supply. The bulk of this surface is covered in an open hexagonal mesh, intended to let as much air out as possible. Off to one side we find the only features... An "Active PFC" label, an AC power connection, and a black power switch.



In the next image we have a look at one of the sides, where we find the semi-typical data label. While the online specifications did not indicate combined power ratings, here we see that the 3.3V and 5V rails have a maximum combined power of 170W, the six 12V rails have a maximum combined power of 960W, and the 3.3V, 5V, and 12V rails all combine for a maximum of 970W. Just about all the power on this unit can be dedicated to 12V devices, and there should be plenty of juice for multi-GPU systems.



The next two images take us to the area of greatest visual appeal. The eight modular connections (shown with dust caps in place in the below left image) have an interesting thread coupling design which you won't find on many units. Later in the review we will see that the translucent blue rings around each connection light up when in use, adding another layer of uniqueness to the design. There are four 4-pin connections intended for use with PCI Express power leads, and four 5-pin connections intended for use with SATA drives and other devices requiring a 4-pin Molex-style connection.



While this threaded design may help keep cables securely fastened to the housing, I do have some concerns about the convenience and durability of the design. You need to make sure you have the right cable (4-pin or 5-pin) lined up to match the key on each before making the connection. This may be simple if you have the unit out in front of you in good light, but with the unit installed in a case, perhaps under your desk, the task of connecting an extra cable might not be as simple as with other modular designs. On top of that, I wonder about bending pins or damaging threads if you aren't quite as patient as you need to be.