ThermalTake's Toughpower 700W
Tough enough?

With a $150 street price, ThermalTake's 700W Toughpower is one of the more expensive models in this comparo. $150 buys you a lot, though, including 672W of combined 12V power spread over three independent rails. Active power factor correction is also included, as is SLI certification. You even get a five-year warranty.

80 Plus certification isn't a part of the package, however. ThermalTake does say the Toughpower is up to 85% efficient—a claim we'll test in a moment. First, let's have a look at the unit, which is decked out in a glossy black finish.

The Toughpower uses an integrated fan grill that's a little chunkier than what we've seen with other models. I'd worry more about it restricting airflow were it not hiding a 140mm fan.

That big fan should ensure plenty of airflow through the PSU, and there's loads of venting at the rear of the unit for exhaust. Modular cables should also keep cable clutter from impeding airflow within an enclosure.

ThermalTake nicely sheathes the full length of modular cables included with the Toughpower. One of those leads features an 8-pin PCIe power connector, as well.

DC voltages are very tight on the Toughpower. At worst, they deviate by just 0.85% from target values, and most lines are much closer than that.

The ripple picture isn't quite as favorable. Here we see AC content averaging over 20 millivolts—more than the other PSUs in this round-up. Even so, the Toughpower is rated for between 50 and 120 millivolts of ripple, depending on the line. We're well within tolerances.

There's a 2% drop in efficiency from a 50 to 100% load with the Toughpower. At full capacity, the PSU drops just below the 80% efficiency mark.