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Computer hardware is becoming more and more power hungry these days. A high end gaming or enthusiast computer can eat up a ridiculous amount of power. With multiple core CPUs, multiple graphics cards, and multiple storage drives, the average power supply will just not do. You need a power supply that can really deliver the required voltage at these insane loads Tuniq has jus the power supply for the job. It is the Tuniq Miniplant 950 watt PSU. The great thing about this unit is, it has all the power you need in a standard package size. Many of the power supplies in this output range can be oversized. This can make it difficult to fit for some applications. Let’s take a closer look.
Specifications
As you can see from the specs below, this is not your average power supply.
- Power Output: 950 watts
- Certified 80+ Efficiency
- Observed dimensions: 159 x 150 x 85mm
- Bottom mounted 135mm cooling fan
- Two 8-pin and two 6-pin PCI-E connectors
- Active PFC
- All cables sleeved
- Over/Under Voltage Protection
- Over Current Protection
- Short Circuit Protection
- Over Load Protection
- Offered in 950w, 850w and 750w sizes
- Offered in Silver or Black color scheme
- NVidia SLI Certified
- AC input: 110~230 VAC, 50~60Hz
DC Terminal Current(A)
- 12V1: 20A
- 12V2: 20A
- 12V3: 20A
- 12V4: 20A
- 5V: 30A
- 3.3V: 24A
- 12V: 0.5A
- +5V USB: 3A
Maximum Combined Wattage:
- 12v Rails: 810W
- 3.3V and 5V Rails: 170W
- -12V Rail: 6W
- +5V USB Rail: 15W
This unit has 4 20 Amp +12 volt rails. This should provide plenty of power in even the most extreme cases. The Miniplant also has 80% efficiency and is SLI approved.
Packaging
The unit shows up in this really nice box. On the box you will find the specs of the unit. The other end of the box lists all of the connectors. With the amount of connectors on this PSU, you should not find yourself wanting. The box also has a handle built in.
 
A Closer Look
Upon opening the box, I found the power supply, a manual, some zip ties, two AC power cables (one US and one European), and a white box. In the white box are the cables. All of the cables are hard wired to the unit. There are also two 8 to 6 pin PCI-E power adapter cables. With the amount of cables found here, you will have a challenge to get them all dressed and hidden. If this were a modular power supply, this would not have been an issue. All of the cables do come wrapped in a black braided sleeve. This will help to clean up the install quite a bit. I have to tell you that the overall look of this unit is great. No bells and whistles just clean and mean. You are paying for pure hard core performance. Not that I am saying the unit is ugly by any means. The gun metal case with its massive 135 mm fan is very pleasing to the eye. It will be right at home in a modified case with a window.
 
Here is a good look at the unit itself. It is quite impressive.
 
A look Inside
Now it is time to void our warranty. Remember that if you decide to open up your power supply. The inside of the unit is very clean and seems to be well built. There is a monster filter capacitor of Japanese origin. The heat sinks are somewhat smaller than I expected from a unit with this much power. I can only assume that is due to the high efficiency of this unit. Not all of the power is wasted by turning it into heat. There is also an 11 bladed 135 mm fan that should move quite a bit of air inside the unit to cool all the components. I also noticed a bank of 6 potentiometers. It appears that these are used to dial in the four 12 volt rails, the 5 volt rail, and the 3.3 volt rail. You shouldn’t need these with the amount of power available in this power supply. But it is good to know that they are there if you needed to make an adjustment. Overall, this unit seems to be built very well.
 
Cables and Connections
There are plenty of connections for even the most elaborate of system and enough lead length for a full tower case. All of the leads are sleeved with a black mesh. This will aid in airflow as well as aesthetics. The connections are as follows:
- (1) 20" 20+4 pin ATX
- (1) 20" 4 pin ATX 12v
- (1) 20" 8 pin ATX EPS compliant 12v
- (1) 20" 8 pin PCI-E dedicated line
- (1) 20.5" 8 pin PCI-E dedicated line
- (2) 36" SATA rails with three SATA connections each
- (2) 37" Molex rails with three standard Molex + one FDD connector
- (2) 4" 8-pin to 6-pin PCI-E adapter cables
Testing
For testing I will be using a volt meter to verify voltages on the rails of the power supply.
Our test platform will be as follows:
- EVGA 680i SLI main board
- Intel E6400 @ 3.3 Ghz
- 2 GB of GSkill DDR2 6400
- PNY 8800 GTS
- D4 water pump and various fans
- Sunbeam UFO acrylic cube case
I loaded up 3D mark and left Folding at Home running. I also ran an instance of prime 95. I figured that this would max out the system.
The first thing I noticed was the noise level. Well the lack of it I should say. This unit was nearly silent. I also could not feel any amount of heat coming out of the back of the power supply.
Results
As shown in the chart above, the voltages are very stable.
Conclusion
The Tuniq Miniplant seems to be a solid offering. The fact that most units in this power range are oversized, the Miniplant has a step up since it is standard sized. The unit ran cool and quiet and never faltered in it’s output. The only thing I would have like to have seen is modular power leads. This unit comes in at 249.99 on Newegg at the time of this review. All in all it is a great power supply for someone that needs plenty of power but does not have the room for one of the larger units available.
Pros
- High power rating in a Standard ATX size
- 80 Plus rating
- 4 12Volt rails
- Ample cable length and connections
- Adjustments for the advanced user
- Cool and quiet with 135 MM fan
- All cables sleeved
Cons
All in all the Tuniq Miniplant is a must have for any computer enthusiest. I also want to thank Derek at Tuniq for the review sample.
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