Introduction

Six months ago I would have asked why would you want or need to know the power consumption of your machine, excluding of course some out of the ordinary example.  With NVidia's new GeForce's 6800 and its reported thirst for juice, monitoring power consumption all of a sudden isn't such a bad idea.  Thermaltake has released the TWV480 that now gives you an option to monitor and make adjustments for any possible power issues you may experience.  This TWV480 kit comes with a 480w PSU and a 5.25" bay insert that displays the wattage being used by the system in real time.  Out goes the guesswork at how much power your system is pulling with an easy to read LCD.  Today, we take the TWV480 for a spin to see exactly what this new device from Thermaltake is and does.

Specifications

• Rated Power: 480 Watts

• Weight: 2.7 kg

• Dimensions: 150 (L) x 140 (W) x 86mm (H)

• Cooling: Two 80mm fans, one 80x80x25mm variable rate (1300 ~ 4800 RPM) and one 80x80x15mm (2400 RPM)

• Noise 17 dBA at 1300 rpm

• Colors: Available in Black

• Over Voltage Protection recycle AC to reset
  +5V trip point < +6.8V
  +3.3V trip point < +4.5V
  +12V trip point <+15.6V

What you get

Like pretty much every other Thermaltake power supply, you are not given a box with only the PSU inside, rather a kit with some "extras".  Included with the black 480w PSU you get the TWV (Total Wattage View) Display Panel, a 80x80x25mm case fan rated at 1300 ~ 3000 RPM whose max air flow is just over 47 CFM, a 20 - 24 pin power connector adapter for BTX and server mainboards, power cord and installation hardware.

Power Supply Unit

The unit itself is covered in a thick but very tasteful coating of flat black paint.  This is interrupted by a large sticker on the right side with the TWV480 product ID and Thermaltake logo.  A small venting area measuring approximately 22x50mm is centered in the logo sticker.  The opposite side has a second sticker giving you the PSU specs and FCC info. 

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