Introduction

This time around we have another power supply from Mushkin ready to go through our load tests. Last month we took a look at the Mushkin Enhanced Joule 800W power supply. Now we have the Joule 700W on the bench for testing. Being that the unit is from the same series and manufacturer, you would expect almost identical builds and results.

Right off the delivery truck we could tell a big difference in design between the 700W and 800W models. It was quite apparent that the Joule 700W didn't have nearly as extensive cooling on the inside. We also noticed that while the 800W model holds an 80Plus Silver rating, the smaller 700W model only manages to hold an 80Plus Bronze rating.

There are quite a bit of differences going on between the two units, so let's get into some specifications and see if we can start picking apart why the Joule 700W differs so much from its big brother.

Specifications, Availability and Pricing

The I/O specifications of the Joule 700W show little difference between it and the Joule 800W. It still has 26A minor rails with a combined total output of 150W and the -12V and 5VSB rails remain unchanged as well. The only difference in output is that the dual 12V rails are slightly weaker, pushing only 26A each with a combined maximum output of 51A.

Features between the two Joule power supplies are almost identical. There is almost a full complement of protections with the Joule 700W, with Over Temperature Protection being the only one that is lacking. The power supply is still 80Plus certified, but drops down to a Bronze rating for efficiency. All of the cables are fully sleeved and the 700W Joule gains modular cabling to give it a slight edge over the 800W Joule power supply. Unfortunately the unit still lacks the 100% output at 50C rating.

Once again, we find that Mushkin's Joule 700W isn't available at the usual e-tailers most are familiar with, so we have to turn to Google to find some places that carry the Joule power supplies. Just as was the case with the Joule 800W, RamExperts has the Joule 700W for the cheapest price of $88.89 with free shipping. Once again, we find the short two year warranty backing the Mushkin Joule 700W power supply.