Introduction, Specifications, Availability and Pricing
Introduction
Today we are taking a look at the Sparkle Computer Corp. SCC-750AF Gold Class PSU. This 750W power supply is the smaller brother to one we reviewed back in November. It is part of the same product line, but features only 750W instead of 850W.
The primary difference is that the SCC-750AF only has four 12V rails instead of the five offered by the 850W power supply. Since the SCC-850AF scored quite well in our previous tests, read on to find out if the SCC-750AF performs just as well.
Specifications, Availability and Pricing
The SCC-750AF power supply is capable of delivering up to 750W of power. This should be an ample amount of power for the majority of mainstream users. There are a total of four 12V rails that provide a total of 62A of power. The 3.3V and 5V rails are very strong themselves, capable of providing 24A and 30A of power respectively.
Almost all of the features that you can find in a power supply are present in the SCC-750AF. The only thing that is lacking is the over-temperature protection. It is rated for 100% continuous output at 50C and that comes with an 80Plus Gold rating for excellent efficiency. All of the cables are sleeved, both native and modular. The SCC-750AF also has a feature that allows the fan to continue operating for 5-10 seconds after turning off to help dissipate extra heat from the power supply.
Sparkle Computer Corp. lists the MSRP of the SCC-750AF as $149.99. At the time of writing this, the power supply could be had at numerous places with a $20 instant rebate, dropping the price down to $129.99. This makes the SCC-750AF very competitively priced with the competition. Sparkle Computer Corp. backs up the SCC-750AF with a 5-year warranty.
The Packaging
The front of the box keeps it simple and lets you know if the SCC-750AF might fit the criteria that you are looking for. It shows the wattage, 80 Plus logo and a glimpse of the power supply itself.
Things are kept simple on the back with a nice list of features and specifications. Nothing is overly dramatic or hyped up with tons of marketing.
Cables and connector availability is listed on one side of the box. Unfortunately it doesn't list cable length.
Warranty information and the PSU's serial number are listed on the other side of the box.
Inside the Box
Pulling everything out of the box, we can see how everything is packaged. The power supply itself is packaged very well, surrounded by dense foam on all sides and is even inside a bag to prevent scratches.
On one side of the power supply we find the Sparkle Computer logo.
The other side contains the I/O specification label. This also tells you the color code for the 12V rails. While you can trace 12V1 and 12V2 because they are hardwired, you can't trace 12V3 or 12V4 because they terminate inside the PSU.
The back grill of the power supply is as unrestricted as it can be with only the AC input and On/Off switch keeping it from being entirely open for airflow.
On the front of the SCC-750AF we can see the modular connections. There are also extra vent holes punched out here for additional venting.
Flipping things over to the bottom, we can see the 140mm fan used to pull in fresh air and cool the power supply.
Sparkle Computer claims this to be a 139mm fan, but as we can clearly see from the picture above, it is a 140mm Yate Loon D14BH-12 fan.
Sparkle Computer also includes a folder inside the box with various bits of information. Inside the folder are the user manual, warranty card, and 80 Plus Gold certificate. They also include a card redeemable for a free gift.
Cabling Arrangement & A Look Inside
Cabling Arrangement
The SCC-750AF comes with more cables and connectors than you can actually use at one time. On top of the four PCIE cable, there are three SATA peripheral cables and three Molex peripheral cables despite only having five peripheral connections on the front of the power supply. The 20+4 pin main and ATX 4+4 cables are fixed to the power supply.
Rail distribution for the SCC-750AF is quite simple, even with four rails. 12V1 feeds the motherboard, 12V2 feeds the ATX4+4 connector, 12V3 powers a pair of PCIE cables and the peripherals, and the 12V4 rail powers the remaining two PCIE cables.
A Look Inside
Opening up the SCC-750AF, we can see a pair of heatsinks helping cool the power supply. While it is far from the best cooling that we have seen, it could be worse.
The primary capacitors are a pair of CapXon aluminum electrolytic caps. CapXon capacitors are manufactured in China.
Taking a look at the secondary side, we see that the capacitors here are Taiwanese made Teapo caps.
Test Results & Final Thoughts
Test Results
Our load tests utilize a couple of FAST ATE active load testers and a variety of other equipment such as an oscilloscope, power conditioner, temperature probe and a power consumption meter. You can read more about our standard testing approach here.
The tests performed are based around six conceivable setups that are out there and progressively load down the PSU up to the power supply's limits or 1000W, whichever comes first. Since our test equipment's limits are greater than the SCC-750AF, we can test it to the maximum.
Sparkle Computer's SCC-750AF performs well within ATX specifications. Voltage regulation certainly isn't the most spectacular that we have seen, but nothing ever went out of spec. Ripple on the 12V rails was also good, showing a maximum of 49mV peak to peak under full load. The SCC-750AF proves that it is deserving of its 80Plus Gold rating as efficiency values are right where they should be for a Gold rated power supply.
Final Thoughts
Sparkle Computer's SCC-750AF power supply is a solid unit at the price of only $129.99. Voltage regulation could be better all the way around, but values are still within ATX specifications. The number of cables and connectors available are more than ample for those looking to fully load down the unit.
The SCC-750AF could also beef up the build quality a little with some higher quality capacitors. Even with that being said, it is still worth considering for purchase if you are looking for a 750W power supply and are on a budget.