Product: Vantec 420w Stealth Aluminum Power Supply
Application: Power Supply
Provided by: Vantec
Reviewed by: Scott
Review date: 16 August, 2002

     I've always said that the most neglected part of a computer system is the power supply. We upgrade time and time again, but seldom stop to think about our power supply. Most people figure that "as long as my machine turns on, my power supply is good to go!". The problem is this assumption couldn't be further from the truth. Just take a look at what happened when the AMD Athlon or even the Intel P4 was released. Although there were a few power supplies that "worked", most of them were not specifically designed to work with these new high tech processors and their respective motherboards correctly. To my dismay, it took the power supply manufacturers nearly two years to catch up with today's technology. Let's take a look at the AMD Athlon as an example. When the Athlon was first released, very few people knew that you MUST have a power supply that can supply appropriate power on the +5V, +3.3V, +12V, and +5vsb power rails. Yes, it is true that some generic power supplies that did not supply adequate power to these power rails would work, but only to a certain extent. However, these inadequate power supplies caused many system problems such as uncommanded shutdowns, lock-ups, blue screens of death, video problems and inability to overclock or even run stable at the stock clock speed what so ever. It is unfortunate that we sometimes have to upgrade other computer components when we upgrade processors, motherboards and video cards, but it's the price we must pay to stay on top of the technology race. The fact is, that old power supply you used with your old Intel or AMD system will not work with today's top of the line processors such as the Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon XP.

     It has been a very slow process, but the power supply manufacturers are catching up with the CPU race. It has taken them what seems like an eternity, but they are catching up. The funny thing is, due to the fact that the power supply companies took so long to upgrade their technology, other companies that you wouldn't have expected to see make power supplies have stepped up to fill in the gaps. One such company is a trusted manufacturer of cooling products, Vantec. I can only think of two, maybe three companies who currently make high quality power supplies worthy of putting in a high end computer system. Now it looks like we can add Vantec's name to that very short list. Vantec has just introduced their Stealth Power Supply that makes a giant leap in what we have come to expect from a power supply! Check out this list of key features:

     ► 3 Speed Thermal Fan Control Switch
     ► 3 Temperature Controlled Dual Ball Bearing Fans
     ► Universal Connector Fits Most of Branded Mainboards
     ► Additional AC Output  For Peripheral
     ► Lightweight Black Aluminum Casing
     ► Electric-Shock-Free Protection
     ► Over Voltage Protection
     ► Over Current Protection
     ► Short Circuit Protection
     ► ATX 12 V
     ► Low noise level

Three Temperature Controlled Dual Ball Bearing Fans
     While most of the Power Supply manufacturers are still making single and dual fans power supply; Vantec is presenting triple fans Stealth Power Supply. Three double ball bearing fans for extended fan life. In addition, three fans are with temperature sensor in order to change the speed while the temperature increases. Three fans install at Front, Bottom, and Rear to create the ventilation for better cooling.

Thermal Fan Speed Control Switch (Auto, Low, Medium)
     While power supply generates the power, it also generates the heat. Therefore, cooling feature is also another issue that you need to concern when you choose your power supply. Unlike other adjustable power supply, which only can adjust one fan’s speed, Vantec Stealth Power Supply fan control switch adjust all three fans to the same tempo at the same time. With this feature, even though you slow down your fan speed, the cooling ratio will remain the same. Three-speed control switch allows you to adjust the fan speed manually to minimize the power consumption and maximize the cooling.

Lightweight Black Aluminum Casing
     Aluminum is having good conductive and thermal properties; it is used to form many hard, light, and corrosion-resistant alloys. Unlike other heavy metal casing power supply, Vantec uses Aluminum casing to give you a lightweight power supply. Unique black coating differentiates with other power supplies.

Universal Connector
     For User-Friendly concerns, Vantec Stealth Power Supply design with a 24-pin universal connector to meet the branded motherboards’ various combinations of DC input-pin layout. This is a server and PC ready power supply. To use Vantec Stealth Power Supply on a 20-pin motherboard, just simply connect the 24 to 20 pin convertible connector and connect the 20-pin connector to your motherboard.

Additional AC Output for Peripherals
     Most of the peripherals are directly acquiring the AC power from power outlet or power extension cord. Therefore, peripherals will remain on if you just turn the PC off. With the additional AC outlet, you can plug your peripherals direct to your PC’s power supply. When the PC is off, all the peripherals are off as well. This feature will help to extend other peripherals’ life cycle and also reduce peripheral’s overheat possibilities.

     For more detailed information on the Stealth VAN-420A, download the PDF file here.