2 - Specifications, Technology & Bundle

Alright let the review commence. The PSU tested today comes from the new ES series of BFG PSU's. There definitely are very distinct differences. New components, high quality, style & design are the things that come to mind. A highly efficient (we estimate 85% efficiency) product with nice long sleeved cables offering and ensuring stable power distribution on any of today's high-end PC. That's what the new ES series is all about.

Fact is that BFG feels so confident this is a fantastic product that they even will give you a lifetime (yes lifetime) warranty. Of course here in Europe we get bitch-slapped in the face and that warranty will be ten years thanks to EU legislation. So in a nutshell this is what the PSU is about. And BFG will offer this 800 watt version in retail at roughly $230 USD, which doe seem a tad pricy.

• ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91
• Quad +12V Rails
• Silent 138mm Intake Fan
• Efficiency: > 80% Typical
• MTBF: > 100,000 Hours at 25°C, 20,000 Hours at 40°C
• 800W Continuous Rated at 40°C
• PCI Express Ready
• Safety Approval: UL, CB, TUV, CE and FCC
• Dimensions: 15cm x 8.6cm x 16.5cm (5.9" W x 3.4" H x 6.5" D)

While that a is lot of money for a PSU, bare in mind it is a SLI/Crossfire ready piece of gear and certainly can chew up anything you can throw at it, an investment that'll last a long time as with this PSU your hardware can keep up with you for a while. The looks and build quality gives us that sturdy feeling you can expect from a quality product.

Not only does the BFG 800 Watt ES PSU have a huge amount of power across all rails, but does so with drop-dead gorgeous noise levels. We can safely say it has pretty fine aesthetics as well, the chassis is constructed of a mesh design which is anodized reflective black. We'll show you this later on in our photo-shoot. In that same photo-shoot you'll notice the petite size of the unit. The model tested today is a 800Watt PSU with standard ATX/PS2 form factor. Pretty sexy, the power distribution really is - Yoda said.

• +3.3V = 30A
• +5V = 30A
• +3.3V + 5V Max. Combined Wattage = 170W
• +12V1 = 22A
• +12V2 = 22A
• +12V3 = 36A
• +12V4 = 36A
• +12V Max. Combined Wattage = 780W
• -12V = 0.5A
• +5VSB = 3.0A
• -12V + 5VSB Max. Combined Wattage = 20W

Notice the huge Ampage on all lines. Good stuff, though it's peak ampage especially 12V3 & 12V3 stand out with 36 AMPs per rail. Therefore accumulated we can see that the PSU definitely can handle more than 800 Watts. BFG used the 800 Watt specification as a continuous rating, as opposed to peak wattage.

As stated already in the introduction, the product comes with four PCI Express connectors for multiple graphics card support; with two of them compatible with the newer 8-pin socket which can deliver 150 Watt per connection to your graphics card. Also you'll spot six serial ATA connectors allowing you to connect up to six serial ATA devices without needing special adapters, next to that 6x Molex and 2x floppy and obviously a 4 & 8-pin connector for the mainboard / CPU.

• 1 x 24-Pin (20+4-Pin) Motherboard Connector
• 1 x 4-Pin CPU 12V Power Connector
• 1 x 8-Pin CPU 12V Power Connector
• 2 x 6-Pin PCI Express Connectors
• 2 x 8-Pin (6+2-Pin) PCI Express Connectors
• 6 x 4-Pin Molex Connectors
• 2 x Floppy Power Connectors
• 6 x SATA Connectors

So that's pretty much all the connectivity you'll need. You'll notice that the cables are long and sleeved. Except the mainboard cable, which is the shortest cables at roughly 50cm in length with the Molex and SATA cable even longer reaching 60-70cm.

In the box you'll find bundled:

• 1 x 800 Watt Power Supply Unit
• 1 x US Power Cable
• 1 x User's Guide
• 4 x Mounting Screws

In short, basically this is looking to be like an A-grade (Guru class) 800 Watts PSU, completely ready for SLI/Crossfire GFX solutions and multi-core (server) systems. The PSU itself is build in accordance with ATX12V Version 2.2 and EPS12V Version 2.91, including 8-pin 12V connection specification ( newer PCIe 2.0 power design).

Let's have a peek at the photo gallery before we dive into some load-testing.