Spire Rocketeer 500W PSU Review :: The Rocketeer PSU

Features

• Intel BTX 1.0a & STX 1.3/2.03 Specification Compliant
• Supports Intel Celeron/Pentium 4&5, AMD Athlon XP, 64, Sempron & Opteron
• EMI Shielded VGA/HDD Power Connector
• Modular Power Connectors
• Ultra-Silent at normal load
• 3 Speed Variable Fan Speed Auto-Control
• I/O Short Circuit & Overload Protection
• SATA Power Connector
• Hi-Efficiency- 75% at full load
• 2 SATA Power Connectors
• AT 20 pin to EPS 24-pin cable connector
• 3 Year Warranty
• Safety: Approved by CUL, FCC

One of the new standards in cases is the introduction of the BTX case. The positioning of the CPU cooler is totally different than on the normal ATX case. The Spire PSU is compliant with the BTX standard, specifically the 24-pin ATX power connector and the 8-pin power connector. Spire states the power supply supports all current CPUs. The Rocketeer has 3 speed variable fan speed control keeping the unit quiet under normal loads.

Fan

Power Connectors

Toggle button

There is a toggle button on the rear of the unit. This is to test whether the fans are working or not. The bottom fan is thermal-reactive, kicking the fan on when the temperature in the case rises above 45C. At no time during testing did the temperature reach that threshold. Spire offers a 3-year limited warranty on the PSU. Spire color-coded the PSU, with a dark silver color being the main unit and the connections being a blue color.

There is a Blue LED that shines when the unit is in operation, giving a beautiful glow when the system is on. People with a windowed case will appreciate the light.

Spire logo

Voltage specifications

The unit is fairly typical in size compared to other power supplies from companies like Enermax or Antec. The Thermaltake PSU we use in our test station measures approximately 1/2 inch shorter in length than the Spire one, but the dimensions of the power supply did not present any problems in installation on any of the cases I tried it on. The Rocketeer has a 120mm fan and grill on the top of the unit, effectively cooling the PSU. There is a sticker on the top of the unit giving the spread of maximum voltage and Amps put out by the power supply.

Modules

rear of PSU

Cables

More cables

Ties and Power cord

User's manual

The Rocketeer is a Modular PSU. What this means is there are 8 6-pin connections on the side of the power supply for the various power cables. Present in the Power Supply kit is a SATA power cable with 2 SATA connectors for power, 2 PCI Express X16 power connector for the video cards being released on this interface and SLI capability, a 8-pin power connector for the motherboard (detachable 4-pin to fit on 4-pin connectors), a 24 pin ATX power connection (another detachable 4-pin power connection), 1 Floppy drive power connectors, and 5 Molex power connectors. The only thing missing from this ensemble is another PCI Express power connector for SLI or Crossfire solutions. Spire includes a selection of cable ties and screws to mount the drive. The cable ties allow for a neat system, without cluttering up the inside of a case.

Discuss This Article