Aerocool VX 700

For the most part, you want a PSU to deliver reliable power, operate quietly, and be unobtrusive inside your case. Aerocool’s VX-700 delivers on those points, thanks to the use of high-quality components and a 120mm thermally controlled fan. Under full load, Aerocool indicates the VX-700 will generate a mere 32.5dBA. The unit itself is almost entirely black, without even a label on the top of the unit to distract from the other components inside your case. As such, it’s ideal for builders who are looking for a nondescript power supply. Aerocool targets the VX-700 at entry-level system builders and prices it accordingly at $69.99, which makes it one of the most affordable 700-watt PSUs around. The VX-700 is designed with one +12V rail that supports a maximum current of 54A, which works out to a maximum wattage of 648W. The +3.3V rail can handle up to 22A, while the +5V rail can pump out 18A. The +3.3V and +5V rails support a combined maximum wattage of 130W. Aerocool designs the VX-700 to work with the C6/C7 power-saving mode of Intel’s Haswell processors, too. Similar to most every entry-level power supply, all of the VX-700’s cables are hardwired to the unit. The connector selection is what you’d expect to power a basic system build. There’s a 20+4-pin main power, one 4+4-pin EPS12V (to power the CPU), and two PCIe 6+2-pin connectors. With the latter, the two PCIe 6+2-pin connectors are wired into a single cable, but Aerocool smartly provides six inches of extension between the first and second PCIe 6+2-pin connectors, so the connectors could be split among two midrange cards that are spaced apart inside a case. Of course, you could also connect both PCIe 6+2-pin connectors to a single high-end card. To power the other devices and fans in your system, the VX-700 provides six SATA connectors, three Molex cables, and one floppy connector. We like that Aerocool provides two SATA and one Molex connector on each peripheral power cable, because the mix of SATA and Molex connectors helps to avoid routing another long cable when you just require one more SATA or Molex connector. The VX-700 includes electrical protections to ensure connected hardware won’t be affected by power fluctuations. Aerocool builds in over-power, over-voltage, under-voltage, and short-circuit protections. In terms of efficiency, Aerocool rates the PSU for a peak efficiency of 81% at 50% load. When under 100% load, the VX- 700’s efficiency is 79%. We tested the VX-700 in a system featuring Intel’s Core i7-6700K and ZOTAC’s GeForce GTX 780 AMP! Extreme Edition. To push the PSU under load, we simultaneously ran Prime 95’s Small FFT test along with the Unigine Heaven 4.0 benchmark at the highest settings and a resolution of 2,560 x 1,600. The VX-700 had no problems handling these tests, and it delivered a maximum wattage of 379W at a power factor of 0.980. At slightly above 50% load, the power factor is what we’d expect. We’ve spent a lot of time with Aerocool’s cases and fans, but this is our first experience with an Aerocool PSU. The VX-700 stays within Aerocool’s budgetfriendly wheelhouse, yet it is capable of supporting midrange builds, assuming you’re not using multiple high-end GPUs. The plain design also makes it a good choice for aesthetically-minded builders who want a PSU to blend in with a dark case. The VX-700 should be available in late September or early October.