The Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 1200W offers high performance and compatibility with ATX v3.0 and PCIe 5.0. The fact that it is noisy at high loads didn’t prevent it from earning a place in our best PSUs list. Its main competitor is the Cooler Master MWE Gold 1250 V2, which is not ATX v3.0 ready and lacks a 12VHPWR connector.
Thermaltake recently introduced its GF3 line, starting from 750W and going all the way up to 1,650W. The lower capacity models, up to 1,200W, are made by Channel Well Technology, while the 1,350W and 1,650W units are by High Power. This review will look at the strongest CWT-made GF3 unit, which comes with a 600W 12VHPWR connector, supporting Nvidia’s flagship, the RTX 4090. There is no need for an ATX v3.0 or PCIe 5.0 ready for the graphics mentioned above card. You just need a strong PSU, ideally 1,000W or more powerful.But, if you want to avoid adapters and be future-proof, a PSU like the GF3 1200 is the way to go.
The Toughpower GF3 1200W has a native 12VHPWR connector, and it is ATX v3.0 compatible, meaning that it can deliver double its power, 2,400W, for 0.1ms periods without shutting down or having any other operating issues. This is to cope with any power spikes from the GPU or any other system component. Thermaltake also equipped it with a fluid dynamic bearing fan and other top-quality parts, which should allow it to outlive the extended, ten-year warranty.
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Specifications
| Manufacturer (OEM) | CWT |
| Max. DC Output | 1200W |
| Efficiency | 80 Plus Gold, Cybenetics Gold (87-89%) |
| Noise | Cybenetics Standard (40-45 dB[A]) |
| Modular | ✓ (fully) |
| Intel C6/C7 Power State Support | ✓ |
| Operating Temperature (Continuous Full Load) | 0 – 40°C |
| Over Voltage Protection | ✓ |
| Under Voltage Protection | ✓ |
| Over Power Protection | ✓ |
| Over Current (+12V) Protection | ✓ |
| Over Temperature Protection | ✓ |
| Short Circuit Protection | ✓ |
| Surge Protection | ✓ |
| Inrush Current Protection | ✓ |
| Fan Failure Protection | ✗ |
| No Load Operation | ✓ |
| Cooling | 135mm Fluid Dynamic Bearing Fan (HA13525H12SF-Z) |
| Semi-Passive Operation | ✓(selectable) |
| Dimensions (W x H x D) | 150 x 85 x 160mm |
| Weight | 1.81 kg (3.99 lb) |
| Form Factor | ATX12V v3.0, EPS 2.92 |
| Alternative Low Power Mode (ALPM) compatible | ✓ |
| Warranty | 10 Years |
Power Specifications
| Rail | Row 0 – Cell 1 | 3.3V | 5V | 12V | 5VSB | -12V |
| Max. Power | Amps | 22 | 22 | 100 | 3 | 0.3 |
| Row 2 – Cell 0 | Watts | Row 2 – Cell 2 | 120 | 1200 | 15 | 3.6 |
| Total Max. Power (W) | Row 3 – Cell 1 | Row 3 – Cell 2 | 1200 | Row 3 – Cell 4 | Row 3 – Cell 5 | Row 3 – Cell 6 |
Cables & Connectors
| Description | Cable Count | Connector Count (Total) | Gauge | In Cable Capacitors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATX connector 20+4 pin (600mm) | 1 | 1 | 16AWG | No |
| 8 pin EPS12V (700mm) | 1 | 1 | 16AWG | No |
| 4+4 pin EPS12V (700mm) | 1 | 1 | 16AWG | No |
| 6+2 pin PCIe (500mm+150mm) | 2 | 4 | 16-18AWG | No |
| 12+4 pin PCIe (600mm) (600W) | 1 | 1 | 16-24AWG | No |
| SATA (500mm+150mm+150mm+150mm) | 3 | 12 | 18AWG | No |
| 4-pin Molex (500mm+150mm+150mm+150mm) | 1 | 4 | 18AWG | No |
| FDD Adapter (100mm) | 1 | 1 | 22AWG | No |
The cables are long, and the distance between the peripheral connectors is adequate. It would be nice to have three EPS cables and connectors, but the modular PCB doesn’t have space for extra sockets. The amount of legacy PCIe connectors is low, but from the moment you have a 12VHPWR (600W) connector, you will be fine. Lastly, there are no in-cable caps, and all cables use thick, 16AWG gauges for lower voltage drops at high loads.
Component Analysis
We strongly encourage you to have a look at our PSUs 101 article, which provides valuable information about PSUs and their operation, allowing you to better understand the components we’re about to discuss.
| General Data | – |
| Manufacturer (OEM) | CWT |
| Platform | CSZ |
| PCB Type | Double Sided |
| Primary Side | – |
| Transient Filter | 4x Y caps, 2x X caps, 2x CM chokes, 1x MOV |
| Inrush Protection | 1x NTC Thermistor SCK-207R0 (7 Ohm) & Relay |
| Bridge Rectifier(s) | 2x Vishay LVB2560 (600V, 25A @ 105°C) |
| APFC MOSFETs | 3x Infineon IPA60R099P6 (600V, 24A @ 100°C, Rds(on): 0.099Ohm) |
| APFC Boost Diode | 1x On Semiconductor FFSP1665A (650V, 16A @ 135°C) |
| Bulk Cap(s) |
1x Rubycon (420V, 680uF, 2,000h @ 105°C, MXE) & 1x Nippon Chemi-Con (420V, 470uF, 2,000h @ 105°C, KMZ) |
| Main Switchers | 2x Infineon IPA60R099P6 (600V, 24A @ 100°C, Rds(on): 0.099Ohm) |
| APFC Controller | Champion CM6500UNX & CM03X |
| Resonant Controller | Champion CU6901VAC |
| Topology |
Primary side: APFC, Half-Bridge & LLC converter Secondary side: Synchronous Rectification & DC-DC converters |
| Secondary Side | – |
| +12V MOSFETs | 8x Infineon BSC010N04LS (40V, 178A @ 100°C, Rds(on): 1mOhm) |
| 5V & 3.3V | DC-DC Converters: 2x UBIQ QN3107M6N (30V, 70A @ 100°C, Rds(on): 2.6mOhm) & 2x UBIQ QM3054M6 (30V, 61A @ 100°C, Rds(on): 4.8mOhm) PWM Controller(s): uPI-Semi uP3861P |
| Filtering Capacitors |
Electrolytic: 3x Nippon Chemi-Con (105°C, W), 1x Nichicon (2-5,000h @ 105°C, HD), 2x Nichicon (4-10,000h @ 105°C, HE), 1x Rubycon (6-10,000h @ 105°C, ZLH), 1x Nippon Chemi-Con (4-10,000h @ 105°C, KY), 1x Nippon Chemi-Con (4-10,000h @ 105°C, KYA) |
| Supervisor IC | Weltrend WT7502R |
| Fan Controller | Microchip PIC16F1503 |
| Fan Model | Hong Hua HA13525H12SF-Z (135mm, 12V, 0.5A, Fluid Dynamic Bearing Fan) |
| 5VSB Circuit | – |
| Rectifier | 1x D10S45L SBR (45V, 10A) |
| Standby PWM Controller | On-Bright OB2365T |
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The GF3 1,200W uses CWT’s CSZ platform. The design is modern enough, with analog controllers handling all circuits to keep costs low. CWT used high quality, including Vishay bridge rectifiers, Infineon FETs and Japanese caps. The cooling fan is also of good quality. Lastly, in such a strong PSU, we expected to see a full-bridge design instead of the half-bridge that CWT used. The former would increase efficiency but also affect the production cost.
The transient/EMI filter has all necessary parts, including an MOV. There is also an NTC thermistor and bypass relay combo for suppressing high inrush currents.
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The pair of bridge rectifiers can handle up to 50A of current.
The APFC converter uses three Infineon FETs and a single boost diode. The APFC controller is a Champion CM6500UNX, supported by a CM03X IC.
The main FETs are two Infineon IPA60R099P6 installed in a half-bridge topology. An LLC resonant converter is also used, to provide an efficiency boost.
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All eight Infineon FETs that regulate the 12V rail are installed on a vertical board, right next to the main transformer. This way, energy losses are minimized. The minor rails are generated through a pair of VRMs.
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The filtering caps are by Japanese capacitors and besides electrolytic ones, we also find a large number of polymer caps.
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The standby PWM controller is an On-Bright OB2365T IC.
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The modular board has several polymer caps forming an additional ripple filtering layer.
The main supervisor IC is a Weltrend WT7502R. It is installed on the same board with a Microchip PIC16F1503, which is the fan’s speed controller.
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Soldering quality is good.
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The cooling fan measures 135 mm in diameter and uses a fluid dynamic bearing, for lower noise output and prolonged lifetime. Hong Hua has a good name, so we expect this fan to be reliable in the long run.
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