Thermaltake Toughpower GF A3 Hydrangea Blue 1050W PSU Review

Conclusion and Verdict

I used to think that 750W or 850W power supplies is more than enough to power most gaming PCs. That’s true to a certain extent if your PC compenents matches the game’s minimum or recommended specifications. But we all know that most users will get a higher spec processor and/or a better performing graphics card. And with that … your power consumption will increase. For example, a GeForce RTX 4070 Super will draw a maximum of around 220W of power, while a high-end RTX 4080 Super can draw up to 320W of power. And remember, this is just for the graphics card alone!

So, to be on the safe side, I would say the bare minimum is now 850W for a power supply. I would however, recommend a 1000W+ power supply, which will give you some leverage for future upgrades.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/i1wtlYpzvYQ

Apart from the unique Hydrangea Blue colour,  what makes the Thermaltake Toughpower GF A3 1050W PSU so special, is that uses high quality Japanese capacitors and offers superb durability, longevity and power efficiency. It also features a powerful +12V single rail @ 87.5A, giving you a total power output of up to 1050W. What’s more, it’s certified 80 Plus Gold and fully compatible with Intel’s ATX 3.1 specifications.

During our tests, we put the PSU through its paces and the results were very promising. At full load, the +12V line was extremely stable at +12.024V with only a slight drop from +12.072V (idle). For the +5V line, again it was rock solid and remained at a constant +5.03V. As for the +3.3V line, it did drop ever so slightly from +3.32V to +3.316V.

For cooling, it comes with a 120mm fan with fluid bearing that delivers excellent airflow, and features with the Zero RPM mode. This allows silent operation, and the fan will stop spinning when the system is idle or under low to medium load. Nice!

I love the unique Hydrangea Blue colour of the PSU casing, it perfectly matches the Thermaltake CTE E660 MX Hydrangea Blue Mid-Tower Chassis. There is of course, the usual standard black colour or snow edition of the power supply available from most retailers.

When it comes to cables, you get a full set of white flat modular cables, and includes a 16-pin 12VHPWR cable (which is rated up to 600W) for next-gen graphics card, such as the GeForce RTX 40-series.

All-in-all, I’m more than happy with the overall stability and performance of the Thermaltake Toughpower GF A3 Hydrangea Blue 1050W power supply. It should be able to handle most, if not all high-end PC components you throw at it.

You can buy the Thermaltake Toughpower GF A3 1050W Power Supply (black version) for around USD $139 from Amazon – https://amzn.to/3Nf6KYM

Final Thoughts:

The Thermaltake Toughpower GF A3 1050W PSU is a solid power supply that should satisfy the needs of most users. It’s certified 80 Plus Gold and fully compatible with Intel’s ATX 3.1 specifications.