HDD supply to fall short 35 percent in Q4 2011

Sources at Taiwanese PC makers told DigiTimes that HDD production is estimated to fall short of demand by about 35 percent:

Global supply of hard disk drives (HDDs) in the fourth quarter of 2011 will decrease to 110-130 million units due to the impact of flooding in Thailand, about 35% short of demand for 180 million units, according to Taiwan-based makers in the PC supply chain.

Some PC makers are relatively optimistic that the global HDD shortage will ease in first-quarter 2012, while others estimate the easing to come in the second quarter, the sources indicated. However, they believe the HDD industry will take 9-24 months to completely restore normal production, meaning PC vendors will have to face increased HDD costs in 2012, the sources said.

HDD supply to fall short 35 percent in Q4 2011 - More news at DV Hardware

Fanless Power Supply PC Build Guide

A high efficiency fanless PSU is a great starting point for an ultra quiet yet powerful modern PC. In our latest system build guide, we explore case and configuration options, share our observations about how a fanless PSU changes PC airflow, and walk you through the fine details of a full fledged PC build with a fanless Seasonic X series PSU.

Read more at SilentPCReview.

Fanless Power Supply PC Build Guide - More news at DV Hardware

Jou Jye BW-B620JL 620W Power Supply Review

Introduction

One of the perks of doing reviews on computer parts and peripherals is that you not only get to work with some of the best names in the industry, but also often get to work with companies who haven't yet made a name for themselves in one way or another. Today we are dealing with the latter in that most of our readers aren't going to have heard of Jou Jye Computer before. This is mostly because the company is known more in the OEM world and is slowly starting to push into the consumer world.

The unit that we are taking a look at today is the BW-B620JL power supply. It is a 620W power supply rated for Bronze level efficiency. The unit has a great list of connectors and 100% Japanese capacitor construction, however that isn't what has us intrigued the most. The unit has the ability to be linked directly with other power supplies from the same line and thus increase the total wattage of your system by running dual power supplies with ease...or more. Let's take a look and see what the BW-B620JL has to offer and just how well it performs.

Specifications, Availability and Pricing

Taking a look at the paper specs of the BW-B620JL power supply, we find that there are dual 12V rails capable of 24A each, with a combined total output of 48A. Both of the minor rails are capable of the same 24A each, but they have a combined maximum output of 130W. Add in the -12V and 5VSB rails and you have a combined total output of 620W. This certainly is far from powering a quad GPU system, but when linked it could be very close to doing so.

As we can see from the feature summary, there are a few things lacking from the Jou Jye unit. The two big ones are the over temperature protection and lack of being rated for 100% continuous output at 50C. The unit also lacks modular cables, but that is often a personal preference more than anything. It does feature over voltage/power/current protection, cable sleeving and is 80Plus Bronze certified.

Those in the US are going to play hell trying to get their hands on the BW-B620JL at the moment. Jou Jye is currently working on bringing the unit to the US and as such, there isn't any pricing information available either. The unit can be found with some digging in the UK for about �80. This works out to be about $125 USD, so it certainly isn't cheap by any means. By comparison, the last 620W PSU we looked at was the Antec HCG-620 and it had an MSRP of $79.99. There was no mention of warranty from Jou Jye either.

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Corsair AX1200 1200W Power Supply Review

Introduction

Six years ago, loading a true enthusiast machine down with all the hardware you could muster meant that you were pulling no more than 600W-700W, and finding a power supply to handle that kind of load was nearly impossible. Since then we've seen a huge change in the hardware that enthusiasts utilize in their rigs. SLI brought about multi-GPU systems that required more power than ever.

We've seen a switch from using a single desktop processor overclocked to the max to dual processors with multiple cores� still overclocked to the max. Let's not even get into everything else that has evolved inside the computer. All of this is great, if you have the power to feed all of it. These days you'll need a minimum of 1000W to power a high end enthusiast machine - maybe even more.

While you have your selection of vendors for motherboards, memory, storage, and more, finding a power supply to fit the bill of such a machine produces few options. The last 12-18 months have brought some more selections, such as the Corsair Professional Series AX1200 that we are taking a look at today. The AX1200 is Corsair's flagship power supply. It is the biggest, meanest beast that they offer.

This PSU boasts an 80Plus Gold rating, has enough connections and power available to run two or three "normal" computers, and has a whole lot of other features to go with it. What matters most of course, is how the AX1200 performs. Nobody wants their rig shutting down in the middle of intensive use when it is needed most. Keep reading to find out all about the Corsair AX1200 and how it performs.

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What Does a Uninterruptible Power Supply Do

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An uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) serves as essential electrical backup to ensure that critical equipment stays running during power failures. When power is lost, the UPS automatically switches to its battery. Any electrical or electronic devices plugged into the UPS continue to work without a problem.

Voltage Monitor

Electronic circuits in the UPS continually monitor the power line's voltage. Normally, the alternating current (AC) power runs at 110 to 120 volts. If the voltage sags more than a few percent, for even a few thousandths of a second, the UPS switches over to battery power. The switching action is so fast that even sensitive equipment never registers a problem. When the AC line voltage returns to normal, the UPS switches the battery off, providing power straight from the outlet. The UPS uses the battery only when needed.

DC to AC Conversion

The electric power available at a standard outlet is alternating current, or AC. This electricity reverses direction at 60 cycles per second. Any appliance plugged into an outlet needs AC at the correct voltage. The UPS's battery produces direct current (DC) at a much lower voltage. An electronic circuit called an inverter converts the DC battery power to 120-volt AC that appliances can use.

Alarm

The UPS sounds an audible alarm when the power goes out, indicating that it's running on battery power. Depending on the size of the UPS and the devices running on it, the battery can last anywhere from 5 minutes to several hours. If you have a smaller UPS unit running a computer, for example, this gives you enough time to save your files and shut your computer down in an orderly fashion so you don't lose your work.

Surge Protection

In addition to battery backup, a UPS removes electrical surges from the power line from lightning and other causes. These spikes last millionths of a second but can damage sensitive electronic equipment such as computers. Your UPS may have separate sockets for surge protection. These sockets do not provide the advantage of battery backup, but will protect less-critical devices from power surges.

Battery Charger

During a power outage, the battery drains as the UPS uses its electricity. When the utility restores the power, the UPS automatically recharges the battery. If several outages take place within a short time, the UPS may exhaust the battery and shut down. But as long as power stays on for an extended period, the UPS will fully recharge the battery.