Final thoughts
The Sparkle Gold Class series 1250W power supply is certainly a great contender for a high end rig. This unit has not one, not two, not four, but six 12V rails. That’s more than sufficient for even double graphics cards. It’s capable of handling three cards, two connectors each. It has 12 SATA connectors, because one can never have enough storage.
It may be strange to digest that this power supply is not SLI or Crossfire-certified. Now, by no means does this make the power supply not worthy of your money – we think it just might be worth every penny of yours. It definitely meets and exceeds all our expectations, and according to a rep that we got a hold of at Sparkle, they intentionally did not go through that certification as it’s their intention to pass the savings (from the certifications) down to the enthusiasts. Savvy enthusiasts are likely to recognize this and proceed as normal, but those outside the loop may avoid the Gold Class series because of this lack of certification.
Also on the down side is that it does not use a standard power cable connector. Most power supplies have an IEC C14 connector and require a C13 cable. This is the standard, at least in the US. However, because of the extra amps required, this unit uses a C20 connector and requires a corresponding C19 cable. In short, when taking a computer using this type of PSU and cable to a LAN party, don’t forget the cable, and it’s unlikely that others will have a suitable replacement and it’s unlikely that a local electronics store would have one in stock.
I would like to see a fully modular version of the Gold Series. Full modularity is necessary to take advantage of the ability to remove the unit for cleaning or replacement without having to unwire things. The unwiring job here is reduced, but still annoyingly present.
Pricing is unavailable yet, as the unit has yet to hit American stores. Given the price of other similarly high end devices, my guess is that it’ll be priced around $300 with an MSRP around $350-400. There are some improvements to be made in future revisions or line expansions, but overall this is a solid product. ThinkComputers gives the Sparkle Gold Class 1250W Modular Power Supply a 9 out of 10 score and our Editor’s Choice Award for being a new offering with great features.
- Pros
- Stable
- Standard size (not extended)
- High wattage
- Mostly modular
- Six 12V rails
- Cons
- Uses C19 power cable instead of standard C13—makes replacements difficult
- Not fully modular
- Not multiple graphics card certified, although it can handle them
- Likely difficult to find for a while
