Let’s face it. Today’s average enthusiast grade machine brings with it a staggering demand for power. Between video cards capable of pulling 80 watts and more (double that when SLI becomes more commonly available), processors that top out at around the 100 watt range, an array of hard drives that rival the storage capacity of the U.S. National Archives, CD/DVD drive, fans, cold cathodes, water pumps, and USB toasters, it’s enough to give any power supply an ulcer. And as if power requirements weren’t the least of your worries. Do you really want some generic $20 model in plain view inside of that new $200+ windowed aluminum case of yours? Heck no! You want something that’s just as unordinary as its surrounding environment.

Power supplies have been going through some much needed overhauls the past few years in order to keep pace with the PC mod market. Gone are the days when the only difference in choice between various manufacturers was the amount of outputted power and warranty. These days you have your choice of color illuminating fans, plexi based covers, housing material (steel, aluminum, etc), colored cable sleeving, and now even modular cabling. The best part is that all of this comes in a off-the-shelf package, no need to order a custom-made unit.

One recent new-comer to this highly modified PSU market is Ultra with their X-Connect series of power supplies. To be honest, until reviews of X-Connect series started appearing on the web, I’d never heard of the company. Based in Fletcher, Ohio, Ultra appears to offer quite an array of different products, ranging from antistatic pads to USB hubs. One thing that intrigued me about this unit as compared to the Antec NeoPower 480 that Sky recently reviewed, is Ultra’s method of implementing the modular cabling. Rather than having power extensions that protrude from the housing like you to on the NeoPower, the outputs are sunk into the unit; the cable end simply snaps into place. So how will this newcomer stack up against some of the bigger names like Antec, Enermax, and Zalman? Read on as we investigate to see if this units’ beauty is more than skin deep.