Hiper Type-M 800W Power Supply Review

Conclusion

All in all I would have to say that the Hiper Type-M 880W is a good power supply that needs a bit of work in a few areas. If you are in the market for a higher-end power supply, this product warrants a look since it displayed good voltage regulation and efficiency at all of the loads I put it under. I also happen to like the layout of the Molex connectors even though I find that two single cables would have been much better than three. Even the overall design of the unit itself is unique and in my eyes it looks damn good if you install it into a black case. It just blends in with its surroundings which I find is a must for any power supply.

I mentioned that there were some areas which needed improvement and those areas conspire to bring this power supply’s rating down in my eyes. First of all is its slightly worrying performance in the +12 ripple tests where I saw spikes in the Type-M’s traces during the higher-load tests. To me these results show a platform which has been pushed to near its limit but once again, only further testing from other sources will be able to confirm this. Yet in the scope of this review, Hiper’s 880W did quite well. There is also the slightly minor issue of it having a longer housing but there should not really any worries of it getting in your way.

I also have to scratch my head at the packaging included with this power supply. I know this may seem like I am nitpicking but to see a box completely made out of recycled cardboard only to open it up and see Styrofoam is a bit disappointing. If you are going green, do it properly without packaging material that takes several hundred years to decompose. It should also be mentioned that while their warranty looks good at a full 3 years, searching high and low I could not find any mention of people’s experiences with Hiper’s customer support or RMA procedure. On the other hand, since Hiper has recently opened a North American office I would hope things go smooth on this front.

Mention also has to be made about the sad state of the cable lengths. While the ATX and CPU connectors are long enough to reach any area of literally any case, the PCI-E connector lengths are depressingly short for an 880W power supply. The inclusion of a mere four SATA connectors on an enthusiast power supply is also a faux pas in my books and I haven’t been entirely sold on the notion of “ExTender” cables either. They do come in handy but trying to route a daisy-chained Molex cable is a pain in the ass which you have to experience to believe.

Finally, there is the issue of price. As is usual for any product, the price of the Hiper Type-M 880W seems to vary wildly from one retailer to another and at $180 to $200CAD, Hiper is competing with better-known companies such as Antec and Silverstone in terms of price and performance. This in itself may prove to be the biggest hurdle Hiper has to face when trying to sell this power supply.

Overall, the Hiper Type-M is a power supply sporting performance that was good but not impressive and cable lengths that left me wanting. Knowing this, I have decided to give this power supply a rating of 3.5/5.

Pros:

- Good efficiency & voltage regulation
- Quiet
- Interesting design



Cons:

- Lackluster ripple suppression at higher loads
- Only 4 SATA connectors
- Short PCI-E connectors
- 3-Year Warranty
- Limited availability in Canada