The Montech Titan Gold 1200W PSU Review: A Capable Contender for the ATX 3.0 Club

Cold Test Results (~22°C Ambient)

For the testing of PSUs, we are using high precision electronic loads with a maximum power draw of 2700 Watts, a Rigol DS5042M 40 MHz oscilloscope, an Extech 380803 power analyzer, two high precision UNI-T UT-325 digital thermometers, an Extech HD600 SPL meter, a self-designed hotbox and various other bits and parts. For a thorough explanation of our testing methodology and more details on our equipment, please refer to our How We Test PSUs - 2014 Pipeline post.

Taking into consideration the 80Plus Gold certification of the Montech Titan Gold 1200W PSU, the energy conversion efficiency is exceptional. The unit almost reaches 80Plus Platinum standards when powered via an 115 VAC source but cannot meet the 89% limit under maximum load. Powering the Titan Gold from an 230 VAC outlet will increase its overall efficiency by 0.7% but it will still not meet the 80Plus Platinum certification requirements, as the requirements also depend on the input voltage. The average nominal load efficiency (20% to 100% of the unit's capacity) is 91.1% with the unit powered from a 230 VAC source, and drops down to 90.4% if the unit is powered by a 115 VAC source.

We performed our testing with the “Smart Zero Fan” mode of the unit disabled, forcing the fan to spin regardless of the load. The large heatsinks and good efficiency of the Titan Gold allow it to operate with its fan spinning at very low speeds while the load is relatively low. Still, for a 1200W PSU, this means that it will operate almost inaudibly with a load up to 500 Watts. After that point, the speed of the fan increases quickly, especially when the load is greater than 900 Watts, making the Montech Titan Gold a very loud PSU when heavily loaded.