Computex 2018: KitGuru visits Cooler Master’s PSU design studio

Over the course of Computex, we reported on a number of new Cooler Master launches, including the new Extreme XG750 power supply. The Computex booth was actually our second time seeing this PSU, as a few days before, we were invited to visit Cooler Master's design studio in New Taipei City.

Cooler Master established a design studio in New Taipei City back in August 2017. The studio currently has 22 employees. and is run by a chap that formerly worked at Delta. At present, Cooler Master uses OEMs for its PSUs, like many other companies. However, as you may know, a company such as Seasonic acts as both a PSU brand and an OEM for others.

There is a big difference between a company that badges or adapts an existing design against one that delivers a design to a company for them to manufacture. Cooler Master has a plan to move along that scale and we get the impression they may end up manufacturing their own PSUs, and in time, may also act as an OEM for others- joining the likes of Seasonic, Super Flower and a few others. At its heart, Cooler Master is already an OEM in one other crucial area, with the company often supplying cooling technology for all manner of companies, including game console makers, and even Tesla.

The TEP (Thermal Enhanced Platform) has a limit of 750W so Cooler Master's emphasis is on mainstream PSU capacities like 650W and 550W. We are told that while the Extreme XG750 currently focuses on an 80 Plus Gold rating, Platinum and Bronze rated units are in the pipeline. We also got the distinct impression that a fanless power supply is also on the way.

On the side of the XG750 there is a dual layer RGB display that can show a number of modes including a bar chart where each bar represents 10 percent of maximum load on the PSU. So for example, 5 bars shown would be 50 percent load, 10 bars shown would be 100 percent load.

The heatsinks inside the open XG750 are development parts and will be changed before production. However the convoluted series of plates that look like a maze are deliberately intended to extend the length of the airflow path and manage the thermals. The Cooler Master folks in the photos are refining their designs, working on protypes and testing the results with the equipment shown.

The XG750 we have seen will be manufactured by an OEM such as Seasonic but in time we may see a power supply that is ‘Built by Cooler Master.'

KitGuru Says: Cooler Master is moving in an interesting direction with its PSU arm. We'll be continuing to keep an eye out.

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