Ultra X-Connext Power Supplies unstable?

bayareaw · 07-15-2005, 12:49 PM

Had major computer problems too deep to go into here that I believe were caused caused by Ultra X-Connect Power Supply. Custom built custom computer with Nvidia 6800GT PCIE card and other modern components.

Problem was finally narrowed down to the beautiful but, in my opinion, deadly, Ultra X-Connect Power Supply. The problems even caused drive corruption. The connections are somewhat loose. In general this turned out to be a very unstable power supply which caused untold problems.

The way I finally narrowed it down was the fact that I built an identical system with same components for my daughter. The only variable...... the power supply! She does NOT have the Ultra Xconnect. I did. All other parts are identical, down to the ram.

Upon replacing the Ultra with a new one the problems persisted again a 2nd time in spite of fresh installs.

When I swithched to a different brand power supply, Mad Dog Sure Power 600W, all problems immediately were resolved. A major difference.

Ultra refuses to give me a refund. $100 is not a lot of money to lose, but it was the principle of the thing. I told them to tell the president of the company because of their refusal and stuborn attitude in this case, I was going to go online and share my true life experiences about this supposedly awesome power supply. From what I hear they sell thousands of these per month. I will be interested to see if there is a legal action in the future.

From my experiences, this power supply is to be avoided at all cost. I am not saying this out of anger or revenge. I could care less. I simply believe it is inferior and I want to warn others so they may be able to avoid the computer hell we just went through.

As a disclaimer, I will say that it is possible that there is nothing at all wrong with Ultra's product and that this is user error. But I highly doubt it. These are only my personal opinions and experiences.

The one positive thing I can say....it is a damn awesome looking power supply. (But from what I hear they have problems with the pretty lights burning out. Sheesh!)

Worren · 07-15-2005, 03:59 PM

I've heard things about these power supplies too. However, since the customer is always right and one of mine specified the Ultra Xconnect 500 watt I installed it. I made sure the plugins were tight and everything was tied down and hidden. It's been running 24/7 since early February without a hiccup. And it's quiet too.

dai · 07-15-2005, 09:55 PM

there were posts a couple of months back that appeared to be a crook batch,ultra replaced with working ones

Worren · 07-16-2005, 05:52 AM

Day later update. A customer specified an X-Connect 500 watter. Love the way the pluggable rails enable me to hide most of the cabling under and behind things plus the UV reflectability looks sharp. But when we plugged it in it ran a few seconds then quit. I thought of this thread as I rewired it 4 times and tried everything to get it going. Then I found it. When my tech put the cpu cooler on he mounted it incorrectly and it wasn't making full contact with the cpu. 30 seconds of work plus a fresh coat of Arctic silver and all is well. The meter shows that the voltages are right on the money.

bayareaw · 07-16-2005, 10:34 AM

Also my experience is the plug-ins are waaay too loose. They need to "snap" in place. Such that they can not be so easily pulled out or even fall out. I believe that may have been at the root of some of my problems. To unplug a hard drive in mid-stream, for example, can cause problems.

There are others which have removable plugs which are solid, such as the one I bought made by Mad Dog.

Incidentally - why does Ultra make the main power cable removable? Everyone needs it. Ha! That seems dumb. No one else makes that cable a removable one that I see. It increases the chance of error in my opinion.

Here is Mad Dog's link:
Mad Dog Power Supply

07-15-2005, 12:49 PM	#1 (permalink)
bayareaw Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 4 OS: XP	Ultra X-Connext Power Supplies unstable? Had major computer problems too deep to go into here that I believe were caused caused by Ultra X-Connect Power Supply. Custom built custom computer with Nvidia 6800GT PCIE card and other modern components. Problem was finally narrowed down to the beautiful but, in my opinion, deadly, Ultra X-Connect Power Supply. The problems even caused drive corruption. The connections are somewhat loose. In general this turned out to be a very unstable power supply which caused untold problems. The way I finally narrowed it down was the fact that I built an identical system with same components for my daughter. The only variable...... the power supply! She does NOT have the Ultra Xconnect. I did. All other parts are identical, down to the ram. Upon replacing the Ultra with a new one the problems persisted again a 2nd time in spite of fresh installs. When I swithched to a different brand power supply, Mad Dog Sure Power 600W, all problems immediately were resolved. A major difference. Ultra refuses to give me a refund. $100 is not a lot of money to lose, but it was the principle of the thing. I told them to tell the president of the company because of their refusal and stuborn attitude in this case, I was going to go online and share my true life experiences about this supposedly awesome power supply. From what I hear they sell thousands of these per month. I will be interested to see if there is a legal action in the future. From my experiences, this power supply is to be avoided at all cost. I am not saying this out of anger or revenge. I could care less. I simply believe it is inferior and I want to warn others so they may be able to avoid the computer hell we just went through. As a disclaimer, I will say that it is possible that there is nothing at all wrong with Ultra's product and that this is user error. But I highly doubt it. These are only my personal opinions and experiences. The one positive thing I can say....it is a damn awesome looking power supply. (But from what I hear they have problems with the pretty lights burning out. Sheesh!)

07-15-2005, 09:55 PM	#3 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 56,746 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	there were posts a couple of months back that appeared to be a crook batch,ultra replaced with working ones __________________

07-16-2005, 10:34 AM	#5 (permalink)
bayareaw Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 4 OS: XP	Regardless Also my experience is the plug-ins are waaay too loose. They need to "snap" in place. Such that they can not be so easily pulled out or even fall out. I believe that may have been at the root of some of my problems. To unplug a hard drive in mid-stream, for example, can cause problems. There are others which have removable plugs which are solid, such as the one I bought made by Mad Dog. Incidentally - why does Ultra make the main power cable removable? Everyone needs it. Ha! That seems dumb. No one else makes that cable a removable one that I see. It increases the chance of error in my opinion. Here is Mad Dog's link: Mad Dog Power Supply

07-15-2005, 03:59 PM	#2 (permalink)
Worren Pop-a-Top Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Georgia Posts: 222 OS: Vista Ultimate 64 Bit Sp1 My System	I've heard things about these power supplies too. However, since the customer is always right and one of mine specified the Ultra Xconnect 500 watt I installed it. I made sure the plugins were tight and everything was tied down and hidden. It's been running 24/7 since early February without a hiccup. And it's quiet too.

07-16-2005, 05:52 AM	#4 (permalink)
Worren Pop-a-Top Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Georgia Posts: 222 OS: Vista Ultimate 64 Bit Sp1 My System	Day later update. A customer specified an X-Connect 500 watter. Love the way the pluggable rails enable me to hide most of the cabling under and behind things plus the UV reflectability looks sharp. But when we plugged it in it ran a few seconds then quit. I thought of this thread as I rewired it 4 times and tried everything to get it going. Then I found it. When my tech put the cpu cooler on he mounted it incorrectly and it wasn't making full contact with the cpu. 30 seconds of work plus a fresh coat of Arctic silver and all is well. The meter shows that the voltages are right on the money.