Hiper Type R II 680W PSU

Comparative Efficiency

Compared to other PSUs the efficiency starts very high, but drops far more than everything else, bar the Thermaltake QFan 650W. While the 700W Cooler Master Silent Pro has a lower efficiency at 50 percent load, it's more consistent over the rest of its load performance. In the tables - while the Hiper performs excellently at 50 percent load - even better than the Antec Signature 850W by small margin, increasing the load drops it to just above bottom at 75-100 percent load, which is far more disappointing.

Value

The black HPU-5K680 is available in many places and is good value at a nose under £75. For a 680W PSU is good value. However the HPU-5B680 is a lot harder to find and the best price we could match was a whopping £92. Nearly £20 different for a bit of blue, some LEDs and a metallic fan? No thanks.

For example - the Corsair TX650W is £70, as is the PC Power and Cooling 610W - both of which are also non-modular too. The BFG LS-series is £74 (but not in stock right now) and a 625W Enermax Pro 82+ is still quite expensive at £84. Our previous favoured part, the Cooler Master Silent Pro 700W is also £84 - is it £10 better value than the Hiper?

We would argue it is very slightly quieter, especially over the 50 percent load mark, the new rubber surround is far better and it's semi modular too - and modular units do tend to cost more.

Final Thoughts

We love the fact Hiper has tried to do something different - an actually useful box, a different cable routing style, a unique look, a USB hub with some ports and a different airflow dynamic: all of which deserve credit, even if we don't agree with every decision made.

This would probably suit many systems our readers build: something like an overclocked dual or even quad core, single graphics card and a couple of hard drives, then this PSU should fit perfectly - you'll easily be hitting 50 percent load matching its peak efficiency and very quiet running. We have seen "more" in terms of other 600-700W models - in full load efficiency and with more PCI-Express cables (and modular options), but the Hiper Type R II 680W is still a pretty damn solid buy.

You've got to love the bling to buy it though and that will undoubtedly turn some of you off. It's a shame Hiper insists on the LEDs in the black model too, because a choice or even just the option to turn them off would have been nice! In our opinion, forget the blue one - it's way to expensive for essentially just a paint job - and grab the black one instead if you're tempted by it.

Hiper Type R II 680W PSU: HPU-5B680 (Blue)

• Efficiency/Voltages
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• -
• 7/10

• Noise/Heat
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• 8/10

• Features
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• 8/10

• Value
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• -
• -
• -
• 5/10

• Overall
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• -
• -
• 6/10

Hiper Type R II 680W PSU: HPU-5K680 (Black)

• Efficiency/Voltages
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• -
• 7/10

• Features
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• 9/10

• Noise/Heat
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• 8/10

• Value
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• 8/10

• Overall
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• 8/10

Score Guide