The Tests:

     To test the Hiper HPU-4M480 I used both the Soltek Hardware Monitor and Phoenix BIOS and validated with my trusty Radio Shack Multitester.

     Lets take a look at the rails for the 580 Watt rating.  Much like the 480, both the +3.3V and the +5V are nicely loaded up.  The Hiper 580 has two solid +12V rails and is clearly designed for high performance SLI systems.  The Hiper 580 also has a respectable 630 watt peak.  Doing some quick math will show the 580 Watt rating is a conservative rounding of the actual available power.

     I have had pretty good luck with the Soltek HW Monitor shown here under load.  Each rail is showing a strong reading with the system loaded with Burnin Test Pro 2.3 and some large file transfers going from drive to drive.  This power supply is clearly unimpressed with my little AMD gaming rig.

     With a little coaxing, I added two more runs to the PS and dropped in a SLI setup for comparison.  Here you see the same system now running on an ASUSA8N-SLI Deluxe with two BFG 6600 GT OC cards running at a slightly overclocked 230 MHz.  A little effort would clean this install up as well, but lets get right to the numbers.

Here is the BIOS for the Soltek.  The numbers are confirmed by the multitester and accurate to within .10 V.

     Here are the numbers using the ASUS BIOS. The lack of on card 12V connectors for the BFG cards may be the reason behind the big difference in the 12 V rail.  Still the 11.96 is an acceptable voltage to make the standard.  The ASUS board also uses an active CPU monitor that throttles the numbers on demand.

     With no real guideline on the rails to plugs the change in wattage for the SLI system may be marginalized by spreading the 12 V plugs out over another cable run. As you can see we still have one to spare.

Conclusion:

     The Hiper Type-R 580 Watt PS has so many things going for it, its hard to know where to start.  The innovative packaging makes a great first impression that is quickly validated by a great looking and solid performing unit.   I love a good modular power supply.  The Hiper 580 takes the concept to the next level!  The ability to install not just the cables you need, but also the connectors you need is awesome.  The solid feel of the connectors and the sturdy threaded plugs should be standard on any premium power supply.  Did I mention the MSRP is only $129.99?  Add in a three year warranty  and the 580 watt rating and this power supply moves to the top of my list.