Specifications:

     The Tagan ITZ900 sports pretty much all the common protections, as well as the most recent standards available in modern power supplies.  The Tagan also sports a total of six 12 volt rails, at 20 amps each.  Turbo mode allows the individual amperage limits to be removed, potentially allocating 70 amps anywhere you need it. 

Features:

Up to Quad Card Support. (NVIDIA SLI and ATI Cross-Fire Certified)
Patented 20+4 Cable Design.
Environmentally Friendly at Over 80% Efficiency.
TURBO Mode to combine all Six +12 Rails into one for ultimate stability. Perfect for Quad video and CPU setup.
Gold Plated connectors.
Thermal Control Cooling Fan.
REMI Technology for EMI Reduction.
Extra Ground Wire to Further Reduce Static Noise.
Advanced Pull-n-Push Heat Dissipation Architecture for Maximized Cooling and Noise Reduction.
Low ripple and noise.
100% Hi-Pot Tested.
Titanium coating mirror case.

ABS Gaming Labs Certification:

     Since Tagan thought it important enough to feature the ABS Gaming Labs seal, I figured it would be my duty to figure out exactly what that means.  Those of you unfamiliar with ABS would better know them as the former parent company of Newegg, and now is the subsidiary in charge of selling fully built systems.  Finding out what the ABS certification means is no easy task, however, as neither the Tagan nor the ABS website really go into any detail about it. 

     The only way I was able to find any info about this certification was to contact Tagan directly.  Here is exactly what they described.  To test the product, they use a high end system, in this case a QX6800 CPU with two 8800GTX's in SLI, and subject the PSU to the following tests:

     This test is run three times, while monitoring voltages, temperatures and noise levels, which is then followed up with a 30 minute session of OCCT to verify that the voltage readings are still stable.  If the power supply passes all testing within normal tolerances, then the power supply receives the ABS seal of approval.  

     While it is nice to know that some testing is being done, I was seriously hoping for a more rigorous test of the power supply for all of its rated capabilities.  However, nowhere in the testing is any conclusive testing done on important things like, power efficiency or maximum output.  Any Tom, Dick, or Harry can run software stress tests.  This means, that if you have a nice system, and can run the above tests, you can issue your own stamp of approval.  I am seriously mystified as to why Tagan holds this particular certification with such high regard, other than as a cross-brand marketing tactic.  Lets hope that the ABS testing improves to cover these important testing gaps.

Cable Layout:

     Rather than go through every cable individually, I will refer you to the above chart to show exactly which cables are present, and then move on to the more interesting aspects of the cabling.  The main points to look for above are the four PCI-e cables, which claim to use "REMI Technology" to reduce EMI emissions. 

     The first two of the four PCI-e connectors are the standard 6-pin variety.  The REMI appears to involve a special cable coating, as well as some special component that looks vaguely similar to some VGA power filters I have seen in the past.

     The other two PCI-e are of the 8-pin type, whereas the extra two pins can be removed as necessary.  These also utilize the REMI technology. 

     Finally, the other interesting feature is the included ground wire.  The connector is meant to be screwed into the motherboard, to provide extra grounding protection. 

Installation:

     Installing a power supply doesn't require any feats of heroism, it is probably one of the easier components to install.  Four screws in the supply, and plug the cables where you need them.

     Probably the only thing substantially different about installing the ITZ900 is the grounding cable  All it requires is to run a screw through it and into the motherboard standoff.  Whether or not you want to use ground wire will depend on if your motherboard tray is truly grounded or not.  In this case, I am using a fully acrylic motherboard tray which obviously won't ground.  Due to this uncommon setup, any stray voltages coming through the motherboard may cause the system not to boot, which I did experience in this situation.  Once I removed the ground wire, everything worked fine. 

     The other issue that may cause some problems is the stiffness of the PCI-e cables.  The REMI components of the cabling and eth coated mesh sleeving does not flex well at all, especially near the connectors.  With the size of today's graphics cards, this may definitely cause some space constraints. 

     Because of the lack of a modular system, combined with the sheer amount of cables, organization may also be an issue for the more obsessive-compulsive hobbyists out there.  Now onto the testing....

Testing and Performance:

To test the IZT, I will be subjecting the power supply to various loads using the following setup: 

Voltages:

     First off, we are going to measure voltage stability.  I am using SpeedFan's built in logging capability to capture the voltage readings in real-time, while applying various loads to the system.  SpeedFan is effective in catching potential variances, though actual measurements will be done with a DMM.  I am using Prime95 version 25.4 to load all four cores on the CPU simultaneously, using Large FFTs.  For the GPU, I used the 3DMark06 test "Deep Freeze", with 8xAA, 16xAF, at 1920x1200.  I randomly applied loads over the course of 30 minutes to see if I could get any significant variance.  For an added measure, I played the Crysis beta as well, with maxed out settings.  While this is not exactly the same as the ABS Certification process, it should be pretty close.

     The 12V had excellent regulation, only bouncing from 11.9V to 12.1V.  Considering the amount of stress on the system, the 12V in "Turbo Mode" held up very well. Actual DMM measurement shows a reading of 12.3V. 

     The 5V rail showed as being a little low according to SpeedFan, even though the DMM shows a solid 5.04V.  The range of the rail goes from 4.76V to 4.84V.  Still very solid. 

The 3.3V rail was also rock solid, varying only by a tiny amount, from 3.22V to 3.23V.  Now onto efficiency.

     Amazingly, even with a very top end PC, I can't even hit half the load the power supply is rated for.  While some PSU's take an efficiency hit when running less than 80% of max load, the Tagan ITZ900 holds out well, charting in only 5W less efficient than the Corsair 620HX.  Idle is also very efficient, and pretty much on par with the Corsair. 

Conclusion:

     I have mixed feelings about the Tagan ITZ900.  On one hand I can't complain about its performance, the way it has handled every load I have thrown at it has been exemplary.   Not once have the fans made any kind of audible noise, and it has always kept its cool.  The efficiency and regulation were dead-on perfect.  The 900 Watt rating and the versatility of the 5 +12V rails should handle most builds with ease.

     On the other hand, it's the small details that bother me.  The first is the ABS certification.  I would not have minded at all if the certification provided any kind of detail on the actual performance capabilities of the unit, or if it wasn't plastered all over the unit itself.  As is, the certification doesn't offer any benefit to most customers out there, the ABS labeling appears to be nothing more than a marketing gimmick.  This is a shame because a universal power supply certification could do a lot to ensure honesty from power supply manufacturers. 

     The Turbo mode is interesting feature.  While it will be of little use to most people, it may be effective for those with experiencing compatibility issues with multi-rail designs or working with very odd system layouts. 

     The cabling can be difficult to work with, not only are they not modular, the REMI cables are all very stiff and may cause clearance issues, especially with large high-end GPUs like the 8800GTX/Ultra and the 2900XTs.

     In the end the Tagan TG900-U33 ITZ power supply is an excellent performing unit that would be worthy of the ClubOC seal if it weren't for a couple nagging design issues.  

Pros:

• Excellent Performance

• Beautiful Finish

• Standard size fits well in most any case

Cons:

• Not Modular

• Stiff PCI-e Cables

• Questionable ABS Certification

Note: Club Overclocker is now using a new rating system based on a score of 1 to 5.
Please go to our rating system page for more information.

Performance:	4 out of 5
Innovation:	4 out of 5
Quality:	5 out of 5
Stability:	4 out of 5
Aesthetics:	3 out of 5
Software/Drivers Pack:	N/A
Overclocking:	N/A
Value:	3 out of 5
Project Skill Level (5 being most difficult)	2 out of 5