Introduction
Rasurbo are a name many people will not have heard of but are making huge strides in mainland Europe where they have a reputation for quality products at reasonable prices. In fact, their strategy claims to be unbeatable price/performance ratio in their brand statement. Their gaming cases have an appealing look (resembling the head of an alien) and they also have a range of silent cases and the usual "box-like" basic enclosures.
They also have a comprehensive range of Power Supplies that are well specified (unlike some we have come across that boast high wattages but do not even provide PCI-E connectors) and support key industry certifications. This is quite impressive for a brand that is yet to be established and we were keen to see how their products would fare in actual testing.
Rasurbo sent us their new Xange (pronounced exchange) enclosure and RAPM 550W PSU. The case is aimed at enthusiasts that want to customise the appearance of their PC but not in a permanent way and would like the option of changing their mind as the mood takes them. The PSU is not typical of the high end models we use in our test rigs so gives us a chance to see what can be achieved with entry level products. Both the case and PSU are competitively priced at £53 and £40 respectively, making the PSU less costly than similar models from Antec, Cooler Master and Zalman and placing the case in the same range as basic models from Antec and Xigmatec but cheaper than any Cooler Master model.
For the Xange Case:
| Technical data | | XANGE |
| model | | Midi Tower Case |
| case dimension | | T 485 | B 200 | H 470 mm |
| weight case with packaging | | 6,95 kg |
| slots 13,34 cm (5.25“) | | 2 extern |
| slots 8,89 cm (3.5“) | | 5 = 1 extern und 4 intern |
| extansions slots | | 7 |
| M/B | | Flex ATX, ATX, Micro ATX |
| Front I/O | | 1x USB 2.0, 1x USB 3.0, 1x eSATA, HD-audio |
| fan front (innen) | | 1× 120 mm (optional) |
| fan back (innen) | | 1× 120 mm (optional) |
| fan top | | 1× 120 mm (installed) |
| customs tariff number | | 8473 3080 000 |
| country of origin | | CN |
| EAN-Code XANGE | 4716 1233 1378 6 |
And for the Rasurbo RAM550 PSU:
| • Enclosure varnished in green & black • 550 | 650 watts version • Til 85% efficiency • Energy-saving certified by (80plus.org) • EuP/ErP ready (less than 1 watt power consumption in standby) • Fullrange (100 - 240 Voltage) • 20+4 Pin ATX combo connector • ATX 12 V version 2.3 • 5x S-ATA connector • PCI-E 2.0 (6+2Pin), RAPM550 x2 | RAPM650 x4 • silent 135 mm fan, ca. 16 dB(A) • automatically controlled fan speed • Active power factor correction (≤99%) • comprehensive protection package, e.g.: - - Overvoltage protection (OVP) - - Overpower protection (OPP) - - Short-circuit protection (SCP) - - Overcurrent protection (OCP) - - Undervoltage protection (UVP) • Retail packing (german/english) • CE-certified, 24 month of warranty • shrouded cables of approx. 95 cm length • incl. power cord / mounting screws | |
| Connectors | | RAPM550 | | RAPM650 | |
| Mainboard 20+4 Pin | | 1x | | 1x | |
| EPS 12 V 4+4 Pin | | 1x | | 1x | |
| +12 V 4 Pin | | - | | - | |
| PCIexpress 6 Pin | | - | | - | |
| PCIexpress 6+2 Pin | | 2x | | 4x | |
| S-ATA 6 Pin | 5x | 5x | |||
| HDD | | 3x | | 3x | |
| Floppy 4 Pin | | 1x | | 1x | |
| AC Input | < < < 100-240V | 50-60 Hz | RAP350-5A | RAP450-8A > > > | ||||||
| DC Output | | +3.3 V | +5 V | +12 V1 | +12 V2 | -12V | +5V sb |
| RAPM550 | 550 W | 24 A | 15 A | 28 A | 20 A | 0.3 A | 3.0 A |
| RAPM650 | 650 W | 24 A | 15 A | 30 A | 2 A | 0.3 A | 3.0 A |
Packaging is important for a retail product to attract the attention of browsing shoppers (if sales are to be mainly online then plain packaging often suffices.
The Xange comes in a shiny cardboard box that illustrates the concept of switching the coloured panels. 7 sets of these metal decorations are included in a thin package under the case (recessed into the bottom support). Small magnets in the case hold them in place. The box also implies that the round items at the top of the case near the front are also inserts but this is not true as the colours of these displays are controlled by a button beneath each one.
The back of the box focuses on this feature too and it seems to be a key selling point - we would have liked to see the specifications of the enclosure listed on the back as many people shop on features. This may not be the case for the intended target market of the Xange.
Side views show the case to be a fairly standard Midi Tower configuration except for the inclined front and back top of the case. The front slope is to accommodate the sensor displays and the back is to angle the fan mount. Materials used in the construction are relatively thin gauge steel, as opposed to the heavy duty steel we are used to in our high end Antec and Cooler Master enclosures. This is not really a problem if the target markets place more emphasis on looks and fun than on ultra durability. The key is that the case is easily strong enough for its purpose and definitely stronger than most oem cases we have experienced.
Looking at the insides we can see a plethora of front/top panel connectors. These include audio, USB and E-SATA cables as well as for the fan controllers at the top. Only the top fan is included as standard - those attaching a top and/or rear fan will need to attach these wires to monitor fan speed and temperature from the 3 top mounted displays. The 5.25" bays have tool less mounting systems using the orange levers which release and lock into place optical drives etc. and in practice this works quite well. The situation is similar for the 3.5" drive cage but is also turned sideways to leave more room for long graphics cards. A grill on the base allows for a PSU to draw cool air in from under the case and exhaust it out the back without utilising internal case air. This may not be such a good thing with a thick carpet and may require regular cleaning of the grill.
The back cover slides off to reveal the cable management system (to reduce visible clutter) and the cutout at the back of the motherboard which allows for easy installation and removal of a CPU back plate.
Top down, we can see the supplied 12cm fan and the 3 fan displays. The large X-shaped metallic covers go over the top and are held in place by magnets.
Front on, the Xange case looks very similar to the box shape of any oem model with two notable axceptions. Firstly, the circular air intake for the front fan is something we don't see enough of (which raises the question of why are intakes always square when fans are actually round). More importantly, sharp-eyed readers will have noticed two optical drive bezels. We didn't install any drives - they are there to cover optical drives and mantain colour consistency. We're surprised that no-one else does this and it works flawleesly as long as the buttons of the optical drive are in the standard location and the tray is not too thick.
Zooming in on the front panel connectors shows the usual power and reset buttons and HDD activity LED (both buttons recessed sufficiently to avoid accidental contact) as well as USB3.0, E-SATA and headphone/microphone sockets. A close look at the bezel covers gives an idea of how they interact with a drive behind them. A video showing the 3 fan and temperature displays is below:
The three displays look quite good in action and the colours can be individually selected (for example to distinguish between front, rear and top fans at a glance).
Differentiation has always been a key marketing ploy and anything that makes an emotional connection with consumers creates a more powerful buying proposition than simply having features that address real or percevied needs. We saw this a few years ago when snap-on covers for popular brands of mobile phones were selling in droves. There was no rational explanation and certainly no benefit to the phone capabilities - people simply liked having the ability to change the appearance of their phones to suit their moods. Rasurbo may be onto a winner here, particularly (as our research shows) with the young female market and other segments who value looks more than heavy duty construction. The above kit allows over 74000 different combinations and ensures individuality by making it almost impossible for 2 Xange cases to look the same.
The first thing that springs to mind is the certification. It's not easy to get 80plus compliance and ensures that Rasurbo are taken seriously in this arena. The boxed product is also re-assuringly heavy unlike some cheap power supplies we purchased recently (to see if £10-15 PSU would suffice) which weighed next to nothing and all failed within a day of testing.
Retail packaging lists all the relevant features.
The model we are testing is the 550W PSU as this is the ideal entry range (we wouldn't recommend less than 500W for any system and prices for PSUs climb alarmingly after 650W).
Usefully, the box lists every connector type and number in a clear table. The modular design is also a welcome addition in an entry level product.
Ignoring the power lead (each country will get the appropriate plug for their mains supply), it can be seen that just the key essentails are hard wired into the PSU and everything else is on a modular cable. We really like this kind of design as it reduces clutter inside a case and alows for future expansion (as long as the spare wires are kept in a safe place). The cables themselves are braided and well insulated with enough SATA and Molex power connectors to cater for any entry level build. The provision of 2x 6+2 pin PCI-E connectors instead of just 6-pin ones is an unexpected benefit on a 550W PSU as it allows the use of the very highest performing graphics cards (Radeon HD 6990 and Nvidia 590) - though we still recommend at least 750W for dual GPU setups.
The big fan sucks air in through the base and out of the back. This is particularly suited to the Xange case with its grill right under the PSU position.
The texture and feel of the PSU is one of green and black varnish. Quality of materials is good and sturdy with a weight of 1.7kg. The details of what can be expected from each rail are provided here to optimise the configuration of the modular cables.
Opening up the power supply we can see the internals. We're not expecting top quality Japanese capacitors but what we do find looks well built and sturdy. Rated safety functions include OCP, SCP, OVP, UVP, NLO and OPP.
The 135mm fan is made by Young Lin for longevity and silent bearings and is temperature controlled to optimise cooling and minimise noise.
Testing
We built a complete system using an Intel i7-2600K and initially a Radeon HD 6970 and later a Radeon HD 6990 to really stress things. The long card fitted in the case without any problems. Things got quite warm with the 6990 when only using the supplied fan. We recommend using a full complement of 3 fans (fans available at www.rasurbo.com and the usual other sources). The tall feet prevented any carpet residue from clogging the bottom PSU grill.
Noise levels were low although the PSU was clearly audible when at 100% load. Speaking of loads, the best efficiency we were able to obtain was 87% which is remarkably high. Even at low loads of 20% we were getting over 80% efficiency. Using both 6+2 pin PCI-E connectors we were able to use our Radeon HD6990 in overclocked mode (BIOS switch set to full speed 2x 6970 mode) without problems even though using 608W, above the theoretical limit, something of a testament to build quality. We did this to stress the PSU and would advise readers to estimate their system power consumption and then use a PSU rated for double that to ensure long life and stability of the power supply. 750W is really a minmum for an SLI/CF system but the Rasurbo RAPM550 can handle any single GPU system with ease (we can't say that for many entry level PSUs).
Voltages remained within the limits set by the ATX specification and in standby we measured less than 0.5W compared to the approximately 2W consumed by our main test rigs with their bigger Antec PSUs.
For a relative newcomer, Rasurbo have certainly made a big impression. The Xange case offer something new in a market saturated by cases that try to outdo each other on either accoustics or ventilation and use high quality steel to justify high prices. Rasurbo have taken a different approach and used more modest thickness material for their panels and instead focused on external customisation (targetting a very different market than typical case modders) in a way that will appeal to those looking to change the look of their PC on a regular basis without resorting to DIY and power tools. The no tool approach to fixing 5.25" and 3.5" drives is a welcome addition and turning the HDD cage on its side leaves plenty of room for foot long graphics cards.
The Rasurbo PSU has all the features and quality of a much bigger unit in a compact package and worked fine after an hour of running it at over 600W. Contrast this with some cheap PSUs we purchased last month to see what could be obtained for the £10-15 mark. Rated at 550W and 600W, the former lasted for less than 30 minutes at 200W before failing and latter began to reboot spontaneously after little more than an hour at 50% load. When it comes to PSUs you really do have to pay for quality so its refreshing to see a PSU that performs well in our testing yet is cheaper than all major brands for the 550W category.
Using the Xange enclosure with the RAPM550 PSU for a childs computer (girls in particular seem to like the Xange) will result in a great looking PC body for under £100 (case + PSU) that is infinitely customisable (on the outside at least) and should give many years of happy use. Rasurbo are one to keep an eye on and we look forward to seeing what else they have in the pipeline.
If Rasurbo products are hard to locate, reseller information (along with manuals and high resolution photos of their products) can be found at www.rasurbo.com
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