Today we are examining the Fortron 530-watt power supply as provided by Monarch Computer. Fortron is simply another marketing name for Sparkle, a long-time manufacturer of quality power supply units. Sparkle is commonly rated directly against other high quality units from Antec, Enermax, and Raidmax.

Internal Design

For those interested in researching power supply engineering, we recommend reading our previous RaidMax LP-6100D review. Let’s crack open that steel encasing of the Fortron 530-watt power supply and take a look at the internals.

The Fortron 530 is packed with two massive aluminum heatsinks and features two 80-mm fans circulating air throughout the entire unit. The fans move a consistent flow of cool air and should suffice for most configurations. Even after several hours of rigorous testing, the air and power supply casing remained cool to the touch, even cooler than Antec's TruPower 550-watt offering.

For comparison, let us take a look at the internal engineering of the Antec TruPower 550w PSU.

The Antec’s heatsinks are not as large as the Fortron, but these heatsinks have more fins and provide more surface area than the Fortron. When opening the Antec power supply we were shocked to find the fans were not manufacturer by Antec, instead, the fans were made by a generic provider.

Specifications

The only significant extras the Antec power supply features is a sleeved ATX motherboard connector cable and gold plated connections. The Fortron power supply features a sleeved ATX connector cable, gold plated connectors, custom molex connectors, and a Serial ATA connector. As to power specifications, the 20-watt difference is substantial given the much lower amperage ratings of the Fortron.

System as Tested

The Find-a-Drug distributed computing client was used to stress the processor to measure any voltage fluctuations due to loading. The first picture indicates a zero load situation, while the second shows the voltage levels after one hour of 100% processor loading.

A minor fluctuation exists, though the difference is well within expected tolerances. Next up is the idle readings for the Fortron.

Now the idle readings for the Antec.

Both power supplies remain relatively consistent with the system at idle. Immediately following a multiple pass loop of 3DMark2001, the Fortron returned the following values.

The Antec held its ground with comparable numbers.

Final Thoughts

I was pleasantly surprised to try out a new power supply manufacturer as I never used anything other than Antec or Enermax. The only aspect that I did not like about the Fortron power supply was the lack of one more 4 pin molex connector. Without it, I couldn’t power up my Coolermaster Musketeer like I did with my Antec, which could be the reason why my Antec unit was under on the voltage after a load, but I highly doubt it.

The Fortron unit was right on the money. Also, take note of the cooling abilities of the Fortron unit compared to the Antec’s because both are very similar, as I have my watercooling to remove the heat from the CPU which does not affect the ambient temperature much. The price of this unit should be under $100 and should definitely be on your list for your next power supply because of the noted added features, like the Serial ATA connector, sleeved ATX motherboard cable, and custom style molex connectors. I would like to extend my gratitude to Monarch Computer for making this review possible.