Gigabyte Odin GT 800W power supply unit

Configuring the Odin is quick and simple, and our only disappointment was the button that allows you to disable the four blue LEDs inside the PSU as this setting isn't retained when you shut down your PC. And yes, it is interesting in a dweebish sort of way to see the results as the four temperature probes monitor the innards of your PC. If you want to know exactly how much stress you’re putting on each of the four 12V rails then the Odin will tell you, but the peak Watt figure is more of an annoyance than anything else. The first time you put your PC under load and see that you have plenty of Watts in hand you’ll feel a sense of relief but after that you’ll likely curse that you believed the power requirement figure on your graphics card box.

In the event that you overload your power supply, our experience suggests that you don’t have to wait for a software app to sound an alarm. Instead, the clues are the loud bang from the power supply, the acrid smell as the magic smoke is released and then the darkness as the lights go out. Here’s a Register Hardware rule of thumb: if you have a gaming PC with a single high-end graphics card then a 550W power supply is more than adequate, while a 680W PSU will handle any CrossFire or SLI set-up on the market. The Odin's 800W is way more than anyone needs. That’s not to say that the Odin GT Power Tuner feature is useless, as the configuration feature that allows the cooling fan to spin faster as the power draw exceeds a pre-set level may prove of interest.

It’s a handy safety net that allows the Odin to be effectively silent in daily use but when the going gets tough the cooling can increase to compensate. Gigabyte could replace most of the bells and whistles of the Power Tuner software with the simple advice: "If you can hear the Odin fan you’re about to have a problem."

Verdict

Gigabyte's entry to the power supply market is very promising and we have no doubt that the support for four PCI Express connections will appeal to the overclocking fraternity. Perhaps the animated software and flashing blue LEDs will also generate some excitement, but we thought those aspects were a touch gimmicky.