Natural progression finally saw HEC move into the PSU market in 1997 where the company focused mainly on supplying devices to OEM customers rather than direct to consumers. One such example of this was our recent review of the MESH Matrix II PC System which contained a HEC 550w PSU. But times are changing, and with the release of the “Cougar” range which we will be looking at today, it would seem that HEC have their sights firmly set on entering the retail sector.
Although we’ll take a proper look at the rail distribution in a minute, HEC have decided to split the +12v rail power over a total of six rails. Interestingly they attribute this decision as being in the best interests of gamers, but the last time I checked most other manufacturers were switching to a single +12v rail design for the very same reason. 87% efficiency is also on the cards, but with no mention of what mains voltage or load level(s) this is achievable at, this figure doesn’t really mean too much. Additionally it would seem that the Cougar 1000CM has only been certified 80PLUS (Standard) rather than any of the newer Bronze/Silver/Gold ratings. This could possibly indicate that the efficiency of the unit drops as low as 80% at certain loads, or maybe that HEC just haven’t got round to getting the unit properly certified.
No matter which side of the box you look at HEC have printed something there for you to read. At one end of the box you will find yet another specifications list, only this time with several images to represent each of the main features, while at the other end of the box HEC have printed rail distribution charts for both the Cougar 1000CM and 1200CM models.
They say that first impressions count and HEC certainly seem to have taken this to heart with an extremely striking metallic orange paintjob contrasted with a black fan grill and screws. Although the paint job certainly isn’t up to automotive standards when it comes to glossiness and shine, viewing the PSU from different angles gives an almost colour-shift effect from dark orange, to light orange, to gold. Anybody building a PC based on an orange and black theme is going to absolutely love the look of this unit. The only down-side of course is that it’s not quite as robust as a powder-coat finish and will scratch/chip if mishandled.
A total of eight modular plugs protrude from the front of the unit, with four dedicated to graphics card power (Red) and the remaining four (black) for use with the SATA/Molex modular cables. Interestingly HEC have used 8-Pin PCI-E style connectors for all of the plugs which could potentially lead to cables being inserted into the wrong connectors. Of course, all plugs on the cables are colour coded, but as I can attest to myself, when inserting new cables into a PSU that is already installed in a chassis it can be hard to see exactly what goes where.
At the end of the day, it’s hard to recommend the Cougar 1000CM due to the ripple issues. If HEC can get this fixed or prove that this was simply a faulty batch then the outcome would certainly be different. The Cougar is one very smartly dressed PSU that would go down a treat inside any PC with an orange theme, but unfortunately looks count for very little when it comes to powering high-end PC systems.