Verdict:

Cool, quiet, efficient, compact and modular.

This PSU is the larger sibling of the awesome Quattro TPQ 850, the first really good-quality 850W PSU that costs significantly less than an Audi Quattro.

The Quattro TPQ 1000 is the same size as the Quattro TPQ 850, but is rated to deliver a hefty 1kW. Alongside the standard 3.3V, 5V, -12V and 5VSB rails are four 12V rails, each rated to deliver up to 18A. This is the same configuration as used in the Quattro TPQ 850, but in the latter, the maximum combined output of the 12V rails is 64A, while in the Quattro TPQ 1000, they can output 70A.

The compact 180mm-long case is cooled by a single 80mm exhaust fan that's essentially silent at 50 per cent load, and quiet at full load.

The 12V rails are configured so that 12V1 powers the CPU, 12V2 the drives, 12V3 the motherboard and two PCI-E cables, and 12V4 the remaining two PCI-E cables. The motherboard, CPU and two 6+2-pin PCI-E power cables are hard-wired into the PSU, while the other cables have their own colour-coded modular sockets.

The Quattro TPQ 1000 was more than capable of outputting a stable voltage from all its rails, and proved to be very efficient, averaging an amazing 86 per cent at full load. This means that it's one of the most energy-efficient PSUs on the market; it needed to draw just 1.16kW from the mains to produce its maximum output.

The Quattro is slightly noisier than Corsair and Enermax's 1KW models, and its cables aren't as numerous or as long. However, it is cheaper than its rivals and slightly more efficient, so certainly deserves your consideration and its award.

• Media PC components - 22nd August 2008
• PSUs - 14th July 2008
• Multi-GPU graphics - 20th June 2008
• CPU water cooling - 17th June 2008
• Hard disks - 20th March 2008
• Audio hardware - 29th February 2008
• Graphics cards - 24th January 2008

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