Hanmi Micronics/Micronics

     BTW from now on I would translate some namuwiki page for computer parts only. I do not deal with KPop articles unless if they're related to PC parts. Some grammars are fixed, and I used google translate + PAPAGO. Namu wiki's work is available under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 KR . (However, except for some documents and illustrations for which the license is specified)

https://namu.wiki/w/마이크로닉스

• Founded: 1996 as Hanmi Information & Communication, 27 February 1997 (incorporated), 23 June 2005 (current corporation)
• Status: still alive. Korea and Europe only
• Website: http://www.micronics.co.kr/
• CEO: Kang Hyun-min (강현민)

1. OVERVIEW

Micronics is a brand of Hanmi Micronics, which specializes in developing, designing and manufacturing gaming devices. It is releasing a variety of gaming-related products (power supplies, gaming gear, PC cases, SSDs, peripherals, etc.) and importer of several products (graphic cards, SSDs, and RAM) of PNY Technology, an American IT brand.

Micronics is recording a high domestic market share by introducing gaming products through the technology development research center and design center, and is also targeting overseas export markets with products made with Korean technology. The service center in charge of after-sales service is located at Room 1012 on the 1st floor of Daeju Piore, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, 9, Cheongpa-ro 20-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, and is open from 9 am to 6 pm on weekdays.

The current brand and trademark of Micronics are bought from the now-defunct American motherboard manufacturer Micronics Computers Inc. (Diamond Multimedia's Micronics). Of course, trademark rights in Korea are owned by Hanmi Micronics. This company expanded internationally as WIZMAX. Competitors from ROK that deals internationally are: ZALMAN, and ABKONCORE

Diamond Multimedia is established in 1986, the company was famous for its high-end, high-end motherboards that boasted excellent stability at the time. For a while, they released motherboards under the Diamond Micronics name, and due to bad sales, the Micronics brand was discontinued in US. One interesting fact is that the founder of Diamond Multimedia is Chong-moon Lee (이종문) from Korea, and he's the younger brother of Chong Kun Dang Pharmaceuticals Chairman, Chong-Kun Lee.

2. PRODUCTS

2.1. PSU

Micronics' power supplies are well-received in terms of cost-effectiveness. Therefore, if you do not want high-end PSU for chasing the budget, it is often recommended alongside with FSP in mid-to-low price estimates for PC building. Except for some models, they are mostly made by Sirfa (High Power) OEMs.

Substantial competitors are companies that make entry-level power such as Powerex (RIP 2020), SkyDigital PowerStation, and Zalman, the Micronics are more frequently recommended than other companies mentioned. Compared to competitors with a PSU controversy, there were relatively few fatal issues from Micronics, and only very few Micronics PSU were mentioned as what had to be avoided due to crappiness. On top of that, the high reliability of image making is also playing a part because the AS is quite good. It is also mentioned in the 2004 article by NAVER.

Of course, there was a little controversy. During the 2014 Parkoz entry-level PSU controversy, Micronics was caught violating KCC certification, and there was an opinion that the performance was poor compared to the products like Zalman EBT, and Sirfa/High Power Astro Gold. Also connector burn.

In addition, there was controversy over the golden sample sent to reviewer, but Micronics apologized, explaining that they had limited use of capacitors used in 650W models due to a lack of materials at the time. Meanwhile, Powerex, which was a big problem during the incident, openly put the results of the golden sample test into the product description image and used them to promote the product, and Micronics, which did not do much marketing with the results of the golden sample, was quietly forgotten and ignored. On the other hand, one problem that has not been solved is a case in which re-certification has not been received since the change in the component design of the previously certified product is mentioned. In Zalman's case, it received a new certification after cutting costs in the capacitors, but Micronics did not re-certify. It also showed a similar pattern in the comparison between GLX and Classic II.

2.1.1. MICRONICS CLASSIC II

2.1.1.1 MICRONICS CLASSIC II 80 PLUS WHITE

• Classic II 500W +12V Single Rail 85+
• Classic II 600W +12V Single Rail 85+
• Classic II 700W +12V Single Rail 85+
• Classic II 800W +12V Single Rail 85+ - (actually 80Plus Bronze certified)
• White Special Editions:
• Classic II 600W 80PLUS 230V EU White color
• Classic II 700W 80PLUS 230V EU White color

It is the most popular product in the Micronics Power Supply family and is manufactured by Sirfa/High Power. It is a good product of Micronics, which has firmly maintained its No. 1 popular product with Danawa for many years. It is popular because it uses verified parts at reasonable prices and various safety devices are applied. It has been certified as 80Plus Standard from the 2016 Classic II product and is designed to allow the power fan to operate for a certain period of time even after the PC is terminated to release heat inside the power supply (dubbed aftercooling)

On August 7, 2017, the free warranty period for the Classic II series was extended from three years to six years, doubling from the previous three years. Subject to the application are products marked with a six-year free mark on the purchase or product box after July 1, 2017. (although there's no point of warranty outside of Korea) 

At the end of August 2018, the redesigned 2018 Classic II was released. The change point from the existing model has changed its chassis design, and the name Full Change is included. In addition, Surge 4K protection circuits were added. Fans have also changed from glove fans to fans like that of ABKO Mighty.

Since its release, connector burn incidents have occurred, and one or two connector number incidents occur every year. The new 800W product below also had the SATA connector burn incident.

On July 9, 2019, the Classic II 800W product with the Micronics own platform Hybrid-E, was released. This Classic II 800W is equipped with GPU-VR and Dc to Dc functions, showing 90.2% efficiency in a load environment of less than 20% to 30% of power drop (data on DB 0.062v), and is equipped with technologies that are not present in the existing Classic II such as fanless mode and after cooling.

On August 11, 2019, it was revealed through the IT community that Classic II 800W products were certified for bronze ratings at 80PLUS. Although it belongs to the existing standard lineup, it is a great product in terms of cost-effectiveness with bronze-grade efficiency.

In April 2021, Classic II, which had been slightly changing its appearance, changed to a completely new appearance and was released with the name Full Change again. On the other hand, although it is not a big problem, it used wires compared to existing products, and critics say that protection circuits are actually a cost-cutting version of existing products because parts of the same type but poor precision are used.

Meanwhile, most of the improvements made after the 2018 version are actually cost savings, and the overall price of Micronics power has risen, forming an indescribable price difference compared to similar levels of products.

2.1.1.2 MICRONICS CLASSIC II 80 PLUS BRONZE

• Classic II 500W Bronze
• Classic II 600W Bronze
• Classic II 700W Bronze (actually 80plus Silver)
• Classic II 800W Bronze (actually 80plus Silver)
• Pink Special Editions:
• Classic II 600W 80PLUS Bronze HDB PINK
• Classic II 700W 80PLUS Bronze HDB PINK (actually 80 Plus silver)

It is a self-developed model released in August 2019, and it was OEM-produced by SUICHUAN CE LINK ELECTRONICS (CE LINK), not High Power/Sirfa.

Micronics' self-developed Hybrid-E platform is used, and there are changes such as fanless mode and 2nd generation GPU-VR compared to the existing standard model. It uses two TEAPO 390uF / 420V - 105℃ high-end capacitors (capacitors) and has a self-developed green IC to lower standby power.

It is a product lineup that hides power in many ways, and although it is labeled as bronze, the 750W and 850W products are confirmed to have received 80Plus silver grade certification, and the stability of the 12V output is enough to beat the upper lineup.

Based on 850w, the 12v voltage fluctuation range is smaller than the gold lineup products produced by High Power . If you say that the gold product is not good enough, it is not. 850w Gold is a product that has received a platinum grade certification but renamed as gold, and shows stability that is comparable to gold rated PSU in the same price range.

The 12V voltage fluctuation range measured in the Quasar Zone review is ±0.01V (PCIE auxiliary power), ±0.02V (CPU auxiliary power), which shows stable and harsh performance than most platinum and titanium grade powers.

2.1.1.3 MICRONICS CLASSIC II 80 PLUS GOLD

This is a high-end lineup launched in October 2020. Manufactured by Sirfa/High Power.

Although the product name is gold, the 850w and 1050w models are actually rated 80plus platinum. The release date overlapped with the RTX 30 and Ryzen 4th generation , so the demand for higher-grade PSU was high, and it was considerably cheaper with a listed price of 170,000 won compared to the gold-class 1000W power, which had to be paid at least 200,000 won at the time. In particular, when the product went through a special price, it showed a terrible cost-effectiveness, and the Seasonic shutdown due to RTX tripping OCP at that time went viral, and as of December, this PSU ran out of stock by users who started looking for alternatives.

However, currently, other companies have aggressively launched inexpensive 1000-watt gold-class products, and as existing products have lowered their prices, they have become ambiguous as of the second half of the 21st century. In particular, as a common problem among users, there is a fatal problem that the fan noise is rather loud for a gold grade product to which an FDB fan is applied. (This problem is also made worse, because Micronics does not officially provide fan replacements, where as competing companies such as FSP (Sparkle Korea)and Topower provides fan replacement service at the distributor level without voiding the warranty)

In early 2021, the 1050w model was recalled due to the issue of the fan running to maximum when the fanless mode was turned off. Although the manufacturer says that the problem has been resolved, there are still affected users in the fourth quarter of 2021.

2.1.2 MICRONICS STRIKE X

This PSU is semi-modular, there are 6 types of products with 550W, 650W, and 750W respectively in the regular version and LED version.

2.1.3 MICRONICS CASLON

It's for mid to higher end, aimed at niche of mid to higher end PSU markets.

2.1.3.1 MICRONICS CASLON BTC

As the name implies, this PSU is aimed toward crypto miners. Most of this used PSU went to Philippines. Only 700w variant is available.

2.1.3.2 MICRONICS CASLON FDB AFTER COOLING

Released at September 2015, it has aftercooling (shutting down the PC, the PSU fan is still running, first implementation is on Caslon), 12V single-rail output, and boasts an efficiency of up to 87% .

Although it is not 80Plus certified, it offers higher performance and higher price than the Classic family. Product lineups include CASLON 500W After Cooling 87+ FDB, CASLON 600W After Cooling 87+ FDB, and CASLON 700W After Cooling 87+ FDB.

2.1.3.3 MICRONICS CASLON M 80PLUS

Released in September 2020, all products were certified as bronze grade by the 80PLUS certification body, but for some reason it was released as standard grade.

It consists of CASLON M 500W 80PLUS , CASLON M 600W 80PLUS , and CASLON M 700W 80PLUS.

2.1.4 MICRONICS PERFORMANCE

It is a high-end position among the Micronics power supply lineup , and the brand itself has been around since 2009. Originally, there were standard and bronze certified products for 80Plus certification in the detailed product categories called Performance and Performance Pro, but in the mid-2010s, the brand was reorganized into two product groups, New Performance and Performance II. Currently, all products in this family are 80PLUS Bronze certified.

2.1.4.1. New Performance Series

It is a lineup that came out between 2013 and 2014, and it is the successor to the existing Performance series, and there are a total of 6 models, each of which is 500W, 600W, and 700W divided into 200-240V products and freevolt (100-240V) products.

2.1.4.2. Performance II Series

As a detailed lineup newly added in 2017, it is said that PV is derived from Performance Version and HV is derived from High Performance Version .

In December 2019, on the HV lineup side, and on the PV lineup side in February 2020, an improved version with Globe's FDB 135mm cooling fan was newly released.

There is no sign of cost reduction of internal parts when newly released, and the capacitor is Japanese.

Functions such as "4K surge, after-cooling, and free volt " are still there, and the product's greatest advantage, the free volt function, is installed, so it can be used anywhere in the world.

The lineups of Performance II PV is: PV 500W, 600W, 700W / PV RGB 600W, 700W.

The lineups of Performance II HV is: HV 850W and 1000W are available.

From March 2019 sales, the warranty has been extended from 3 years to 6 years. (October 23, 2019)

2.1.5. Astro Family

It is the flagship lineup of Micronics power supply lineup, and it has the highest output and the most expensive.

2.1.5.1. Astro G-Series

80 Plus Silver Certified Family.

2.1.5.2. Astro GD

It is using Sirfa/High-Power Astro Gold platform. This platform is also used by Zalman EBT series. However, the main capacitor of Astro GD has less capacity than the original High-Power Astro Gold Power. In the case of Zalman, the capacitor is sold with a smaller capacity than Micronics, but Zalman is conscientiously selling it after changing the capacitor and recertifying, but Micronics is using the high power certification as it is... That is, it has not been recertified. (...) I don't know if I received it late in 2018 or not, but apart from that, it was sold without recertification at least at the beginning of its release. Currently, the Astro Gold modular version is released and buried. There is also a white chassis version as a response to Super Flower's Leadex White.

2.1.5.3. Astro PT

It is using High-power/Sirfa Astro Platinum platform. It was originally scheduled to be released as a digital product in June 2016, but it was not released after that, so it seems that the digital brand was abandoned and launched as the Astro PT brand. Released in Q4 2018. The main capacitor is a Rubicon capacitor.

2.1.6. Cyclone family

It is an entry-level (low-end) lineup among the power supply lineup. No freevolt as far as I concerned (220v only) meaning PFC is not there.

2.1.6.1. Cyclone II Series

A sequel to the Cyclone, Micronics Cyclone II 500W + 12V Single Rail 83+ efficiency, released according to Naver shopping released around 2010s (appeared around 12 March 2013). Anyway, this power is the cheapest product in the Micronics power supply family, and it boasts a 12V single rail output and an efficiency of up to 83% . In addition, safety is guaranteed by applying various safety devices. However, in this product, there is no protection circuit such as OCP among safety devices, only a fuse for the purpose of blocking overcurrent, and of course there is no power factor correction circuit (PFC) at all. Still, the EMI filter and grounding, overvoltage, undervoltage, overload, short circuit, and overheat protection are basic, so don't ask, it's a lot better compared to the bad PSU (or even tincan PSU/generic "700w" PSU).

Models include Cyclone II SE 350W +12V Single Rail 83+, Cyclone II 400W +12V Single Rail 83+, Cyclone II 500W +12V Single Rail 83+, and Cyclone II 600W +12V Single Rail 83+.

One unique oddball, Cyclone II SE 350W is mainly used when assembling office systems that use integrated graphics, but it is still rated at 350W, so it runs up to GTX 1050 without any problem. For reference, there is a peculiarity in the case of 350W rated PSU in Korea. In the past, Zalman sold 350W rated power at one time, but now it is discontinued. In comparison with Micronics 350W and other 350W class, it is especially among the rated 350w PSU sold in retail rather than OEM in Korea. This product was almost unique. And the Cyclone II 500W ~ 600W is an option to consider along with the Classic II 500W and Classic II 600W when assembling a mainstream system.

After that, as the Cyclone III series was newly released in October 2017, it was discontinued and is no longer being produced. What's more, it's still on the sales list to see if it's still in stock in 2020. Of course, at this point in 2020, it is recommended to purchase the improved Cyclone III Series rather than this. This PSU has seen reaching Vietnam (Tháo máy bộ Korea), Indonesia, and Philippines markets used surplus import.

2.1.6.2. Cyclone III Series

As a sequel to the Cyclone II Series released in October 2017, if the existing Cyclone II Series emphasized 12V single-rail output and up to 83% efficiency , this is a slightly improved 12V single-rail output, up to 84% of its predecessor . After the efficiency , the emphasis is on after-cooling . After-cooling is a technology that allows the power fan to run for a certain period of time even after the PC is shut down to dissipate the heat inside the power supply. Here, unlike the previous work, where only a fuse was installed for the purpose of blocking overcurrent instead of a protection circuit for cost reduction, an OCP protection circuit is properly installed. Protection is standard. Unfortunately, there is no power factor correction (PFC) at all.

Models include Cyclone III 350W +12V Single Rail, Cyclone III 400W After Cooling, Cyclone III 500W After Cooling, and Cyclone III 600W After Cooling.

Based on 500W model, 80Plus-ish. Although it is not certified, it shows 84% ​​efficiency, which is actually 80Plus Standard level efficiency. Compared to the Cyclone II Series, which was not evaluated very well, it shows a lot of improvement in efficiency and the evaluation is quite good. However, most people know Micronics uses OEM of Sirfa, but this one is not a Sirfa product (mfg. by HUIZHOU Xinhuiyuan TECH Co.,Ltd according to FCC code). This product just recently spotted in Philippines market used surplus import, but not in Indonesia. Edit: 15th March 2022, one of them arrived in Indonesia. 500w model.

2.1.7. Zero family

It is an entry- level lineup that is just above Cyclone among the power supply lineups. Has unique feature: no standby power usage. This achieved by plugging front panel power connector to PSU, and this PSU has its own front panel wiring to be wired at motherboard's power connector. As far as I concerned, none of this PSU model has "traveled" to outside Korea... Not even Philippines.

2.1.7.1. Zero Power

It is the most eco-friendly PSU in the Micronics power supply family, and it is an extraordinary product that boasts an amazing standby power consumption of 0W when the PC is shut down . It boasts a 12V single-rail output and an efficiency of up to 84%. Like other products, advanced capacitors and safety devices are applied, and there is an after-cooling function, but unfortunately, there is no Active-PFC. For reference, when assembling a normal PC case, the front panel wire is directly plugged into the motherboard , but in ZERO POWER, the front panel wire is plugged into the power once, and the wire from the power is plugged back into the motherboard.

Products include ZERO POWER 400W , ZERO POWER 500W , and ZERO POWER 600W .

After the release of the sequel, Zero Plus, it was not discontinued and the chassis paint was missing (basically grey) and it is sold in bulk form. As a result, the price became cheaper. However, thanks to the lower sales volume than expected, as of September 2018, both existing products and bulk products that are painted and distributed in genuine boxes are being sold at the same time.(...)

2.1.7.2. Zero Plus

This PSU released in September 2017, it is a sequel to the existing Zero Power and a high-end model. It has zero watt technology boasting 0W standby power and after-cooling function that the existing Zero Power had, and unlike its predecessor, Active-PFC is loaded. Although it has not received 80Plus certification, it shows 80Plus Standard level efficiency. In addition, it is characterized by a distinctive pattern engraved on the side chassis of the power.

Products in the ZERO PLUS 400W Active PFC, ZERO PLUS 400W Active PFC, ZERO PLUS 500W Active PFC, ZERO PLUS 600W is Active PFC, and as with Zero Power of previous usual PC case front panel line during assembly right motherboard to plug. Zero Plus plugs the front panel wire into the power once, and plugs the wire from the PSU back into the motherboard.

2.1.8. M-ATX (SFX)

2.1.8.1. Compact SFX 700W GD

It is a compact series 700W 80Plus Gold product.

It is equipped with a full modular wiring that is easy to assemble, a silent (fanless) function at low output, and a fan delay function.

Although Micronics released it as a Gold product, the actual certification seems to be 80Plus Platinum. (Referring to 80Plus certification site)

Compactly sized with a size of 125(W)*100(D)*63(H) mm, it has an additional bracket for ATX cases.

The operating fanless mode only works when the power consumption is less than 100W, and it seems that it is not the internal temperature method adopted in the existing Classic II Bronze series.

It has suitable part for the high-end class PSU such as 6-layer protection circuit, Japanese capacitor, and heatsink are included. However, as a premium, there are Corsair 's SF750, and Cooler Master 's V750 and V850 SFX for cost-effectiveness and capacity, so it's not a good choice for its price.

2.2. CASING

It makes a case for general ATX and thin Mini-ITX, and there is a PC case with integrated monitor, but the front panel USB 3.0 support is insignificant.

In the past, when the Chieftec case was distributed as ODM , the price was a bit high, but it was famous as a high-quality case with excellent quality and durability (the material plate is thick and heavy and strong, can last for 10years!). Although it had a thick fanatic base, it is currently producing and selling affordable products centered on cost-effectiveness. The thickness is just, but the convenience of selection is somewhat inferior. At one time, the design was often criticized for being flimsy, but these days it has been gradually improved. However, the cooling performance is inferior to the design, so it is not suitable for high-end computers.

The Master M60 mesh would be the best selling or rated product among the current Micronics cases in the 2020s. This case has 6 fans at a price of around 30,000 won (4 RGB + 2 standard fans), side tempered glass (early batch has acrylic side panel). It's also a case that can also be equipped with Noctua NH-D15, and its cost-effectiveness is very good. The EM1-Woofer case, released around the fall of 2020, is also quite popular with a speaker-like design.

Cases are also made through a subsidiary called COOLMAX. In the case of products released as Coolmax, there is a cost-effective series. (literally named like that, COOLMAX 가성비)

2.3. MAINBOARD

As the origin of the Micronics brand began as a distributor that distributed Micronics Computers Inc. products in Korea in the past, Micronics Computers Inc.'s motherboards were distributed to Korea in the past, but not long after, Micronics Computers Inc. After a merger and acquisition, Diamond Multimedia did not distribute motherboards for a long time since Diamond Multimedia completely withdrew from the motherboard market. However, it started distributing TH110-HM, which was OEM from WIBTEK (same OEM used by Digital Alliance for some time being), and now it is distributing Colorful brand mainboards in Korea.

2.3.1 TH110-HM

This is a motherboard that was sold with its own logo before they sell Colorful brand motherboard, the actual manufacturer is WIBTEK. It appears to have been made for one of its cases, the 1 liter case (1리터) which is available in black and gray.

It is a Mini-ITX standard and H110 chipset, and if you flash the BIOS update distributed on the website, you can also use the Kaby Lake (7 gen) CPU. Note that the RAM standard is SO-DIMM DDR3L. In addition, there are no M.2 slot, and there are two slots that appear to be Mini PCI-E, but there is no related content in the product description.

The price is around 110,000 won , which is a bit more expensive than other companies chipset and standard products except for ASUS H110T (iBora distributor). There is also a package that includes a 120W DC adapter (12v 10amp, plugs to port provided), which costs around 150,000 won.