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Test Configuration, Hold-Up Time, And Inrush Current

Part 1: Four Cheap 80 PLUS Bronze Power Supplies, Reviewed
By
Test Hardware
AC SourceChroma Programmable AC Source 6530
Power MeterYokogawa WT210 Digital Power Meter
Loads4 x 600 W Chroma 63306 for 12 V testing

4 x 300 W Chroma 63303 for 5 and 3.3 V testing

using Chroma HighSpeed- DC Load Mainframes 6334 
OscilloscopeTektronix DPO3034 Digital Phosphore Oscilloscope (300 MHz)
Test Procedure
Voltages110 and 230 V
Standby Power0.25 A fixed current to simulate PC standby power on 5 Vsb
80 PLUS Efficiency Testing100/50/20% load, relative to specified total output
Load distribution across 12/5/3.3 V rails at the same proportion as specified for 100% testing at 110 V according to ATX 2.3 specification
Efficiency at Fixed Loads25, 50, 85, 300, 500 W loads
Load distribution across 12/5/3.3 V rails at the same proportion as specified for 100%
Peak Load Test110% Overload Testing at maximum combined 12 V
Temperature TestAir intake vs. Outtake temperature delta
tracking highest delta during all tests

More test results for this PSU and others can be found in our Power Supply Charts.

Hold-Up Time And Inrush Current

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Top Comments
  • 10 Hide
    envy14tpe , August 27, 2013 10:37 PM
    This is PART 1. Which means more PSUs to come, so let's hope for no dumb comments asking why not this PSU or this one...
Other Comments
  • -4 Hide
    wolley74 , August 27, 2013 9:04 PM
    no love for the EVGA 500B?
  • -8 Hide
    computer_nugget2 , August 27, 2013 9:20 PM
    ALWAYS judge a power supply by its weight. especially if its Chinese.
  • 8 Hide
    InvalidError , August 27, 2013 9:31 PM
    Quote:
    always judge a power supply by its weight.

    Some Chinese OEMs put rocks, small concrete blocks, lumps of steel or other stuff like that disguised as a transformer with bits of wire that aren't connected to anything to trick people into believing their heavier PSUs are better.

    So weight alone is not a reliable indicator.

    Also, at high frequencies and high efficiencies, the size of inductors, capacitors, transformers and heatsinks along with the associated weight shrink. While light weight and high quality may rarely be seen together, they certainly are not mutually exclusive.
  • 2 Hide
    dudewitbow , August 27, 2013 9:38 PM
    Quote:
    no love for the EVGA 500B?


    a good chunk of Tom's physical hardware reviews generally are conducted in europe. This goes for a good handful of the gpu tests as well. EVGA rarely ever shows up on review sites because of it(and possibly due to lack of EVGA response to a hardware review pitch)

  • -6 Hide
    computer_nugget2 , August 27, 2013 10:03 PM
    Quote:
    Quote:
    always judge a power supply by its weight.

    Some Chinese OEMs put rocks, small concrete blocks, lumps of steel or other stuff like that disguised as a transformer with bits of wire that aren't connected to anything to trick people into believing their heavier PSUs are better.

    So weight alone is not a reliable indicator.

    Also, at high frequencies and high efficiencies, the size of inductors, capacitors, transformers and heatsinks along with the associated weight shrink. While light weight and high quality may rarely be seen together, they certainly are not mutually exclusive.


    do you have pics to prove this?
  • 10 Hide
    envy14tpe , August 27, 2013 10:37 PM
    This is PART 1. Which means more PSUs to come, so let's hope for no dumb comments asking why not this PSU or this one...
  • 4 Hide
    jimmysmitty , August 27, 2013 10:42 PM
    Quote:
    This is PART 1. Which means more PSUs to come, so let's hope for no dumb comments asking why not this PSU or this one...


    They have already listed the PSUs for part 2 and I didn't see a part 3 listed. I wonder where the Corsair CX430 is. Its a 85+ Bronze PSU and is $39.99 on Egg right now. Its one of the best entry level PSUs I have actually used as well and compared to other PSUs at the same price point or higher (within 550W and may or may not be 80+ at all) I have seen less of them come back bad.
  • 5 Hide
    razor512 , August 27, 2013 10:47 PM
    Quote:
    always judge a power supply by its weight.


    While weight is an important factor, overall weight is 100% useless

    for example check out the SIGMA SHARK SP-635

    http://www.ocia.net/reviews/sigma635/page2.shtml

    it is probably one of the heaviest power supplies you will find (with the exception of some of the 1200 watt ones)

    I purchased it a while back and was disappointed at the internals. they used an insanely thick case that made the power supply weigh a lot but the insides were were the result of the owner of the company asking while walking around china, what are the cheapest items we can find on the shenzhen market today.

    (at least the power supply can double as a flail or a boat anchor)
  • -2 Hide
    pyro226 , August 27, 2013 10:47 PM
    Hoping to see the CX430 and other corsairs reviewed. I like the little thing since it powers my PC. :D  It originally rang a bit when the computer was suspended or at random after a few hours of use, but that went away with age.
  • -2 Hide
    sanilmahambre , August 28, 2013 12:13 AM
    Nice basic testing method
  • 2 Hide
    benedict78 , August 28, 2013 12:31 AM
    One very important question is not answered in this article. Do any of those PSUs support the new Haswell C7 state? Anyone who's buying a new Intel 4xxx processor should know if his PSU is compatible with the CPU.
  • 1 Hide
    PreferLinux , August 28, 2013 2:22 AM
    Could you do a shot of the spikes using a sweep time of 1 us/div, or even less, in the next part please (assuming you get them)? And maybe one that shows a single cycle of the PWM switching (clearly defined on some of these)? It'd be really interesting – I've got some theories about what is causing it, but nothing concrete yet...
  • 2 Hide
    butremor , August 28, 2013 3:04 AM
    Who's Who In Power Supplies
    Really useful article, let's you look for reviews of PSU real manufacturer if needed.
  • 5 Hide
    Someone Somewhere , August 28, 2013 3:21 AM
    How are you loading the minor rails? Loading 12V only will unfairly penalise group regulated designs, which do much better with even a little load on 5V/3V3. Systems still have some load on 5V/3V3, usually things like audio chips on the MB and HDD/SSD electronics.

    I'm waiting for the XFX 550W - those go for about $55 (seems to be $62 now), and are supposedly pretty decent.

    EDIT: On further reading, you've got a pair of Chroma load testers - so what are the bulbs for?
  • 0 Hide
    Someone Somewhere , August 28, 2013 4:24 AM
    And for the most part are very close to THD=0. Which is a resistive load.

    (Hint: Capacitors and inductors balance out.)
  • 0 Hide
    vertexx , August 28, 2013 4:57 AM
    Why no Corsair? Seems like a pretty big omission - I'm sure there's an explanation, but it would be helpful to understand why? The Corsairs have to be one of the top selling PSUs right now due to their aggressive pricing and general perceived quality. It would be really good to know how these match up, because they are right now my "go-to" brand for budget PSUs.
  • 0 Hide
    Someone Somewhere , August 28, 2013 5:06 AM
    Less than, but generally rather close. Besides, capacitance actually makes them work better - smooths out ripple.

    See the 'Part 1'? Probably going to be more later.
  • 2 Hide
    InvalidError , August 28, 2013 5:40 AM
    Quote:
    do you have pics to prove this?

    Search for "Fake PFC transformer"

    Here's a page with a bunch of examples:
    http://www.pcpop.com/doc/0/294/294565_all.shtml

    Granted, they are all brands almost nobody knows. Hantol isn't on the list above and seems to be the only other manufacturer who's been caught doing this.

    My point simply was: it is known to have happened.
  • 1 Hide
    InvalidError , August 28, 2013 6:03 AM
    Quote:
    Resistive load has power factor of 1. DC-DC converters have power factor of less than 1.

    Actually, DC-DC converters have no power factor in the conventional meaning of the term whatsoever since power factor is used to represent the discrepancy between AC voltage and current which itself is a combination of phase shift and distortion factor intended to represent how much unlike-a-resistor an AC load is.

    DC-DC converters are roughly constant-power load and aside from inrush while their input and output caps get charged and load changes, they are practically indistinguishable from resistive load to the upstream AC-DC or DC-DC converter as long as it has enough local decoupling to remove most of the switching noise and ripple.

    If you were to calculate the "power factor" of DC-DC converters which basically boils down to determining how much power gets transferred at 0Hz vs any power exchanged at frequencies above that since there is no phase to worry about at 0Hz, you would find out DC-DC converters are indeed very close to 1.
  • 0 Hide
    Someone Somewhere , August 28, 2013 6:16 AM
    Yup.

    There is, however, a term called 'total harmonic distortion', which (IIRC) refers to the amount of noise produced by a device.

    You can basically treat any load as resistive in DC though - the ripple is barely noticeable (<5%) vs more than twice RMS voltage for AC. And it only occurs on the ripple.

    I can probably scrounge some stuff out to test it though, but it's not really necessary.
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