Lian Li EDGE EG1000 ATX 3.1 power supply review

Lian Li Industrial Co. Ltd., established in 1983, is a Taiwanese company specializing in manufacturing computer cases, power supplies, and accessories. It's one of the oldest players in the PC market and is known for its focus on aluminum-based designs. Lian Li produces a range of products aimed at both consumer and industrial markets, with the company's offerings including mid-tower and full-tower cases and more compact cases for smaller builds. Amongst consumers and PC enthusiasts, Lian Li's products are recognized for their build quality, modularity, and innovative features, catering to a diverse set of needs in the PC building community.

We focus on the EG1000 Platinum ATX 3.1 PSU to see whether it deserves a spot in our list of best power supplies. This power supply unit partially complies with the ATX 3.1 design guide (the paragraphs related to electrical quality and performance). It is designed to meet the demanding requirements of modern gaming PCs, with its specifications indicating good efficiency and robust power delivery. Featuring fully modular cables with individually sleeved wires, dynamic fan control for optimal cooling, and advanced internal topologies, the EG1000 Platinum aims to provide both reliability and performance. However, behind its long list of features, the highlight of the EG1000 Platinum is the shape of the chassis itself, which forgoes the ATX cuboid shape and standard length.

Specifications and Design

In the Box

The Lian Li EG1000 Platinum ATX 3.1 PSU comes in straightforward, effective packaging. The outer box is L-shaped, designed to hint at the PSU's unique shape, while the unit itself is protected during shipping by a nylon pouch and dense packaging foam, ensuring it arrives in pristine condition.

The bundle goes slightly beyond the essentials, including mounting screws, the necessary AC power cable, and a basic manual, as well as a few cable ties and a PCI slot cover for routing external cables.

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This power supply features a fully modular design, allowing for the removal of all DC power cables, including the 24-pin ATX connector. The cables are all-black, from connectors to wires, and each one is individually sleeved, contributing to the unit's premium aesthetic and improving cable management options. The 12V-2x6 cable is a minor exception, with the tips of the connectors being blue. There is also a relatively short (300 mm) SATA cable with four consequent SATA connectors, which should be very useful in smaller cases with arrays of drives. A reusable cable strap holds every single cable.

The ATX, 12V CPU, and PCI Express cables have four preinstalled wire combs. The wire combs can be easily moved to any position across the cable or removed completely should the user wish to.

External Appearance

The Lian Li EG1000 Platinum ATX 3.1 PSU is housed in a unique chassis that measures 182 mm long, considerably longer than the standard ATX dimensions. This increased length is due to the L-shaped design, where the cable connectors are placed horizontally, making the body deeper. The extended length and design might require careful consideration of cable paths in standard cases, as the unit is primarily designed with dual chamber cases in mind.

The EG1000 Platinum ATX 3.1 PSU's aesthetic is minimalist, featuring a smooth and simple matte black paint finish. The left and right sides are entirely covered by large stickers, with the left side displaying purely decorative elements and the right side providing detailed electrical specifications and certifications. The bottom of the unit is equipped with a unique mesh fan finger guard that spans its entire surface, with a badge bearing the company's logo on the lower left corner, contributing to the sleek appearance.

The front side of the PSU is home to the standard on/off switch and AC cable receptacle. The rear is more complex, featuring an internal USB connector hub that allows users to connect multiple devices requiring an internal USB header. This is particularly useful for those with motherboards that have limited USB headers. The modular cable connectors are clearly organized and labelled for easy and error-free connections, although they are not colour-coded.

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Internal Design

The Lian Li EG1000 Platinum ATX 3.1 PSU is equipped with a Hong Hua HA1225M12F-Z 120 mm fan, which features a Fluid Dynamic Bearing (FDB) engine. This type of fan is well-regarded for its quality and longevity and is commonly found in high-end power supplies. It has a modest maximum speed of 2000 RPM, which should be sufficient considering the unit's high efficiency.

The Lian Li EG1000 Platinum ATX 3.1 PSU is manufactured by Helly Technology, a relatively young but reputable OEM founded in 2008 in China. Despite its shorter history, Helly Technology has established a solid presence in the power supply market with platforms supporting mid to high-tier products.

The input stage features a modest transient filter with two Y capacitors, one X capacitor, and two filtering inductors, which is somewhat less effective than those found in other high-tier units. Two rectifying bridges on a dedicated heatsink handle the AC voltage input. The Active Power Factor Correction (APFC) setup includes three MOSFETs (PTA28N50) and a diode on the large heatsink across the edge of the PCB, as well as a large inductor and two EPCOS 470 μF capacitors.

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In the primary stage, the Lian Li EG1000 utilizes a full-bridge LLC topology with four OSG55R190F MOSFETs from Oriental Semiconductor mounted on a dedicated heatsink. The secondary stage employs eight G013N04G MOSFETs located on the underside of the main PCB to generate the primary 12V rail, while the 3.3V and 5V rails are produced by DC-to-DC circuits. The secondary side capacitors include a mix of Rubycon and Nippon Chemi-Con products, all from Japanese manufacturers known for their high quality.

Cold Test Results

Cold Test Results (25°C Ambient)

For the testing of PSUs, we are using high precision electronic loads with a maximum power draw of 2700 Watts, a Rigol DS5042M 40 MHz oscilloscope, an Extech 380803 power analyzer, two high precision UNI-T UT-325 digital thermometers, an Extech HD600 SPL meter, a self-designed hotbox and various other bits and parts.

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The Lian Li EG1000 Platinum ATX 3.1 PSU meets the 80Plus Platinum certification standards when the input voltage is 115 VAC, even if only barely. When tested with a 115 VAC input, this PSU achieves an average nominal load efficiency of 90.4% across its operational range from 20% to 100% of its capacity, increasing to 92.3% when operated with a 230 VAC input. It would not pass the 80Plus Platinum requirements with an input voltage of 230 VAC as the half-load efficiency is not nearly high enough. The efficiency under very low load conditions is acceptably high.

The Lian Li EG1000 Platinum ATX 3.1 PSU demonstrates fair thermal performance and acoustic characteristics during room temperature testing. The fan does not activate immediately but starts when the load is just under 100 Watts. As the load increases, the fan speed escalates almost linearly alongside with the load. However, due to the PSU's small proportions and 120 mm fan, internal temperatures are slightly higher than other units in its class. Acoustically, the fan operates quietly only at loads lower than 300 Watts, which will become noticeable in a quiet environment and keep getting louder as the load increases.

Hot Test Results

Hot Test Results (~45°C Ambient)

The Lian Li EG1000 Platinum ATX 3.1 PSU maintains commendable efficiency during hot testing. The unit achieves an average nominal load efficiency of 89.1% with a 115 VAC input and 91% with a 230 VAC input. This indicates some degradation due to the elevated ambient temperature but within reasonable limits. There are signs of thermal stress at maximum load, with greater efficiency degradation.

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Even though the ambient temperature is significantly higher, the fan once again does not start right up, but once the load is a little higher than 70 Watts. It maintains its linear speed profile but accelerates more rapidly, reaching its maximum speed just below a 900-watt load. It keeps fairly low noise levels when the load is below 300-400 Watts, but the noise output will increase rapidly after that point, with the EG1000 becoming very loud at loads above 800 Watts.

The Lian Li EG1000 Platinum's relatively compact size does not do it any favors when it comes to thermal performance. The internal temperatures are on the high side for an 80Plus Platinum-certified unit, although they stay within safe operational limits. There is a small spike at maximum load due to the fan's inability to increase its speed any further, but the final temperatures are far too low to trigger an OTP event.

PSU Quality and Bottom Line

Power Supply Quality

The Lian Li EG1000 Platinum exhibits fairly good voltage filtering, with the 12V rail showing a maximum ripple of 42 mV, the 5V rail at 22 mV, and the 3.3V rail at 24 mV. The overall voltage regulation is within acceptable limits, with the 12V rail at 0.9%, the 5V rail at 1.4%, and the 3.3V rail at 1.1%. These are not record-setting figures, but the power quality is very good, even considering this is a top-tier product.

During our thorough assessment, we evaluate the essential protection features of every power supply unit we review, including Over Current Protection (OCP), Over Voltage Protection (OVP), Over Power Protection (OPP), and Short Circuit Protection (SCP). The over-current protection (OCP) results are satisfactory, with the 3.3V and 5V rails reacting at 118%, while the 12V rail is significantly slack at 137%. The over-power protection (OPP) response is a bit lax, kicking in at 132%.

Bottom Line

The Lian Li EG1000 Platinum ATX 3.1 PSU positions itself as a premium power supply unit targeting enthusiasts and high-performance system builders seeking something out of the ordinary and aesthetically superior to most other designs. Its unique L-shaped design caters specifically to dual-chamber chassis, offering a distinctive approach to modularity and cable management. However, this design choice might not resonate with a broader audience, as it deviates from the conventional PSU form factor, potentially limiting its compatibility with standard ATX cases and user acceptance. Its unconventional shape, which extends the PSU's length to 182 mm, could pose installation challenges in some cases. However, the unit is primarily marketed towards cases specifically designed to accommodate this kind of unit.

Build quality and aesthetics are where the EG1000 Platinum stands out from the crowd. Aside from its unique L-shaped chassis, the all-black, fully modular cables featuring individually sleeved wires and pre-installed wire combs are possibly the aesthetic highlight of this unit. The integrated USB hub may be redundant for most users. Still, it can be very useful for PC builders wanting to integrate many devices with a motherboard with only one or two headers available. Lian Li designed the EG1000 Platinum to be elegant and pleasant to look at, not extravagant.

Thermally, the EG1000 Platinum performs adequately but not exceptionally. During both cold and hot testing, the 120 mm Hong Hua fan, while reliable, struggles to maintain lower internal temperatures due to its size and the PSU's compact internal volume. The fan's linear speed profile ensures it ramps up appropriately with increasing load. Still, the unit becomes noticeably loud at higher speeds, which could be a concern for users seeking a quieter system even when heavily loaded. Even with the slight hints of thermal stress at maximum load, the unit manages to stay within safe thermal limits, but it does so at the cost of higher noise levels under heavy loads.

Electrically, the EG1000 Platinum delivers solid performance and power quality. It meets the 80Plus Platinum efficiency requirements, even though it just barely clears the threshold for an input voltage of 115 VAC. The average nominal range efficiency is fairly good but not high for a Platinum-certified unit. Voltage regulation and ripple suppression are both very good, with the unit delivering a stable and good quality power output under any operating conditions.

Overall, the Lian Li EG1000 Platinum ATX 3.1 PSU is a well-built, reliable power supply with a few caveats. Its unique design and premium components are offset by potential installation challenges and noise issues under heavy load. While it offers good electrical performance and modularity, its appeal may be limited to users with specific chassis requirements. For a price of $175, it provides fair value but may not be the best choice for every PC builder.

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