Cooler Master MasterWatt Maker 1200 PSU Review

Reviews
By Aris Mpitziopoulos
published

Cooler Master finally released its MasterWatt Maker PSU, which was designed for true enthusiasts. Sporting Titanium-class efficiency, a digital interface, and other exotic features, we didn't expect an affordable price. But $450 looks insane!

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Ripple Measurements

To learn how we measure ripple, please click here.

The following table includes the ripple levels we measured on the MasterWatt Maker 1200's rails. The limits, according to the ATX specification, are 120mV (+12V) and 50mV (5V, 3.3V and 5VSB).

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Test12V5V3.3V5VSBPass/Fail
10% Load10.5mV6.1mV6.7mV4.1mVPass
20% Load11.7mV6.6mV7.1mV4.7mVPass
30% Load13.0mV7.6mV8.9mV5.8mVPass
40% Load14.4mV8.4mV9.6mV5.6mVPass
50% Load16.2mV9.4mV10.9mV6.3mVPass
60% Load14.0mV9.9mV13.1mV7.1mVPass
70% Load15.0mV12.2mV13.7mV8.1mVPass
80% Load15.6mV12.6mV15.5mV8.4mVPass
90% Load17.4mV14.0mV16.1mV10.2mVPass
100% Load19.3mV20.6mV22.7mV13.6mVPass
107% Load20.5mV22.2mV23.5mV15.1mVPass
Cross-Load 111.5mV7.3mV9.8mV4.5mVPass
Cross-Load 219.1mV19.4mV22.3mV12.5mVPass
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Ripple suppression is very good overall, though Corsair's digital AX1500i fares even better. Still, we're pleasantly surprised by these numbers since we aren't used to seeing such low ripple from Enhance's implementations.

Ripple Oscilloscope Screenshots

The following oscilloscope screenshots illustrate the AC ripple and noise registered on the main rails (+12V, 5V, 3.3V and 5VSB). The bigger the fluctuations on the screen, the bigger the ripple/noise. We set 0.01V/Div (each vertical division/box equals 0.01V) as the standard for all measurements.

Ripple At Full Load

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Ripple At 110-Percent Load

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Ripple At Cross-Load 1

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Ripple At Cross-Load 2

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Aris Mpitziopoulos
Contributing Editor

Aris Mpitziopoulos is a Contributing Editor at Tom's Hardware US, covering PSUs.

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11 Comments Comment from the forums
  • LFCavalcanti
    Holy toaster!
    Reply
  • Onus
    Shades of the GX line; Coolermaster swings for the fences, but a competitor (pick one) in the outfield snags it and throws this one out trying to stretch a single to second base.
    Reply
  • MasterMace
    CM doesn't get to put a $450 price tag on something that isn't in the same park. That voltage regulation is disappointing.
    Reply
  • turkey3_scratch
    A lot of hype and little delivery for that price tag of course. Lower that price down to $200 and then we may be talking. The efficiency under low loads was quite poor. I'd like to bash the 5VSB regulation, though that's going to be unimportant and unrealistic with the majority of consumers, having load changes on that rail. Though if you are charging multiple devices I'd rather have it at 5V than 4.75V.

    At least the transient response performance was really good. The PWR_OK signal, eh. Aris, do you think that transient filter is really enough? I have a feeling it would fail EMI testing, only 4 y caps, 4 x caps, and 2 cm chokes on the unit.

    Overall, Cooler Master paired with the wrong OEM.
    Reply
  • Aris_Mp
    the transient filtering stage looks complete since it has more than the required X caps, however you can never know unless you actually test it. I have the equipment and knowledge but I lack the time to do it :)
    Reply
  • turkey3_scratch
    What are the exact requirements? I know what the ATX spec says but you have units like the FSP Hydro G 750 that failed by a good margin with 4 y caps, 2 x caps, and 2 cm chokes. So when talking about a 1200W unit with 4 y caps, 4 x caps, and 2 cm chokes, those 2 extra x caps are enough to do the trick?
    Reply
  • Aris_Mp
    it doesn't have to do with the Wattage but with the design.
    Reply
  • Nuckles_56
    The performance per dollar chart was great, it showed how badly overpriced this unit is and that there is a lot which could be improved on for the money spent on the unit
    Reply
  • Andi lim
    It's seem like the solid polymer caps on front side modular PCB's not from Nichicon, I think it belongs to Unicon taiwan ( UPT series ).
    Reply
  • jimmysmitty
    18352433 said:
    CM doesn't get to put a $450 price tag on something that isn't in the same park. That voltage regulation is disappointing.

    Sadly it is more than the AX1500i, lower efficiency and specs overall and a lower warranty (7 year vs 10 year).

    If someone is going to spend that much on a PSU It would be better to go for the Corsair.
    Reply