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Protection Features, DC Power Sequencing, Cross-Load Tests and Infrared Images
Protection Features
| Protection Features | |
| OCP | 12V: 117A (140.96%), 12.137V 5V: 40.7A (162.8%), 5.053V 3.3V: 38.4A (153.6%), 3.35V 5VSB: 4.3A (143.33%), 4.861V |
| OPP | 1419.7W (141.97%) |
| OTP | ✓ (180°C @ 12V heat sink) |
| SCP | 12V: ✓ 5V: ✓ 3.3V: ✓ 5VSB: ✓ -12V: ✓ |
| PWR_OK | Operates properly |
| NLO | ✓ |
| SIP | Surge: MOV Inrush: NTC thermistor & bypass relay |
DC Power Sequencing
According to Intel’s most recent Power Supply Design Guide (revision 1.4), the +12V and 5V outputs must be equal to or greater than the 3.3V rail at all times.
In all three tests that we ran, the 3.3V rail's voltage was indeed lower than the other two rails.
Cross Load Tests
To generate the following charts, we set our loaders to auto mode through custom-made software before trying more than 25,000 possible load combinations with the +12V, 5V, and 3.3V rails. The deviations in each of the charts below are calculated by taking the nominal values of the rails (12V, 5V, and 3.3V) as point zero. The ambient temperature during testing was between 30°C (86°F) and 32°C (89.6°F).
Load Regulation Charts
Load regulation remains tight on every rail.
Efficiency Chart
There is a small region where efficiency exceeds 94%. For a much larger area, the AX1000 falls between 92-94% efficiency. Taken as a whole, our efficiency readings look good.
Ripple Charts
Ripple represents the AC fluctuations (periodic) and noise (random) found in the PSU's DC rails. This phenomenon significantly decreases the capacitors' life span because it causes them to run hotter. A 10°C increase can cut into a cap's useful life by 50 percent. Ripple also plays an important role in overall system stability, especially when overclocking is involved.
The ripple suppression is excellent on all four rails.
Infrared Images
We apply a half-load for 10 minutes with the PSU's top cover and cooling fan removed before taking photos with a modified FLIR E4 camera able to deliver an IR resolution of 320x240 (76,800 pixels).
Temperatures inside of the PSU stay low, even in the face of our unforgiving test conditions. This explains why Corsair is able to get away with a relaxed fan profile.
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