Load Regulation, Hold-Up Time & Inrush Current
To learn more about our PSU tests and methodology, please check out How We Test Power Supply Units.
Primary Rails And 5VSB Load Regulation
Load Regulation testing is detailed here.
Hold-Up Time
Our hold-up time tests are described in detail here.
The hold-up time we measured is satisfactory, since it is much longer than 17ms. Moreover, the power-good signal is accurate, dropping 3.4ms before the rails go out of spec. Super Flower does a good job in this regard.
Inrush Current
For details on our inrush current testing, please click here.
It seems there are problems elsewhere in this PSU, though. Apparently, the NTC thermistor doesn't effectively limit inrush currents during the PSU's start-up phase.
Load Regulation And Efficiency Measurements
The first set of tests reveals the stability of the voltage rails and the 450 B3's efficiency. The applied load equals (approximately) 10 to 110 percent of the PSU's maximum load in increments of 10 percentage points.
We conducted two additional tests. During the first, we stressed the two minor rails (5V and 3.3V) with a high load, while the load at +12V was only 0.1A. This test reveals whether a PSU is compatible with Intel's C6/C7 sleep states or not. In the second test, we determined the maximum load the +12V rail could handle with minimal load on the minor rails.
Test # | 12V | 5V | 3.3V | 5VSB | DC/AC (Watts) | Efficiency | Fan Speed | Fan Noise | Temps (In/Out) | PF/AC Volts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1.900A | 1.985A | 1.984A | 0.981A | 44.763 | 80.203% | 0 RPM | <6.0 dB(A) | 45.56°C | 0.911 |
12.195V | 5.039V | 3.322V | 5.095V | 55.812 | 38.04°C | 115.19V | ||||
2 | 4.830A | 2.970A | 2.980A | 1.181A | 89.732 | 85.002% | 1005 RPM | 20.9 dB(A) | 38.75°C | 0.968 |
12.192V | 5.035V | 3.319V | 5.081V | 105.564 | 40.79°C | 115.18V | ||||
3 | 8.107A | 3.478A | 3.496A | 1.380A | 134.893 | 86.183% | 1005 RPM | 20.9 dB(A) | 38.91°C | 0.980 |
12.188V | 5.031V | 3.316V | 5.068V | 156.519 | 40.97°C | 115.19V | ||||
4 | 11.375A | 3.976A | 3.980A | 1.580A | 179.732 | 86.829% | 1005 RPM | 20.9 dB(A) | 39.19°C | 0.986 |
12.182V | 5.028V | 3.313V | 5.054V | 206.996 | 41.74°C | 115.18V | ||||
5 | 14.314A | 4.976A | 4.981A | 1.785A | 224.761 | 86.641% | 1276 RPM | 29.0 dB(A) | 39.70°C | 0.990 |
12.176V | 5.023V | 3.310V | 5.038V | 259.417 | 42.38°C | 115.18V | ||||
6 | 17.252A | 5.977A | 5.985A | 1.990A | 269.746 | 86.424% | 1315 RPM | 30.4 dB(A) | 40.40°C | 0.991 |
12.170V | 5.019V | 3.307V | 5.024V | 312.119 | 43.12°C | 115.18V | ||||
7 | 20.199A | 6.986A | 6.993A | 2.195A | 314.762 | 85.731% | 1462 RPM | 34.3 dB(A) | 41.48°C | 0.993 |
12.162V | 5.013V | 3.302V | 5.007V | 367.152 | 44.33°C | 115.17V | ||||
8 | 23.151A | 7.988A | 8.008A | 2.400A | 359.739 | 85.056% | 1584 RPM | 35.9 dB(A) | 42.61°C | 0.993 |
12.153V | 5.009V | 3.296V | 4.991V | 422.943 | 45.57°C | 115.17V | ||||
9 | 26.534A | 8.491A | 8.536A | 2.405A | 404.808 | 84.253% | 1667 RPM | 38.1 dB(A) | 43.85°C | 0.993 |
12.144V | 5.005V | 3.291V | 4.985V | 480.472 | 47.08°C | 115.17V | ||||
10 | 29.666A | 9.009A | 9.039A | 3.025A | 449.689 | 83.325% | 1817 RPM | 42.0 dB(A) | 45.47°C | 0.994 |
12.134V | 5.000V | 3.285V | 4.953V | 539.682 | 48.76°C | 115.18V | ||||
11 | 33.397A | 9.014A | 9.051A | 3.030A | 494.676 | 82.329% | 1945 RPM | 42.1 dB(A) | 46.33°C | 0.994 |
12.125V | 4.997V | 3.282V | 4.947V | 600.854 | 49.83°C | 115.17V | ||||
CL1 | 0.099A | 13.019A | 13.005A | 0.004A | 109.380 | 79.493% | 1425 RPM | 32.3 dB(A) | 43.02°C | 0.977 |
12.175V | 5.016V | 3.295V | 5.106V | 137.597 | 45.80°C | 115.19V | ||||
CL2 | 37.474A | 1.004A | 1.002A | 1.002A | 468.254 | 84.034% | 1817 RPM | 42.0 dB(A) | 44.77°C | 0.994 |
12.138V | 5.013V | 3.297V | 5.049V | 557.221 | 48.98°C | 115.18V |
Load regulation is tight on every rail except for the 5VSB one, which goes out of the 3% range. And although the PSU is only rated at 40°C, it delivers its full load (plus more) for a prolonged period at 46°C. This shows that the platform is resilient to high operating temperatures.
The PSU operates in passive mode during the first test. In the next three, its fan spins fairly slowly, generating very little noise. During the sixth test, noise barely exceeds 30 dB(A). It's only under full load that our readings exceed 40 dB(A).
Given its low efficiency rating (and our corresponding measurements), this is a surprisingly quiet power supply.
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