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Primary Rails And 5VSB Load Regulation
The following charts show the main rails' voltage values recorded between a range of 40W up to the PSU's maximum specified load, along with the deviation (in percent). Tight regulation is an important consideration every time we review a power supply because it facilitates constant voltage levels despite varying loads. Tight load regulation also, among other factors, improves the system’s stability, especially under overclocked conditions and, at the same time, it applies less stress to the DC-DC converters than many system components utilize.
If the voltage level at 12V wasn't so low at light loads, for increased efficiency, load regulation on this rail would be almost perfect. Load regulation is pretty good, in general.
Hold-Up Time
Put simply; hold-up time is the amount of time that the system can continue to run without shutting down or rebooting during a power interruption.
Hold-up time is long, much longer than the required, which is 17ms, according to the ATX spec. Moreover, the power ok signal is accurate.
Inrush Current
Inrush current, or switch-on surge, refers to the maximum, instantaneous input current drawn by an electrical device when it is first turned on. A large enough inrush current can cause circuit breakers and fuses to trip. It can also damage switches, relays, and bridge rectifiers. As a result, the lower the inrush current of a PSU right as it is turned on, the better.
Inrush currents are low with both voltage inputs.
Leakage Current
In layman's terms, leakage current is the unwanted transfer of energy from one circuit to another. In power supplies, it is the current flowing from the primary side to the ground or the chassis, which in the majority of cases is connected to the ground. For measuring leakage current, we use a GW Instek GPT-9904 electrical safety tester instrument.
The leakage current test is conducted at 110% of the DUT's rated voltage input (so for a 230-240V device, we should conduct the test with 253-264V input). The maximum acceptable limit of a leakage current is 3.5 mA and it is defined by the IEC-60950-1 regulation, ensuring that the current is low and will not harm any person coming in contact with the power supply's chassis.
Leakage current looks high in the graph. Still, it is much lower than the max allowed.
10-110% Load Tests
These tests reveal the PSU's load regulation and efficiency levels under high ambient temperatures. They also show how the fan speed profile behaves under increased operating temperatures.
Test | 12V | 5V | 3.3V | 5VSB | DC/AC (Watts) | Efficiency | Fan Speed (RPM) | PSU Noise (dB[A]) | Temps (In/Out) | PF/AC Volts |
10% | 4.385A | 1.99A | 1.979A | 0.984A | 74.995 | 85.151% | 0 | <6.0 | 44.84°C | 0.957 |
12.176V | 5.025V | 3.335V | 5.079V | 88.073 | 40.35°C | 115.14V | ||||
20% | 9.785A | 2.986A | 2.971A | 1.184A | 149.914 | 89.181% | 0 | <6.0 | 45.77°C | 0.967 |
12.163V | 5.024V | 3.332V | 5.068V | 168.1 | 40.84°C | 115.14V | ||||
30% | 15.527A | 3.485A | 3.468A | 1.384A | 224.906 | 90.279% | 595 | 12.0 | 41.66°C | 0.97 |
12.163V | 5.022V | 3.33V | 5.057V | 249.123 | 47.14°C | 115.14V | ||||
40% | 21.276A | 3.985A | 3.967A | 1.585A | 299.982 | 90.566% | 594 | 12.0 | 42.23°C | 0.975 |
12.163V | 5.019V | 3.328V | 5.046V | 331.231 | 48.28°C | 115.13V | ||||
50% | 26.643A | 4.985A | 4.964A | 1.788A | 374.345 | 90.272% | 1402 | 39.7 | 42.29°C | 0.979 |
12.155V | 5.015V | 3.324V | 5.034V | 414.684 | 48.74°C | 115.13V | ||||
60% | 32.035A | 5.985A | 5.96A | 1.99A | 449.333 | 90.05% | 1406 | 40.0 | 43.15°C | 0.982 |
12.159V | 5.013V | 3.322V | 5.024V | 498.984 | 49.97°C | 115.13V | ||||
70% | 37.425A | 6.986A | 6.958A | 2.194A | 524.245 | 89.608% | 1408 | 40.0 | 43.92°C | 0.984 |
12.161V | 5.011V | 3.32V | 5.011V | 585.041 | 51.29°C | 115.12V | ||||
80% | 42.909A | 7.989A | 7.957A | 2.297A | 599.379 | 89.067% | 1789 | 46.1 | 44.05°C | 0.985 |
12.153V | 5.008V | 3.317V | 5.004V | 672.953 | 52.25°C | 115.12V | ||||
90% | 48.671A | 8.487A | 8.443A | 2.401A | 674.428 | 88.498% | 1794 | 46.2 | 44.7°C | 0.987 |
12.162V | 5.007V | 3.316V | 4.995V | 762.079 | 53.81°C | 115.12V | ||||
100% | 54.226A | 8.99A | 8.96A | 3.014A | 749.685 | 87.854% | 1793 | 46.1 | 45.1°C | 0.988 |
12.171V | 5.005V | 3.314V | 4.975V | 853.334 | 54.88°C | 115.11V | ||||
110% | 59.669A | 9.992A | 10.053A | 3.018A | 824.721 | 87.123% | 1797 | 46.2 | 47.03°C | 0.989 |
12.174V | 5.004V | 3.311V | 4.968V | 946.622 | 57.8°C | 115.11V | ||||
CL1 | 0.113A | 14.377A | 14.341A | 0A | 121.283 | 83.439% | 1421 | 40.0 | 42.11°C | 0.971 |
12.177V | 5.022V | 3.326V | 5.083V | 145.355 | 48.82°C | 115.16V | ||||
CL2 | 0.113A | 23.888A | 0A | 0A | 121.39 | 81.529% | 1779 | 46.0 | 42.87°C | 0.97 |
12.167V | 5.024V | 3.325V | 5.089V | 148.892 | 49.91°C | 115.16V | ||||
CL3 | 0.113A | 0A | 23.778A | 0A | 80.575 | 76.031% | 1776 | 46.0 | 43.73°C | 0.973 |
12.161V | 5.023V | 3.331V | 5.086V | 105.977 | 51.27°C | 115.17V | ||||
CL4 | 61.633A | 0A | 0A | 0.001A | 749.527 | 88.744% | 1792 | 46.1 | 44.2°C | 0.987 |
12.161V | 5.012V | 3.322V | 5.05V | 844.597 | 53.09°C | 115.13V |
Up to the 40% load test, the PSU's fan spins at low speeds, but it notably increases its speed along with noise output in the next test. We pushed hard the PSU during these tests, but it didn't sweat.
20-80W Load Tests
In the following tests, we measure the PSU's efficiency at loads significantly lower than 10% of its maximum capacity (the lowest load the 80 PLUS standard measures). This is important for representing when a PC is idle with power-saving features turned on.
Test | 12V | 5V | 3.3V | 5VSB | DC/AC (Watts) | Efficiency | Fan Speed (RPM) | PSU Noise (dB[A]) | Temps (In/Out) | PF/AC Volts |
20W | 1.228A | 0.497A | 0.494A | 0.196A | 19.99 | 72.726% | 0 | <6.0 | 39.25°C | 0.822 |
12.086V | 5.029V | 3.337V | 5.102V | 27.487 | 36.97°C | 115.14V | ||||
40W | 2.705A | 0.696A | 0.692A | 0.294A | 39.992 | 77.47% | 0 | <6.0 | 40.39°C | 0.927 |
12.081V | 5.028V | 3.337V | 5.098V | 51.622 | 37.6°C | 115.14V | ||||
60W | 4.167A | 0.895A | 0.89A | 0.392A | 59.992 | 82.677% | 0 | <6.0 | 41.28°C | 0.949 |
12.125V | 5.027V | 3.336V | 5.094V | 72.561 | 37.91°C | 115.14V | ||||
80W | 5.613A | 1.094A | 1.088A | 0.491A | 79.929 | 86.362% | 0 | <6.0 | 43.63°C | 0.963 |
12.167V | 5.026V | 3.335V | 5.091V | 92.551 | 39.66°C | 115.14V |
There is no need for the fan to spin under light loads, despite the high operating temperatures.
2% or 10W Load Test
From July 2020, the ATX spec requires 70% and higher efficiency with 115V input. The applied load is only 10W for PSUs with 500W and lower capacities, while for stronger units, we dial 2% of their max-rated capacity.
12V | 5V | 3.3V | 5VSB | DC/AC (Watts) | Efficiency | Fan Speed (RPM) | PSU Noise (dB[A]) | Temps (In/Out) | PF/AC Volts |
1.193A | 0.276A | 0.275A | 0.056A | 16.992 | 69.653% | 0 | <6.0 | 24.25°C | 0.801 |
12.070V | 5.026V | 3.335V | 5.104V | 24.395 | 27.43°C | 115.15V |
With 2% load, the PSU is close to the desired 70% efficiency level. It would be nice if it could go higher than that, though.
Efficiency & Power Factor
Next, we plotted a chart showing the PSU's efficiency at low loads and loads from 10 to 110% of its maximum rated capacity. The higher a PSU’s efficiency, the less energy goes wasted, leading to a reduced carbon footprint and lower electricity bills. The same goes for Power Factor.
This is an efficient platform, but a small boost at light and super-light loads would be highly welcome.
5VSB Efficiency
Test # | 5VSB | DC/AC (Watts) | Efficiency | PF/AC Volts |
1 | 0.1A | 0.511W | 71.529% | 0.065 |
5.107V | 0.714W | 115.15V | ||
2 | 0.25A | 1.275W | 75.525% | 0.145 |
5.103V | 1.688W | 115.15V | ||
3 | 0.55A | 2.803W | 77.28% | 0.261 |
5.097V | 3.627W | 115.15V | ||
4 | 1A | 5.087W | 77.464% | 0.358 |
5.088V | 6.567W | 115.15V | ||
5 | 1.5A | 7.616W | 77.857% | 0.413 |
5.077V | 9.782W | 115.15V | ||
6 | 2.999A | 15.093W | 76.05% | 0.479 |
5.032V | 19.846W | 115.15V |
The 5VSB rail needs an efficiency boost to meet the competition.
Power Consumption In Idle And Standby
Mode | 12V | 5V | 3.3V | 5VSB | Watts | PF/AC Volts |
Idle | 12.069V | 5.026V | 3.335V | 5.108V | 4.851 | 0.316 |
115.16V | ||||||
Standby | 0.062 | 0.005 | ||||
115.16V |
Vampire power is low with 115V but over 0.1W with 230V.
Fan RPM, Delta Temperature, And Output Noise
All results are obtained between an ambient temperature of 37 to 47 degrees Celsius (98.6 to 116.6 degrees Fahrenheit).
The fan speed profile is aggressive at high operating temperatures. It could be more relaxed, but Seasonic wanted to make sure that the PSU will outlive the long warranty and we cannot blame its engineers for this.
The following results were obtained at 30 to 32 degrees Celsius (86 to 89.6 degrees Fahrenheit) ambient temperature.
The fan speed profile is more relaxed at normal operating temperatures, and the passive operation lasts for quite long if you don't apply a high load on the minor rails.
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Current page: Load Regulation, Hold-Up Time, Inrush & Leakage Current, Efficiency and Noise
Prev Page Specifications and Part Analysis Next Page Protection Features, DC Power Sequencing, Cross-Load Tests and Infrared ImagesAris Mpitziopoulos is a contributing editor at Tom's Hardware, covering PSUs.
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Johnpombrio It is amazing how many different power supplies EVGA makes. There is the usual 550,650,750,850, 1000, and 1600 watts. The GA, GM, GT, GQ, a plain, cheap G+, and so many others. Then comes the superNOVA branded ones with their G(gold), P(platinum), and T (titanium) efficiencies. Each of THESE superNOVA families has G2, G3, G5, and G6: P2 through P6; and the super expensive T series. I have an EVGA superNOVA 850 G2 which I bought because it was on a great sale and I trust EVGA in most things. I hope a good rating on a 750 G6 means a good rating on a superNOVA 850 G6 which will be needed with my Alder Lake build coming up.Reply