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Protection Features
Check out our PSUs 101 article to learn more about PSU protection features.
Protection Features | |
OCP |
12V: 86A (135.86%), 12.045V 5V: 31.1A (141.36%), 4.993V 3.3V: 32.5A (147.73%), 3.267V 5VSB: 5.1A (170%), 4.866V |
OPP |
1045.3W (137.54%) |
OTP |
Yes (171°C @ 12V heat sink) |
SCP |
12V: ✓ 5V: ✓ 3.3V: ✓ 5VSB: ✓ -12V: ✓ |
PWR_OK |
Proper Operation |
NLO |
✓ |
SIP |
Surge: MOV Inrush: NTC Thermistor & Bypass Relay |
The OCP triggering points are set high on all rails, especially the minor ones. The OPP is also high at 1045W. The rest protection features work fine and are configured correctly.
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. Unfortunately, Intel doesn't mention why it is so important to always keep the 3.3V rail's voltage lower than the levels of the other two outputs.
DC Power Sequencing Scope Shots
There are no problems here, since the 3.3V rail is always 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 to 32 degrees Celsius (86 to 89.6 degrees Fahrenheit).
Load Regulation Charts
Load Regulation Charts
Efficiency Chart
Ripple Charts
The lower the power supply's ripple, the more stable the system will be and less stress will also be applied to its components.
Ripple Suppression Charts
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).
IR Images
The hottest area is right next to the DC-DC converters, where polymer caps are installed. These caps are tolerant to high operating temperatures, so there will be no issues in the long run.
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Current page: Protection Features, DC Power Sequencing, Cross-Load Tests and Infrared Images
Prev Page Load Regulation, Hold-Up Time, Inrush Current, Efficiency and Noise Next Page Transient Response Tests, Timing Tests, Ripple Measurements and EMC Pre-Compliance TestingAris Mpitziopoulos is a contributing editor at Tom's Hardware, covering PSUs.
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shadyj
Hello,Admin said:The Ion+ 760P from Fractal Design offers good performance and silent operation at a decent price.
Fractal Design Ion+ Platinum 760W Power Supply Review : Read more
I just want to thank Tom's Hardware for such in-depth PSU reviews like this with serious measurements. I will admit most of the metrics in the review go over my head, but the reviewer does provide guidance as to how those measurements rank the product under review. I know this is not easy to do since I review products that have measurable performance that can get highly technical, but I try to provide commentary as to the meaning of the test results. These objective results are so much more valuable than some "influencer's" subjective experience on youtube or some other low data review. This really helps us who aren't electrical engineers make a slightly more informed purchase with more confidence.
Thanks! -
NoFaultius Interesting timing on your article. I just RMA'd this power supply today. It worked great for 10 months, then started causing random reboots. While it worked, it worked great. Silent and strong. So far, they have been good with the RMA process. They emailed me a label to send them the defective unit back. Apparently they will send me a replacement once they get it and run some tests.Reply