Why you can trust Tom's Hardware Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
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.
We measure a very low hold-up time, which was expected due to the low-capacity bulk cap. At least the power-good signal is accurate.
Inrush Current
For details on our inrush current testing, please click here.
The inrush current levels are normal. Apparently, the small NTC thermistor does a decent job.
Load Regulation And Efficiency Measurements
The first set of tests reveals the stability of the voltage rails and the SDA600'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 supports Intel's C6/C7 power 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 | 3.167A | 2.010A | 1.947A | 0.996A | 59.793 | 81.817% | 1544 RPM | 20.3 dB(A) | 38.26°C | 0.986 |
| 12.063V | 4.977V | 3.386V | 5.013V | 73.081 | 41.97°C | 115.13V | ||||
| 2 | 7.376A | 3.015A | 2.932A | 1.200A | 119.773 | 86.498% | 1544 RPM | 20.3 dB(A) | 38.85°C | 0.995 |
| 12.053V | 4.968V | 3.374V | 5.000V | 138.469 | 42.80°C | 115.12V | ||||
| 3 | 11.939A | 3.521A | 3.444A | 1.400A | 179.823 | 88.539% | 1748 RPM | 23.0 dB(A) | 39.39°C | 0.997 |
| 12.044V | 4.959V | 3.364V | 4.988V | 203.100 | 43.65°C | 115.13V | ||||
| 4 | 16.497A | 4.042A | 3.933A | 1.604A | 239.753 | 89.300% | 1851 RPM | 23.8 dB(A) | 39.91°C | 0.999 |
| 12.037V | 4.950V | 3.354V | 4.975V | 268.479 | 44.73°C | 115.12V | ||||
| 5 | 20.720A | 5.060A | 4.937A | 1.811A | 299.694 | 89.416% | 2006 RPM | 24.9 dB(A) | 40.34°C | 0.999 |
| 12.028V | 4.939V | 3.341V | 4.963V | 335.168 | 45.96°C | 115.12V | ||||
| 6 | 24.948A | 6.091A | 5.947A | 2.021A | 359.714 | 88.793% | 2213 RPM | 25.8 dB(A) | 41.36°C | 0.999 |
| 12.021V | 4.928V | 3.329V | 4.948V | 405.122 | 47.75°C | 115.12V | ||||
| 7 | 29.181A | 7.121A | 6.966A | 2.225A | 419.645 | 88.394% | 2330 RPM | 30.3 dB(A) | 42.09°C | 0.999 |
| 12.014V | 4.914V | 3.315V | 4.935V | 474.746 | 49.59°C | 115.12V | ||||
| 8 | 33.419A | 8.162A | 7.994A | 2.437A | 479.608 | 87.815% | 2768 RPM | 32.3 dB(A) | 42.68°C | 0.999 |
| 12.005V | 4.904V | 3.302V | 4.920V | 546.158 | 51.05°C | 115.12V | ||||
| 9 | 38.098A | 8.688A | 8.534A | 2.441A | 539.673 | 87.224% | 3410 RPM | 39.0 dB(A) | 43.61°C | 0.999 |
| 11.997V | 4.895V | 3.292V | 4.912V | 618.724 | 52.30°C | 115.12V | ||||
| 10 | 42.734A | 9.217A | 9.050A | 2.546A | 599.514 | 86.319% | 3695 RPM | 41.6 dB(A) | 44.65°C | 0.999 |
| 11.988V | 4.885V | 3.283V | 4.903V | 694.535 | 54.24°C | 115.14V | ||||
| 11 | 47.762A | 9.233A | 9.070A | 2.552A | 659.480 | 85.523% | 3695 RPM | 41.6 dB(A) | 45.67°C | 0.999 |
| 11.982V | 4.875V | 3.274V | 4.894V | 771.114 | 56.61°C | 115.11V | ||||
| CL1 | 0.099A | 11.017A | 11.005A | 0.005A | 92.236 | 83.120% | 2238 RPM | 26.1 dB(A) | 43.22°C | 0.995 |
| 12.067V | 4.934V | 3.331V | 5.017V | 110.967 | 52.12°C | 115.12V | ||||
| CL2 | 49.954A | 1.003A | 1.002A | 1.002A | 612.523 | 86.963% | 3659 RPM | 40.8 dB(A) | 44.05°C | 0.999 |
| 11.997V | 4.909V | 3.325V | 4.959V | 704.346 | 52.96°C | 115.11V |
Load regulation on the +12V rail is pretty tight, and at 5V it's within 2%. However, load regulation is loose on the 3.3V and 5VSB rails.
The SDA600's efficiency is pretty low as well; it fails to pass the 80 PLUS Gold requirements big-time. Apparently, the high operating temperature we use to test has a more significant impact here than usual.
As far as noise goes, up until our sixth test the SDA600's fan is quiet enough. It's only from the seventh test and beyond that it starts making its presence felt. Still, we believe the profile is fairly conservative, since even during our overload test the fan doesn't spin at full speed.
MORE: Best Power Supplies
MORE: How We Test Power Supplies
MORE: All Power Supply Content
Raspberry Pi Monitor Review: Well-built portable monitor that works with any HDMI-capable device
Raspberry Pi 500 Review: The keyboard is the computer, again
Microsoft preparing Lunar Lake Surface and Surface Pro laptops for 1Q25, says report – new Surface Laptop Studio and an 11-inch Surface also on the horizon
