Micronics Caslon II 600W PSU Review: A Low-Cost Gem?

By Aris Mpitziopoulos
published

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Ripple Measurements

To learn how we measure ripple, please click here.

The following table includes the ripple levels we measured on the Caslon II’s rails. The limits, according to the ATX specification, are 120mV (+12V) and 50mV (5V, 3.3V, and 5VSB).

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Test12V5V3.3V5VSBPass/Fail
10% Load7.8mV5.3mV8.6mV8.6mVPass
20% Load9.0mV6.5mV10.9mV10.7mVPass
30% Load11.3mV8.4mV13.3mV13.4mVPass
40% Load15.4mV10.8mV15.8mV20.4mVPass
50% Load21.5mV14.4mV17.5mV18.6mVPass
60% Load25.5mV15.9mV19.4mV21.1mVPass
70% Load28.4mV17.9mV21.7mV23.6mVPass
80% Load30.2mV19.6mV24.0mV30.0mVPass
90% Load36.5mV22.1mV25.5mV34.0mVPass
100% Load44.7mV27.7mV27.3mV37.5mVPass
110% Load67.3mV34.5mV29.1mV42.7mVPass
Cross-Load 114.8mV41.7mV14.4mV7.5mVPass
Cross-Load 230.3mV23.1mV23.7mV29.1mVPass
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Ripple suppression seems good for the budget category's standards. You just can't be picky with a $63 PSU. 

Ripple Oscilloscope Screenshots

The following oscilloscope screenshots illustrate the AC ripple and noise registered on the main rails (+12V, 5V, 3.3V, and 5VSB). The bigger the fluctuations on the screen, the bigger the ripple/noise. We set 0.01 V/Div (each vertical division/box equals 0.01V) as the standard for all measurements.  

Ripple At Full Load

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Ripple At 110-Percent Load

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Ripple At Cross-Load 1

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Ripple At Cross-Load 2

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Aris Mpitziopoulos
Aris Mpitziopoulos
Contributing Editor

Aris Mpitziopoulos is a Contributing Editor at Tom's Hardware US, covering PSUs.

6 Comments Comment from the forums
  • nobspls
    Why would anyone choose this one say over the Corsair CX650M? Which you can get typically for $50.
    Reply
  • Aris_Mp
    Personally I would also take the CX650M in any day of the week, for $50.
    Reply
  • spentshells
    " Not only does this minimize your carbon footprint"

    The idea of conserving electricity is a fallacy, if you use less the people selling can sell more to someone else..... they aren't just holding on to the energy you saved because you're a hero saving the world.

    Making your footprint smaller doesn't matter in the least when someone else's foot print just gets that much bigger.

    Save some money, sure but for how long? The less you use the more they can charge for that smaller amount later on..... that's how it is.


    On a different note, Ill likely try the psu out at one point on a build for someone else.
    Reply
  • rohs42
    > The idea of conserving electricity is a fallacy

    No it isn't. Of course a 100 megawatt generator will not be turned off if someone saves 10 watts of power. But if a 10 million people save 10 watts of power, then of course it will be turned off. And if 100 million people save 10 watts, then there'll be no business case for that new gigawatt power plant.

    As citizens, consumers and voters we all bear a small share of responsibility for the state of the world, and we all have a small part to play in making it better. It's only through working together that humanity improves. Your appeal to helplessness and apathy is pathetic.
    Reply
  • jabliese
    Hey Tom's,

    Once upon a time, we had an extensive brown out at work, which went on for 3 days. On day 2, I was surprised to find many of the PC's that were still working were on 60v power. Over the years, it did not seem to have a adverse affect on any of the power supplies. Lately, I have been wondering what their efficiency numbers looked like during that time, any chance you could add a severe undervolt test to the power supply suite?
    Reply
  • Aris_Mp
    60V is too low. Most PSUs won't even work at such low voltage. I am surprised to hear that the PSUs at your work were working under such conditions for days.

    Efficiency drops along with voltage input. I want to add more protection tests, however I already have enough fails with the current ones. Nonetheless, I am keeping every suggestion under consideration.
    Reply