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.
Ripple Measurements
To learn how we measure ripple, please click here.
The following table includes the ripple levels we measured on the Photon-1200's rails. The limits, according to the ATX specification, are 120mV (+12V) and 50mV (5V, 3.3V and 5VSB).
| Test | 12V | 5V | 3.3V | 5VSB | Pass/Fail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10% Load | 29.2mV | 10.2mV | 24.0mV | 9.0mV | Pass |
| 20% Load | 38.2mV | 10.1mV | 25.2mV | 9.0mV | Pass |
| 30% Load | 46.1mV | 11.2mV | 26.7mV | 9.8mV | Pass |
| 40% Load | 58.2mV | 13.4mV | 28.4mV | 11.6mV | Pass |
| 50% Load | 69.6mV | 15.2mV | 29.3mV | 12.5mV | Pass |
| 60% Load | 77.5mV | 14.1mV | 31.2mV | 13.8mV | Pass |
| 70% Load | 86.2mV | 16.2mV | 36.4mV | 15.3mV | Pass |
| 80% Load | 94.7mV | 18.9mV | 39.5mV | 17.0mV | Pass |
| 90% Load | 105.0mV | 31.0mV | 45.1mV | 18.3mV | Pass |
| 100% Load | 115.9mV | 41.2mV | 48.6mV | 24.5mV | Pass |
| 110% Load | 126.7mV | 56.0mV | 63.2mV | 32.4mV | Fail |
| Cross-Load 1 | 46.2mV | 15.2mV | 23.0mV | 9.5mV | Pass |
| Cross-Load 2 | 113.3mV | 55.8mV | 61.0mV | 29.8mV | Fail |
Ripple suppression isn't good, especially at operating temperatures that exceed 44 degrees C. On the +12V rail, we don't want to see results above 50mV. Clearly, this platform lets us down with ripple measurements close to 120mV. The Photon-1200 cannot operate properly at high ambient temperatures and this is why it didn't manage to keep ripple suppression under control, failing in the 110 percent and Cross-Load 2 tests. Keep this thing's operating temperature below 40 °C, just as Rosewill recommends.
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 usually set 0.01V/Div (each vertical division/box equals 0.01V) as the standard for all measurements; however, in this case we had to increase to 0.02V/Div for the +12V rail.
Ripple At Full Load
Ripple At 110-Percent Load
Ripple At Cross-Load 1
Ripple At Cross-Load 2
