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 ST1500-TI'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 | 23.0mV | 6.5mV | 8.3mV | 3.6mV | Pass |
| 20% Load | 15.6mV | 7.6mV | 9.6mV | 3.8mV | Pass |
| 30% Load | 16.0mV | 7.2mV | 10.5mV | 4.3mV | Pass |
| 40% Load | 16.6mV | 7.7mV | 11.3mV | 5.2mV | Pass |
| 50% Load | 18.3mV | 8.3mV | 12.4mV | 5.0mV | Pass |
| 60% Load | 25.7mV | 9.2mV | 13.5mV | 5.7mV | Pass |
| 70% Load | 34.4mV | 11.1mV | 15.0mV | 6.4mV | Pass |
| 80% Load | 19.5mV | 11.0mV | 19.9mV | 6.9mV | Pass |
| 90% Load | 19.6mV | 11.6mV | 15.5mV | 7.2mV | Pass |
| 100% Load | 20.5mV | 12.6mV | 17.0mV | 7.9mV | Pass |
| 110% Load | 21.6mV | 13.3mV | 18.4mV | 8.1mV | Pass |
| Cross-Load 1 | 41.7mV | 9.8mV | 11.4mV | 4.3mV | Pass |
| Cross-Load 2 | 19.4mV | 11.7mV | 13.4mV | 7.0mV | Pass |
Enhance Electronics platforms don't usually fare well when it comes to ripple suppression, so the ST1500-TI's performance in this section is a nice surprise. Ripple suppression on all rails is great, though our cross-load tests reveal that there are regions where ripple at +12V exceeds 100mV! Thankfully, ripple suppression never exceeds the ATX specification on any of the rails.
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
Ripple At 110-Percent Load
Ripple At Cross-Load 1
Ripple At Cross-Load 2
MORE: Best Power Supplies
MORE: How We Test Power Supplies
MORE: All Power Supply Content
