Load Regulation, Hold-Up Time And 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.
The following charts show the voltage values of the main rails, recorded over a range from 40W to the maximum specified load, and the deviation (in percent) for the same load range. You will also find a chart showing how the 5VSB rail deals with the load we throw at it.
Hold-Up Time
Our hold-up time tests are described in detail here.
The hold-up time is very long—one of the best we have ever measured.
Inrush Current
For details on our inrush current testing, please click here.
The inrush current is higher than that of other similar-capacity units, but it is still low enough that it won’t cause problems.
Load Regulation And Efficiency Measurements
The first set of tests revealed the stability of the voltage rails and the PSU's efficiency. The applied load equals approximately 10 to 110 percent of the maximum load the supply can handle, 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 high loads while the load at +12V was only 0.10A. This test revealed whether the PSU was Haswell-ready. In the second test, we determined the maximum load the +12V rail could handle while the load on the minor rails was minimal.
| Test | 12V (A/V) | 5V (A/V) | 3.3V (A/V) | 5VSB (A/V) | Power DC/AC(W) | Efficiency (%) | Fan Speed (RPM) | Fan Noise dB(A) | Temp In/Out (°C) | PF/AC (V) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2.300A | 1.952A | 1.960A | 0.981A | 49.76 | 83.38 | 850 | 28.6 | 38.29 | 0.976 |
| 12.253V | 5.117V | 3.363V | 5.099V | 59.68 | 40.46 | 115 | ||||
| 2 | 5.632A | 2.926A | 2.952A | 1.180A | 99.73 | 87.27 | 885 | 29.8 | 37.49 | 0.988 |
| 12.233V | 5.109V | 3.350V | 5.083V | 114.28 | 39.97 | 115 | ||||
| 3 | 9.318A | 3.431A | 3.470A | 1.379A | 149.87 | 89.16 | 1015 | 31.9 | 38.55 | 0.993 |
| 12.212V | 5.100V | 3.340V | 5.069V | 168.10 | 41.24 | 115 | ||||
| 4 | 13.007A | 3.921A | 3.963A | 1.580A | 199.75 | 89.93 | 1130 | 34.8 | 38.77 | 0.996 |
| 12.194V | 5.092V | 3.329V | 5.053V | 222.11 | 41.9 | 115 | ||||
| 5 | 16.370A | 4.915A | 4.975A | 1.786A | 249.76 | 89.94 | 1300 | 39.8 | 41.38 | 0.997 |
| 12.173V | 5.085V | 3.316V | 5.036V | 277.70 | 44.67 | 115 | ||||
| 6 | 19.750A | 5.900A | 5.992A | 1.992A | 299.75 | 89.64 | 1425 | 40.3 | 41.84 | 0.997 |
| 12.152V | 5.078V | 3.303V | 5.017V | 334.40 | 45.65 | 115 | ||||
| 7 | 23.139A | 6.901A | 7.017A | 2.200A | 349.73 | 89.20 | 1510 | 40.7 | 42.61 | 0.997 |
| 12.129V | 5.071V | 3.291V | 4.997V | 392.09 | 47.16 | 115 | ||||
| 8 | 26.537A | 7.896A | 8.053A | 2.409A | 399.67 | 88.67 | 1570 | 41.4 | 42.76 | 0.998 |
| 12.107V | 5.065V | 3.278V | 4.979V | 450.76 | 47.91 | 115 | ||||
| 9 | 30.379A | 8.405A | 8.602A | 2.415A | 449.70 | 88.05 | 1700 | 42.7 | 43.31 | 0.998 |
| 12.084V | 5.057V | 3.267V | 4.967V | 510.75 | 49.4 | 114.9 | ||||
| 10 | 33.975A | 8.914A | 9.131A | 3.033A | 499.58 | 87.23 | 1770 | 44.3 | 44.9 | 0.998 |
| 12.065V | 5.048V | 3.252V | 4.939V | 572.74 | 51.69 | 114.9 | ||||
| 11 | 38.189A | 8.935A | 9.164A | 3.043A | 549.49 | 87.23 | 1780 | 44.3 | 45.45 | 0.998 |
| 12.040V | 5.036V | 3.241V | 4.927V | 637.16 | 53.42 | 114.9 | ||||
| CL1 | 0.102A | 13.013A | 13.005A | 0.003A | 111.48 | 87.23 | 1525 | 41.1 | 43.26 | 0.992 |
| 12.203V | 5.148V | 3.324V | 5.069V | 136.51 | 49.29 | 115 | ||||
| CL2 | 39.965A | 1.002A | 1.003A | 1.002A | 495.08 | 88.40 | 1750 | 43.7 | 43.83 | 0.998 |
| 12.054V | 5.024V | 3.279V | 5.012V | 560.07 | 49.95 | 114.9 |
Load regulation was pretty tight on the +12V and 5V rails, though at 3.3V it exceeded three percent. Nonetheless, what really matters is the +12V rail's performance, which feeds most of a modern system's components. In this case, that rail performed well. Our efficiency measurements show that the unit easily cleared the 80 PLUS Gold requirements with 20 percent and 100 percent load, and missed 90 percent efficiency by a very small margin with a typical (50 percent) load. Therefore, we will give it a pass, since we measure at much higher temperatures than the 80 PLUS organization.
The 120mm fan proved to be silent enough, even under highly stressful conditions like the ones we applied during our high-load tests. When the fan was at full speed, its noise output didn’t go above 45 dB. In addition, the fan handled the heat load efficiently, allowing the PSU to operate without any problems as the hot box exceeded 45 degrees C (113 degrees F).
