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.
Transient Response Tests
Advanced Transient Response Tests
For details on our transient response testing, please click here.
Ιn these tests, we monitor the response of the PSU in two different scenarios. First, a transient load (10A at +12V, 5A at 5V, 5A at 3.3V and 0.5A at 5VSB) is applied for 200ms while the PSU works at 20 percent load. In the second scenario, the PSU is hit by the same transient load while operating at 50 percent load. In both tests, we use our oscilloscope to measure the voltage drops caused by the transient load. The voltages should remain within the ATX specification's regulation limits.
These metrics are crucial because they simulate the transient loads a PSU is likely to handle (such as booting a RAID array or an instant 100 percent load of CPU/GPUs). We call them "Advanced Transient Response Tests," and they are designed to be very tough to master, especially for PSUs with less than 500W capacity.
Advanced Transient Response at 20 Percent
| Voltage | Before | After | Change | Pass/Fail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12V | 12.102V | 12.013V | 0.74% | Pass |
| 5V | 5.075V | 4.989V | 1.69% | Pass |
| 3.3V | 3.324V | 3.216V | 3.25% | Pass |
| 5VSB | 5.056V | 4.988V | 1.34% | Pass |
Advanced Transient Response at 50 Percent
| Voltage | Before | After | Change | Pass/Fail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12V | 12.051V | 11.972V | 0.66% | Pass |
| 5V | 5.035V | 4.937V | 1.95% | Pass |
| 3.3V | 3.285V | 3.180V | 3.20% | Pass |
| 5VSB | 5.008V | 4.928V | 1.60% | Pass |
Voltage drops on the +12V rail are quite low. The same goes for the 5V and 5VSB rails.
The deviations aren't large at +12V. However, the low initial voltage during the second test leads to a reading below 3.2V when the transient load is applied.
Here are the oscilloscope screenshots we took during Advanced Transient Response Testing:
Transient Response At 20 Percent Load
Transient Response At 50 Percent Load
Turn-On Transient Tests
In the next set of tests, we measure the PSU's response in simpler transient load scenarios—during its power-on phase.
For the first measurement, we turn off the PSU, dial in the maximum current the 5VSB can output and switch on the PSU. In the second test, we dial the maximum load the +12V can handle and start the PSU while it's in standby mode. In the last test, while the PSU is completely switched off (we cut off the power or switch off the PSU by flipping its on/off switch), we dial the maximum load the +12V rail can handle before switching on the PSU from the loader and restoring power. The ATX specification states that recorded spikes on all rails should not exceed 10 percent of their nominal values (+10 percent for 12V is 13.2V, and 5.5V for 5V).
Everything is fine here; the spike in the last test is tiny and the voltage overshoot is small as well.
Cooler Master ION 360 AIO Liquid Cooler Review: One step forward, two steps back
AMD delays its Ryzen 9000 launch due to unspecified quality issue — new launch in August; chipmaker pulls back all units shipped globally for quality checks [Updated]
Japanese Prime Minister Kishida vows government funds for local chip fabs — Rapidus eyes 2nm production by 2027
