Load Testing

For those of you that are curious as to some of the reasoning and equipment behind our PSU testing program here at TheFPSReview, we have put together an introduction for you. This program is based on what the author developed at [H]ardOCP and utilizes the equipment bequeathed to the author by Kyle Bennett. The testing we are conducting today is a bit different as we will only be testing using the parameters of the Dr. Power II in its automated test mode rather than a full testing suite given that is all the tester is supposed to do.

SunMoon SM-8800 vs. Dr. Power II Load Testing Results

SunMoon SM-8800 versus Thermaltake Dr. Power II Load Testing Voltage Results Table
Left: Image of Thermaltake Dr. Power II output during reading. Right: Image of Dr. Power II during error reading.

Today, we see measurable differences in the voltage outputs between the SunMoon Sm-8800 and Dr. Power II. Interestingly, when we look at the results, we see that the values posted by the Dr. Power II do not fluctuate between tests at all. The SunMoon SM-8800 shows us slight differences between Test #1, Test #2, and Test #3. However, each of these differences is in the second digit past the decimal point and the precision on the Dr. Power II is not that good. So, it is likely just missing these changes due to the inherent precision of the instrument.

The second thing we notice here is that the differences between what the SunMoon SM-8800 and the Dr. Power II record diverge more as the voltage increases in magnitude. So, the values we see today do vary to a good degree between these two measurement methods and the Dr. Power II gives us less precision. Let’s move on to some final thoughts about this exercise.

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Paul Johnson

Paul is a long time PC hobbyist and tech enthusiast having gotten his start when he broke his first C64 quickly followed by breaking his first IBM XT. Most notably however, for 12 years, he served as the...

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5 Comments

  1. I got one of these a couple years ago for like $20. It works but there isn’t a lot to it. It did identify a problem with one of my PSU (but I was already 90% sure that one was screwed anyway).

    So for $20 it’s not a bad tool to have to check out PSUs before hooking them up to expensive motherboards. But at $35 I dunno.

  2. Neat little tool, and awesome writeup.

    Yeah, it isn’t much better than a paperclip jumper to see if your PSU is at least turning on – but it does tell you that much in splendid fashion. And for most people at home, that’s really about all you need – does the PSU turn on, and is it close to nominal output? For $35, for a person who puts together machines as a hobby, this is a nice price point and does pretty much what it should. And it’s (presumably) easier to use than a paperclip and gives you a bit more data in the readout (even if it is of questionable accuracy).

    I wouldn’t sell your other test equipment used for reviews though.

  3. Thanks for the article Paul! This is the kind of stuff I see when browsing Amazon, or other places, and wonder if it does anything useful for the money. It may not be able to fully compete on a professional level but at least, for the money, it’s not a total rip-off either.
  4. I really liked this article.
    It’s neat to see somewhat obscure gadgets tested against the real deal.
    This little meter is actually kind of compelling, in a 35 dollar sort of way.
    I always thought the SunMoon almost sounded cult like and mystical, somewhat like power supplies……..
  5. I have an ancient Antec power supply tester and it has been very useful over the years. It just has pass/fail LEDs and an overall Fault/Good reading. I always use it to test a power supply (new or repurposed) before installing, and it has saved me a few times.
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