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 exactly as described in that document and starts with our 120v, 100v, Torture, and 80 Plus Tests.
120v and 100v Load Testing Results
Test #1 is equal to approximately 25% of the rated capacity of the SilverStone DA850 Gold at 45c. This makes Test #1 equal to 221W by loading the 12v rail to 16a, the 5v rail to 2a, the 3.3v rail to 1a, the +5vsb to 2a, and the -12v to 0.3a. The results of Test #1 show the main positive DC output rails, except for the 3.3v rail, starting off above nominal. The efficiency for this unit is starting off in excellent shape at a value of 88.67% at 120v AC input and 88.31% at 100v AC input. We see the exhaust temperature is 48C at 120v AC input and 49C at 100V AC input.
Test #2 is equal to approximately 50% of the rated capacity of the SilverStone DA850 Gold at 45c. This makes Test #2 equal to 431W by loading the 12v rail to 32a, the 5v rail to 4a, the 3.3v rail to 3a, the +5vsb to 2a, and the -12v to 0.3a. Test #2 sees across the board declines in DC output voltages relative to what we saw with Test #1. These changes are up to 0.02v on all of the main rails we monitor. The efficiency has barely moved up to 89.03% at 120v AC input and down to 88.48% at 100v AC input. We see an exhaust temperature of 50C at 120v AC input and 53C at 100V AC input.
Test #3 is equal to approximately 75% of the rated capacity of SilverStone DA850 Gold at 45c. This makes Test #3 equal to 638W by loading the 12v rail to 48a, the 5v rail to 6a, the 3.3v rail to 4a, the +5vsb to 2a, and the -12v to 0.3a. Test #3 sees slightly mixed changes. The 5v and 3.3v rails have dropped by 0.01v. The 12v rail has stayed even with Test #2. The efficiency in Test #3 moves down to 88.11% at 120v AC input and 87.27% at 100v AC input. We see an exhaust temperature of 53C at 120v AC input and 55C at 100V AC input.
Test #4 is equal to approximately 100% of the rated capacity of the SilverStone DA850 Gold at 45c. This makes Test #4 equal to 855W by loading the 12v rail to 68a, the 5v rail to 2a, the 3.3v rail to 2a, the +5vsb to 2a, and the -12v to 0.3a. In the final regular test, we see the 12v rail with mixed results depending on the connector we look at as they drop by up to 0.02v or rise by up to 0.04v. The minor rails, however, see an increase of 0.01v on the 3,3v rail and no change on the 5v rail. The efficiency has dropped as we see it come in at 86.76% at 120v AC input and 84.61% at 100v AC input. We see an exhaust temperature of 57C at 120v AC input and 60C at 100V AC input.
Torture Test
The Torture Test is equal to approximately 80% of the rated capacity of the SilverStone DA850 Gold at 45C. This makes the Torture Test equal to 668W by loading the 12v rail to 50a, the 5v rail to 7a, the 3.3v rail to 5a, the +5vsb to 2a, and the -12v to 0.3a. At the end of the Torture Test, the DA850 Gold is still doing fine. The DC output voltages are generally in line with what we have been seeing in the 120v load tests. The efficiency is very good as we see a value of 87.45% and the exhaust temperature is 63C.
Load Testing Summary
Today, the SilverStone DA850 Gold proved to be an excellent power supply in our initial load testing. When we look at the voltage regulation, we see that the DA850 Gold had peak changes of 0.04v on the 12v rail, 0.03v on the 5v rail, and 0.03v on the 3.3v rail. Interestingly, we have a few directly comparable products to look at today. As it were, the DA850 Gold does better than the Enermax REVOLUTION DF 850W and MSI MPG A850GF while being mixed with the ASUS ROG THOR 850W we reviewed some time ago. So, these absolute values are easily in the specification and this unit compares very favorably with other, similar, products as it is right there tied for the lead.
When we look at the efficiency side of things, we see that the DA850 Gold ranged from 86.76% to 89.03% efficient at 120v AC input and 84.61% to 88.48% efficient at 100v AC input which is very good. Lastly, the exhaust temperature peaked at 57C at 120v AC input, 60C at 100v AC input, and 63C during the Torture Test. With excellent starting results in today’s testing, let’s move on to the Transient Load Tests.