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 Cooler Master V650 SFX GOLD at 45c. This makes Test #1 equal to 172W by loading the 12v rail to 12a, 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 starting off mixed in regards to nominal. The efficiency for this unit is starting off in good shape at a value of 87.35% at 120v AC input and 86.73% at 100v AC input. We see the exhaust temperature is 48C at 120v AC input and 50C at 100V AC input.
Test #2 is equal to approximately 50% of the rated capacity of the Cooler Master V650 SFX GOLD at 45c. This makes Test #2 equal to 322W by loading the 12v rail to 24a, the 5v rail to 3a, the 3.3v rail to 2a, the +5vsb to 2a, and the -12v to 0.3a. Test #2 sees results in the DC output voltages that drop relative to what we saw with Test #1. The largest changes are a 0.06v drop on the 12v rail followed by a 0.03v drop on the 5v rail and a 0.02v drop on the 3.3v rail. The efficiency has moved up to 89.26% at 120v AC input and 88.53% at 100v AC input. We see an exhaust temperature of 53C at 120v AC input and 56C at 100V AC input.
Test #3 is equal to approximately 75% of the rated capacity of Cooler Master V650 SFX GOLD at 45c. This makes Test #3 equal to 481W by loading the 12v rail to 36a, the 5v rail to 5a, the 3.3v rail to 4a, the +5vsb to 2a, and the -12v to 0.3a. Test #3 sees the main DC output voltages drop once more. The 5v and 3.3v rails drop by 0.02v while the 12v rail drops by up to 0.06v. The efficiency in Test #3 moves down to 89.00% at 120v AC input and 88.02% at 100v AC input. We see an exhaust temperature of 56C at 120v AC input and 59C at 100V AC input.
Test #4 is equal to approximately 100% of the rated capacity of the Cooler Master V650 SFX GOLD at 45c. This makes Test #4 equal to 642W by loading the 12v rail to 50a, the 5v rail to 5a, the 3.3v rail to 3a, the +5vsb to 2a, and the -12v to 0.3a. In the final regular test, we see the 12v rail move down by up to 0.08v. The minor rails also drop by 0.01v on the 5v rail or 0.02v on the 3.3v rail. The efficiency has dropped as we see it come in at 87.81% at 120v AC input and 86.51% at 100v AC input. We see an exhaust temperature of 59C at 120v AC input and 61C at 100V AC input.
Torture Test
The Torture Test is equal to approximately 80% of the rated capacity of the Cooler Master V650 SFX GOLD at 45C. This makes the Torture Test equal to 515W by loading the 12v rail to 38a, 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 FOCUS GM-650 is still doing well. 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 88.91% and the exhaust temperature is 62C.
80 Plus Load Testing Results
As we see here, the Cooler Master V650 SFX GOLD posts efficiency values of 87.02%-89.48%-87.22% efficient using 80 Plus’ load testing parameters. This puts the unit right under the 80 Gold standards in the 50% load test by 0.52%. However, we do use different equipment than 80 Plus for our testing and there is always a bit of component variation.
Load Testing Summary
The Cooler Master V650 SFX GOLD did a very good job in our initial load testing. When we look at the voltage regulation, we see that the V650 SFX GOLD had peak changes of 0.19v on the 12v rail, 0.06v on the 5v rail, and 0.06v on the 3.3v rail. These absolute values are easily in the specification and very good overall. In relative terms, it is a bit harder to say as we have only seen two other 650W units to date and neither of those units were SFX form factor products. However, if we look at those two units (the Seasonic FOCUS GM-650 and the GIGABYTE P650B) we see that this unit is mixed with those ATX form-factor products. That does speak well for this unit as it is having similar performance from a much smaller footprint.
When we look at the efficiency values posted today, we see that the V650 SFX GOLD does well but maybe not as well as we were expecting. The efficiency values ranged from 87.35% to 89.26% efficient at 120v AC input and 86.51% to 88.53% efficient at 100v AC input. Also, this unit posted values in our 80 Plus Test that were under the 80 Plus Gold level that it is certified for at 50% load by 0.52%. Lastly, the exhaust temperature peaked at 59C at 120v AC input, 61C at 100v AC input, and 62C during the Torture Test. With, generally, very good starting results in today’s testing let’s move on to the Transient Load Tests to see what this unit will do there!