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 1STPLAYER SFX 750W Platinum at 45c. This makes Test #1 equal to 183W by loading the 12v rail to 13a, 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 above nominal. The efficiency for this unit is starting off in excellent shape at a value of 88.86% at 120v AC input and 88.43% at 100v AC input. We see the exhaust temperatures that do noes not yet register as the fan is still off.
Test #2 is equal to approximately 50% of the rated capacity of the 1STPLAYER SFX 750W Platinum at 45c. This makes Test #2 equal to 365W by loading the 12v rail to 27a, the 5v rail to 4a, the 3.3v rail to 2a, the +5vsb to 2a, and the -12v to 0.3a. Test #2 sees mixed results in the DC output voltages relative to what we saw with Test #1. The largest changes are up to a 0.02v decrease on the 12v rail and 3.3v rail followed by a 0.01v drop on the 5v rail. The 12v rail also shows increases of 0.01v on certain connectors. The efficiency has moved up to 90.57% at 120v AC input and 89.90% at 100v AC input. We see an exhaust temperature of 52C at 120v AC input and 54C at 100V AC input.
Test #3 is equal to approximately 75% of the rated capacity of 1STPLAYER SFX 750W Platinum at 45c. This makes Test #3 equal to 568W by loading the 12v rail to 42a, the 5v rail to 7a, the 3.3v rail to 5a, the +5vsb to 2a, and the -12v to 0.3a. Test #3 sees the 5v and 3.3v rail by 0.03v. The 12v rail has decreased by up to 0.02v. The efficiency in Test #3 moves down to 89.55% at 120v AC input and 88.44% at 100v AC input. We see an exhaust temperature of 55C at 120v AC input and 58C at 100V AC input.
Test #4 is equal to approximately 100% of the rated capacity of the 1STPLAYER SFX 750W Platinum at 45c. This makes Test #4 equal to 750W by loading the 12v rail to 60a, the 5v rail to 2a, the 3.3v rail to 1a, the +5vsb to 2a, and the -12v to 0.3a. In the final regular test, we see that the 1STPLAYER SFX 750W Platinum is unable to complete testing and shut down repeatedly.
Torture Test
The Torture Test is equal to approximately 80% of the rated capacity of the 1STPLAYER SFX 750W Platinum at 45C full load. This makes the Torture Test equal to 599W by loading the 12v rail to 44a, the 5v rail to 8a, the 3.3v rail to 6a, the +5vsb to 2a, and the -12v to 0.3a. At the end of the Torture Test, the 1STPLAYER SFX 750W Platinum is behaving very similarly to Test #3. Overall, 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 88.83% and the exhaust temperature is 67C.
Load Testing Summary
The 1STPLAYER SFX 750W Platinum did a terrible job in our initial load testing on account of the fact that it failed to complete testing, unlike the Lian Li S750. When we look at the voltage regulation for the tests it could complete, we see that the 1STPLAYER had peak changes of 0.04v on the 12v rail, 0.04v on the 5v rail, and 0.05v on the 3.3v rail. These absolute values are interesting as they are almost identical to the Lian Li SP750 (which posted them over the entirety of the unit’s output capacity rather than just the 75% of the capacity of the unit that the 1STPLAYER unit did). So, in a relative sense, this unit trailed the Lian Li SP750 and the SilverStone Sx750 making it the worst 750W SFX power supply we have seen to date. A big question is; why?
Looking at the Lian Li SP750 and the 1STPLAYER SFX 750W Platinum the only difference is the fan and housing configuration. Lian Li went with a better and larger fan than 1STPLAYER who undersized the fan for the unit, the housing cutout, and the layout of the power supply. This makes sense given the failure mode was to shut down after a few minutes of a full load and then restart after the unit cooled off.
When it came to efficiency, this unit posted a range of 88.86% to 90.57% efficient at 120v AC input and 88.43% to 89.90% efficient at 100v AC input. These values are decent overall and seem like they would be in the rough range for an 80 Plus Gold power supply but not an 80 Plus Platinum power supply as claimed. Lastly, the exhaust temperature peaked at 55C at 120v AC input, 58C at 100v AC input, and 67C during the Torture Test. Even though we are looking at a failure of a product, let’s move on to the Transient Load Tests.
Transient 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 that shares a lot of the behind-the-scenes of the program. 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 will continue with our Transient Testing.
Transient Test 1
12v Loaded/5v Loaded/5v Unloaded
12v/5v
Test #1 is equal to approximately 25% of the rated capacity of the 1STPLAYER SFX 750W Platinum at 45c. This makes Test #1 equal to 183W by loading the 12v rail to 13a, the 5v rail to 2a, the 3.3v rail to 1a, the +5vsb to 2a, and the -12v to 0.3a before the addition of the transient load. The results of Test #1 were not available due to the failure of the unit in the previous testing.
Transient Test 2
12v Loaded/5v Loaded/5v Unloaded
12v/5v
Test #2 is equal to approximately 50% of the rated capacity of the 1STPLAYER SFX 750W Platinum at 45c. This makes Test #2 equal to 365W by loading the 12v rail to 27a, the 5v rail to 4a, the 3.3v rail to 2a, the +5vsb to 2a, and the -12v to 0.3a before the addition of the transient load. The results of Test #2 were not available due to the failure of the unit in the previous testing.
Transient Load Testing Summary
The Transient Load Tests results for the 1STPLAYER SFX 750W Platinum are not available as the unit was no longer stable after failing in the previous testing. Let’s move on now to see how this unit does in the DC Output Quality aspect of our testing!