DC Output Quality
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 examination of the DC Output Quality.
Control Test Graphing
This image is the blank background control test on an unused connector from our SM-8800 during the testing of the 1STPLAYER SFX 750W Platinum. This lets us determine what the background noise looks like during testing.
120v Input
100v Input
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 1STPLAYER SFX 750W Platinum is starting off in decent shape. All of the rails we monitor are peaking at between ~10mV (5v and 3.3v rail) and ~15mV (12v) of ripple/noise.
120v Input
100v Input
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 368W 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 only minor changes. The 12v rail is still coming in at ~25mV of ripple/noise while the 5v and 3.3v rails are hitting ~10mV.
120v Input
100v 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 570W 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 12v rail peaking at ~30mV of ripple/noise while the minor rails are coming in at ~10mV of ripple/noise.
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 601W 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, we see the 12v rail peaking at ~30mV of ripple/noise while the 5v and 3.3v rails are at less than ~10mV of ripple/noise.
DC Output Quality Summary
The overall DC Output Quality of the 1STPLAYER SFX 750W Platinum is very good for the tests it could complete. The 1STPLAYER SFX 750W Platinum ended up posting a peak trace amplitude on the 12v rail of ~30mV followed by ~10mV on the 3.3v rail and ~10mV on the 5v rail. The worst relative value among these results still hit a value that was well below ~50% of the ATX12v specification limit. However, there is a giant caveat here in that this unit was unable to complete load testing. So, we don’t know how things would have gone in our most rigorous of tests. Thus, while the results look good today, they are ultimately failing.