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 V850 SFX GOLD WHITE 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 starting off mixed in regards to nominal. The efficiency for this unit is starting off in good shape at a value of 89.32% at 120v AC input and 88.25% at 100v AC input. We see the exhaust temperature is not yet recording.
Test #2 is equal to approximately 50% of the rated capacity of the Cooler Master V850 SFX GOLD WHITE at 45c. This makes Test #2 equal to 429W 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 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 0.02v drop on the 5v rail and a 0.02v drop on the 3.3v rail. The efficiency has moved up to 90.12% at 120v AC input and 89.19% at 100v AC input. We see an exhaust temperature of 51C at 120v AC input and 54C at 100V AC input.
Test #3 is equal to approximately 75% of the rated capacity of Cooler Master V850 SFX GOLD WHITE at 45c. This makes Test #3 equal to 632W 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 the main DC output voltages drop once more. The 5v and 3.3v rails drop by 0.03v and 0.02v respectively. The 12v rail drops by up to 0.05v. The efficiency in Test #3 moves down to 88.80% at 120v AC input and 87.57% 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 V850 SFX GOLD WHITE at 45c. This makes Test #4 equal to 841W 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 move down by up to 0.1v. The minor rails also drop by 0.01v on the 3.3v rail or 0.02v on the 5v rail. The efficiency has dropped as we see it come in at 87.07% at 120v AC input and 85.22% at 100v AC input. We see an exhaust temperature of 61C at 120v AC input and 65C at 100V AC input.
Torture Test
The Torture Test is equal to approximately 80% of the rated capacity of the Cooler Master V850 SFX GOLD WHITE at 45C. This makes the Torture Test equal to 661W 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 V850 SFX GOLD WHITE 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, however, has tanked at a value of 85.57% and the exhaust temperature is 68C.
Load Testing Summary
The Cooler Master V850 SFX GOLD WHITE did a good job in our initial load testing. When we look at the voltage regulation, we see that the V850 SFX GOLD WHITE had peak changes of 0.2v on the 12v rail, 0.07v on the 5v rail, and 0.05v on the 3.3v rail. These absolute values are easily in the specification and good overall. In relative terms, it is a bit harder to say as we have not seen another 850W SFX unit to date and the other 850W units we have seen have done better but were ATX12v/EPS units.
When we look at the efficiency values posted today, we see that the V850 SFX GOLD WHITE does well but maybe not as well as we were expecting. The efficiency values ranged from 87.07% to 90.12% efficient at 120v AC input and 85.22% to 89.19% efficient at 100v AC input. However, during the Torture Test the efficiency levels crashed to 85.57%. Lastly, the exhaust temperature peaked at 61C at 120v AC input, 65C at 100v AC input, and 68C during the Torture Test. With, generally, good starting results in today’s testing let’s move on to the Transient Load Tests to see what this unit will do there!