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
Loaded/Unloaded
12v/5v
Test #1 is equal to approximately 25% of the rated capacity of the DeepCool PQ850M at 45c. This makes Test #1 equal to 220W 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 before the addition of the transient load. The results of Test #1 show a ~380mV drop on the 12v rail and ~20mV drop on the 5v rail when each is directly loaded. At the same time that the load was being triggered on the 12v rail, the 5v rail measured a ~15mV drop.
Transient Test 2
Loaded/Unloaded
12v/5v
Test #2 is equal to approximately 50% of the rated capacity of the DeepCool PQ850M at 45c. This makes Test #2 equal to 432W 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 before the addition of the transient load. The results of Test #2 show a ~400mV drop on the 12v rail and ~20mV drop on the 5v rail when each is directly loaded. At the same time that the load was being triggered on the 12v rail, the 5v rail measured a ~20mV drop.
Transient Load Testing Summary
The Transient Load Tests results for the DeepCool PQ850M are passing and good. In today’s testing, the PQ850M saw the loaded 12v rail post a peak change of ~400mV and the loaded 5v rail post a peak change of ~20mV. The unloaded 5v peak change during the 12v load was ~20mV. Those numbers are passing in an absolute sense and outstanding when it comes to the 5v rail. When we look at comparable units we see that his unit bests the SilverStone DA850 Gold and MSI MPG A850GF. Then we see that is mixed against the ASUS ROG THOR 850W and Enermax REVOLUTION DF 850W. Let’s move on now to see how this unit does in the DC Output Quality aspect of our testing!
Discussion (6 replies)
Join Discussion →Thanks for the review! Interesting to see them put out a PSU. I know they've been in the cooler business for a while now but didn't know they did PSUs as well.
That, my friends, is where this unit runs headlong into a house while speedballed out of their mind like Anne Heche in an Austin Mini.
Damn that’s cold. Hilarious, but the dirt hasn’t even settled on the grave yet.
Some times the inspiration just slams right into you.
I find this interesting and if I were in the market for a 850 watt power supply I would want platinum or titanium rated personally. Getting every ounce of efficiency will be critical with new modern parts at least in my mind.
Hmm, I don't know that the effiency matters much.
The wattage is based on DC side - so an 850 Titanium will deliver the same 850W that a 850 Bronze will -- they will be identical as far as the computer load you can throw on them goes.
Granted, the bronze would pull a bit more from the wall... but it's only a difference of 8% (82% vs 90%) - or 80W... at 85%.
And if you have no qualms about a 500W+ Graphics card or 250W+ CPU (Not saying you personally Grim, just the general "making a point") -- then that extra 8% is nothing. Maybe if you are rocking one of those 1500W+ PSUs, and then that extra 8% may be the difference between throwing a breaker or not - and that would be a legitimate reason for a gamer or home computer user to care.
Buy a power supply for the voltage quality, the warranty, the bells and whistles that you like -- but the Plus rating is mostly just a marketing badge. It might matter in a server situation where it's going to sit under load for long stretches of time (like 24x7), or maybe if you are mining full time, but it needs to be on at a healthy load for a long time if you ever want to recoup that price difference.
I'll grant you that higher tier PSUs tend to be better units, but it isn't because they are higher tier rated. The tier rating is a good reason for the manufacturer to put a higher markup on a product, but you shouldn't pay extra for just that. Pay extra for stuff that matters, like good voltage quality or cable management or 10 year warranty. It's a shame that stuff is hard to sleuth out if all you have is the box on the shelf to go by - which is why I love sites like this one.
I agree with everything you said. I consider warrranty and reputation as well. When I got my 1300 watt I wanted high efficiency. I didn't even realize titanium rated was a thing or I would have looked for it. (hard to find mind you.) And I know I over paid for my power supply but for me that piece out lives dang near every other component of my system. My old 850 watt that ran my 3900x is being given to a friend with the 3900x cpu and motherboard and the 1 tb nvme drive I had in it to boot. so it will see more life.