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Power supply over 600W test

Right choice

Usually, when one or another PC assembly is planned, the main part of the budget is cut into several parts. The biggest "piece" goes to the video card. The smaller piece is for the processor. Finally, the leftovers are split between the motherboard, RAM, and storage. And the case, cooler and power supply are purchased, as they say, for delivery. Depending on the budget, the percentage may fluctuate in the direction of the processor, motherboard, drives or cooling, but the power supply is remembered in the very last place: when something in the system unit burns out. But you can buy such a power supply unit for relatively little money, which will calmly survive a couple of upgrades and will do a good job.

Where do so many power supplies come from?

When choosing one or another power supply unit, literally the eyes run up. Are all companies such specialists in assembling quality blocks? In fact, everything is much simpler. Manufacturers offering their devices; can be divided into three groups, however, quite closely related. The first includes the familiar to all OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturers) - companies that develop and produce power supplies or assemble devices for the development of other companies. ENERMAX, FSP Group, SeaSonic, HES, Andyson and others can be safely referred to such manufactories. The first three companies sell their units under their own names, and also ship samples to others (the same ENERMAX produces power supplies under the LEPA brand, and the FSP Group kindly provides its services, for example, ZALMAN). Companies such as HEC and Andyson are exclusively engaged in the supply of blocks for other firms (for example, for Cougar, AeroCool, HIPER). Don't forget about Enhance and PowerMan.

The second group includes companies, they are also developers of their own products, but without the possibility of their own production. These include Corsair, SilverStone, Be Quiet, Tagan and others. Engineers create samples, and factories stamp devices. It often happens that the same power supply model can be of different quality. This is due to the fact that one power supply unit is assembled at one plant, and the second at another.

The latter group includes companies that buy cheap OEM power supplies in large quantities, rename them and resell them again. As a rule, we are talking about penny "feeders" with a zero quality level. It is better to beware of such devices. The first sign of such a "craft" is low cost. It is impossible to buy a 600 W or higher power supply for 300-400 hryvnia. And for 150 hryvnia - with a power of 400 watts.

Plus sign

A certain guarantee of the quality of power supplies for most users should be the 80 PLUS standard, symbolizing that this or that device has an efficiency of at least 80%. At first, this certificate really helped to divide the PSU into high-quality and mediocre devices. But with the advent of the 80 PLUS standard, feeder suppliers began to chase beautiful stickers mainly for marketing reasons. After all, every self-respecting company should have in its portfolio a power supply unit of at least 80 PLUS Gold standard, or even cooler. In any case, the pursuit of medals forces manufacturers to develop new models of feeders: improved and improved ones. And now in more detail.

80 PLUS Basic. With an input voltage of 115 V and a load of 20%, 50% and 100%, the efficiency should not be lower than 80%.

80 PLUS Bronze. The standard is a little more troubled. But it doesn't differ much from the basic one. With an input voltage of 230 V, the efficiency of the power supply must be at least 81%. Running a little ahead, let's say that a good half of the “breadwinners” presented in today's test can boast of a bronze logo on their cardboard boxes.

80 PLUS Silver. Already a serious bar. The efficiency of the power supply unit, starting from a 20% load, should not be lower than 85%.

80 PLUS Gold. At 115 V, the efficiency should not be lower than 87%.

80 PLUS Platinum. One watt of a device with such a label will cost 2-3 hryvnia.And all because the power supply must have an efficiency of at least 89%.

80 PLUS Titanium. A new standard, to the conquest of which, of course, all eminent companies will strive. The efficiency of such a power supply unit must be at least 91%. It is worth noting that to heighten the competition, it remains to introduce the 80 PLUS Iridium and 80 PLUS Uranium certificates, so that elite manufacturers have something to do.

Testing methodology

All power supplies participating in the testing were studied for the richness of the complete set. By bundling, we mean the presence of certain cables. As a rule, these are 24 pins for powering the motherboard, 8 pins for powering the processor, 6/6 + 2 pins for powering the video card, as well as SATA / MOLEX cords for connecting disk drives. It's even better if these same cables can be detached. Further, all the cases of the PSUs were disassembled, and already under a magnifying glass the element base of the devices, the build quality and the thoughtfulness of the cooling system of the subjects were studied. To obtain the so-called cross-load characteristics (KNX) of power supplies, we used the already familiar D-RAM DBS-2200 stand. Structurally, it consists of a load block cooled by a radiator and fans, a voltage indication panel and a number of levers, with which the current strength is set along the lines + 12V (maximum 500 W), + 5V (maximum 120 W), + 3.3V (maximum 120 W ), -12V and + 5Vsb. Using the switches, we set the power to 100 watts on the + 12V lines. We consistently increase the load on the + 3.3V and + 5V lines with a step of 20 watts. In this case, the display panel displays the current voltage values ​​along the lines. We fix these values. Then we raise the current consumption on the + 12V lines, setting 200 W of power, and repeat the measurements again. And so on until we reach the limits of the maximum combined load for the PSU.

In addition to measuring voltages, we assessed the efficiency of the cooling system and the noise from the fan as far as possible.

Aerocool Strike-X 800W

The PSU, which is among the tested, can claim the title of "Best Buy". And all because we have a very interesting model in front of us. The main features of the AeroCool Strike-X: high power, 80 PLUS Silver certification, modularity - and all this at a fairly reasonable price. By the way, this "trough" is the only one in the test with a "silver" standard. In addition to the 800W PSU, the Strike-X line has 500W, 600W and 1100W feeders. Only the first two are certified according to the 80 PLUS Bronze standard, and the kilowatt - 80 PLUS Gold.

The modularity of the AeroCool Strike-X 800W is rather arbitrary: 24-pin, 8-pin and 4 + 4-pin non-disconnectable cords stick out of the case. As you can see, the power supply is designed for the most powerful systems. In support of this, the set includes a couple of PCI-E 6 + 2 cables (4 connectors) and the same amount of SATA / MOLEX. wrapped in a strong but tough nylon sheath. Conveniently, each cable is signed, and the CPU and PCI-E connectors are also painted in different colors. PSU testing was not quite smooth. If the voltage deviations along the + 5V and + 12V lines turned out to be insignificant (2% is the maximum), then the deviations along the + 3.3V line sometimes reached 4%. At the same time, the AeroCool Strike-X 800W remained cold all the time, and the 140mm fan made no sound. I must say thanks not only to "Carlson", but also to the system of radiators attached to the MOSFETs and rectifier bridges. As well as a system of gratings located on the side walls of the case.

Corsair AX650

Meet the first of three representatives certified in today's test according to the 80 PLUS Gold standard. The top line of Corsair PSUs - Professional Gold - in addition to the 650 W model, has three more "feeders": 750 W, 850 W and 1200 W, respectively. The main feature of "professional" power supplies is not only the efficiency of at least 87%, but also modularity. And, if I may say so, complete. The 24-pin cables for the motherboard and the 8-pin for the CPU are also detachable. This is very convenient if you first need to fix all the hardware in the case, and only then connect the wires. This approach, for example, is justified in cases with a double bottom. In addition, this type of cords is more flexible.

The Corsair AX650 comes with 2 PCI-E 6 + 2 cables, allowing you to connect two graphics cards.It is very convenient that SATA and MOLEX are made in the form of plates, like chewing gum. Practical! For complete happiness, as a kind of nitpicking, except that the second 8-pin cable for the processor is missing.

The Corsair AX650 also demonstrated its professionalism during the tests. Deviation of 2% - this is the maximum result that the block showed when building the KNH. Moreover, the deviation along the + 12V line did not exceed even one percent. At minimum load, the PSU fan barely waved the fan blades, but at maximum load it spun quite noticeably. But to hear the "propeller" in both cases was unrealistic.

Corsair TX750M

Corsair's 80 PLUS Bronze PSUs (81% efficiency or better) form their Enthusiast range. Here are collected "feeders" with a capacity of 550 W to 950 W - a total of eight models. Moreover, they differ not only in watts, but also in modularity. The Corsair TX750M power supply is just that.

True, the word "modularity" must be enclosed in quotation marks. This is because a whole string of wires stretches from the Corsair TX750M case. In addition to 24-pins for MoBo and two 8-pins for the CPU, the power supply unit has two cables, one PCI-E 6 + 2 connector and one cable for SATA and MOLEX. And immediately a logical question arises: "Why?". Why can't PCI-E 6 + 2 be bundled into one cable? Why can't SATA and MOLEX be detachable? As a result, despite the fact that the Corsair TX750M is considered modular, we get a whole heap of wires that no one needs. Detachable are two PCI-E 6 + 2 cables (again they could combine everything into one cable) and one more SATA cable.

Where we had no complaints was when building cross-load characteristics. On all lines, the Corsair TX750M runs fairly smoothly. The maximum voltage deviation is only 2%. Moreover, along the + 5V line, the maximum deviation was 1% at all. The PSU fan runs quietly and efficiently. In general, before us is a solid "good man". Moreover, he could well have become an "excellent student", if not for the confusion with detachable and non-detachable cables.

ENERMAX MODU82 + CrossFireX EMD525AWT-01

A little more time will pass, and the word "enermax" will become a household name. And all because the products of the Taiwanese company ENERMAX are de facto of high quality. Yes, they can be easily placed in the unit of weights and measures of the power supply unit. The ENERMAX MODU82 + CrossFireX EMD525AWT-01 model is no exception. In total, the MODU82 + line includes five models: one with a power of 425 W, two with a power of 525 W and two more with a power of 625 W. You already guessed that besides CrossFireX, there are versions with an SLI prefix. There is no difference between the "feeders". Apparently, the whole thing lies in obtaining certificates. In any case, we believe that when building an array of CrossFireX / SLI video cards, 525W may not be enough.

As always, all cables are protected by a cloth sheath. There are two cords for connecting video cards, but three PCI-E 6 + 2 connectors. To connect the CPU - one 8-pin connector and another 4-pin connector. For a 525 W unit, the set is more than decent.

The results are also worthy. When constructing cross-load characteristics, deviations along all lines do not exceed the norm. The maximum deviation is 3% on the + 5V line. For the rest of the lines, the voltage deviation did not exceed 2%. At the same time, ENERMAX MODU82 + CrossFireX EMD525AWT-01 did not warm up at all. The only thing that upset was the constant annoying grinding of the fan. It is precisely the grinding. But we are sure that this is a defect of a specific model, and not of the entire line. As a rule, ENERMAX power supplies operate absolutely silently.

FSP AURUM AU-750M

We are already familiar with FSP power supplies from the AURUM line. As the name implies, these devices comply with the 80 PLUS Gold standard. All in all, the series of "golden feeders" has 7 models. And the FSP AURUM AU-750M is the top-end. There are also 700W, 650W, 600W, 550W, 500W and 400W models. The letter "M" in the name of the device says that we have a modular power supply unit. The modularity of the FSP AURUM AU-750M means that cables for peripheral devices can be connected to the trough. All the same, the main cords come out of the block body in an even bundle. Like the Corsair PSU, the SATA and MOLEX cables are protected by a flat rubber sheath.Due to this shape, they are easier to stretch inside the case and hide behind double walls. The rubber base allows you to bend the cords as you please.

Let's talk about the performance of the FSP AURUM AU-750M. As befits a gold-tinted power supply, the deviations along the lines of the three main voltages do not even exceed three percent. A small blockage is visible along the + 12V line. But along the lines + 3.3V and + 5V, the deviations did not exceed two percent. Everything would be fine, but at maximum load, the FSP AURUM AU-750M fan starts spinning up quite strongly and making noise for the sake of the efficiency of the cooling system. True, at full power (750 W) of the system, the same roar from the turbine of the video card or from the processor cooler will block the noise of the power supply.

HKC ATX 650-6065

Surprisingly, we could not find any information about NKS ATX650-6065 on the manufacturer's official website. Fortunately, Google is aware of this power supply. And he knows that in addition to the 650 W model, there is another 550 W model. Both power supplies are 80 PLUS Basic certified and must provide at least 80% efficiency. Both power supplies are non-modular.

So, from the "tail" that comes out of the NKS ATX650-6065 case, the top-end system cannot be assembled at once. If only because the bundle includes only one PCI-E 6 cable. Video cards, starting from the Middle-End level, require at least two PCI-E 6 connectors. If Low-End is used, then a 650 W unit is not needed either. ...

It is also unclear why a pair of cables with four SATA connectors are used. An external drive, three hard drives, and that's it? Sufficiently spartan set for a 650W PSU. For a similar cost, you can find a "feeder" with similar characteristics, but with a richer set. Even during the inspection of the NKS ATX650-6065, we had suspicions about the quality of the power supply. The elements of the "trough" are too carelessly assembled, especially the winding of the coils.

Therefore, it is not surprising that the deviations on the + 12V line exceeded the acceptable threshold of five percent. At the same time, although the IKS ATX650-6065 did not heat up, the fan made quite a noticeable noise. Noticeable at low PSU load and annoyingly unpleasant - at maximum.

HIPER AVANTI K800

All HIPER power supplies come in pretty handy cases. It is really convenient and practical, because after installing the "feeder" in the case, you can put, for example, tools, unused cables, and other computer equipment into it. The AVANTI K series power supply line includes four models. The "smallest" has a declared power of 700 W, and the "largest" - 1000 W. Moreover, the element base of the power supplies is different.

So, in the HIPER AVANTI K800 suitcase, we found two SATA cables and the same amount of MOLEX. The rest of the cords are not removable. The package bundle is standard, a top-end system based on a pair of video cards is enough. After a short examination of the "insides" of this power supply unit, we did not leave the feeling that we had already seen these very "insides" somewhere. Indeed, the element base of the HIPER AVANTI K800 is very similar to the base of the AeroCool Strike-X, certified according to the 80 PLUS Silver standard. To be more precise, the "stuffing" of both power supply units is made by Andyson. It's just surprising why the hero of these lines is certified according to the Basic standard, and a third-party power supply is certified according to the Silver standard? It seems to us that HIPER decided to play it safe a little. After all, the device demonstrates very good results. Especially on the + 12V and + 5V lines. Well, as a deja vu - a blockage of 4% along the + 3.3V line with a minimum load.

I am glad that the HIPER AVANTI K800 is equipped with a very quiet fan, which, in addition to its absolute inaudibility and blue backlighting, also effectively cope with the cooling of the power supply elements.

Thermaltake Toughpower Grand TPG-650MPCUS

The Thermaltake TPG-650MPCUS PSU is the youngest in the Toughpower Grand line. In addition to the 650W, there are 750W, 850W, 1050W and even 1200W models. And they are all 80 PLUS Gold certified. Considering that Thermaltake TPG-650MPCUS costs, excuse the expression, money, the 1200W PSU costs a fortune. However, studying the design and packaging of the hero of these lines, you understand why you are giving your hard-earned money.The + 12V line can transmit 624 W, which is more than 90% of the total power. For comparison, a cheap NCC on this line can load a maximum of 480 watts of energy (74% of the total power). Largely due to the hefty "stuffing" the size of the body has reached colossal dimensions (180x150x86 mm). Therefore, Thermaltake TPG-650MPCUS will have to find a more spacious “dwelling”.

In addition to the power supply itself, the kit includes a velvet bag for the power supply itself, a cover for detachable cables, the cables themselves, Velcro for bundling cords in the case, plastic clips and fastening screws. The only pity is that the bundle does not include a second 8-pin cable for "feeding" the CPU.

Finally, testing. Quiet, cold, and most importantly, very high quality - our "breadwinner" is the only one in the test whose voltage deviations did not exceed one percent! And on the + 5V line, they were at zero almost all the time!

XFX P1-750S-NLB9

Let's get acquainted with another rather powerful power supply unit, but for a reasonable price. This time from the company XFX, primarily known for its video cards based on AMD GPUs. In total, the XFX has two lines of "feeders". The P1-750S-NLB9 power supply belongs to the Pro series, which also includes 450W, 550W, 650W, 750W, 1000W and 1250W models. The devices differ not only in watts, but also in the 80 PLUS standard (in addition to the "bronze", there are "Silver", "gold" and "platinum" power supplies), as well as the type. Specifically XFX P1-750S-NLB9 refers to non-modular power supplies. A huge string of wires stretches from its body. On the one hand, it's cool! Because this PSU can power up to eight SATA and seven MOLEX devices. On the other hand, if some of the cables are not used, then it will be quite problematic to hide them.

It's nice that the XFX P1-750S-NLB9 is equipped with a pair of PCI-E 6 cords and a pair of PCI-E 6 + 2. But we could have used at least half the cables. An important aspect considering that we have a non-modular power supply before us.

With all this, the XFX P1-750S-NLB9 showed good results when measuring voltage deviations along three lines. The problem area is the + 12V line. But the deviation of 3% cannot be called critical either. On the rest of the lines, everything is so gorgeous: 2% maximum. The "filling" of the XFX P1-750S-NLB9 is what you need.

XILENCE XP600. (135) R3

The power supply unit XILENCE XP600. (135) R3 looks quite appetizing if you take a closer look at its characteristics and price. Power 600 W, standard 80 PLUS Bronze - and everything for less than 800 UAH? Cool! In addition to this model, the Gaming Series has a 700W and 800W PSU. They are all non-modular. Game series, you say? XILENCE XP600. (135) R3 package allows you to power the motherboard, processor, up to six SATA drives, up to four MOLEX peripherals and one PCI-E 6 + 2/6 powered graphics card. Unfortunately, there is no second 8 pin for the CPU. But there is no point in adding more PCI-E 6 + 2 cables. Still, the power of this power supply unit does not allow using serious arrays of video cards.

Let's look at the measurements of the cross-load characteristics. On the + 3.3V line, everything is tip-top: deviations above one percent are not noticed. On the + 5V line, a deviation of 3% is also not critical. But along the line + 12V we see a stable 4%. Of course, the results were within acceptable limits, but it could have been better. After all, we have before us a "bronze" power supply.

ZALMAN ZM600-HP Plus

The last in today's test is the power supply unit from ZALMAN. The ZALMAN ZM600-HP Plus model does not belong to any line. If only because ZALMAN does not focus on this special attention. But with the HP Plus tagged, there are still 500W, 850W, and 1000W devices. The latter two are also certified according to the 80 PLUS Silver standard. We disassemble the case and see an additional radiator connected to the radiator of the diode assemblies using a heat pipe. The radiator itself is installed along the perimeter of the side wall so that the air currents touch it and leave the body. In addition, this design allowed the use of a slower 120mm fan. Carlson works silently. At the same time, the cooling system allows the main elements of the power supply to not overheat. Putting it back together. The modularity of the ZALMAN ZM600-HP Plus is manifested in the fact.that the detachable cables are SATA, MOLEX and one PCI-E 6 + 2. One-piece includes 20 + 4 pins for the motherboard, 8 pins for the processor, and another PCI-E with two PCI-E6 and PCI-E6 + 2 connectors. All cables are protected by a black nylon sheath.

Finally, the results. During testing, we found no deviations exceeding the 5 percent threshold. But on the + 3.3V line, the voltage deviation sometimes reached four percent. On the + 5V line - three percent. And on the + 12V line - and even two percent. The results are not outstanding, but they clearly indicate that the ZALMAN ZM600-HP Plus is a quality power supply.

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