Ultra High-End PSU Roundup
by Christoph Katzer on October 22, 2007 6:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
CM 1250W Efficiency, Temperatures, Fan Speed and Acoustics
The efficiency is very good, and even with lower inputs of just 90VAC it generally stays above 80% (except at maximum load). With 86% it reached its highest point with 230VAC and 620W of load. Overall this is a very good performance by the Real Power Pro.
Even though the heat sinks are quite massive the temperature still reaches up to 81°C, which is very high. The difference here is that all components of the secondary stage are connected to the one heat sink; the PCP&C Turbo Cool has several components with their own small heat sink and therefore these weren't counted into the main heat sink temperatures. Both graphs reach slightly above 30°C over the ambient temperature which means if you have a cooler environment you will have a cooler power supply. This is different from what we have seen with other power supplies where ambient temperature plays less of a role.
The graphs of the fan speed and the acoustics speak a clear language which may not be as visible on the other graphs. With a hot environment and a half load of 600W, the fan is already at its highest speed. Under room temperature the fan slowly increases speed until it just reaches the fastest RPM with full load applied. The produced noise is of course clearly auditable since more than 1000W need to be cooled down in some way. It's simply impossible to have a quiet (let alone silent) 1000W+ power supply fit into a reasonably small chassis.
The efficiency is very good, and even with lower inputs of just 90VAC it generally stays above 80% (except at maximum load). With 86% it reached its highest point with 230VAC and 620W of load. Overall this is a very good performance by the Real Power Pro.
Even though the heat sinks are quite massive the temperature still reaches up to 81°C, which is very high. The difference here is that all components of the secondary stage are connected to the one heat sink; the PCP&C Turbo Cool has several components with their own small heat sink and therefore these weren't counted into the main heat sink temperatures. Both graphs reach slightly above 30°C over the ambient temperature which means if you have a cooler environment you will have a cooler power supply. This is different from what we have seen with other power supplies where ambient temperature plays less of a role.
The graphs of the fan speed and the acoustics speak a clear language which may not be as visible on the other graphs. With a hot environment and a half load of 600W, the fan is already at its highest speed. Under room temperature the fan slowly increases speed until it just reaches the fastest RPM with full load applied. The produced noise is of course clearly auditable since more than 1000W need to be cooled down in some way. It's simply impossible to have a quiet (let alone silent) 1000W+ power supply fit into a reasonably small chassis.
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EatSpam - Monday, October 22, 2007 - link
PC Power and Cooling will do a custom wiring harness for you, so if you need a different connector configuration, they'll do it for a small fee.NicePants42 - Monday, October 22, 2007 - link
I understand that most machines don't need anywhere near this much power, but those acoustic graphs are important. There aren't many 500-600W PSUs that will remain quiet at 100% load.For my last build, I got the CM Real Power Pro 1000 Watt PSU for $179 after $50 MIR - a far cry from the usual ~$350 price range for 1000W+ PSUs. While I may not use all of the power capacity, I do get very high efficiency and zero noise at an (estimated) 500W load, and the PSU will last that much longer because it's not running at 100% capacity.
After 6 months with the PCP&C 'Silencer' 750 (which cost $200, btw), this 'overkill' PSU is a welcome change, and definitely worth $179.
For those interested, I think svc.com is now offering a $50 MIR, although I got mine from ZZF.
EatSpam - Monday, October 22, 2007 - link
I can't imagine needing this much power. My server is running a lowly Silencer 610 and has 2 Clovertowns, 12gb of FBDIMMs, and 16 HDs. No problems at all.flipmode - Monday, October 22, 2007 - link
1300w PSUs - for the folks that drive tandem dump trucks to get their groceries.AssBall - Monday, October 22, 2007 - link
NEXT UP!AT does a review of a mental facility and finds that in fact, 95% of the patients are actually retarded!
........
magreen - Monday, October 22, 2007 - link
That was so random I couldn't stop laughing...sprockkets - Monday, October 22, 2007 - link
Not quite sure if it was that high, perhaps 100c? If it was 1000c I would be worried :)
Christoph Katzer - Monday, October 22, 2007 - link
Actually is was way over 1k. I just attached new cables and it was running well again. Sorry by the way for not including these ripple tests. There is one prob after another. I actually don't have internet since 5 weeks now which is why there was no review last month. The e-scope function needs an IP address and this is provived by the router from the ISP. This company has just the lamest service I've seen in my life and doesn't seem to have the need to send a new box.jenli - Monday, October 22, 2007 - link
I am curious if two lower wattage PSU gangedtogether would be cheaper, quieter, and more
robust ?
eetnoyer - Monday, October 22, 2007 - link
So when do we see the budget power supply roundup that you suggested when you started this project? You know, the stuff that the other 96% of your readers care about.