Loads

As the results will show, there was no need to try for the peak 560W since the rails already experience problems at 110% of load - around 420W. It is possible to reach 560W, but we measured only around 3V at that time on the 3.3V rail and felt it wasn't worth showing. We decided to stay with the rated 400W and just went with a 10% overload, where the fanless design already struggled.

Amacrox 560W Testing
Load 3.3V 5V 12V1 12V2 Wattage
All Rails
10% 1.70A 1.19A 1.15A 1.07A 40W
20% 3.40A 2.38A 2.30A 2.14A 80W
50% 8.50A 5.95A 5.76A 5.35A 195W
80% 13.59A 9.52A 9.22A 8.56A 310W
100% 16.99A 11.90A 11.52A 10.70A 390W
110% 18.69A 13.08A 12.67A 11.77A 420W

As always, we used our Chroma ATE to apply a specific amount of load to all of the rails. The table above shows the different loads we used during testing.

DC Outputs







All of the rails start at their ideal output, which is good but doesn't leave much space for voltage drop with increasing loads. Normally we see power supplies start well above their nominal output, which leaves some wiggle room. This means that when we apply a heavy load the voltages drop dangerously close to being out of spec - and in the case of the 3.3V rail it falls out of spec above a 90% load. This is not a very good result if you actually plan on coming anywhere near the 400W rating, though the 12V and 5V rails do stay in spec even up to 10% overload. We also tried for the promised peak of 560W. Since the rails were already low, the extra load didn't help. We measured only 3V on the 3.3V rail at 560W.

Internals, Cont'd Efficiency and Temperatures
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  • Super Nade - Wednesday, April 2, 2008 - link

    Interesting concept though. I wonder how this will hold up with an 80mm fan?
  • yyrkoon - Wednesday, April 2, 2008 - link

    I use the Antec EarthWATTS 500 which also uses a 80mm fan, and i works fine. Matter of a fact the fan is barely audible most of the time.

    I do have do agree with the OP here though. At first I thought he/she was referring to the outside of the PSU, which I think does not look bad(except that ugly red button). The innards of this thing looks like it was put together by preschool children with construction paper, elmers glue . . . So . . . One cannot help but wonder if child labor is involved here.

    They sent this thing out looking like it does(including the heat sink that looks like it was cut out of an aluminum block with a rock) knowing that you would take it apart ?
  • sprockkets - Thursday, April 3, 2008 - link

    Well, since those heatsinks have to touch the external one, that is probably why they look like that, big and covered with thermal interface.

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