Test Setup

All measurements were performed using two Chroma 6314A mainframes equipped with the following electronic loads: six 63123A [350 W each], one 63102A [100 W x2], and one 63101A [200 W]. The aforementioned equipment is able to deliver 2500 W of load, and all loads are controlled by a custom-made software. We also used a Rigol DS2072A oscilloscope kindly sponsored by Batronix, a Picoscope 3424 oscilloscope, a Picotech TC-08 thermocouple data logger, two Fluke multimeters (models 289 and 175), and a Yokogawa WT210 power meter. We also included a wooden box, which, along with some heating elements, was used as a hot box. Finally, we had at our disposal three more oscilloscopes (Rigol VS5042, Stingray DS1M12, and a second Picoscope 3424), and a Class 1 Bruel & kjaer 2250-L G4 Sound Analyzer which is equipped with a type 4189 microphone that features a 16.6-140 dBA-weighted dynamic range. You will find more details about our equipment and the review methodology we follow in this article. We also conduct all of our tests at 40°C-45°C ambient to simulate the environment seen inside a typical system with a higher accuracy, with 40°C-45°C being derived from a standard ambient assumption of 23°C and 17°C-22°C being added for the typical temperature rise within a system.

Primary Rails Voltage Regulation

The following charts show the voltage values of the main rails, recorded over a range of 60 W to the maximum specified load, and the deviation (in percent) for the same load range.

5VSB Regulation

The following chart shows how the 5VSB rail deals with the load we throw at it.

Hold-up Time

Hold-up time is a very important PSU characteristic and represents the amount of time, usually measured in milliseconds, a PSU can maintain output regulations as defined by the ATX spec without input power. In other words, it is the amount of time the system can continue to run without shutting down or rebooting during a power interruption. The ATX specification sets the minimum hold-up time to 16 ms with the maximum continuous output load. In the following screenshot, the blue line is the mains signal and the yellow line is the "Power Good" signal. The latter is de-asserted to a low state when any of the +12V, 5V, or 3.3V output voltages fall below the undervoltage threshold, or after the mains power has been removed for a sufficiently long time to guarantee that the PSU cannot operate anymore.



Hold-up time was well below 16 ms, so the PSU failed this test, which is a great shame.

Inrush Current

Inrush current or switch-on surge refers to the maximum, instantaneous input-current drawn by an electrical device when it is first turned on. Because of the charging current of the APFC capacitor(s), PSUs produce large inrush-current right as they are turned on. Large inrush current can cause the tripping of circuit breakers and fuses and may also damage switches, relays, and bridge rectifiers; as a result, the lower the inrush current of a PSU right as it is turned on, the better.



Inrush current was the second lowest we have ever measured in a 1kW PSU. However, we would have preferred it to be higher so long as its hold-up time were higher as well.

Load Regulation and Efficiency Measurements

The first set of tests revealed the stability of the voltage rails and the RM1000's efficiency. The applied load was equal to (approximately) 10%-110% of the maximum load the PSU can handle, in 10% steps.

We conducted two additional tests. In the first test, we stressed the two minor rails (5V and 3.3V) with a high load while the load on +12V was only 0.10 A. This test reveals whether the PSU is Haswell ready or not. In the second test, we dialed the maximum load the +12V rail can handle while the load on the minor rails is minimal.


Voltage regulation was tight enough on every rail but 5VSB where it, however, doesn't matter as much. During our full load test, the PSU also shut down after operating for 4-5 minutes because OTP (Over Temperature Protection) kicked in, so we had to let it cool down before running the 110% load test, though it shut down there as well. Since Corsair speaks of a maximum operating temperature of 50°C and no more then 40°C for maximum continuous output, we expected it to shut down under those conditions, although we would have still preferred it had the unit worked without giving us any problems with a full load or more.

As you can see, the fan didn't spin up until the 40% load test, and only afterward did it start to rotate at slow speeds until our 60% load test. This is a really quiet and slow fan as even the full load and overload tests produced very little noise. However, we would definitely prefer a fan with more throughput, which would keep the unit from shutting down as soon by moving heat out of the enclosure more effectively. But such would probably not only require a stronger fan as the heatsinks in the secondary side are also too small.

Corsair Link Screenshots

Several screenshots of the Corsair Link software, which we took during our test sessions, follow. The order of these screenshots is the same as the order of the tests in the table above (10% load to Cross-load 2 test).