Gigabyte pushed hard to be the first to release a PCIe 5.0 ready power supply in the UD1000GM PG5, but it looks to have been a rushed move. Meeting the strict ATX v3.0 requirements is not as easy as installing a 12VHPWR connector and lowering corresponding PSU timings for Alternative Low Power Modes compatibility. The primary point of the newest ATX specification is for PSUs to withstand extreme transient loads that go up to 200% of the PSU's maximum-rated-capacity. As crazy as that sounds, the 200% transient load scenario is not the toughest one because it only lasts for 0.1 ms. The most difficult are the 180% and 160% transient loads because those last considerably longer, 1 ms and 10 ms respectively, and in those tests, the PSU shut down every attempt I made. This renders the UD1000GM PG5 incompatible with the ATX v3.0 specification, and I cannot say for certain whether there will be any problems with any upcoming GPUs or the RTX 3090Ti since I don't have the RTX 3090Ti—I am not willing to spend thousands of dollars to acquire one—and the former haven't been released yet.

I didn't address the elephant in the room: The first-generation Gigabyte PSUs using a similar MEIC platform had some serious issues, which made them infamous around the world. This made me push the UD1000GM PG5 extra hard, and it didn't budge. Passing all of my tests doesn't mean it will do so over the long run under tough operating conditions, which I do doubt because of the Lelon caps on the secondary side. However, unlike the initial platform, this one is not prone to failures. I have tested two samples and both still work fine. This is good news for MEIC, who delivered a decent platform to Gigabyte. If you take a look at my cons list, there is still work to do. For example, not having a bypass relay because the PCB is too small seems crazy, also as the lower capacity ones do. There is the need to keep production costs down by using the same PCB for all three UD units, but you also have to keep some standards, especially when it comes to inrush current protection, so I would go for a larger PCB even if it would negatively affect pricing.

Moreover, having two EPS connectors on the same cable on a 1000 W PSU is a bad idea because of the power these connectors can draw. Problems like those mentioned above should not be present in a $160 PSU. Gigabyte should work with MEIC to address these, and the sooner the better. Finally, a performance boost would make this product more competitive. With only $10–$20 more, one can get a Corsair RM1000x, which has notably higher overall performance and better capacitors.