High Power Astro GD 750 W Review 4

High Power Astro GD 750 W Review

Efficiency, Temperatures & Noise »

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 Picoscope 3424 oscilloscope, a Picotech TC-08 thermocouple data logger, a Fluke 175 multimeter, 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 four more oscilloscopes (Rigol 1052E and VS5042, Stingray DS1M12, a second Picoscope 3424), and a CEM DT-8852 sound level meter. You will find more details about our equipment and the review methodology we follow inthis article. We also conduct all of our tests at 40-45°C ambient in order to simulate with higher accuracy the environment seen inside a typical system, with 40-45°C being derived from a standard ambient assumption of 23°C and 17-22°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 from 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

The hold-up time is a very important characteristic of a PSU and represents the amount of time, usually measured in milliseconds, that a PSU can maintain output regulations as defined by the ATX spec without input power. In other words, it is the amount of time that the system can continue to run without shutting down or rebooting during a power interruption. The ATX spec 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.



The hold-up time is significantly above 16 ms, which easily meets the ATX requirement. This simply means that you may avoid an undesirable restart during a power interruption and that your UPS (Uninterruptible Power Source) will have the required time to engage and save the day.

Inrush Current

Inrush current or switch-on surge refers to the maximum, instantaneous input-current drawn by an electrical device when 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 they are turned on, the better.



This one registered the highest inrush current of all 750 W units we have tested so far. This is not good, but the inrush current is restricted to under 50 A, which means it is not enough to cause any problems.

Voltage Regulation and Efficiency Measurements

The first set of tests revealed the stability of the voltage rails and the efficiency of the AGD-750. The applied load was equal to (approximately) 20%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 80%, 100%, and 110% of the maximum load that the PSU can handle. 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 at +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 that the +12V rail could handle while the load on the minor rails was minimal.

Voltage Regulation & Efficiency Testing Data
High Power AGD-750
Test12 V5 V3.3 V5VSBPower
(DC/AC)
EfficiencyFan SpeedFan NoiseTemp
(In/Out)
PF/AC
Volts
20% Load10.652A1.993A1.999A0.975A149.69W93.10%0 RPM0 dBA 47.45°C0.910
12.030V5.004V3.296V5.115V160.79W 40.17°C230.1V
40% Load21.680A4.000A4.003A1.175A299.68W93.67%672 RPM32.6 dBA 39.53°C0.955
12.016V4.998V3.295V5.099V319.94W 41.84°C230.1V
50% Load27.091A4.993A5.009A1.570A374.56W93.34%883 RPM37.6 dBA 40.82°C0.962
12.001V4.999V3.293V5.085V401.28W 44.50°C230.1V
60% Load32.496A5.998A6.012A1.970A449.48W92.87%1095 RPM41.2 dBA 42.21°C0.967
11.993V4.996V3.293V5.071V483.99W 47.83°C230.0V
80% Load43.489A8.009A8.030A2.375A599.40W91.81%1270 RPM44.2 dBA 43.67°C0.974
11.981V4.990V3.287V5.051V652.85W 50.45°C230.0V
100% Load55.111A9.024A9.044A2.980A749.36W90.55%1290 RPM44.6 dBA 45.38°C0.975
11.970V4.987V3.283V5.028V827.55W 53.62°C230.0V
110% Load61.404A9.023A9.063A2.985A824.26W89.97%1290 RPM44.6 dBA 45.69°C0.976
11.963V4.988V3.276V5.021V916.15W 54.24°C229.9V
Crossload 10.098A16.013A16.004A0.004A134.03W85.98%672 RPM32.6 dBA 44.53°C0.905
12.038V5.007V3.290V5.119V155.88W 49.63°C230.3V
Crossload 261.943A1.001A1.003A1.000A754.76W90.96%1290 RPM44.6 dBA 46.07°C0.975
11.969V4.983V3.287V5.080V829.80W 54.82°C230.0V

Efficiency was the first thing we noticed about the performance of this unit. It is crazily high throughout the entire load range, reaching close to 94% at its peak. This is impressive and clearly one of the benefits of the design this unit utilizes. Its other benefit is the unit's ultra-stable output, with all major rails registering a voltage regulation within 1% voltage. This PSU inevitably belongs to the major league, easily meeting the digital Corsair competition eye to eye, at least in terms of voltage regulation and efficiency. We, to be frank, didn't expect it to perform as well here since High Power mostly focuses on the mainstream sector. They apparently are capable of much more, and we are anxious to see more High Power products like this one in the future.

The good news don't stop there since the PSU easily delivered more than its full power at very high ambient, proving that its components have the required tolerances to provide a reliable operation under even very tough conditions.
Next Page »Efficiency, Temperatures & Noise
View as single page
Aug 28th, 2024 04:31 EDT change timezone

New Forum Posts

Popular Reviews

Controversial News Posts