Efficiency

Using the efficiency results from the previous page, we plotted a chart showing efficiency of the Commander III at low loads and at loads equal to 20-110% of the PSU's maximum rated load.



For a discussion of these results, see the text at the end of the previous page.

Efficiency at Low Loads

In the next tests, we measured the efficiency of the Commander III at loads much lower than 20% of its maximum rated load (the lowest load that the 80 Plus Standard measures). The loads that we dialed were 40, 60, 80, and 100 W (for PSUs with over 500W of capacity). This is important for settings where the PC is in idle mode with power saving turned on.


At low loads, efficiency is very high for the standards of a Gold PSU - exceeding 74% efficiency with a 40 W load. It easily surpasses the 80% mark on all other tests, which makes this PSU an ideal choice for a system that needs little wattage at idle. Since the ambient was close to 40°C, the fan was, again, spinning at full speed, which produced a lot of noise, although the load of the PSU was minimal.

5VSB Efficiency

The ATX spec states that the 5VSB standby supply's efficiency should be as high as possible and recommends 50% or higher efficiency with 100 mA of load, 60% or higher with 250 mA of load, and 70% or higher with 1 A or more of load.
We will take four measurements: one at 100, 250, and 1000 mA, and one with the full load that the 5VSB rail can handle.


Efficiency at 5VSB in the first two tests may be above the specified thresholds, but is still not ground breaking. However, it is high enough on the last two tests and marginally manages to surpass 80% efficiency with a 3A load.

Power Consumption in Idle & Standby

In the table below, you will find the power consumption and the voltage values of all rails (except -12V) when the PSU is in idle mode (powered on but without any load on its rails) and the power consumption when the PSU is in standby mode (without any load at 5VSB).


Phantom power is low, and the unit easily meets the ErP Lot 6 2010 and the stricter 2013 requirements. This translates into a lower carbon footprint, which benefits the environment and, over the long haul, your wallet.

Fan RPM & Delta Temperature

The following chart illustrates the cooling fan's speed (RPMs) and the delta difference between input and output temperature. We had to conduct a second round of tests at lower ambient (33°C - 36°C) to find out what the fan's profile was because the PSU's fan was constantly spinning at its maximum speed at 40°C - 45°C ambient.



The fan profile only goes crazy when the ambient temperature exceeds 40°C. It follows a linear operation at lower ambient, but almost spins up fully in the end. Considering the high efficiency of the unit at high loads, we think that In Win should restrict the maximum speed of the fan a little bit in order to make it output a lot less noise.