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. The AC source is a Chroma 6530 capable of delivering up to 3 kW. We also used a Keysight DSOX3024A oscilloscope, 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), a Keithley 2015 THD 6.5 digit bench DMM, and a lab-grade N4L PPA1530 3-phase power analyzer along with 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 we 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 40-45 °C ambient to simulate the environment seen inside a typical system more accurately, 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.

We use a GPIB-USB controller to control the Chroma 6530, which avoids its very picky Serial port. This controller was kindly provided by Prologix.



We use an OLS3000E online UPS with a capacity of 3000VA/2700W to protect our very expensive Chroma AC source.

Primary Rails Load Regulation

The following charts show the voltage values of the main rails and include the deviation (in percent) for the same load range. These voltage values start at 60 W and go to the maximum specified load.

5VSB Regulation

The following chart shows how the 5VSB rail deals with the loads 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 specification without input power. In other words, it is the amount of time a system can continue to run without shutting down or rebooting during a power interruption. The ATX specification sets the minimum hold-up time to 17 ms with the maximum continuous output load.

According to the ATX specification, PWR_OK is a "power good" signal. This signal should be asserted as high on the 5V rail by the power supply to indicate that the +12V, 5V, and 3.3V outputs are within the regulation thresholds and that sufficient mains energy is stored by the APFC converter to guarantee a system's continuous operation for at least 17 ms. Conversely, PWR_OK should be de-asserted to a low state, 0V, when any of the +12V, 5V, or 3.3V output voltages fall below the under-voltage threshold or when mains power has been removed for long enough to guarantee that a power supply isn't operating anymore. The AC loss to PWR_OK minimum hold-up time is set to 16 ms, which is less than the hold-up time described above, but the ATX specification also sets a PWR_OK inactive-to-DC loss delay that should be higher than 1 ms. This means that the AC loss to PWR_OK hold-up time should be lower than the PSU's overall hold-up time to ensure that the power supply doesn't send a power good signal once any of the +12V, 5V and 3.3V rails are out of spec

In the following screenshots, the blue line is the mains signal and the green line is the "Power Good" signal. The yellow line represents the +12V rail.







The hold-up time is very low, which is a shame as this is a premium PSU. To add insult to injury, SAMA increased the power-good signal's hold-up time by a lot, which makes this PSU a possible danger to your hardware. The voltage on the +12V rail is only 10.22V when it de-asserts the PWR_OK signal! SAMA should use higher capacity APFC caps; however, higher capacity APFC caps would also result in increased losses and less efficiency. SAMA should, in fact, meet Titanium efficiency requirements without altering the APFC converter's design.

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 a lot of inrush current right as they are turned on. A lot of 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 a PSU's inrush current of right as it is turned on, the better.



The lack of inrush-current protection leads to very high inrush-current readings. There would be no efficiency loss on an NTC thermistor with a bypass relay. We, as such, find the lack of inrush-current protection unacceptable.

Load Regulation and Efficiency Measurements

The first set of tests revealed the stability of the voltage rails and the PSU'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 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 the +12V rail can handle while the load on the minor rails is minimal.

Load regulation at +12V is fair, tight at 5V, and average at 3.3V and 5VSB. We don't expect a Titanium-certified unit to exhibit incredibly tight load regulation since the components it takes to reach such efficiency affects load regulation. Yet we do expect output noise to be low in tough conditions, which clearly isn't the case here. Although the fan wasn't annoyingly loud, it still spun at full speed in all the tests but the first one, which could have easily been avoided with a less aggressive fan profile.

The PSU fared pretty well in terms of efficiency, peaking at an impressive 94.42% in the 40% load test. Yet its PF readings were pretty low with 230V in all these tests. The unit even shut down due to over-temperature protection in the full-load and overload tests. It is nice have OTP as it protects the PSU, but SAMA should raise its triggering point. After all, SAMA does state that this PSU is capable of delivering its full power continuously at up to 50°C. Hadn't they made such a statement and specified its maximum temperature to only 40°C, we wouldn't cite its shutdowns due to OTP as a negative.