Test Setup

All measurements are performed utilizing ten electronic loads (seven Array 3711A, 300W each, and three Array 3710A, 150W each), which are able to deliver over 2500W of load and are controlled by a custom made software. We also use a Picoscope 3424 oscilloscope, a CHY 502 thermometer, a Fluke 175 multimeter and an Instek GPM-8212 power meter. Furthermore, in our setup we have included a wooden box, which along with a heating element is used as a Hot Box. Finally, we have at our disposal four more oscilloscopes (Rigol 1052E and VS5042, Stingray DS1M12 and a second Picoscope 3424) and a CEM DT-8852 sound level meter. In this article you will find more details about our equipment and the review methodology we follow. Finally, if the manufacturer states that the maximum operating temperature of the test unit is only 40°C then we try to stay near this temperature, otherwise we crank up the heat inside the hotbox up to 45-50°C.

Voltage Regulation Charts

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

5VSB Regulation Chart

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

Efficiency Chart

In this chart you will find the efficiency of TTBPK00G at low loads and at loads equal to 20-100% of PSU’s maximum rated load.

Fan RPM & Delta Temperature

In the following chart the cooling fan's speed (RPMs) along with the delta difference between input and output temperature are illustrated.

Voltage Regulation and Efficiency Measurements

The first set of tests reveals the stability of voltage rails and the efficiency of TTBPK00G. The applied load equals to (approximately) 20%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 80% and 100%, of the maximum load that the PSU can handle. In addition, we conduct two more tests. In the first we stress the two minor rails (5V & 3.3V) with a high load, while the load at +12V is only 2A and in the second test we dial the maximum load that +12V can handle while load at minor rails is minimal.


Efficiency is high but definitely not among the highest we have ever seen from a Gold 1kW unit. On the contrary, PF readings are low and only with 40% load PF passes the 0.9 mark. As you can see from full load and CL2 tests the PSU delivered its full load without any problems, even at very high ambient temperatures something that is a big plus of course. For last we left voltage regulation, which at +12V is decent, at 5V is good enough (for our standards) and at 3.3V is loose since the registered deviation exceeds 4%. Apparently the 3.3V rail is not the strongest aspect of this PSU but this is nothing to worry about since a contemporary system will not draw significant power from this rail. Finally with the PSU's fan working at full speed we measured 45.2 dBA at one meter distance, meaning that the fan is quite audible at full RPMs at least.

In the following table you will find the data we gathered through the iPower meter.


The first thing that we noticed in these results and absolutely amazed us is that the Watt readings that the device showed were very close to the real ones. The same applies of course to the Amp readings of each rail, since these are used for the Watts calculation. Unfortunately, like its bigger brother the 1200W model, voltage and efficiency readings are still way off. Since the iPower meter shows total DC Watts with great accuracy we are pretty sure that the two aforementioned readings are deliberately off to show nicer values. Finally when the temperature, as shown on the iPower meter, goes over 70°C then an alarm triggers to notify the user. If you don't install the unit in a hot box with heating elements, like we did, then most likely you will never see such high temperatures.

Efficiency at Low Loads

In the next tests, we measure the efficiency of TTBPK00G at loads much lower than 20% of its maximum rated load (the lowest load that the 80 Plus Standard measures). The loads that we dial are 40, 60, 80 and 100W (for PSUs with over 500W capacity). This is important for scenarios in which a typical office PC is in idle with power saving turned on.


Efficiency at low loads is fairly good for a unit with 1kW capacity. Even with only 40W of load, efficiency is well above 70% and with 80W and 100W load it exceeds the 80% mark. All in all the PSU left us very satisfied with its efficiency at loads much lower than 20% of its max rated capacity and it will be adequate for systems that have small power demands in idle.

Let's check the iPower meter's readings.


Efficiency readings are off again but this time voltages are close to the real ones. However this is mainly because of the very small load variation (40-100W), instead of the accuracy of the iPower meter. Finally Watt and Amp readings are fairly accurate, especially at >60W loads.

5VSB Efficiency

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


In the first two tests efficiency is nothing to write home about, only that it is below ATX spec recommendations for this levels of 5VSB load. At the last two tests things get better since efficiency goes over the 70% mark but still it isn't among, not even near, the highest we have seen.

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 (On but without any load at its rails) and the power consumption when the PSU is in standby (without any load at 5VSB).


In idle the PSU consumes a significant amount of power and apparently the cooling fan along with the iPower meter are responsible for this. Nevertheless in a real system a PSU will never operate in idle mode, since in all cases there is a minimum energy consumption by the system. What is of most importance in this table is energy consumption in standby mode. As you can see, the unit needs only 0.53W of power at standby so it easily meets the ErP Lot 6 2010 requirements (<1W vampire power).