Thermaltake Toughpower PF1 ARGB 1200 W Review 3

Thermaltake Toughpower PF1 ARGB 1200 W Review

Cross Load Tests »

Test Setup



Primary Rails Load 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. Tight load regulation is an important characteristic for every power supply since it allows for constant voltage levels despite changes in load.







5VSB Regulation



Hold-up Time

Hold-up time represents the amount of time, usually measured in milliseconds, a PSU can maintain output regulations as defined by the ATX specification without input power. Hold-up time is the amount of time the system can continue to run without shutting down or rebooting during a power interruption. In the following screenshots, the blue line is the mains signal and the green line is the "Power Good" signal, while the yellow line represents the +12V rail.







Such an inaccurate power ok signal is a great shame in as expensive a power supply as this one.

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. Large enough 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 it is turned on, the better.


10-110% Load Testing

These tests reveal the PSU's load regulation and efficiency levels at high ambient temperatures. They also show how the fan-speed profile behaves under tough operating conditions.

Load Regulation & Efficiency Testing Data - Thermaltake TPD-1200F3FAPU-1
Test12 V5 V3.3 V5VSBPower
(DC/AC)
EfficiencyFan SpeedPSU NoiseTemp
(In/Out)
PF/AC
Volts
10% Load8.198A1.966A2.001A0.986A119.988W88.733%0 RPM<6.0 dB(A)47.75°C0.821
12.002V5.085V3.297V5.072V135.223W39.39°C230.29V
20% Load17.394A2.953A3.005A1.184A239.731W92.399%0 RPM<6.0 dB(A)48.83°C0.912
12.006V5.081V3.293V5.067V259.453W40.17°C230.29V
30% Load26.932A3.447A3.492A1.384A359.233W93.372%0 RPM<6.0 dB(A)49.72°C0.944
12.002V5.077V3.291V5.060V384.732W40.73°C230.29V
40% Load36.531A3.941A4.014A1.583A479.673W93.543%1588 RPM42.1 dB(A)41.98°C0.961
12.003V5.073V3.288V5.054V512.782W51.40°C230.29V
50% Load45.781A4.932A5.021A1.783A599.824W93.728%1284 RPM35.1 dB(A)42.31°C0.970
11.999V5.069V3.285V5.049V639.961W52.20°C230.29V
60% Load55.005A5.922A6.033A1.983A719.966W93.300%1603 RPM41.5 dB(A)42.76°C0.978
12.002V5.065V3.282V5.043V771.669W53.23°C230.30V
70% Load64.212A6.917A7.045A2.184A839.709W93.016%1611 RPM41.5 dB(A)43.46°C0.981
12.001V5.061V3.278V5.037V902.757W54.36°C230.29V
80% Load73.510A7.912A8.060A2.386A960.229W92.741%1616 RPM41.5 dB(A)44.05°C0.988
11.996V5.056V3.275V5.031V1035.392W55.45°C230.29V
90% Load83.148A8.412A8.555A2.387A1079.530W92.450%1650 RPM43.1 dB(A)44.46°C0.989
11.991V5.053V3.272V5.029V1167.696W56.21°C230.29V
100% Load92.657A8.916A9.084A2.993A1200.028W92.044%1625 RPM41.8 dB(A)45.63°C0.990
11.983V5.048V3.270V5.014V1303.760W57.84°C230.33V
110% Load102.734A8.923A9.090A2.994A1320.057W91.683%1627 RPM41.8 dB(A)46.77°C0.991
11.976V5.044V3.268V5.010V1439.798W59.83°C230.29V
Crossload 10.148A16.000A15.999A0.000A135.371W83.146%1044 RPM29.8 dB(A)42.59°C0.819
11.993V5.072V3.278V5.103V162.811W52.22°C230.31V
Crossload 2100.037A1.002A1.000A1.000A1212.738W92.385%1627 RPM41.8 dB(A)45.25°C0.990
11.989V5.056V3.283V5.046V1312.699W57.70°C230.29V

Load regulation is tight on all rails, and the PSU easily copes with increased operating temperatures. However, with such an aggressive fan-speed profile, it is a poor choice for users wanting to build a quiet system.

With 50% load, the fan speed profile goes crazy, with fan speed dropping instead of increasing. The MCU responsible for the fan control circuit apparently needs re-programming.

Light Load Testing

We measure the PSU's efficiency at loads significantly lower than 10 percent of its maximum capacity (the lowest load the 80 PLUS standard measures) in the following tests. This is important for when a PC is idle with its power-saving features turned on.

Efficiency at Low Loads - Thermaltake TPD-1200F3FAPU-1
Test #12 V5 V3.3 V5 VSBPower
(DC/AC)
EfficiencyFan SpeedPSU NoisePF/AC
Volts
12.868A0.490A0.483A0.197A39.576W76.588%0 RPM<6.0 dB(A)0.536
12.024V5.090V3.301V5.089V51.674W230.31V
24.128A0.982A1.000A0.393A59.922W82.093%0 RPM<6.0 dB(A)0.673
12.022V5.089V3.300V5.085V72.993W230.30V
35.330A1.474A1.485A0.591A79.420W83.888%0 RPM<6.0 dB(A)0.742
12.011V5.088V3.299V5.081V94.674W230.31V
46.603A1.965A2.000A0.788A99.860W87.130%0 RPM<6.0 dB(A)0.787
12.005V5.087V3.297V5.077V114.610W230.41V

Efficiency

Using the results we gathered so far, we plotted a chart showing the PSU's efficiency at low loads and loads from 10 to 110 percent of its maximum-rated capacity.



Efficiency at light loads falls behind the competition. That said, the PSU places second with normal loads.

5VSB Efficiency

5VSB Efficiency - Thermaltake TPD-1200F3FAPU-1
Test #5VSBPower (DC/AC)EfficiencyPF/AC Volts
10.100A0.500W69.832%0.018
4.997V0.716W230.31V
20.250A1.249W74.656%0.040
4.994V1.673W230.31V
30.550A2.744W76.584%0.083
4.988V3.583W230.31V
41.000A4.980W77.126%0.142
4.979V6.457W230.31V
51.500A7.456W77.232%0.198
4.969V9.654W230.31V
63.000A14.819W77.287%0.311
4.939V19.174W230.31V

The 5VSB rail is not very efficient.

Power Consumption in Idle and Standby

Idle / Standby - Thermaltake TPD-1200F3FAPU-1
Mode12 V5 V3.3 V5VSBPower (AC)PF/AC Volts
Idle11.989V5.092V3.302V5.092V7.833W0.189
230.3V
Standby0.075W0.002
230.3V

Fan RPM, Delta Temperature and Output Noise

The following results were obtained at 37–47 °C ambient.





The following results were obtained at 30–32 °C ambient.



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