Efficiency, Differential Temperature and Noise
Efficiency
The overall efficiency of a power supply is very important. The less waste heat generated the better! Efficiency is defined by the power output divided by the power input and is usually expressed as a percentage. If a PSU were a 100% efficient (which none are) 850 watts of AC power going in would result in 850 watts of DC power coming out (with no waste heat to dissipate). In the real world there are always inefficiencies and power is lost in the form of heat during the conversion process. Newer revisions to the ATX12V Power Supply Design Guide V 2.2 have continued to increase the efficiency recommendations for PC switching mode power supplies and now lists both required and recommended minimum efficiencies.
We measured the AC power input to the Dark Power Pro 10 850W PSU with an Extech power analyzer while the total DC load was found by adding all the individual +3.3V, +5V, +12V, -12V and +5VSB loads together.
The overall efficiency of the Dark Power Pro 10 850W power supply is excellent and easily meets the criteria for 80Plus Platinum certification, even while operating on 115 VAC and at elevated temperatures.
80 Plus Program
Note 1: Power Factor =0.90 (50% to 100% Load)
Note 2: Tests conducted at room temperature (25°C)
Differential Temperature and Noise Levels
To simulate real world operation, some of the warm exhaust air from the PSU under test is recirculated back to the intake through a passive air duct, which allows the PSU air inlet temperature to increase with load, just like it would in a real PC.
The differential temperature across the power supply was calculated by subtracting the internal case air temperature (T in) from the temperature of the warm exhaust air flowing out the back of the power supply (T out).
Thermocouples were placed at the air inlet and exhaust outlet. The ambient room air temperature was 23ºC (74ºF) +/- 0.5ºC during testing.
T out = temperature of air exhausting from power supply
T in = temperature of air entering power supply
Delta T = T out – T in
Sound pressure level readings were taken 3’ away from the rear of the case in an otherwise quiet room. The ambient noise level was ~28 dBA. I was not able to take SPL readings at the higher loads due to the background noise generated by all the DC Load cooling fans cycling on and off.
The Dark Power Pro 10 850W PSU uses a well designed IC motor speed controller to handle the SilentWings cooling fan. At low to mid power levels (10-50% load) the cooling fan was virtually silent. Even when delivering 425W (50% load) the cooling fan noise was barely detectable. While subjectively still quiet, I was not able to measure the SPL at the higher loads due to all the programmable DC load cooling fans cycling on and off. At full load, the noise from the PSU fan is noticeable but if you have a system that is pulling 850W, you most likely have a lot of other fans running too (like multiple GPU coolers).
Just got my Dark Power P10
Just got my Dark Power P10 1200W and it’s the most awesome PSU i’ve ever seen!
Seen ? But how does it work ?
Seen ? But how does it work ?
70A on the 12V rail…yikes
70A on the 12V rail…yikes !
Wish I could go into that C7 sleep state…I`d feel more rested upon awakening.
Lee,
Another amazing psu
Lee,
Another amazing psu review and another amazing psu from seasonic made even better by Be Quiet.
Two questions: In what situation would the multi 12v rails be chosen over the single rail? I have always used single rail psu’s beginning back with pc power and cooling years and years ago.
The second question is about the fluid dynamic verse double ball bearing. Is one better than the other?
You would use Multi-Rail for
You would use Multi-Rail for security reasons:
http://www.overclock.net/t/761202/single-rail-vs-multi-rail-explained
Jump to the conclusion if you dont want to read the entore post.