High Power Astro GD 1200W Fully Modular Power Supply Review

DC Load Regulation and AC Ripple

DC Output Load Regulation

To simulate real world and maximum loading conditions, the Astro GD 1200W power supply was connected to the load testers and supplied with a constant 115 VAC.  In this test we are interested in seeing how well a PSU can maintain the various output voltages while operating under different loads.  

The ATX12V V2.2 tolerance for voltages states how much each output (rail) is allowed to fluctuate and has tighter tolerances now for the +12V outputs.  I have also included a second table of expanded tolerances (±1% to ±6%) for reference.

The following tables list the DC voltage results for the PSU while operating on 115 VAC, 60 Hz.

The AGD-1200F power supply produced very good voltage regulation on all of the DC outputs even while delivering the full rated 1,200 watts total. All of the critical rails stayed within ±2%. We’re off to a good start.

AC Ripple and Noise on the DC Outputs

The amount of AC ripple and noise present on the DC outputs was checked using a digital oscilloscope.  This AC component may be present in the KHz range where most switching power supplies operate or it may be more prevalent at the 60 Hz line frequency.  We adjust the O-scope time base to look for AC ripple at both low and high frequencies.  The ATX12V V2.2 specification for DC output noise/ripple is defined in the ATX12V Power Supply Design Guide.

Ideally we would like to see no AC ripple (repetitive) or noise (random) on the DC outputs – the cleaner the better!  But in reality there will always be some present.  I measured the amplitude of the AC signal (in millivolts, peak-to-peak) to see how well the power supply complied with the ATX standard.  The following table lists the ripple/noise results during all of the load tests for the main output voltages of interest.

The High Power Astro GD 1200W power supply starts out good but then all of the outputs start to develop more ripple and noise spikes than we would ideally like to see, especially at full load. However, all the values stayed well under the recommended ATX guidelines.