CPS PCCooler YS1200 1200W PSU Review (Gold Certified)

• Fully Modular.
• ATX 3.1 & PCIe 5.1 12V-2×6 (600W).
• 80 PLUS Gold Certified.
• Cybenetics Efficiency Gold & Noise A- Certified.
• Hybrid Mode & ECO Mode.
• 135mm FDB (Fluid Dynamic Bearing) Fan.
• 100% Japanese 105°C Electrolytic Capacitors.
• 100V~240Vac (Active PFC).
• Resonant LLC Topology with DC-to-DC Conversion.
• OVP/UVP/SCP/OPP/OTP/OCP/SPD.
• Comply with CB, CE, EAC, UKCA, CCC, FCC, CAN ICES-003(B)/NMB-003(B), TUV, cTUVus.
• Comply with RoHS, WEEE, EAEU, ERP2014.
• 12 Years Warranty.

The CPS PCCooler YS1200 box shows some key points on the front including ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1 certifications, 80 Plus Gold badge, as well as Cybenetics gold certifications and Cybenetics A- noise certifications.

The rear of the box lists some basic specifications along with cable amounts and lengths.

Inside, the power supply is protected between foam, with the cabling on the left side, along with literature on top. You also get a little manual, along with cable ties, cable combs and a PSU tester.

Cables:

• (20+4) x1: 1x610mm
• CPU(4+4) x1: 2x700mm
• PCI-E(6+2) x1: 3x750mm
• SATAx4: 2×500+150+150+150mm
• SATAx2: 2×400+150mm
• 4Pin Peripheral x3: 1×450+120+120mm
• 12V-2×6 (600W) x1: 1x700mm

All of the cables are quality, individually sleeved and none of them have in cable-capacitors either. All of the cables are between 16-18AWG.

The YS1200 is a simple looking power supply measuring 160 mm x 150 mm x 86 mm. This PSU will fit into a wide variety of PC chassis. I like the metallic plate at the top, it's a nice touch.

The top of the unit has a large grille for airflow. We will look at the fan inside shortly once we open the unit.

One side of the power supply is home to the modular bay, across three rows, and the other side is home to the power connector switch and the hybrid fan mode switch.

The YS1200 is able to deliver 100A across the +12V rail and 25A across both minor +3.3V and +5V rails.

This design uses a very highly regarded Hong Hua 135mm Fluid Dynamic Bearing fan (Model: HA13525H12F-Z). We often see these fans in Seasonic power supplies.

As already mentioned, the OEM for this particular power supply is Seasonic – always good to see. The unit is well designed with some large heatsinks to help with transference of heat. The primary stage is populated with two high grade 105c Rated Japanese Nippon Chemi Con capacitors rated 420V 470uF and 680uF for a total of 1150uF. Both are from the KMZ family. Soldering quality is high.

The topology of the unit is APFC, Half Bridge and LLC converter. The secondary side is synchronous rectification with DC-DC converters. Other electrolytic filtering capacitors on the board are from companies such as Nippon Chemi Con, Nichicon and Rubycon.

Correctly testing power supplies is a complex procedure and KitGuru have configured a test bench which can deliver up to a 2,000 Watt DC load.

We test ambient temperatures at 35C in our environment to greater reflect warmer internal chassis conditions.

We use combinations of the following hardware:

• SunMoon SM-268
• CSI3710A Programmable DC load (+3.3V and +5V outputs)
• CSI3711A Programmable DC load (+12V1, +12V2, +12V3, and +12V4)
• Extech Power Analyzer
• Extech MultiMaster MM570 digital multimeter
• Extech digital sound level meter
• Digital oscilloscope (20M S/s with 12 Bit ADC)
• Variable Autotransformer, 1.4 KVA

Load regulation is very good across the board.

Next we want to try Cross Loading. This basically means loads which are not balanced. If a PC for instance needs 500W on the +12V outputs but something like 30W via the combined 3.3V and +5V outputs then the voltage regulation can fluctuate badly.

The YS1200 handled our cross load tests without any issues. When hit with 88A, the +12V rail held at 12.01.

We then used an oscilloscope to measure AC ripple and noise present on the DC outputs. We set the oscilloscope time base to check for AC ripple at both high and low ends of the spectrum. ATX12V V2.2 specification for DC output ripple and noise is defined in the ATX 12V power supply design guide.

Obviously when measuring AC noise and ripple on the DC outputs the cleaner (less recorded) means we have a better end result. We measured this AC signal amplitude to see how closely the unit complied with the ATX standard.

Ripple suppression from the unit is pretty good overall, falling well within industry rated parameters. At full load the +12V rail peak at around 32mV. The 5VSB is a little higher at the higher power levels than I would have expected, but it is still within tolerance levels.

Efficiency is extremely high overall, hitting 93.5% at peak. This drops to just under 91% at full load. An excellent set of results for this power supply.

We take the issue of noise very seriously at KitGuru and this is why we have built a special home brew system as a reference point when we test noise levels of various components. Why do this? Well this means we can eliminate secondary noise pollution in the test room and concentrate on components we are testing. It also brings us slightly closer to industry standards, such as DIN 45635.

Today to test the power supply we have taken it into our acoustics room environment and have set our SkyTronic DSL 2 Digital Sound Level Meter (6-130dBa) one meter away from the unit. We have no other fans running so we can effectively measure just the noise from the unit itself.

As this can be a little confusing for people, here are various dBa ratings with real world situations to help describe the various levels.

KitGuru noise guide

10dBA – Normal Breathing/Rustling Leaves
20-25dBA – Whisper
30dBA – High Quality Computer fan
40dBA – A Bubbling Brook, or a Refrigerator
50dBA – Normal Conversation
60dBA – Laughter
70dBA – Vacuum Cleaner or Hairdryer
80dBA – City Traffic or a Garbage Disposal
90dBA – Motorcycle or Lawnmower
100dBA – MP3 Player at maximum output
110dBA – Orchestra
120dBA – Front row rock concert/Jet Engine
130dBA – Threshold of Pain
140dBA – Military Jet takeoff/Gunshot (close range)
160dBA – Instant Perforation of eardrum

This is a quality FDB fan and up until around 800 watts load it is very quiet. Once you get close to a 1000 watt power draw demand, the fan starts spinning up and is clearly audible. At full load you can clearly hear the fan but this is not a realistic power rating to be running on a regular basis.

Temperatures are well maintained throughout the load range thanks to the high levels of efficiency of the design and the excellent fluid dynamic bearing fan in place.

CPS PCCooler have been clever when targeting the power supply market. The strategy has clearly worked: use a trusted and respected company such as Seasonic and modify the unit with some nice cosmetic changes, and offer a full 12 year warranty. Often you see some smaller brands cutting warranty terms, which always raises a few red flags, but that's not the case here.

The YS1200 is well put together, with top quality Japanese capacitors throughout the design from Nippon Chemi Con, Nichicon and Rubycon. The choice of a high grade fluid dynamic bearing (FDB) fan ensures that noise is never a problem. Load regulation is excellent, and the unit passed our cross load testing without a problem.

Ripple suppression scores well, however I was surprised to see the 5VSB reading over 40mV at full load. This is within industry rated safety parameters, but is quite high, and not something I expected to see.

The power supply overall is well designed, well put together using quality components and will certainly be a good investment for a user looking for an upgrade. The fully modular design, with 12-year warranty will surely bring peace of mind to anyone sitting on the fence.

You can buy this power supply in parts of Europe, for around 199 euros (HERE) and in the USA for $185 (HERE).

Pros:

• Fully modular design.
• 12 year warranty.
• Top grade 105c rated Japanese capacitors.
• Competitive pricing.
• Around Platinum efficiency levels at 230V.

Cons:

• A lot of competition in this sector.
• Possible availability concerns in certain parts of the world.

KitGuru say: This is a great power supply under the CPS PCCooler brand name. The YS1200 delivers quality power and is competitively priced for the discerning enthusiast user.

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