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SilverStone Extreme 1200R Platinum PSU Review

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

DC Output Load Regulation

Combined

DC Load

+3.3V
+5V
+12V
+5VSB
-12V
A
V
A
V
A
V
A
V
A V
120W
0.90
3.34
0.93
5.02
8.95
12.05
0.50
5.01
0.20
-12.01
240W
1.62
3.34
1.63
5.02
18.45
12.05
1.00
5.01
0.20
-12.01
600W
3.00
3.34
3.11
5.02
46.78
12.03
1.50
5.01
0.30
-12.02
900W
4.01
3.34
4.05
5.02
70.86
12.00
2.00
5.01
0.30
-12.01
1200W
5.02
3.33
5.20
5.01
94.57
11.97
2.50
5.01
0.30
-12.02

Load regulations is pretty good, with minor fluctuation under full load conditions.

SilverStone Extreme 1200R Maximum Load
1426 Watts

We managed to push this PSU to 1426 Watts before it shut down safely.

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.

Cross Load Testing +3.3V +5V +12V -12V +5VSB
A V A V A V A V A V
1190W 4.0 3.33 3.0 5.02 88.0 11.98 0.2 -12.01 0.50 5.00
240W 19.0 3.32 22.0 5.00 2.5 12.06 0.2 -12.01 0.50 5.01

The SilverStone Extreme 1200R handled our cross load tests without any issues. When hit with 88A, the +12V rail held at 11.98.

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.

ATX12V Ver 2.2 Noise/Ripple Tolerance
Output
Ripple (mV p-p)
+3.3V
50
+5V
50
+12V1
120
+12V2
120
-12V
120
+5VSB
50

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.

AC Ripple (mV p-p)
DC Load +3.3V +5V +12V 5VSB
100W 10 10 10 10
200W 13 12 15 12
400W 18 15 20 15
600W 25 15 25 17
800W 26 15 30 20
1000W 28 20 35 22
1200W 30 24 42 25

Ripple suppression falls well within industry rated parameters at full load, although they are higher than we have seen from other units we have tested recently. Not a class leading result but pretty good overall. I would like to see the secondary rails a little lower at higher loads.

Efficiency (%)
100W
90.3
200W
92.8
400W
93.7
600W
94.3
800W
93.8
1000W 93.0
1200W 92.0

Efficiency is superb, hitting over 94% between 40%-60% load. At full load, efficiency drops to around 92%. This unit is extremely efficient.

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 in 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

Noise (dBA)
100W
<28.0
200W
<28.0
400W
<28.0
600W
32.6
800W 34.1
1000W 35.1
1200W 35.8

This fan doesn't really spin up much at all until later in the power delivery, and at over 800 Watts load it is audible. This all would depend how loud your actual PC is of course, but over 1000 Watt load fan noise levels were actually very well controlled. The fan buzz is not intrusive, and we didn't experience any coil whine either during testing which was good. This could be considered a fairly quiet power supply even when delivering around 1000 Watts of sustained power.

Temperature (c)
Intake
Exhaust
100W
35
37
200W
36
40
400W
38
44
650W
43
49
800W
45
51
1000W 47 53
1200W 50 56

Temperatures are well maintained throughout the load range thanks to the high levels of efficiency of the design.

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