Cooler Master V1100 and V1300 SFX Platinum PSU review
Power Efficiency and Ripple Testing
Voltage Ripple and Efficiency Testing
When reviewing new power supplies at OC3D, we use our dedicated SunMoon PSU Tester, one of the most expensive (if not the most expensive) tools in the company’s arsenal. Here we can see exactly how well a unit functions. We look at both a PSU’s efficiency and power stability. To do this, we utilise bespoke PSU testing equipment to give us an in-depth look at each power supply’s performance. This kind of data collection is not possible when using a PSU with standard PC components.
Testing Limitations – 1200W
While our SunMoon power supply tester is a powerful piece of equipment, it is not all powerful. Our unit can only safely draw up to 1200W of power from PSUs, which is more than enough for most PSU testing, but too little to test the fullest capabilities of Cooler Master’s V1300 SFX Platinum PSU. This means that the 100% load setting of this review will be limited to the maximum power that our SunMoon PSU tester can draw, not the maximum power than the V1300 SFX Platinum PSU can deliver.
PSU Efficiency Tests
Despite their high power capacity and their ultra compact form factor, Cooler Master has managed to achieve impressive efficiency levels with their new V1100 and V1300 SFX Platinum power supplies. 1100W and 1300W capacities are an industry first for the SFX form factor. Cooler Master has succeeded in achieving 80+ Platinum efficiency levels with these two units. This is a must given the power density of these products.
Voltage Ripple Test
Voltage ripple is often underlooked by consumers, being best described as the stability of specific voltages that the PSU delivers. A PSU with bad ripple will see voltages vary a lot more. In extreme cases, this can can damage components or shorten their lifespans. Voltage ripple stability is one of the many reasons why you should buy a high-quality power supply. That means buying from a reputable brand and avoiding anything that isn’t 80+ certified.
An important thing to note here is that none of the PSUs in this graph are “bad”. Even bottom of the chart units like the original Corsair RM1000 (2014) bring usable within your system without any issues. We used this specific power supply within one of our main workstations for years, and we had no trouble with it. As we said before, only extreme levels of voltage ripple is dangerous.
(One large capacitor on the V 1100 SFX Platinum)
There are no ripple results below that concern us. That said, Cooler Master’s new V 1100 and V 1300 SFX Platinum power supplies have higher than normal voltage ripple levels. Part of the reason for this is the SFX form factor of these PSUs. Voltage ripple is usually minimised using capacitors. There simply is not space for many huge capacitors within a SFX power supply with this power capacity. We took the 1100W model of the SFX Platinum apart and only found one large capacitor. Nobody has made 1100W and 1300W SFX PSUs before, and it makes sense for doing so to have some downsides.
While these ripple results are higher than what we usually see, we are not concerned by them. Yes, we would like ripple to be smaller, but less than 0.05V of variation isn’t exactly huge.
