Corsair SF1000L SFX-L ATX 3.0 PSU Review
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.Â
Efficiency Tests
When it comes to efficiency, Corsair’s SF1000L PSU delivers the results that we would expect from a high quality 80+ Gold Rated power supply. These are strong results from Corsair’s SF1000L, though it isn’t exactly revolutionary.Â
Voltage Ripple Tests
oltage 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, which can damage components or shorten their lifespan in extreme cases. Voltage ripple stability is one of the many reasons why you should buy a high-quality power supply and avoid anything that isn’t 80+ certified.
An important thing to note here is that none of the PSUs in this graph is “bad”, even bottom of the chart units like the original Corsair RM1000 (2014) bring usable within your system without any issues. Even so, having low ripple is an important factor to consider when purchasing a new PSU. Cleaner power will help extend your PC’s components’ lifespan by placing each product’s power circuitry under less strain. Even if the RM1000 is usable in a modern system, though, we would expect all new high-end power supplies to perform better than this unit in terms of ripple. A lot has changed since the days of the RM1000.
Corsair’s new SF1000L PSU delivers ripple levels that are slightly higher than Corsair’s 2021 RMx series, highlighting that the compact nature of the SF1000L does come at a small voltage ripple cost. While some units deliver stronger performance in this regard, these units use PSU cables with in-line capacitors and are inherently more expensive. Corsair’s new SF-L series PSUs are designed to be compact, and these are great ripple levels for the SF-L series’ form factor. Notice that ASUS’ premium Thor series of PSUs have similar levels voltage ripple, and that Corsair’s older SF-series PSUs have higher levels of ripple. This is a strong result from Corsair.
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