Thermaltake Toughpower GF A3 Snow 1050W PSU Review
Power Efficiency and Voltage Ripple
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 impossible when using a PSU with standard PC components.
Power Efficiency
With between 91.3% and 93.1% efficiency, the Toughpower GF A3 performs as expected for an 80+ Gold-rated power supply. A solid result.
Voltage Ripple
Voltage ripple is often overlooked by consumers. It is best described as the stability of specific voltages that the PSU delivers. A PSU with high ripple will see voltages vary much more. In extreme cases, this can damage components or shorten their lifespans. Voltage ripple stability is one of the many reasons to choose 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 is going to kill your PC. Even units with the highest ripple in our charts, like the original Corsair RM1000 (from 2014), are usable. We used this power supply in one of our main workstations for years without any trouble. As we said before, only extreme levels of voltage ripple are dangerous. Regardless, we feel that these results are important, as we do not want to see PSU manufacturers moving backwards with this metric. We do not want to see the return of PSUs with high levels of voltage ripple. It’s easy to build a “gold-rated” PSU today, but it’s hard to build one with excellent ripple performance.
The ATX standard calls for less than 120 mV of voltage ripple on its 12V rail. Since the ATX standard is ancient by today’s standards, and modern PCs can consume much more power, we believe that lower ripple levels are a must. Feeding your PC with a stable voltage means that all your components won’t need to work as hard to stabilise their power. That results in greater component longevity and better voltage control when overclocking.
Thermaltake GA A3 1050V Ripple performance
The Thermaltake GF A3 1050W does a great job of maintaining voltage stability. It sits in the middle of our charts, with a maximum ripple being 21mV. In our eyes, having a voltage ripple below 30 mV is good, below 20 mV is great, and below 15 mV is phenomenal. With this in mind, the GF A3 1050W does great.
