Performance and Testing
As you know, I do not have the specialized equipment for PSU testing (which costs thousands of dollars). So the best way I could do test the PSU is by using what we’ve got. My testing method involves comparing the voltage and power consumption reading during idle and at full load. I know it’s not the most accurate method technically, but I think this simple method should provide some ideas of the performance of the power supply in terms of stability and power consumption.
Efficiency Requirements for 80Plus Certification
The main thing to watch out for, is the fluctuation on the +12V line. If the +12V line drops to below 12V during full load or large fluctuations in the V readings … then we’re in trouble. The system may unstable and you might also get random reboots.
Test Rig
| CPU | Intel i9 13900k |
| Cooling | Thermaltake TH360 V2 Ultra EX ARGB Sync AIO Liquid Cooler |
| Motherboard | AsRock Z790 Taichi Lite Motherboard |
| Ram | Patriot Viper Gaming Venom RGB DDR5-7200 32GB Memory Kit |
| XMP/EXPO profiles | XMP 3.0 Profiles 1 |
| SSD/HDD | PNY XLR8 CS3150 1TB SSD |
| PSU | Thermaltake Toughpower SFX 1000W Gold TT Premium Edition PSU |
| VGA card | Radeon RX 7900 GRE |
| Drivers | Latest AMD Software Adrenalin |
| OS | Windows 11 |
We used AIDA64 and simultaneously ran both CPU and GPU stress test which produces 100% load. We then checked the voltage readings on AIDA64, we were able to read the sensor onboard the ASRock Z790 Taichi Lite Motherboard. We were able to take the readings of the total power consumption of the CPU and GPU.
Idle
Voltage readings taken from HW Monitor at idle
- +12V : 12.096V
- +5V : 5.040V
- +3V : 3.328V
Load
Voltage readings taken from HW Monitor under load
- +12V : 12.096V (no change)
- +5V : 4.960V (-0.08v)
- +3V : 3.296V (-0.032v)
Total power consumption (in wattage)
- CPU (i9 13900k) – Max: 265.09 W
- GPU (RX 7900 GRE) – Max: 316 W
At full load, using the i9 13900k processor along with the Radeon RX 7900 GRE, the system drew a total of around 581.09W … 265.09W for the CPU and 316W for the GPU.
The +12V line and was very stable at +12.096V, with no drop from +12.096V (idle), so nothing to worry about. For those who don’t know, here’s something to be aware of… if the 12V line drops below 11V, the system will become unstable and most likely crash.
As for the +5V line, it fluctuated very slightly, dropping from +5.040V to +4.960V. Furthermore, the +3.3V line dropped ever so slightly from +3.328V to +3.296V. Based on our overall tests, the Thermaltake Toughpower SFX 1000W Gold PSU is a pretty rock solid power supply.
Now lets move on to the Conclusion and Verdict!
