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.
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 Asus Z790-E Strix Gaming motherboard. We were able to take the readings of the total power consumption of the CPU and GPU.
Idle
Voltage readings taken from ADIA64 at idle
- +12V : 12V
- +5V : 4.96V
- +3V : 3.312V
Load
Voltage readings taken from ADIA64 under load
- +12V : 11.904 (-0.096)
- +5V : 4.920 (-0.04)
- +3V : 3.264 (-0.048)
Total power consumption (in wattage)
- CPU (Core i9-14900K) – Max: 272.60W
- GPU (RTX 4080 Super) – Max: 283.05W
At full load, using the Core i9-14900K processor along with the GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, the system drew a total of around 555W … 272W for the CPU and 283W for the GPU.
The +12V line dropped ever so slightly from 12V to 11.094V. A minute change of only -0.096V. Nothing to be concerned about. But if that 12V line drops below 11V … then we might have a problem.
For the +5V line, it dropped from 4.96V to 4.920 (-0.04 difference) and for the +3.3V line, it also dropped from 3.312V to 3.264 (-0.048 difference).
Now lets move on to the Conclusion and Verdict!
