Super Flower Platinum King 650W PSU Review

1. Introduction2. Superflower Platinum King 650W (Bundle & Cables)3. Superflower Platinum King 650W (External)4. Superflower Platinum King 650W (Internal)5. Testing and Methodology6. Closing Thoughts7. View All Pages

Correctly testing power supplies is a complex procedure and KitGuru have configured a test bench which can deliver up to a 2,000 watt DC load. Due to public requests we have changed our temperature settings recently – previously we rated with ambient temperatures at 25C, we have increased ambient temperatures by 10c (to 35c) in our environment to greater reflect warmer internal chassis conditions.

We use combinations of the following hardware:

• SunMoon SM-268
• CSI3710A Programmable DC load (+3.3V and +5V outputs)
• CSI3711A Programmable DC load (+12V1, +12V2, +12V3, and +12V4)
• Extech Power Analyzer
• Extech MultiMaster MM570 digital multimeter
• SkyTronic DSL 2 Digital Sound Level Meter (6-130dBa)
• Digital oscilloscope (20M S/s with 12 Bit ADC)
• Variable Autotransformer, 1.4 KVA

DC Output Load Regulation
Combined DC Load	+3.3V		+5V		+12V		+5VSB		-12V
	A	V	A	V	A	V	A	V	A	V
152W	2.05	3.35	2.04	5.10	10.12	12.21	0.50	5.01	0.20	-12.02
270W	3.03	3.32	3.05	5.07	19.14	12.17	0.50	5.01	0.30	-12.02
400W	4.05	3.30	5.02	5.03	29.18	12.14	1.00	5.00	0.30	-12.03
523W	6.09	3.27	7.04	5.00	38.18	12.09	1.50	5.00	0.30	-12.02
650W	8.00	3.24	9.00	4.97	48.00	12.05	2.50	4.99	0.30	-12.01

Load regulation is fairly good across the range, although the +3.3V rail dropped a little more than we normally would see from a Platinum rated unit.

Super Flower Platinum King 650W	Maximum Load
	704W

We managed to get the PSU to deliver 704 watts before it would shut down, delivering around 54 watts more than the rated specifications.

Next we want to try Cross Loading. This basically means loads which are not balanced. If a PC for instance needs 500W on the +12V outputs but something like 30W via the combined 3.3V and +5V outputs then the voltage regulation can fluctuate badly.

Cross Load Testing	+3.3V		+5V		+12V		-12V		+5VSB
	A	V	A	V	A	V	A	V	A	V
590W	1.0	3.34	1.0	5.09	48.0	12.06	0.2	-12.02	0.50	5.00
145W	12.0	3.22	15.0	4.95	2.0	12.22	0.2	-12.01	0.50	4.99

The unit passed our cross load test without a real problem.

We then used an oscilloscope to measure AC ripple and noise present on the DC outputs. We set the oscilloscope time base to check for AC ripple at both high and low ends of the spectrum. ATX12V V2.2 specification for DC output ripple and noise is defined in the ATX 12V power supply design guide.

ATX12V Ver 2.2 Noise/Ripple Tolerance
Output	Ripple (mV p-p)
+3.3V	50
+5V	50
+12V1	120
+12V2	120
-12V	120
+5VSB	50

Obviously when measuring AC noise and ripple on the DC outputs the cleaner (less recorded) means we have a better end result. We measured this AC signal amplitude to see how closely the unit complied with the ATX standard.

AC Ripple (mV p-p)
DC Load	+3.3V	+5V	+12V	5VSB
152W	15	15	15	5
270W	15	15	15	5
400W	15	15	25	5
523W	15	20	30	10
650W	20	20	35	10

Ripple suppression is very good, falling well within industry rated parameters.

Efficiency (%)
152W	91.33
270W	93.28
400W	93.75
523W	92.27
650W	91.49

Efficiency is excellent – peaking around 93.8% at 50% load. At full load this drops to around 91.5%

We take the issue of noise very seriously at KitGuru and this is why we have built a special home brew system as a reference point when we test noise levels of various components. Why do this? Well this means we can eliminate secondary noise pollution in the test room and concentrate on components we are testing. It also brings us slightly closer to industry standards, such as DIN 45635.

Today to test the Power Supply we have taken it into our acoustics room environment and have set our SkyTronic DSL 2 Digital Sound Level Meter (6-130dBa) one meter away from the unit. We have no other fans running so we can effectively measure just the noise from the unit itself.

As this can be a little confusing for people, here are various dBa ratings in with real world situations to help describe the various levels.

KitGuru noise guide

10dBA – Normal Breathing/Rustling Leaves
20-25dBA – Whisper
30dBA – High Quality Computer fan
40dBA – A Bubbling Brook, or a Refrigerator
50dBA – Normal Conversation
60dBA – Laughter
70dBA – Vacuum Cleaner or Hairdryer
80dBA – City Traffic or a Garbage Disposal
90dBA – Motorcycle or Lawnmower
100dBA – MP3 Player at maximum output
110dBA – Orchestra
120dBA – Front row rock concert/Jet Engine
130dBA – Threshold of Pain
140dBA – Military Jet takeoff/Gunshot (close range)
160dBA – Instant Perforation of eardrum

Noise (dBA)
152W	<28.0
270W	29.2
400W	31.6
523W	32.5
650W	34.3

The Super Flower Platinum King 650W power supply is quiet at loads below 350 watts with the fan barely spinning at all. When the load rises to above 500 watts, the fan spins up to compensate. At full load the fan can be heard, but will likely be masked by several case fans.

Temperature (c)
	Intake	Exhaust
152W	36	38
270W	39	41
400W	42	43
523W	43	48
650W	45	54

The fan is basically inactive for a large portion of load demand, actively spinning within the last 30% of load demand. Internal temperatures are maintained well throughout.

Maximum load	Efficiency
704W	90.7

Pushing the power supply above its rated limits generates an efficiency level of around 90.7%. This is not a viable ‘real world’ situation, but its interesting nonetheless.

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