Our testing methodology for PSUs is straightforward, using a multi-meter and high-precision wattmeter and power analyser that I installed on the +12V, +5+, and +3.3V output rails. I used a high-precision wattmeter and power analyser on two +12V cables - one on the +12V PCIe cable and one on the +12V peripherals cable. With this, I can compare if the +12V output for the PCIe cables and peripherals are the same, particularly when the system is loaded. We also have a wattage and power meter for the entire system to monitor the total wattage pulled by the computer. The test computer's configuration is as follows below which is on an open-frame testbench.
To load the system, I used a combination of the Unigine Heaven Extreme graphics benchmarking tool and the Intel XTU CPU stress testing tool. Both applications ran simultaneously for 10 minutes and delivered an entire system power load of 550~570 watts, which is approximately 50% load for the PSU.
The FSP VITA GM 1000W’s efficiency peaks at 50% load.
Aside from loading the GPU and CPU with the workload, I also used a Lamptron FC5V3 fan controller and a 33mm-thick HF DC Brushless 120mm (Model JLFS12E12BS6) 12V 3.0A, rated for up to 7000 RPM. This fan can draw 20 watts of power at full speed. This setup is to pull power from the +12V peripheral cable since the Lamptron fan controller is powered by a 4-pin Molex connector.
Results:
There are several components in a computer that use +12V, and I wanted to see if there’s a significant difference between them. For this review, I’ve added another probe on the EPS connector connected to the motherboard that supplies power to the CPU. With this, we have probes on three different +12V outputs. Typically, the +12V rail that supplies power to the CPU and GPU is more robust, ensuring a stable supply of power to these components. Nevertheless, we will also test what happens to the +12V peripheral power cable output when it is loaded by a somewhat powerful fan.
The test system was pulling around 550W. The FSP VITA GM 1000W is showing a very powerful +12V rail – still plenty of headroom to draw more power without the rail falling under +12V. The +12V peripheral cable, drawing 20W with the JLFS12E12BS6 7000 RPM fan running at 12V, dropped the voltage down to 12.010V. During the stress test, the +3.3V also dropped to +3.296V. Nevertheless, the system did not encounter any issues.
Voltage Regulation
ATX 3.1 standard requires the PSU’s PCIe and +12V voltage deviation to be within -7% ~ +5%. The FSP VITA GM 1000W, having voltage deviation close to 1%, clearly passes the ATX 3.1 standard. The VITA GM 1000W's voltage deviation is very tight, which is what you would want from your power supply unit. The +12V feed on the peripherals cable is robust even with a 20-watt 7000 RPM fan installed on it. The VITA GM 1000W can support not just high-end CPUs and GPUs but also configurations with multiple fans, RGB lighting devices, and hard drives in mind.
Acoustics
At low loads, the sound meter reads 48 dBA placed 10 cm away from the PSU’s cooling fan. At 50% load, the sound meter read 55 dBA. However, consider that the CPU cooler was also spinning much faster and is producing a louder noise in the system. Overall, the PSU is the least of your worries when it comes to noise. Our test system is in an open test bench without any form of sound insulation. In a typical desktop chassis wherein the PSU bay would likely have a fan filter at the bottom, noise should be even lower.
CPU: Intel Core i7-13700K
Cooling: Noctua NH-U12A chromax.black
Motherboard: GIGABYTE Z790 AORUS EXTREME X
Graphics Card: GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3070 EAGLE OC
Memory: KLEVV CRAS XR5 RGB DDR5-6000 2x16GB Kit
Storage: ADATA Legend 960 Max 1TB / 2TB Seagate SkyHawk 5900 RPM
Cooling: Noctua NH-U12A chromax.black
Motherboard: GIGABYTE Z790 AORUS EXTREME X
Graphics Card: GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3070 EAGLE OC
Memory: KLEVV CRAS XR5 RGB DDR5-6000 2x16GB Kit
Storage: ADATA Legend 960 Max 1TB / 2TB Seagate SkyHawk 5900 RPM
To load the system, I used a combination of the Unigine Heaven Extreme graphics benchmarking tool and the Intel XTU CPU stress testing tool. Both applications ran simultaneously for 10 minutes and delivered an entire system power load of 550~570 watts, which is approximately 50% load for the PSU.
The FSP VITA GM 1000W’s efficiency peaks at 50% load.
Aside from loading the GPU and CPU with the workload, I also used a Lamptron FC5V3 fan controller and a 33mm-thick HF DC Brushless 120mm (Model JLFS12E12BS6) 12V 3.0A, rated for up to 7000 RPM. This fan can draw 20 watts of power at full speed. This setup is to pull power from the +12V peripheral cable since the Lamptron fan controller is powered by a 4-pin Molex connector.
Results:
There are several components in a computer that use +12V, and I wanted to see if there’s a significant difference between them. For this review, I’ve added another probe on the EPS connector connected to the motherboard that supplies power to the CPU. With this, we have probes on three different +12V outputs. Typically, the +12V rail that supplies power to the CPU and GPU is more robust, ensuring a stable supply of power to these components. Nevertheless, we will also test what happens to the +12V peripheral power cable output when it is loaded by a somewhat powerful fan.
The test system was pulling around 550W. The FSP VITA GM 1000W is showing a very powerful +12V rail – still plenty of headroom to draw more power without the rail falling under +12V. The +12V peripheral cable, drawing 20W with the JLFS12E12BS6 7000 RPM fan running at 12V, dropped the voltage down to 12.010V. During the stress test, the +3.3V also dropped to +3.296V. Nevertheless, the system did not encounter any issues.
Voltage Regulation
ATX 3.1 standard requires the PSU’s PCIe and +12V voltage deviation to be within -7% ~ +5%. The FSP VITA GM 1000W, having voltage deviation close to 1%, clearly passes the ATX 3.1 standard. The VITA GM 1000W's voltage deviation is very tight, which is what you would want from your power supply unit. The +12V feed on the peripherals cable is robust even with a 20-watt 7000 RPM fan installed on it. The VITA GM 1000W can support not just high-end CPUs and GPUs but also configurations with multiple fans, RGB lighting devices, and hard drives in mind.
Acoustics
At low loads, the sound meter reads 48 dBA placed 10 cm away from the PSU’s cooling fan. At 50% load, the sound meter read 55 dBA. However, consider that the CPU cooler was also spinning much faster and is producing a louder noise in the system. Overall, the PSU is the least of your worries when it comes to noise. Our test system is in an open test bench without any form of sound insulation. In a typical desktop chassis wherein the PSU bay would likely have a fan filter at the bottom, noise should be even lower.
