The Cooler Master V SFX Platinum 1100 PSU Review: Testing the Limits of SFX
by E. Fylladitakis on February 22, 2023 10:00 AM ESTCold Test Results (~22°C Ambient)
For the testing of PSUs, we are using high precision electronic loads with a maximum power draw of 2700 Watts, a Rigol DS5042M 40 MHz oscilloscope, an Extech 380803 power analyzer, two high precision UNI-T UT-325 digital thermometers, an Extech HD600 SPL meter, a self-designed hotbox and various other bits and parts. For a thorough explanation of our testing methodology and more details on our equipment, please refer to our How We Test PSUs - 2014 Pipeline post.
The efficiency of the Cooler Master V SFX Platinum 1100 is exceptional, with it being one of the very few units that meets the 80Plus certification regardless of the voltage input. It is significantly more efficient when powered via an 230V AC source, with an average efficiency of 93% across the nominal load range. That figure drops down to 91.3% when the unit is powered from a 115V AC source, but that still is very high and the PSU easily meets the 80Plus Platinum certification requirements.
Due to the very high efficiency, the thermal losses are low, thus we would normally expect to see very low internal temperatures. This is not the case here because the V SFX Platinum 1100 is very dense and its cooling capacity much lower than that of a comparable ATX unit, expectedly resulting to higher-than-regular internal temperatures. Nevertheless, these temperature figures are perfectly safe for the unit.
As expected from such a compact and power-dense unit, the designer did not risk having a fanless operation mode, which also led to fewer components for the thermal control circuit and saved a bit of precious space. The 92 mm fan will start immediately once the PSU is powered on but does stay relatively quiet while the load is low. It will speed up depending on the load, slowly at first but abruptly once the load is higher than 700 Watts. The PSU does get very loud when the load is very high, but not unexpectedly so – despite the high efficiency, its very compact dimensions and small cooling fan fashion a challenging cooling design.
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meacupla - Wednesday, February 22, 2023 - link
I am surprised they managed to get 1100W out SFX size constraints.Asus and Silverstone use SFX-L for their 1000~1200W range, and those already look cramped on the insides.
ZoSo - Wednesday, February 22, 2023 - link
I'm looking at this one and the Asus Loki 1000 to power a 4090FE and 13900k.TheinsanegamerN - Wednesday, February 22, 2023 - link
It looks great, but the cases that support SFX are so limited. Everyone is hung up on building oversized ITX boxes with ATX PSU support.Techie2 - Wednesday, February 22, 2023 - link
This looks like a decent 800w PSU design crammed into an SFX case. Without a 125mm fan it runs hopelessly hot and isn't practical for more than 800w max load. The excess ripple is also a concern. I personally would not buy this if I actually needed over 800w sustained power. I'm surprised Cooler Master didn't have the OEM work out a slightly better design even if they needed to use the SFX-L length. It's almost an excellent PSU but not at near max power.erinadreno - Thursday, February 23, 2023 - link
CoolerMaster IS the OEM for many other name-branded PSUs. It's either them or Greatwall for Tier 1 Chinese PSU OEMs.Techie2 - Thursday, February 23, 2023 - link
Quote from the review: "This is the first time we have encountered Sysgration as the OEM of a computer PSU..."Maksdampf - Wednesday, February 22, 2023 - link
Such a shame they did not go for the vastly superior SFX-L format. For 1,1KW it would have really made a difference and most SFX cases do support these the same way as short SFX PSUs. 120mm Fans do push 70% more air at the same speed and the slightly lengthened PCB would open op more airflow alleys.I got a good deal on a fractal Design Ion SFX (Seasonic Focus SGX clone) and even though it is a cheaper gold rated unit it has excellent noise and thermals. I could have gotten a more efficient corsair with its 92mm Fan, but i deliberately chose this one for the better thermals and noise.
lemurbutton - Thursday, February 23, 2023 - link
Anandtech will review power supplies, which are mostly all the same. But Anandtech still won't review M1 Ultra which is the most interesting piece of silicon to come out in decades.PeachNCream - Friday, February 24, 2023 - link
Have we been reading the same site? Anandtech is, at best, a shambling zombie of a website. There is news, but none of it is reported here. I have been waiting the past couple of months for the URL to redirect to Toms Hardware and I'm surprised it hasn't happened yet.