[W1zzard]

Introduction

Specifications from Manufacturer

• VRM (Voltage Regulation Module) Circuit offers high efficiency and Power density.
• Compliance with the newest Intel standard ATX 12V V2.3
• Compliance with the newest SSI standard EPS 12V V2.92
• Ultra-silent operation with intelligent 120mm fan speed control
• Eco-design for energy and money saving by Active PFC.(>0.9) / high efficiency(>88%)
• Power Failure Detector will light up when OVP /OCP / OPP / SCP / UVP /OTP occur
• Soft-start circuit A protection mechanism that limits the input inrush current by delaying the actual power-on of the PSU to prevent damage to it.
• Green mode PFC control circuit by intelligent PWM power conversion
• By using a single 12V switching circuit design you get a more efficient AC to DC conversion which leads to an overall more efficient PSU

Packaging

The package design is very clean, on the back you find more detail about the product.

Box contents:

• Power supply unit
• Power Cord
• Instruction Manual
• Screw package

Connectors	Main Power	5.25"	Floppy	4 Pin CPU	SerialATA	PCI-E Aux Power
	ATX 24 Pin	5	1	4	9	4x 6 + 2x 8

The PSU

The Cooler Master Ultime Protection 900W leaves a great visual impression. Its surface is covered by a metal flake paint job which feels extremely durable. On both sides you have an "Ultimate" logo, which is aligned so that the logo is upright no matter how you install the PSU.


Unfortunately the PSU is not modular, all connectors are fixed to the unit.


When you take a closer look at the back of the UCP 900W you will notice that the power plug is different to the "normal" one. The one Cooler Master uses is called IEC 320 C19/C20. The one on a normal PSU is IEC 320 C13/C14. Compared to the smaller plug, the maximum current rating is 16 Amps vs. 10 Amps at 220V. This connector makes use for equipment that goes beyond 2000W wall power draw - not for a 900W PSU. The Amps rating is given at 220V, so at 110V you have twice the maximum current draw allowed through the cable.
I fail to understand why Cooler Master went with such a design choice. This limits you to the single cable included and getting a replacement is hard in case the cable breaks. C19/C20 cables are hard to find, I did a quick check on ebay. Out of 960 power cables, only two are of the C19/C20 variety - and cost more than 10x more than a normal one. If you go to a LAN party and forget your power cable you will be out of luck, you can't borrow a cable from a friend, it won't fit. Also this unique connector is certainly more expensive to use since the manufacturing volume is definitely lower. There will be no difference in power quality, the PSU won't draw anywhere near the maximum power of a normal power cable. At least Cooler Master included an on/off switch in their latest power supply.


The motherboard connector is made of 24 pins, there is no option to remove the extra four pins to run with a 20-pin motherboard. Even motherboards with 20-pin connectors usually have some extra space left to the sides of the connector so this shouldn't be an issue.


Depending on your motherboard you either need a 4-pin or 8-pin CPU power connector. Cooler Master has chosen to split the connector so it will fit on all motherboards, no matter how limited the space.


Two PCI-Express power cables come with one 8-pin and one 6-pin connector. While it is certainly nice to avoid excessive cabling going to your graphics card, it means that the current from both connectors runs over one physical cable and is always fed by the same 12V rail. Cooler Master however includes two additional 6-pin power cables, which means that you can use separate rails if you desire to.

PSU Inside

One of the screws that open the case is covered under a warranty sticker. If the seal is broken, so is your warranty.

Test Equipment

• The PSU is connected to an APC SmartUPS which supplies clean 220V input.
• AC current is measured using a Peaktech 4010 desktop RS232 multimeter with 0.02A accuracy.
• To measure DC output voltages of the PSU we use a Keithley 2700 6.5 digit data acquisition system. All three input voltages are measured at the same time using a solid state switching system.
• Power Factor is measured using a generic Power Efficiency Meter.
• Measurements for Ripple Voltage were obtained using a 100 MHz Tektronix TDS224 Digital Storage Oscilloscope.

Our efficiency testing setup consists of three high-power resistors and a Socket A motherboard. The motherboard creates a small load which makes sure the PSU turns on (some PSUs require a minimum load). Since there is no hardware installed in the motherboard, its power draw is negligible. The three resistors create a static load of about 350W - a typical high-performance system. The actual real power draw will be calculated during testing by measuring voltage and current. Please note that we are testing efficiency at only a single load value, other tests measure at different loads and/or over the whole load range. For a PSU to be 80+ Certified it needs to be 80% efficient at 20%, 50% and 100% load.

Fan noise measurements are performed using the efficiency testing rig and a Bruel & Kjaer 2236 sound level meter. The 2236 is a professional grade sound level meter (~$4,000), measurements are conducted at 100 cm distance and 160 cm over the floor. The ambient background noise level in the room is well below 20 dbA for all measurements. Please note that the dbA scale is not linear, it is logarithmic. 40 dbA is not twice as loud as 20 dbA. A 3 dbA increase results in double the sound pressure. The human hearing is a bit different and it is generally accepted that a 10 dbA increase doubles the perceived sound level.

Performance

The UL certification number E320127 reveals that this PSU is made by Cooler Master Ltd.

Cooler Master Ultimate Circuit Protection UCP 900W, RS-900-AAAA-A3
AC Input	100V-240V, 6.3-12A max., 50-60 Hz
DC Voltage	+3.3V	+5V	+12V1	+12V2	+12V3	+12V4	+5VSB
Max. Output	25A	25A	25A	20A	22A	22A	4A
	166W		852W				20W
	900W

Tested on: AMD Athlon64 FX-62 @ 2800 MHz, ABIT AT8, 2x 512 MB DDR400, WD Raptor 36 GB, Radeon X1900 XTX + Radeon X1900 XTX Crossfire

All voltages are very stable, especially the 3.3V and 5V lines deliver excellent results.


For an unknown reason the ripple voltage is very high with 78 mV. However, we couldn't find any negative effects of this during our review. The PSU was stable at all times.

Standard deviation 3.3V	5.50
Standard deviation 5V	3.01
Standard deviation 12V	8.21
Power Factor	1.00
Ripple Voltage 12V	78.0 mV
Power Efficiency	82.1% (335W:408W)

For easier comparison between power supplies we put the (normalized) line regulation standard deviation into graphs.



Standard deviation is a statistical term, which tells how far away from the average the measurements are. In other words it's the average of the average.
A large standard deviation indicates that the data points are far from the average and a small standard deviation indicates that they are close within the average.
So the smaller the standard deviation is, the better the line regulation.

Efficiency

With 82.1% efficiency in our test, the PSU easily makes the 80+ range. While it is not a spectacular result it is well in the bulk there with other PSUs from well-known manufacturers. Cooler Master claims 88.14% efficiency in their testing, our testing definitely does not reflect that. Since we are testing at only one specific load, there may be other load scenarios where the efficiency is higher.

Fan Noise

While not being silent the Cooler Master UCP 900W is definitely one of the quieter PSUs tested so far.

Value and Conclusion

	The Cooler Master UCP 900W is available for € 219 at CaseKing.de.
	Excellent visual presentation Stable 3.3V and 5V voltages High efficiency (according to official testing) Cables are fully sleeved Long cables
	Not Modular Non-standard power cable High ripple voltage
8.8	Cooler Master's new Ultimate Circuit Protection 900W power supply makes a great impression when you look at it. The durable metal flake paint is very unique and built to last, it does not take fingerprints and is very hard to scratch. If you plan to use a bigger case this might be the PSU of choice since all cables are 10 cm longer than on most other power supplies. There is just one completely retarded design choice which is the non-standard power connector. It makes your and Cooler Master's life harder without having any benefit other than being "special". During our testing the UCP 900W showed good voltage stability, especially on the 3.3V and 5V rails. It is safe to say that this unit will power every enthusiast rig you can throw at it. While our testing does not confirm the high efficiency of the UCP 900, the official testing at 80plus.org says 88.14%, which makes this the first 80plus Silver PSU on the market. Overall the Cooler Master Ultimate Circuit Protection is a solid choice for everyone who is looking for a PSU in the 900W range and is willing to pay the price of around € 220 which definitely includes a small premium for the brand name and the exterior design.