Introduction

We would like to thank Cooler Master for supplying the review sample.


The Cooler Master M2000 is one of the strongest PSUs available today. I already reviewed its slightly bigger version, the SilverStone Hela 2050 using the same platform by Enhance Electronics. The SilverStone unit has 50 W more power output and costs more, but comes with a single 12-pin PCIe connector, while the M2000 only has the legacy PCIe connectors. The new ATX v3.0 specification introduced significant changes every PSU manufacturer and brand has to adapt. According to the ATX v3.0 specification, all PSUs with over 450 W capacity should have a 12+4 pin PCIe connector. I thus expect a 2 kW monster to come with two of these connectors.

The M2000 is Platinum 80 PLUS and Cybenetics Platinum certified for efficiency, and has the Cybenetics Standard+ noise certification. At close to 40 dBA noise output, this is not a quiet PSU, but with 2000 W maximum power output, I didn't expect it to be. Of note is that voltage input is 200–240 V. Normal wall sockets cannot exceed 15 A, so there is no way for this PSU to deliver more than 1600 W with 115 V. Lastly, the warranty is long for such a strong PSU, but while pricing will make your eyes water, it is still more affordable than the SilverStone Hela 2050.

Specifications

Photos

The box is enormous and heavy. At the front is a photo of the PSU with the modular board exposed. The model number is highlighted in big white font, and the efficiency description and voltage input support are also shown.


Protection inside the box is good.


The bundle of my sample does not include Velcro straps or even zip ties, only the necessary cables, set of fixing bolts, and heavy-duty AC power cord.


There is no power switch at the front, which is typical of Enhance Electronics platforms, and a C20 receptacle is used to handle the increased amperage.


One of the sides has the PSU's model number; the power specifications table is on the other side.


The modular panel has nineteen sockets.


The PSU is large, measuring 180 mm deep.


Some more photos of the PSU from various angles.

Cables and Connectors

There are plenty of cables and connectors. The only problem is that there are no 12+4 pin connectors, so the PSU is not ATX v3.0 compatible. I expect Cooler Master to soon release a revised version that supports the newest ATX specification. Given the upcoming GPU generation will have increased energy requirements, strong PSUs like the M2000 won't be as rare as they are now.


It is nice to see all peripheral connectors adequately far apart.

Component Analysis

Before reading this page, we strongly suggest looking at this article, which will help you better understand the insides of a PSU.



This is precisely the same platform as the SilverStone Hela 2050. There's no difference in parts. Cooler Master decided to lower the PSU's capacity by 50 W to avoid going head-to-head with SilverStone. A 50 W decrease might look low, but can offer a notable difference in overall performance since we are talking about four-digit instead of three-digit watt numbers.


The heatsinks are not large, and there is ample space on the PCB's right side. The APFC circuit is interleaved, and since there is no room for a single, huge main transformer, two smaller ones are installed instead. Build quality is high, and quality parts are used.


The transient/EMI filter stages have all the necessary parts and sufficiently suppress EMI emissions.


Two metal oxide varistors (MOV) handle voltage surges.


An NTC thermistor suppresses large inrush currents. A bypass relay supports the latter.


The bridge rectifiers are bolted to a pretty large heatsink.


The APFC converter uses two Oriental Semiconductor FETs and two powerful CREE boost diodes. An interleaved design is used, where two APFC converters operate in parallel with a phase difference among them. This minimizes input and output current ripple, lowers conduction losses, offers higher efficiency, and doubles the effective switching frequency.


The bulk caps are by Nippon Chemi-Con and have a combined capacity of 2040uF.


The APFC controller is an ATK AT6201ZSPF.


The four main switching FETs are installed in a full-bridge topology, and an LLC resonant converter is used for higher efficiency. The resonant controller is an ATK AT6301ZTSF.


The LLC resonant controller is a Champion CM6901T6X.


There wasn't enough space for a large main transformer, so two smaller ones were installed in parallel.


The +12 V board is as close as possible to the main transformers, which minimizes energy losses.


The electrolytic filtering caps are of high quality, and lots of Unicon polymer caps are also used.


Two DC-DC converters generate the minor rails.


This is the board responsible for the 5VSB rail's regulation.


The standby PWM controller is an ATK AT6002H.


The supervisor IC is a Weltrend WT7527RA.


Twelve polymer caps at the face of the modular panel form an extra ripple-filtering layer.


Soldering quality is good.


The cooling fan is by Globe Fan, and its model number is RL4Z B1352512EH-3M. It uses double ball-bearings, which are tolerant to heat. The fan controller is an ATK AT1051ZSP8.