Efficiency

Using the efficiency results from the previous page, we plotted a chart which shows the RM1000's efficiency at low loads and loads equal to 20% -100% of the PSU's maximum-rated load.



Efficiency at low loads was amazingly high as the RM1000 easily took the lead from many Platinum PSUs with similar capacity. The RM1000 also registered high efficiency with normal loads, only losing out to Platinum units by a small margin. Corsair and CWT definitely did a fine job here.

Efficiency at Low Loads

In the next tests, we measured the RM1000's efficiency at loads much lower than 20% of its maximum-rated load (the lowest load the 80 Plus Standard measures). The loads we dialed were 40 W, 60 W, 80 W, and 100 W (for PSUs with over 500 W of capacity). This is important for settings where the PC is in idle mode with Power Saving turned on.


The RM1000 performed unexpectedly well with low loads, registering very high efficiency for its class. The fan didn't spin up in these tests, although the ambient temperature in our hotbox was 35°C.

Corsair Link Screenshots

Screenshots of the Corsair Link software follow. The order of the screenshots is the same as the order of the tests shown in the table above (low loads efficiency test #1 to test #4).

5VSB Efficiency

The ATX specification states that 5VSB standby supply efficiency should be as high as possible and recommends 50% or higher efficiency with 100 mA of load, 60% or higher with 250 mA of load, and 70% or higher with 1 A or more of load.

We will take four measurements: one at 100, 250, and 1000 mA, each, and one with the full load the 5VSB rail can handle.


The 5VSB rail registered mediocre voltage regulation and average efficiency overall. We also measured a lower efficiency in the third test, the full load test, which is indicative of the 3 A being close to the 5VSB circuit's limits.

Power Consumption in Idle & Standby

In the table below, you will find the power consumption and the voltage values of all rails (except -12V) when the PSU is in idle mode (powered on but without any load on its rails) and the power consumption values when the PSU is in standby mode (without any load on 5VSB).


Vampire power was half of the maximum limit the ErP Lot 6 2013 directive sets, so all is fine here.

Fan RPM, Delta Temperature & Output Noise

The cooling fan's speed (RPMs) and the delta difference between input and output temperature are illustrated in the following chart. The following results were obtained at 38°C-45°C ambient.



A chart that shows the cooling fan's speed (RPMs) and the output noise follows. We measure the fan's noise from 1 meter away, inside a small custom-made anechoic chamber whose internals are completely covered in specialized soundproofing material (Be Quiet! Noise Absorber Kit). Background noise inside the anechoic chamber was below 20 dBA during testing, and the results were obtained with the PSU operating at 38°C-45°C ambient.



The following graph illustrates the fan's output noise throughout the PSU's entire operational range. The same conditions as in the graph above apply to our measurements, but the ambient temperature was in-between 28°C and 30°C.



This PSU is very silent overall, which is in line with the RM's strong tradition of silence. This is, hands down, the quietest 1 kW unit we have ever tested.