Intelligent Protection: Cooler Master iGreen Power 500W Review- Page 5/6
May 3, 2006
By
Thomas Soderstrom
Performance (continued)
We disconnected the AMD platform, adding its drive and a Mitsumi 48X CD-RW to the Intel platform. Two hard drives, two graphics cards, an optical drive, and a power-hungry processor better approximate the type of high-end system for which this product is intended. In spite of these specs, estimated power draw only came to 365W. We again listed the 50W transitional load minimum voltage separately for comparison to the previous test.
Rail Output Voltage (single platform system)
Rail
Min
Max
50W Trans.
12V1
12.13
12.20
12.02
12V2
12.15
12.21
12.11
12V3
12.13
12.20
12.07
5.0V
5.05
5.06
5.02
3.3V
3.33
3.34
3.32
We observed an even tighter voltage range in the more realistic configuration, but what we really wanted to find out was the noise level of Cooler Master's smart fan under a system similar to what it was designed to power. The noise level was much lower, estimated in the upper-20dB range.
Cooler Master's advertised 17dB fan noise should be considered a mere best-case scenario, only possible under low-load conditions. Not completely satisfied with simple benchmarking, we put the iGreen Power 500W in a high-end office system with external water cooling for extended testing in a quiet environment. Over a two-day, period we found the fan to produce an estimated 24dB when the system was relatively cool, and 28dB with the system completely warmed up, similar to the Thermaltake PurePower 600.
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