Some pretty good efficiency results here and 100% output power guarantied, in the longer run I also overclocked my home test setup in order to try the 100% load over a longer period and as you can from the heat/noise charts below both samples seem to have survived that test. At 2~2,2 Ampere on the 230V AC side we're pulling up to roughly 500 Watts from the net, with an efficiency of around 85% this means we were effectively loading the power supply with 400~430 Watt on the DC side.

In standby power consumption the Nexus unit scores slightly better while at the inrush current test it's doing slightly worse. We call it a 'break even' though, differences are negligible.

Temperature and noise tests

Noise created by fans and spinning hard disks is not what everyone cares about, though some people are really keen on dead silent PCs, therefore we added a noise chart. Noise is measured with a Velleman DVM1326 digital sound sensor 30cm away from our Silverstone PC housing. We stopped all fans in order to give an exact representation of the noise that is being created solely by the tested products.

PSU input temperature was measured using a Velleman DVM345DI digital multimeter. Output temperature is monitored using a Greisinger GTH 175/Pt digital temperature probe. Room temperature is at roughly 20° and the PSU-in air temperature is roughly 30~33°C idle and 37~40°C at load.

After putting both PSUs through an extended period of load testing we noticed that the Nexus Value 430 remained a very low profile in creating audible noise. I was very pleased to witness this, the Value 430 is not only ecological good for our planet (cfr product box) but its also good for your ears. The Coolermaster unit on the other hand was producing quite a lot noise, the cpu+gpu fans produce a high amount of sound but even after unplugging them the sound level remained high due to the CM psu. Running idle the fan seems to lower it speed and sound levels went back to an acceptable range. Temperature wise however, the Coolermaster does a better job. The higher spinning fan produces more airflow and reduces the in- and outtake temperatures be roughly 5 degrees! This also explains the high difference in input vs output temperature from the chart above.

Let's wrap it all up ->