W1zzard
11-26-2007, 12:38 PM
[PAGE=Introduction & Packaging]
Introduction
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/logo.jpg
I would like to thank Sunbeam (http://www.sunbeam.com) for supplying the test sample.
Specifications from manufacturer
Highest wattage 80+ Power supply on the market in the standard PS2 Form Factor
Standard PS2 :158 x 148 x 90 mm
Japanese Ripple Capacitor
Conformed with SLI
High efficiency 80 plus
All kinds of protection circuits (OCP/OVP/SCP/OPP)
Active PFC
3-year warranty
Packaging
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/package1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/package1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/package2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/package2.jpg)
The package is mainly held in black with some light highlights. On the front you have a big photo of the PSU, while the back goes into details with the important specifications. A carrying handle is also present so you can carry your loot back home from the shop.
Box contents:
Power supply unit
Power Cord (we actually got two, one for 220V, one for 110V)
Instruction Manual
2x PCI-E 6-pin to 8-pin extension cable
10x cable ties
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/contents_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/contents.jpg)
<table class="resulttable" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5">
<tr>
<th rowspan="2">Connectors</th>
<th align="center">Main Power</th>
<th align="center">5.25"</th>
<th align="center">Floppy</th>
<th align="center">4 Pin CPU</th>
<th align="center">SerialATA</th>
<th align="center">PCI-E Aux Power</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">ATX 20+4 Pin</td>
<td align="center">6</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">6</td>
<td align="center">6</td>
<td align="center">2x 6 + 2x 8</td>
</tr>
</table>
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/cablelength.gif
[page=The PSU]
The PSU
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/psu1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/psu1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/psu2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/psu2.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/psu3_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/psu3.jpg)
The first thing you will notice after unpacking, if you haven't seen it in the specs before, is that the PSU is of the standard ATX form factor. This is rather uncommon for a PSU with a wattage of 950W. The matte dark paint job barely takes any finger prints.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/psu4_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/psu4.jpg)
Unfortunately a modularity feature is not present, all cables are fixed to the PSU. Especially in this class of power supplies I find modularity extremely important since it allows you to use only the cables you really need at a given time which helps keep your case insides clean.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/psu5_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/psu5.jpg)
A big, slow running 140 mm fan will make sure your PSU stays cool at all times.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/atx_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/atx.jpg)
The motherboard connector supports both 20 and 24 pin operation. The two white arrows show where to press together the plugs for proper installation. Unfortunately it is not possible to clip both parts together for easy installation in limited spaces.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/12v1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/12v1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/12v2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/12v2.jpg)
This PSU comes with two 12V CPU power connectors. One is the 8-pin EPS variant and the second one is used on older or budget motherboards.
[pagE=PSU Inside & Test Equipment]
PSU Inside
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/inside1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/inside1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/inside2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/inside2.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/inside3_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/inside3.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/inside4_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/inside4.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/inside5_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/inside5.jpg)
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/inside6_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/inside6.jpg)
Whoa, that's a nice bank of adjustable resistors to play with.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/fan_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/fan.jpg)
The 135 mm internal fan is running very very quiet, especially if you consider that this is a high-powered PSU with 950W in a small standard PSU housing.
Test Equipment
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/setup.jpg
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.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/noisetest_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/noisetest.jpg)
Fan noise measurements are performed with an IEC Type 2 Sound level meter and this setup.
It 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 320W (120W @ 12V + 50W @ 5V + 150W @ 12V) - a typical high-performance system. This setup is also used to determine the power conversion efficiency of the PSU.
[page=Performance]
Performance
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/sticker_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/sticker.jpg)
<table class="resulttable" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5">
<tr>
<th colspan="10">Tuniq Mini Plant 950W PSU-MIN950-BK</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>AC Input</th>
<td colspan="9">110V-230V, 8.5A, 50-60 Hz</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>DC Voltage</th>
<td align="center">+3.3V</td>
<td align="center">+5V</td>
<td align="center">+12V1</td>
<td align="center">+12V2</td>
<td align="center">+12V3</td>
<td align="center">+12V4</td>
<td align="center">+5VSB</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th rowspan="3">Max. Output </th>
<td align="center">24A</td>
<td align="center">30A</td>
<td align="center">20A</td>
<td align="center">20A</td>
<td align="center">20A</td>
<td align="center">20A</td>
<td align="center">3A</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2" align="center">170W</td>
<td colspan="4" align="center">810W</td>
<td align="center">15W</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="7" align="center">950W</td>
</tr>
</table>
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/psugraph.gif
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
Look at the stability of the 5V line, that's pretty much as good as it gets! Great job here Sunbeam. The 12V line fluctuates a bit more, but is far from reaching critical levels.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/ripple2.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/ripple1.gif
Just like on the last Sunbeam PSU, when I measured the ripple voltage I noticed that there were two distinct ripples of different frequency. The first image shows ripple at 5 mV/div, 5 uS/div which is the way we usually test. You can clearly see the ripple with 14.4 mV amplitude.
On the second image we have ripple measured at 5 mv/div, 1 ms/div, so basically zoomed out by factor 20 on the horizontal time scale. Here we also see a nice ripple curve. I would say this is nothing bad, it was just something I noticed during testing. It has probably to do with the way how this PSU is constructed and seems to be common to Sunbeam's high-end PSU lines since we have seen it on our Ensemble 1200W review too.
<table class="resulttable" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5">
<tr>
<th>Standard deviation 12V</th>
<td align="right">12.59</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Standard deviation 5V</th>
<td align="right">2.35</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Standard deviation 3.3V</th>
<td align="right">7.47</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Power Factor</th>
<td align="right">0.97</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Ripple Voltage 12V</th>
<td align="right">14.4 mV</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Power Efficiency @ 320 W</th>
<td align="right">80% (320W:400W)</td>
</tr>
</table>
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.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/efficiency.gif
Sunbeam claims 80+ efficiency, which is spot on with our measurements.
[PAGE=Fan Noise]
Fan Noise
For easier comparison of PSU fan noise results we have separated our test results into three groups with a chart each:
Up to 500W: Typical PSU ideal for a single video card system.
500W to 750W: Plenty of power available for most single and dual video card machines.
Over 750W: For the most hardcore, power hungry and overclocked setups.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/fannoise_500.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/fannoise_750.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/fannoise_1000.gif
When I first tested this PSU I could not believe how quiet it is. Basically you will not be able to hear it in a room with normal ambient sound levels (no PC). Once you add a PC into the mix that just has one single fan, the PSU noise becomes secondary. With a normal sized form factor and tons of power this PSU seems like a very viable choice for a Media PC that can be used for HD gaming too.
[page=Value & Conclusion]
Value and Conclusion
<table width="100%" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" id="result">
<tr><th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/dollar.gif</th>
<td>
Sunbeam's price for the Tuniq Mini Plant is $249.</td>
</tr><tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbup.gif</th>
<td>
Very, very quiet!
950W of power
ATX standard sized case
Stable output voltages
Good amount of PCI-E power connectors
Cables are fully sleeved
3 Year warranty
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbdown.gif</th>
<td>
Not Modular
High price
</td></tr>
<tr><th>9.3</th>
<td>If you are looking for a powerful PSU that fits into any case and is extremely quiet then you definitely have to look at Sunbeam's Tuniq Mini Plant. While other companies use bigger cases and still have loud fans, Sunbeam has managed without both. In our testing the PSU can deliver the quietest experience we tested so far, in the 900W+ segment.<br />
The only feature that I really miss is modularity. There are so many connectors included and you will often use only a few of them, so you are stuck with a large bundle of unnecessary cables. If you have a big case however it should be no problem to hide them.<br />
The price tag of $250 is quite a big chunk of money, but it generally seems to be in range with offerings in that Watt range.
</td></tr>
<tr><th></th><td>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/editorschoice.gif</td></tr>
</table>
Introduction
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/logo.jpg
I would like to thank Sunbeam (http://www.sunbeam.com) for supplying the test sample.
Specifications from manufacturer
Highest wattage 80+ Power supply on the market in the standard PS2 Form Factor
Standard PS2 :158 x 148 x 90 mm
Japanese Ripple Capacitor
Conformed with SLI
High efficiency 80 plus
All kinds of protection circuits (OCP/OVP/SCP/OPP)
Active PFC
3-year warranty
Packaging
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/package1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/package1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/package2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/package2.jpg)
The package is mainly held in black with some light highlights. On the front you have a big photo of the PSU, while the back goes into details with the important specifications. A carrying handle is also present so you can carry your loot back home from the shop.
Box contents:
Power supply unit
Power Cord (we actually got two, one for 220V, one for 110V)
Instruction Manual
2x PCI-E 6-pin to 8-pin extension cable
10x cable ties
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/contents_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/contents.jpg)
<table class="resulttable" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5">
<tr>
<th rowspan="2">Connectors</th>
<th align="center">Main Power</th>
<th align="center">5.25"</th>
<th align="center">Floppy</th>
<th align="center">4 Pin CPU</th>
<th align="center">SerialATA</th>
<th align="center">PCI-E Aux Power</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">ATX 20+4 Pin</td>
<td align="center">6</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">6</td>
<td align="center">6</td>
<td align="center">2x 6 + 2x 8</td>
</tr>
</table>
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/cablelength.gif
[page=The PSU]
The PSU
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/psu1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/psu1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/psu2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/psu2.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/psu3_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/psu3.jpg)
The first thing you will notice after unpacking, if you haven't seen it in the specs before, is that the PSU is of the standard ATX form factor. This is rather uncommon for a PSU with a wattage of 950W. The matte dark paint job barely takes any finger prints.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/psu4_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/psu4.jpg)
Unfortunately a modularity feature is not present, all cables are fixed to the PSU. Especially in this class of power supplies I find modularity extremely important since it allows you to use only the cables you really need at a given time which helps keep your case insides clean.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/psu5_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/psu5.jpg)
A big, slow running 140 mm fan will make sure your PSU stays cool at all times.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/atx_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/atx.jpg)
The motherboard connector supports both 20 and 24 pin operation. The two white arrows show where to press together the plugs for proper installation. Unfortunately it is not possible to clip both parts together for easy installation in limited spaces.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/12v1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/12v1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/12v2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/12v2.jpg)
This PSU comes with two 12V CPU power connectors. One is the 8-pin EPS variant and the second one is used on older or budget motherboards.
[pagE=PSU Inside & Test Equipment]
PSU Inside
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/inside1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/inside1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/inside2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/inside2.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/inside3_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/inside3.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/inside4_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/inside4.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/inside5_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/inside5.jpg)
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/inside6_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/inside6.jpg)
Whoa, that's a nice bank of adjustable resistors to play with.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/fan_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/fan.jpg)
The 135 mm internal fan is running very very quiet, especially if you consider that this is a high-powered PSU with 950W in a small standard PSU housing.
Test Equipment
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/setup.jpg
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.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/noisetest_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/noisetest.jpg)
Fan noise measurements are performed with an IEC Type 2 Sound level meter and this setup.
It 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 320W (120W @ 12V + 50W @ 5V + 150W @ 12V) - a typical high-performance system. This setup is also used to determine the power conversion efficiency of the PSU.
[page=Performance]
Performance
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/sticker_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/sticker.jpg)
<table class="resulttable" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5">
<tr>
<th colspan="10">Tuniq Mini Plant 950W PSU-MIN950-BK</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>AC Input</th>
<td colspan="9">110V-230V, 8.5A, 50-60 Hz</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>DC Voltage</th>
<td align="center">+3.3V</td>
<td align="center">+5V</td>
<td align="center">+12V1</td>
<td align="center">+12V2</td>
<td align="center">+12V3</td>
<td align="center">+12V4</td>
<td align="center">+5VSB</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th rowspan="3">Max. Output </th>
<td align="center">24A</td>
<td align="center">30A</td>
<td align="center">20A</td>
<td align="center">20A</td>
<td align="center">20A</td>
<td align="center">20A</td>
<td align="center">3A</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2" align="center">170W</td>
<td colspan="4" align="center">810W</td>
<td align="center">15W</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="7" align="center">950W</td>
</tr>
</table>
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/psugraph.gif
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
Look at the stability of the 5V line, that's pretty much as good as it gets! Great job here Sunbeam. The 12V line fluctuates a bit more, but is far from reaching critical levels.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/ripple2.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/ripple1.gif
Just like on the last Sunbeam PSU, when I measured the ripple voltage I noticed that there were two distinct ripples of different frequency. The first image shows ripple at 5 mV/div, 5 uS/div which is the way we usually test. You can clearly see the ripple with 14.4 mV amplitude.
On the second image we have ripple measured at 5 mv/div, 1 ms/div, so basically zoomed out by factor 20 on the horizontal time scale. Here we also see a nice ripple curve. I would say this is nothing bad, it was just something I noticed during testing. It has probably to do with the way how this PSU is constructed and seems to be common to Sunbeam's high-end PSU lines since we have seen it on our Ensemble 1200W review too.
<table class="resulttable" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5">
<tr>
<th>Standard deviation 12V</th>
<td align="right">12.59</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Standard deviation 5V</th>
<td align="right">2.35</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Standard deviation 3.3V</th>
<td align="right">7.47</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Power Factor</th>
<td align="right">0.97</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Ripple Voltage 12V</th>
<td align="right">14.4 mV</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Power Efficiency @ 320 W</th>
<td align="right">80% (320W:400W)</td>
</tr>
</table>
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.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/efficiency.gif
Sunbeam claims 80+ efficiency, which is spot on with our measurements.
[PAGE=Fan Noise]
Fan Noise
For easier comparison of PSU fan noise results we have separated our test results into three groups with a chart each:
Up to 500W: Typical PSU ideal for a single video card system.
500W to 750W: Plenty of power available for most single and dual video card machines.
Over 750W: For the most hardcore, power hungry and overclocked setups.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/fannoise_500.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/fannoise_750.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sunbeam/Tuniq_MiniPlant_950W/images/fannoise_1000.gif
When I first tested this PSU I could not believe how quiet it is. Basically you will not be able to hear it in a room with normal ambient sound levels (no PC). Once you add a PC into the mix that just has one single fan, the PSU noise becomes secondary. With a normal sized form factor and tons of power this PSU seems like a very viable choice for a Media PC that can be used for HD gaming too.
[page=Value & Conclusion]
Value and Conclusion
<table width="100%" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" id="result">
<tr><th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/dollar.gif</th>
<td>
Sunbeam's price for the Tuniq Mini Plant is $249.</td>
</tr><tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbup.gif</th>
<td>
Very, very quiet!
950W of power
ATX standard sized case
Stable output voltages
Good amount of PCI-E power connectors
Cables are fully sleeved
3 Year warranty
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbdown.gif</th>
<td>
Not Modular
High price
</td></tr>
<tr><th>9.3</th>
<td>If you are looking for a powerful PSU that fits into any case and is extremely quiet then you definitely have to look at Sunbeam's Tuniq Mini Plant. While other companies use bigger cases and still have loud fans, Sunbeam has managed without both. In our testing the PSU can deliver the quietest experience we tested so far, in the 900W+ segment.<br />
The only feature that I really miss is modularity. There are so many connectors included and you will often use only a few of them, so you are stuck with a large bundle of unnecessary cables. If you have a big case however it should be no problem to hide them.<br />
The price tag of $250 is quite a big chunk of money, but it generally seems to be in range with offerings in that Watt range.
</td></tr>
<tr><th></th><td>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/editorschoice.gif</td></tr>
</table>