VR Features

Rail stability has always been an issue of concern, as it affects the stability of the system. HDDs especially, suffer error and permanent damage of chipsets when subjected to abnormal or noisy rails. Here we see the deviations between the two. The Olympia has a higher-than-normal 3.3V and 5V rail.

Under load, the Olympia droops by a fair magnitude on the 3.3V. RAMs (Graphics and System) derive power from regulators bucking off the 3.3V rails. Next we look at the 12V rails.

Both units sport healthy 12V rails. Putting them under load was no issue, even for the Everest, which sustained a reasonable voltage under SLI attack. The below was taken before cutoff.

It is clear that power supply construction on the whole has improved across the board, as much as we understand that the two samples come from manufacturers with track records of producing quality products. FSP especially, has been heavily involved in the OEM business. Under intense testing, the FSP proved its worth against the pricier Silverstone, which let itself down under intense 12V load.

Since efficiency of SMPS in general improves when loading occurs near the maximal continuous rating, it is possible to save significant power by using a PSU that offers headroom without excess flab. Big numbers do not indicate the practical power reserve, with the Silverstone being the case in point. Your pick will depend on your components and daily application. Gaming on 2560x1600 and putting your PSU up to the challenge with the rig above, where a power saving and cost efficient setup would've been the least of your concerns, with the main objective being to power up your monstrous system.

What about that HTPC rig running in the hall? The Everest with a little capacitor-swapping sounds will definitely good. High efficiency, small form factor and a good price, there simply is't much other factors to consider.