3R System AK6-500M Power Supply Review
Load Tests
Contents
We conducted several tests with this power supply, as described in the article, “Hardware Secrets Power Supply Test Methodology.”
First we tested this power supply with five different load patterns, trying to pull around 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% of its labeled maximum capacity (actual percentage used listed under “% Max Load”), watching the behavior of the reviewed unit under each load. In the table below, we list the load patterns we used and the results for each load.
If you add all the powers listed for each test, you may find a different value than what is posted under “Total” below. Since each output can have a slight variation (e.g., the +5 V output working at +5.10 V), the actual total amount of power being delivered is slightly different than the calculated value. In the “Total” row, we are using the real amount of power being delivered, as measured by our load tester.
The +12VA and +12VB inputs listed below are the two +12 V independent inputs from our load tester. During this test, the +12VA input was connected to the power supply +12V1 and +12V2 rails, while the +12VB input was connected to the power supply +12V2 rail.
| Input | Test 1 | Test 2 | Test 3 | Test 4 | Test 5 |
| +12VA | 3.5 A (42 W) | 7 A (84 W) | 10.5 A (126 W) | 14 A (168 W) | 17.5 A (210 W) |
| +12VB | 3.5 A (42 W) | 7 A (84 W) | 10.5 A (126 W) | 14 A (168 W) | 17 A (204 W) |
| +5 V | 1 A (5 W) | 2 A (10 W) | 4 A (20 W) | 6 A (30 W) | 8 A (40 W) |
| +3.3 V | 1 A (3.3 W) | 2 A (6.6 W) | 4 A (13.2 W) | 6 A (19.8 W) | 8 A (26.4 W) |
| +5VSB | 1 A (5 W) | 1 A (5 W) | 1.5 A (7.5 W) | 2 A (10 W) | 2.5 A (12.5 W) |
| -12 V | 0.5 A (6 W) | 0.5 A (6 W) | 0.5 A (6 W) | 0.5 A (6 W) | 0.5 A (6 W) |
| Total | 103.8 W | 19 6.4 W |
299.1 W | 401.8 W | 497.8 W |
| % Max Load | 20.8% | 39.3% | 59.8% | 80.4% | 99.6% |
| Room Temp. | 46.0° C | 45.0° C | 45.2° C | 46.8° C | 49.8° C |
| PSU Temp. | 46.5° C | 46.7° C | 47.0° C | 48.2° C | 51.8° C |
| Voltage Regulation | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Ripple and Noise | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| AC Power | 124.6 W | 228.8 W | 351.1 W | 479.6 W | 610.0 W |
| Efficiency | 83.3% | 85.8% | 85.2% | 83.8% | 81.6% |
| AC Voltage | 118.4 V | 117.3 V | 116.5 V | 114.8 V | 113.5 V |
| Power Factor | 0.976 | 0.988 | 0.994 | 0.996 | 0.997 |
| Final Result | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass |
The 3R System AK6-500M passed our tests, with efficiency between 81.6% and 85.8%, which is great for a mainstream product. The 80 Plus Bronze certification promises 82% minimum efficiency during full load, but unfortunately, it is common for power supplies with this certification level not be able to deliver this efficiency level at real-world temperatures, as the tests to obtain the 80 Plus certification are conducted at 23° C, and efficiency drops with temperature.
Voltage regulation was superb, with all voltages closer to their nominal values (3% regulation) during all tests. The ATX12V specification states that positive voltages must be within 5% of their nominal values, and negative voltages must be within 10% of their nominal values.
Let’s discuss the ripple and noise levels on the next page.