[nextpage title=”Introduction”]
AZZA offers three power supply models within their Platinum series: 750 W, 850 W, and 1,000 W. Today we are going to take a look at the 750 W version. Let’s check it out.
Power supplies from AZZA are manufactured by Super Flower; the Platinum 750 W is a rebranded Super Flower SF-750P14PE. This power supply is also internally identical to the Kingwin Lazer Platinum 750 W. (The original model from Super Flower and the Kingwin model use connectors on the modular cabling system with LEDs that turn on when the power supply is in operation.)
Figure 1: AZZA Platinum 750 W power supply
Figure 2: AZZA Platinum 750 W power supply
The AZZA Platinum 750 W is 7.1” (180 mm) deep, using a 140 mm ball-bearing fan on its bottom (Hong Hua HA1425M12B-Z). The unit has a switch on its rear for you to select the mode in which you want the fan to work. In “normal mode,” the fan will increase its speed with the temperature. In “ECO mode,” the fan will be left turned off until the power supply’s internal temperature reaches between 65° C and 70° C, so the power supply won’t emit any noise while it is “cold.”
Figure 3: Fan
The modular cabling system from this power supply has six connectors. Differently from most power supplies with a modular cabling system, you can install any kind of cable in any connector, i.e., there is no specific connector for the video card power cables or for the peripheral and SATA power cables. The unit comes with the main motherboard cable, an ATX12V/EPS12V cable, and two video card power cables permanently attached to it. They use nylon sleeves that come from inside the unit. This power supply comes with the following cables:
- Main motherboard cable with a 20/24-pin connector, 21.6” (55 cm) long, permanently attached to the power supply
- One cable with two ATX12V connectors that together form an EPS12V connector, 24.4” (62 cm) long, permanently attached to the power supply
- Two cables, each with one six/eight-pin connector for video cards, 20.9” (53 cm) long, permanently attached to the power supply
- Two cables, each with one six/eight-pin connector for video cards, 18.9” (48 cm), modular cabling system
- Two cables, each with four SATA power connectors, 19.7” (50 cm) to the first connector, 5.1” (13 cm) between connectors, modular cabling system
- One cable with three standard peripheral power connectors, 19.7” (50 cm) to the first connector, 5.1” (13 cm) between connectors, modular cabling system
- One cable with two standard peripheral power connectors and one floppy disk drive power connector, 19.7” (50 cm) to the first connector, 5.1” (13 cm) between connectors, modular cabling system
The wires for the ATX12V/EPS12V and video card connectors that are permanently attached to the power supply are 16 AWG, i.e., thicker than the minimum recommended. All other wires are 18 AWG.
Even though the number of connectors is satisfactory for a 750 W power supply, we think a high-end unit with the 80 Plus Platinum certification deserves more SATA connectors.
Figure 4: Cables
Let’s now take an in-depth look inside this power supply.
[nextpage title=”A Look Inside the AZZA Platinum 750 W”]
We decided to disassemble this power supply to see what it looks like inside, how it is designed, and what components are used. Please read our “Anatomy of Switching Power Supplies” tutorial to understand how a power supply works and to compare this power supply to others.
On this page we will have an overall look, and then in the following pages we will discuss in detail the quality and ratings of the components used.
Figure 5: Top view
Figure 6: Front quarter view
Figure 7: Rear quarter view
Figure 8: The printed circuit board
[nextpage title=”Transient Filtering Stage”]
As we have mentioned in other articles and reviews, the first place we look when opening a power supply for a hint about its quality, is its filtering stage. The recommended components for this stage are two ferrite coils, two ceramic capacitors (Y capacitors, usually blue), one metalized polyester capacitor (X capacitor), and one MOV (Metal-Oxide Varistor). Very low-end power supplies use fewer components, usually removing the MOV and the first coil.
In the transient filtering stage, this power supply has two X capacitors and two Y capacitors more than the minimum required, but it doesn’t have an MOV, which is the component in charge of removing spikes coming from the power grid.
Figure 9: Transient filtering stage
On the next page, we will have a more detailed discussion about the components used in the AZZA Platinum 750 W.
[nextpage title=”Primary Analysis”]
On this page we will take an in-depth look at the primary stage of the AZZA Platinum 750 W. For a better understanding, please read our “Anatomy of Switching Power Supplies&rdq
uo; tutorial.
This power supply uses one US30K80R rectifying bridge, which is attached, at the same time, to an individual heatsink and to the heatsink where the active PFC and switching transistors are attached. This bridge supports up to 30 A at 97° C. In theory, you would be able to pull up to 3,450 W from a 115 V power grid. Assuming 80% efficiency, the bridge would allow this unit to deliver up to 2,760 W without burning itself out (or 3,105 W at 90% efficiency). Of course, we are only talking about this particular component. The real limit will depend on all the components combined in this power supply.
Figure 10: Rectifying bridge
The active PFC circuit uses two IPP50R199CP MOSFETs, each one supporting up to 17 A at 25° C or 11 A at 100° C in continuous mode (note the difference temperature makes), or 40 A at 25° C in pulse mode. These transistors present a 199 mΩ maximum resistance when turned on, a characteristic called RDS(on). The lower the number the better, meaning that the transistor will waste less power, and the power supply will have a higher efficiency.
The active PFC circuit is managed by an NCP1653A active PFC controller.
Figure 11: Active PFC controller
The output of the active PFC circuit is filtered by a 560 µF x 400 V Japanese electrolytic capacitor, from Chemi-Con, labeled at 105° C.
Figure 12: Capacitor
In the switching section, two IPW50R140CP MOSFETs are employed using a resonant configuration. Each transistor supports up to 23 A at 25° C or 15 A at 100° C in continuous mode, or 56 A at 25° C in pulse mode, with a maximum RDS(on) of 140 mΩ.
Figure 13: The two active PFC transistors, the active PFC diode, and one of the switching transistors
The switching transistors are controlled by an SF29601 controller, and we couldn’t find more information about this chip. We believe that the original manufacturer got a resonant controller and relabeled it, as SF stands for “Super Flower.” Interestingly enough, the controller is placed in the secondary of the power supply.
Figure 14: Resonant controller
Let’s now take a look at the secondary of this power supply.
[nextpage title=”Secondary Analysis”]
As one would expect in a high-efficiency power supply, the AZZA Platinum 750 W uses a synchronous design, where the Schottky rectifiers are replaced with MOSFETs. Also, the reviewed product uses a DC-DC design in its secondary. This means that the power supply is basically a +12 V unit, with the +5 V and +3.3 V outputs produced by two smaller power supplies connected to the main +12 V rail. Both designs are used to increase efficiency.
The +12 V output uses four IPP023N04N G MOSFETs, each one supporting up to 90 A at 100° C in continuous mode, or up to 400 A at 25° C in pulse mode, with a maximum RDS(on) of only 2.3 mΩ.
Figure 15: The +12 V transistors
As explained, the +5 V and +3.3 V outputs are produced by two DC-DC converters, which are situated on a single printed circuit board located in the secondary section of the power supply. Each converter is controlled by one NCP1587A integrated circuit and uses four IPD040N03L MOSFETs, each supporting up to 76 A at 100° C in continuous mode and up to 400 A at 25° C in pulse mode, with a maximum RDS(on) of 4 mΩ.
Figure 16: The DC-DC converters
Figure 17: The DC-DC converters
We didn’t see an integrated circuit for monitoring the power supply outputs. Since the Power Good wire and sensors were connected to the small printed circuit board where the resonant controller was attached, our best guess is that the enigmatic SF29601 controller with the aid of four operational amplifiers provided by an LM324 integrated circuit do the trick.
The electrolytic capacitors available in the secondary are also Japanese, from Chemi-Con, and labeled at 105° C, as usual.
Figure 18: Capacitors
[nextpage title=”Power Distribution”]
In Figure 19, you can see the power supply label containing all the power specs.
Figure 19: Power supply label
This unit has a single +12 V rail, so there is not much to talk about here.
How much power can this unit really deliver? Let’s find out.
[nextpage title=”Load Tests”]
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 and +12VB inputs were connected to the power supply’s single +12 V rail. (The +12VB input was connected to the power supply EPS12V connector.)
| Input | Test 1 | Test 2 | Test 3 | Test 4 | Test 5 |
| +12VA | 5.5 A (66 W) | 11 A (132 W) | 16.5 A (198 W) | 21.5 A (258 W) | 27.5 A (330 W) |
| +12VB | 5.5 A (66 W) | 11 A (132 W) | 16 A (192 W) | 21.5 A (258 W) | 27.5 A (330 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) | 1.5 A (7.5 W) | 2 A (10 W) | 2.5 A (12.5 W) | 3 A (15 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 | 152.8 W | 296.9 W | 447.8 W | 584.8 W | 748.4 W |
| % Max Load | 20.4% | 39.6% | 59.7% | 78.0% | 99.8% |
| Room Temp. | 45.9° C | 45.8° C | 46.1° C | 48.4° C | 47.2° C |
| PSU Temp. | 45.8° C | 46.8° C | 47.0° C | 47.6° C | 48.8° C |
| Voltage Regulation | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Ripple and Noise | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| AC Power | 170.8 W | 325.6 W | 492.6 W | 652.0 W | 852.0 W |
| Efficiency | 89.5% | 91.2% | 90.9% | 89.7% | 87.8% |
| AC Voltage | 114.4 V | 113.1 V | 111.3 V | 109.5 V | 109.9 V |
| Power Factor | 0.984 | 0.989 | 0.993 | 0.994 | 0.995 |
| Final Result | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass |
The 80 Plus Platinum certification guarantees minimum efficiencies of 90% at 20% load, 92% at 50% load, and 89% at 100% load. In our tests, the AZZA Platinum 750 W presented 89.5% efficiency at 20% load. We didn’t test this power supply at 50% load, but considering that we saw 92.1% efficiency at 40% load and 90.9% efficiency at 60% load, we can assume that this unit is able to achieve 92% efficiency at 50% load. At full load, we saw 87.8% efficiency, which is below the minimum advertised by the 80 Plus Platinum certification. However, we have to consider that during this test, the AC voltage dropped to 110 V, which may be the culprit. Also, always keep in mind that we test power supplies between 45° C and 50° C, while the 80 Plus tests are conducted at 23° C, and efficiency drops as temperature increases.
Voltage regulation was excellent, with all voltages closer to their nominal values (3% regulation) during all tests, except the +5VSB output during test five, which was at +4.78 V, still inside the proper range. 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.
[nextpage title=”Ripple and Noise Tests”]
Voltages at the power supply outputs must be as “clean” as possible, with no noise or oscillation (also known as “ripple”). The maximum ripple and noise levels allowed are 120 mV for +12 V and -12 V outputs, and 50 mV for +5 V, +3.3 V and +5VSB outputs. All values are peak-to-peak figures. We consider a power supply as being top-notch if it can produce half or less of the maximum allowed ripple and noise levels.
The AZZA Platinum 750 W provided extremely low ripple and noise levels, as you can see in the table below.
| Input | Test 1 | Test 2 | Test 3 | Test 4 | Test 5 |
| +12VA | 9.2 mV | 13.8 mV | 18.8 mV | 20.4 mV | 23.0 mV |
| +12VB | 10.2 mV | 14.6 mV | 19.6 mV | 22.0 mV | 26.8 mV |
| +5 V | 5.6 mV | 7.2 mV | 7.8 mV | 9.8 mV | 12.2 mV |
| +3.3 V | 4.6 mV | 5.8 mV | 5.6 mV | 7.8 mV | 13.4 mV |
| +5VSB | 4.2 mV | 5.0 mV | 6.2 mV | 7.4 mV | 9.2 mV |
| -12 V | 8.0 mV | 7.8 mV | 8.2 mV | 10.6 mV | 13.2 mV |
Below you can see the waveforms of the outputs during test five.
Figure 20: +12VA input from load tester during test five at 748.4 W (23.0 mV)
Figure 21: +12VB input from load tester during test five at 748.4 W (26.8 mV)
Figure 22: +5V rail during test five at 748.4 W (12.2 mV)
Figure 23: +3.3 V rail during test five at 748.4 W (13.4 mV)
Let’s see if we can pull more than 750 W from this unit.
[nextpage title=”Overload Tests”]
Below you can see the maximum we could pull from this power supply. The objective of th
is test is to see if the power supply has its protection circuits working properly. This unit passed this test, since it shut down when we tried to pull more than what is listed below. During this test, noise and ripple levels were still extremely low. The +3.3 V output dropped to +3.14 V, still inside the allowed range, but the +5VSB output dropped to +4.65 V, below the minimum allowed number. All the other outputs were still inside 3% of their nominal values.
| Input | Overload Test |
| +12VA | 33 A (396 W) |
| +12VB | 33 A (396 W) |
| +5 V | 14 A (70 W) |
| +3.3 V | 14 A (46.2 W) |
| +5VSB | 3 A (15 W) |
| -12 V | 0.5 A (6 W) |
| Total | 916.4 W |
| % Max Load | 122.2% |
| Room Temp. | 48.0° C |
| PSU Temp. | 50.4° C |
| AC Power | 1,092 W |
| Efficiency | 83.9% |
| AC Voltage | 104.8 V |
| Power Factor | 0.995 |
[nextpage title=”Main Specifications”]
The main specifications for the AZZA Platinum 750 W power supply include:
- Standards: ATX12V 2.2 and EPS12V 2.92
- Nominal labeled power: 750 W
- Measured maximum power: 916.4 W at 48° C
- Labeled efficiency: Above 92% at 50% load; 80 Plus Platinum certification, minimum efficiency of 92% at typical (i.e., 50%) load, 90% at light (i.e., 20%) load, and 89% at full load
- Measured efficiency: Between 87.8% and 91.2%, at 115 V (nominal, see complete results for actual voltage)
- Active PFC: Yes
- Modular Cabling System: Yes
- Motherboard Power Connectors: One 20/24-pin connector and two ATX12V connectors that together form an EPS12V connector, permanently attached to the power supply
- Video Card Power Connectors: Two six/eight-pin connectors on two cables permanently attached to the power supply and two six/eight-pin connectors on two cables on the modular cabling system
- SATA Power Connectors: Eight on two cables, modular cabling system
- Peripheral Power Connectors: Six on two cables, modular cabling system
- Floppy Disk Drive Power Connectors: One
- Protections (as listed by the manufacturer): Over voltage (OVP), over power (OPP), and short-circuit (SCP) protections
- Are the above protections really available? Yes.
- Warranty: Three years
- Real Model: Super Flower SF-750P14PE
- More Information: https://azzatek.com
- Average Price in the U.S.*: USD 180.00
* Researched at Newegg.com on the day we published this review.
[nextpage title=”Conclusions”]
The AZZA Platinum 750 W is a very good power supply with the 80 Plus Platinum certification, with efficiency between 87.8% and 91.2% during our tests, voltages closer to their nominal values than required (3% voltage regulation), and extremely low noise and ripple levels.
It comes with the same price tag as its main competitor, the Kingwin Lazer Platinum 750 W, which is internally identical to the reviewed unit but with a different label. (The only difference between the two is the use of illuminated connectors on the model from Kingwin.) Its price is right for what it has to offer, being more affordable than the Enermax Platimax 750 W, for instance. It is only between USD 10 and USD 20 more expensive than good 750 W power supplies with the 80 Plus Gold certification and modular cabling system, such as the Corsair AX750, the SilverStone Strider Evolution 750 W, and the Seasonic X-Series 750 W.
On the negative side, we think this unit could have more SATA power connectors, and efficiency could be a little better under light and full loads at high temperatures. The lack of an MOV may be of concern for some users.
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