Corsair GS700 Bronze 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, both inputs were connected to the power supply’s single +12 V rail. (The power supply’s EPS12V connector was installed on the +12VB input of the load tester.)
| Input | Test 1 | Test 2 | Test 3 | Test 4 | Test 5 |
| +12VA | 4.5 A (54 W) | 9.5 A (114 W) | 14.5 A (174 W) | 19 A (228 W) | 25 A (300 W) |
| +12VB | 4.5 A (54 W) | 9.5 A (114 W) | 14.5 A (174 W) | 19 A (228 W) | 25 A (300 W) |
| +5 V | 2 A (10 W) | 4 A (20 W) | 6 A (30 W) | 8 A (40 W) | 10 A (50 W) |
| +3.3 V | 2 A (6.6 W) | 4 A (13.2 W) | 6 A (19.8 W) | 8 A (26.4 W) | 10 A (33 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 | 136.5 W | 276.0 W | 414.4 W | 540.4 W | 700.4 W |
| % Max Lo ad |
19.5% | 39.4% | 59.2% | 77.2% | 100.1% |
| Room Temp. | 44.9° C | 44.8° C | 46.1° C | 49.2° C | 48.2° C |
| PSU Temp. | 51.3° C | 51.5° C | 51.4° C | 51.6° C | 52.0° C |
| Voltage Regulation | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Ripple and Noise | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| AC Power | 160.2 W | 317.4 W | 481.3 W | 640.0 W | 859.0 W |
| Efficiency | 85.2% | 87.0% | 86.1% | 84.4% | 81.5% |
| AC Voltage | 113.9 V | 112.9 V | 111.5 V | 109.7 V | 107.1 V |
| Power Factor | 0.973 | 0.989 | 0.994 | 0.996 | 0.997 |
| Final Result | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass |
The 80 Plus Bronze certification promises a minimum efficiency of 85% at typical load (i.e., 50% load) and a minimum efficiency of 82% at light (i.e., 20% load) and full loads. The Corsair GS700 Bronze presented efficiency between 81.5% and 87.0% during our tests. At the full load test, efficiency was a tad below 82%, which can be explained by the AC voltage at our lab that dropped to 107.1 V, and power supplies present lower efficiency at lower AC voltages. Also, while we test power supplies at temperatures between 45° C and 50° C, the 80 Plus tests are conducted at 23° C, and efficiency drops as temperature increases. Therefore, we can claim the Corsair GS700 Bronze passed our efficiency tests.
All voltages were closer to their nominal values during all tests (3% voltage regulation), except the -12 V output during test one, at -11.59 V, but still inside the allowed 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.