IN WIN Power Man IP-P600CQ3-2 Power Supply Review

[nextpage title=”Introduction”]

Let’s see if this 600 W power supply from IN WIN with a DC-DC design for its +3.3 V output is a good buy.

Some Asian companies love to make it hard to understand their logics. Take the case of IN WIN. They have three different websites (https://www.inwin-style.com/, https://www.in-win.us, and https://www.in-win.com.tw) and two different brands for their power supplies, IN WIN and Power Man. The Power Man power supplies are only listed on two of their three websites, but with no reference to the “Power Man” brand. Then, try looking for the IP-P600CQ3-2 there. Instead of being listed under “IP series” or “IP-P series,” it is listed under “CQ series.” It seems this company doesn’t want anyone to know about their products!

Figure 1: IN WIN Power Man IP-P600CQ3-2 power supply

Figure 2: IN WIN Power Man IP-P600CQ3-2 power supply

The IN WIN Power Man IP-P600CQ3-2 is 5.5” (140 mm) deep and comes with a 120 mm sleeve bearing fan on its bottom (ADDA AD1212MS-A70GL).

The reviewed product doesn’t have a modular cabling system. It comes with the following cables:

• Main motherboard cable with a 20/24-pin connector, 16.5” (42 cm) long
• One cable with two ATX12V connectors each that together form an EPS12V connector, 19.3” (49 cm) long
• Two cables with one six/eight-pin connector for video cards each, 18.1” (46 cm) long
• Two cables with two SATA power connectors and one standard peripheral power connector each, 17.3” (44 cm) to the first connector, 5.9” (15 cm) between connectors
• One cable with one SATA power connector, two standard peripheral power connectors, and one floppy disk drive power connector, 19.7” (50 cm) to the first connector, 5.9” (15 cm) between connectors

As you can see in Figure 3, these cables aren’t protected by nylon sleeves. All wires are 18 AWG, which is the minimum recommended gauge.

The cable configuration is compatible with a 600 W product.

Figure 3: Cables

Let’s now take an in-depth look inside this power supply.

[nextpage title=”A Look Inside The IN WIN Power Man IP-P600CQ3-2″]

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.

This page will be an overview, and then in the following pages we will discuss in detail the quality and ratings of the components used.

Figure 4: Top view

Figure 5: Rear quarter view

Figure 6: Front quarter view

Figure 7: 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. 

This power supply has all the minimum required components plus two additional Y capacitors, one additional X capacitor, and one X capacitor after the rectifying bridge.

Figure 8: Transient filtering stage (part 1)

Figure 9: Transient filtering stage (part 2)

In the next page we will have a more detailed discussion about the components used in the IN WIN Power Man IP-P600CQ3-2.

[nextpage title=”Primary Analysis”]

On this page we will take an in-depth look at the primary stage of the IN WIN Power Man IP-P600CQ3-2. For a better understanding, please read our Anatomy of Switching Power Supplies tutorial.

This power supply uses two GBU806 rectifying bridges connected in parallel, attached to an individual heatsink. Each bridge supports up to 8 A at 100° C so, in theory, you would be able to pull up to 1,840 W from a 115 V power grid. Assuming 80% efficiency, the bridges would allow this unit to deliver up to 1,472 W without burning themselves out. Of course, we are only talking about these components, and the real limit will depend on all the other components in this power supply.

Figure 10: Rectifying bridges

The active PFC circuit uses two IPA60R190C6 MOSFETs, each one capable of delivering up to 20.2 A at 25° C or up to 12.8 A at 100° C (note the difference temperature makes) in continuous mode, or up to 59 A in pulse mode at 25° C. These transistors present a 190 mΩ resistance when turned on, a characteristic called RDS(on). The lower this number the better, meaning that the transistors will waste less power and the power supply will achieve a higher efficiency.

Figure 11: Active PFC transistors

The output of the active PFC circuit is filtered by a capacitor from OST, labeled at 85° C.

In the switching section, two 2SK3934 MOSFETs are used, installed in the two-transistor forward configuration. Each of these transistor support up to 15 A at 25° C (unfortunately the manufacturer doesn’t say the current limit at 100° C) in continuous mode, or up to 60 A at 25° C in pulse mode, with an RDS(on) of 230 mΩ.

Figure 12: Switching transistors

The primary is controlled by a CM6802 active PFC/PWM combo controller.

Figure 13: Active PFC/PWM combo controller

Now let’s take a look at the secondary of this power supply.

[nextpage title=”Secondary Analysis”]

This power supply comes with seven Schottky rectifiers attached to its secondary heatsink.

The maximum theoretical current each line can deliver is given by the formula I / (1 – D) where D is the duty cycle used and I is the maximum current supported by the rectifying diode. Just as an exercise, we can assume a typical duty cycle of 30%.

The +12 V output uses two PFR30L60CT Schottky rectifiers (30 A, 15 A per internal diode at 120° C, 0.60 V maximum voltage drop) for the direct rectification and two PFR40L60CT Schottky rectifiers (40 A, 20 A per internal diode at 120° C, 0.60 V maximum voltage drop), giving us a maximum theoretical current of 86 A or 1,029 W for the +12 V output.

The +5 V output uses two PFR30L45CT Schottky rectifiers (30 A, 15 A per internal diode at 120° C, 0.52 V maximum voltage drop), giving us a maximum theoretical current of 43 A or 214 W for the +5 V output.

The +3.3 V is generated using a DC-DC converter installed on the +12 V line, and available on a small daughterboard. This DC-DC converter is based on a uP6124 PWM controller and two STD85N3LH5 MOSFETS, each one supporting up to 80 A at 25° C or up to 55 A at 100° C in continuous mode, or up to 320 A at 25° C in pulse mode, with an RDS(on) of only 5 mΩ.

Figure 14: +5 V and +12 V rectifiers

Figure 15: +3.3 V DC-DC converter

Figure 16: +3.3 V DC-DC converter

The seventh rectifier is used by the +5VSB output.

The secondary is monitored by a WT7525 integrated circuit. This chip over voltage protection (OVP), under voltage protection (UVP), and over current protection (OCP) with four channels (two for +12 V, one for +5 V, and one for +3.3 V). Even though this circuit has two +12 V OCP channels, this power supply has four +12 V rails, and as we could clearly see the presence of four current sensors (“shunts”), so there is a circuit to expand these two inputs to be able to support two sensors each.

Figure 17: Monitoring circuit

Electrolytic capacitors of the secondary are all from OST.

[nextpage title=”Power Distribution”]

In Figure 18, you can see the power supply label containing all the power specs.

Figure 18: Power supply label

This power supply has four +12 V virtual rails, as we could confirm by the presence of four “shunts” inside the power supply (see Figure 19).

Figure 19: Four “shunts” (current sensors)

The four rails are distributed like this:

• +12V1 (solid yellow wires): Main motherboard cable, SATA, and peripheral power connectors
• +12V2 (yellow/black wires): ATX12V/EPS12V connector
• +12V3 (yellow/blue wires): One of the video card power cables
• +12V4 (yellow/green wires): The other video card power cable

This distribution is perfect, as it separates the video card cables and the CPU in different rails.

Let’s now see if this power supply can really deliver 600 W.

[nextpage title=”Load Tests”]

We conducted several tests with this power supply, as described in the ar
ticle 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 how the reviewed unit behaved 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 power listed for each test, you may find a different value than what is posted under “Total” below. Since each output can vary slightly (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. On 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 our tests, +12VA was connected to the power supply +12V1 and +12V3 rails, while +12VB was connected to the power supply +12V2 rail.

Input	Test 1	Test 2	Test 3	Test 4	Test 5
+12VA	4 A (48 W)	9 A (108 W)	13 A (156 W)	17.5 A (210 W)	19 A (228 W)
+12VB	4 A (48 W)	9 A (108 W)	13 A (156 W)	17.5 A (210 W)	19 A (228 W)
+5V	1 A (5 W)	2 A (10 W)	4 A (20 W)	6 A (6 W)	17 A (85 W)
+3.3 V	1 A (3.3 W)	2 A (6.6 W)	4 A (13.2 W)	6 A (19.8 W)	16 A (52.8 W)
+5VSB	1 A (5 W)	1 A (5 W)	1.5 A (7.5 W)	2 A (10 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	114.8 W	241.0 W	352.1 W	474.9 W	600.2 W
% Max Load	19.1%	40.2%	58.7%	79.2%	100.0%
Room Temp.	44.9° C	45.0° C	46.0° C	48.2° C	46.8° C
PSU Temp.	48.2° C	48.1° C	49.0° C	50.5° C	49.0° C
Voltage Regulation	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass
Ripple and Noise	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass
AC Power	132.6 W	277.2 W	413.9 W	572.8 W	764.0 W
Efficiency	86.6%	86.9%	85.1%	82.9%	78.6%
AC Voltage	112.5 V	110.4 V	108.9 V	108.6 V	107.7 V
Power Factor	0.982	0.993	0.996	0.996	0.997
Final Result	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass

During our full load test (test five) we faced a challenge. The IP-P600CQ3-2 wouldn’t turn on with the load we usually use for the full load tests with 600 W power supplies (22.5 A for the +12 V inputs and 8 A for the +5 V and +3.3 V inputs), so we had to readjust out load pattern for this test in order to keep the power supply working. Therefore, you will see that we had to reduce the current at +12 V and increase currents at +5 V and +3.3 V compared to other reviews of 600 W power supplies.

This problem isn’t necessarily bad: it shows that the over current protection (OCP) of this unit was configured to shut down the unit if we pulled more than 19 A from any +12 V rail. Since our load tester has only two independent +12 V inputs, we would need a load tester with four independent +12 V inputs to use the load pattern we usually use without activating the over current protection of the power supply.

Efficiency peaked 86.9% and was particularly high at the light load test (test one, 20% load), at 86.6%, since usually efficiency reaches its lowest point at light and full loads. At full load, however, efficiency drop below the 80% mark. This unit has the 80 Plus Bronze certification, meaning it should present at least 82% efficiency at full load. The problem is that Ecos Consulting, the company behind 80 Plus, tests power supplies at 23° C, while we test them at 45° C or more, and efficiency drops with temperature.

Voltages were always inside the allowed range, being inside 3% their nominal voltages during tests one, two and three (except -12 V output during test one, but this output was still within 5% of its nominal value), which is better than required, as the ATX12V specification allows 5% tolerance. During tests four and five, however, the outputs exist this tighter tolerance. While they were still within the 5% allowed margin, at full load the +3.3 V output touched its lower limit (3.13 V).

Noise and ripple levels were always extremely low, around half of their maximum allowed values during test five. Below you can see the results for the power supply outputs during test number five. The maximum allowed is 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.

Figure 20: +12VA input from load tester during test five at 600.2 W (59.2 mV)

Figure 21: +12VB input from load tester during test five at 600.2 W (58.6 mV)

Figure 22: +5V rail during test five at 600.2 W (26.2 mV)

Figure 23: +3.3 V rail during test five at 600.2 W (26.6 mV)

Let’s see if we can pull even more from the IN WIN Power Man IP-P600CQ3-2.

[nextpage title=”Overload Tests”]

Below you can see the maximum we could pull from this power supply. If we tried to pull more than listed the unit would shut down, which is the desirable behavior. During this test noise and ripple continued to be at very low levels, but the +5 V and +3.3 V outputs dropped below their minimum allowed values (+5 V at +4.70 V and +3.3 V at +3.07 V). Efficiency dropped a lot as well.

Input	Overload Test
+12VA	19 A (228 W)
+12VB	19 A (228 W)
+5V	24 A (120 W)
+3.3 V	24 A (79.2 W)
+5VSB	3 A (15 W)
-12 V	0.5 A (6 W)
Total	658.8 W
% Max Load	109.8%
Room Tem p.	42.8° C
PSU Temp.	46.2° C
AC Power	874 W
Efficiency	75.4%
AC Voltage	106.1 V
Power Factor	0.998

[nextpage title=”Main Specifications”]

The specs of the IN WIN Power Man IP-P600CQ3-2 include:

• Standards: NA
• Nominal labeled power: 600 W
• Measured maximum power: 658.8 W at 42.8° C ambient
• Labeled efficiency: NA, 80 Plus Bronze certification
• Measured efficiency: Between 78.6% and 86.9% at 115 V (nominal, see complete results for actual voltage)
• Active PFC: Yes
• Modular Cabling System: No
• Motherboard Power Connectors: One 20/24-pin connector and two ATX12V connectors each that together form an EPS12V connector
• Video Card Power Connectors: Two six/eight-pin connectors on separate cables
• SATA Power Connectors: Five on three cables
• Peripheral Power Connectors: Four on three cables
• Floppy Disk Drive Power Connectors: One
• Protections (as listed by the manufacturer): NA
• Are the above-listed protections really present?: This power supply supports over voltage (OVP), under voltage (UVP), over current (OCP), and short-circuit (SCP) protections
• Warranty: Three years
• More Information: https://www.in-win.com.tw
• Average price in the US*: USD 89.00

* Researched at Google products on the day we published this review.

[nextpage title=”Conclusions”]

Even though the IN WIN Power Man IP-P600CQ3-2 isn’t what we can call a bad power supply (especially if you aren’t going to pull near its labeled wattage), we can’t recommend it due to its efficiency below 80% when delivering 600 W. The OCZ ModXStream Pro 600 W (OCZ600MXSP) provides better performance at a lower price, and also comes with a better cable configuration, being the 600 W power supply we recommend if your budget is tight.