Cooler Master’s 1000W PSU can handle overclocked FX-8150 & HD 6970-X4 QuadFire!
The choice of a power supply unit (PSU) is critical to any PC build. Too much depends on sufficient stable power to buy a bargain bin or a generic PSU. At the time of writing, the Cooler Master Silent Pro Platinum 1000W PSU is a new arrival at Newegg for $229.99 after a $20 mail-in-rebate. We have been running it in our most power-hungry system for over a month and here is our report.
At 1000 Watts, Cooler Master’s Silent Pro Platinum is overkill for most PC systems. It is built specifically for enthusiasts with multiple video cards and it is specifically set up to power up to four GPUs with Quad-Fire or Quad-SLI on one massive 12V rail. So we tested it with AMD’s power-hungry FX-8150 overclocked to 4.4GHz and HD 6970-X4 QuadFire!
We are not out of order by insisting on Cooler Master’s Silent Pro Platinum 1000W PSU since ABT tests extreme systems. The Silent Pro Platinum PSUs are 80-PLUS Platinum certified with peak efficiency up to 94%. It features modular cable design integrated with dual 7V fan ports and a 135mm ultra silent hydraulic bearing fan. A single +12V rail outputs efficiency that can reach up to 984W output at 82A. This is plenty of power for most high end VGAs and CPUs while still remaining stable and quiet.
In considering that choosing your PSU is like buying insurance for your expensive hardware, you also need to remember that a quality PSU will likely last through several builds if you plan ahead. Cooler Master offers a 5 year limited warranty. Another thing to consider is “noise” – ideally you do not want your power supply’s cooling fan adding any.
We are helping to get the word out that generic and cheap power supplies actually waste a lot of electricity and thus your money. They also hurt your wallet by producing excess heat which will cost you more in electricity usage in cooling your room. Even worse, a cheap PSU may not provide stable power for your PC components and will perhaps even shorten their lives. A cheap or generic PSU will certainly limit your overclocking potential.
We are using our Thermaltake Chaser MK-I case (which we reviewed here) with an additional 240mmm side panel fan installed (powered conveniently from one of the Cooler Master PSU’s two 7V fan posts), to house our FX-8150 overclocked to 4.40GHz (plus) and three graphics cards housing four power-hungry GPUs in CrossFire-X4, including the overclocked dual-GPU HD 6990 at HD 6970 speeds. So, we require absolute stability from our power supply unit.
We have been living with this PSU for the past month and have used it to power one other build – using our overclocked Core i7-3770K at 4.8GHz and our GTX 690 together with a GTX 670 dedicated to SLI. The Ivy Bridge/Kepler system is far too power efficient to put any kind of power strain on our regular 775W PSU, never mind this 1000W unit.
Let’s unbox and check out the Cooler Master’s Silent Pro Platinum 1000W PSU’s features and specifications on the next page:
