Review of the DeepCool PQ1000M 1000 W power supply unit / Overclockers.ua

In this review, we’ll be looking at the DeepCool 1000W PQ-M series PSU that was introduced late last year. Its feature is a modular design, an 80 Plus Gold energy efficiency certificate and a low noise level.

The manufacturer promises high quality components, Japanese capacitors, a durable fan and a 10-year warranty. For DeepCool products, the block is relatively expensive, let’s see how good it is and whether it is worth the money.

DeepCool PQ1000M

The power supply unit is supplied in a box made of uncolored packaging cardboard, on top of which a cover made of white cardboard is worn, on which the model name and all the characteristics of the device are printed. In the box, in addition to the unit itself, there is a set of modular cables, a network cable, a set of mounting screws and fabric ties, instructions and an adapter for turning on the PQ1000M without connecting to the motherboard.

The power supply unit is completely modular, the number of cables and their length are as follows:

• one for powering the motherboard (61 cm);
• two with one 8-pin (4+4) processor power connector (65 cm);
• three with one 8-pin (6+2) connector for powering PCI-E video cards (75 cm);
• two with four power connectors for SATA devices (45+12+12+12 cm);
• one with two power connectors for IDE devices and two connectors for SATA devices (45+12+12+12 cm);
• one with three power connectors for IDE devices (45+12+12 cm).

All cables are made in the form of loops with black insulation. The length of the cables is sufficient for large cases with the lower location of the power supply unit. All cables are signed, the power supply unit is also marked with the corresponding connectors.

The body of the power supply unit is made in a minimalist design, painted with black matte paint, only small inscriptions DeepCool are applied in white paint on the side faces.

The ventilation grill above the fan is stamped, which usually has a negative effect on the level and nature of the noise, but here the area of ​​the holes is large and this should eliminate the flaws of such a design.

There is a sticker with technical characteristics on the upper face of the case.

The unit is built on a modern platform: APFC with a wide range of input voltages, a bridge resonant LLC-converter on the +12 V line and DC/DC converters on the +5 V and +3.3 V lines. The same platform is used in Seasonic devices of the Focus series .

A full-fledged second-order impulse interference filter is soldered on the board, some of its components are located on a small network connector board. The input rectifier consists of two GBU1508 assemblies (15 A, 800 V) connected in parallel, which are mounted on a separate heatsink.

The APFC choke is quite massive, made on an armored core. A pair of power transistors of the IPA60R125P6 corrector (30 A, 600 V, 0.125 Ohm) and a C3D08060 diode (8 A, 600 V) are installed nearby on the radiator, the corrector is controlled by the CM6500UNX controller. The current from the corrector enters the high-voltage filter through the thermistor, which closes the relay after starting to increase the efficiency of the unit.

The high-voltage filter is made on an electrolytic capacitor with parameters of 820 μF x 400 V 105 °C MXK series manufactured by Rubycon.

The power resonant LLC-converter is made according to the bridge circuit on four IPA50R199CP transistors (17 A, 550, 0.199 Ohm), installed on two separate radiators. The keys are controlled by the CM6901X combination controller. It also drives four PSMN1R0-40YLD (280A, 40, 1.1mΩ) synchronous rectifier transistors that cool the two tinned copper plates soldered into the board next to them. In addition, the transistors transfer heat to the case through a thermal pad.

After the synchronous rectifier, the main supply of the +12 V line is filtered by six 470 µF (16 V) polymer capacitors and a pair of Nichicon 3300 µF (16 V, 105 °C) electrolytic Low ESR capacitors.

Lines +5 and +3.3 are powered by the DC/DC converter board, which has five chokes and seven polymer capacitors. It was not possible to consider the type of keys and controller – they are covered by a radiator plate. On the board with connectors for connecting modular cables, capacitors are also installed for additional filtering: eight polymer at 470 μF (16 V), six polymer at 560 μF (6.3 V) and a pair of electrolytic Low ESR with a capacity of 2200 μF (16 V, 105 °C) produced by Nippon Chemi-Con.

The standby power converter +5VSB is made on the EM8569C controller, a pair of electrolytic Low ESR capacitors of 2200 μF (16, 105 °C) manufactured by Nippon Chemi-Con are installed at the output. All capacitors in this harness are also from Nippon Chemi-Con. The VT7527 supervisor from Weltrend is responsible for monitoring the power lines.

The power supply unit is cooled by a fan from Hong Hua measuring 120x120x25 mm and marked HA1225H12F-Z, the maximum speed of which is 2200 revolutions per minute. A hydrodynamic bearing is used. Fan speed control is automatic depending on the temperature of the components of the synchronous rectifier on the +12 V line. The fan can work in semi-passive mode, there is a mode switch button: in normal mode, when the unit is turned on, the fan starts at 620 rpm and gradually increases the rotation frequency as it warms up.

Installation and soldering are done with high quality, all components are level, the board is properly cleaned of flux.

Testing methodology

The power supply unit was tested using a linear electronic load with the following parameters: current adjustment ranges on the +3.3 V line — 0–16 A, on the +5 V line — 0–22 A, on the +12 V line — 0–100 A All contacts for connecting power supply cables with the same voltage are connected in parallel and loaded by the corresponding load channel. The current on each channel is smoothly regulated, and it is stable regardless of the output voltage of the unit. A Zotek ZT102 True RMS multimeter was used to accurately measure voltage and temperature. Fan revolutions were measured with a Uni-T UT372 tachometer. For each power line, the required current was set, and the voltage on the load contacts was measured to account for losses on the wires.

Test results

The first test on the load capacity of the +12V main line, the current on the +3.3V and +5V lines was constant with a total load of about 125 W, the results are listed in the table:

According to the test results, we have excellent stabilization of voltages on all lines, as the load increases, the voltage on the +12 V line rises slightly, while the +5 and +3.3 V lines stand as if dug in. At first, there were doubts about the accuracy of the measurements, since the behavior of the voltage with the load was not typical, and additionally the voltages on the output contacts of the power supply unit itself were measured, and the values ​​are entered in the last line of the table. You can see the operation of the voltage drop compensation system on the wires, and in this unit it is configured perfectly, unlike other models that visited us for testing – they had a drop in output voltages as the load increased. When powered from 230 V, the unit produced 1100 W without any problems.

To check the load capacity of the +5V and +3.3V lines, tests were made with a constant small load at +12V to assess their influence on each other.

According to the test results, we have excellent stabilization of all voltages regardless of the load on different lines.

The unit efficiency test was carried out at a network voltage of 230 V, with a reduced network voltage, the efficiency will be slightly lower, the test results are listed in the table:

The efficiency of this unit meets the requirements of 80 Plus Gold at 230 V.

The test for heating the components of the unit was carried out at an indoor air temperature of 21 °C, temperature measurements were made using the Scythe Kaze Master Pro panel. Its sensors were installed on the power elements of the block, a thermocouple from a Zotek ZT102 multimeter was inserted under the insulation of the power transformer winding. The unit was loaded at maximum power and worked until the temperature of the power transformer stabilized. The temperature readings were recorded, after that the unit was disconnected from the network, the cover was removed and the temperatures of other components were measured using a pyrometer. The results are shown in the following photo of the power supply board with the temperature of the main components in degrees Celsius:

Temperatures of power components are normal, as in all modern “golden” power supplies. During long-term operation at maximum power, the fan speed rose to 2040 rpm, while the noise was lower than that of other fans in the stand. In the case, temperatures and noise will be higher depending on the airflow of the chassis and the room temperature.

Conclusions

The tested DeepCool PQ1000M turned out to be a quality device with stable output characteristics on the popular Seasonic platform from well-known manufacturers. In fact, this is the same Focus GX-1000, only in the original case and a different set of supplies, because externally it looks unusual due to the rounded corners and stamped grille with large square holes. The delivery set includes velcro fasteners and now-fashionable flat cables, which can be neatly and beautifully placed inside the PC case. But despite the power of the power supply unit, it will not be possible to request a large number of graphics adapters, because there are only three connectors for connecting video cards, which should discourage mining enthusiasts from buying. Given the declining interest in tandems even among graphics chip developers, ordinary users will not lose anything either, but will be able to correctly connect a powerful video card. Thanks to the high-quality element base, the manufacturer has set a 10-year warranty on the PQ1000M, which will allow it to compete well with some well-known solutions on the domestic market for an adequate price tag.