The 1STPlayer Steampunk 80+ Gold 750W PSU Review: A New Challenger Emerges
by E. Fylladitakis on May 12, 2020 8:30 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- PSUs
- 80Plus Gold
- Modular
- 1STPlayer
Cold Test Results
For the testing of PSUs, we are using high precision electronic loads with a maximum power draw of 2700 Watts, a Rigol DS5042M 40 MHz oscilloscope, an Extech 380803 power analyzer, two high precision UNI-T UT-325 digital thermometers, an Extech HD600 SPL meter, a self-designed hotbox and various other bits and parts. For a thorough explanation of our testing methodology and more details on our equipment, please refer to our How We Test PSUs - 2014 Pipeline post.
Interestingly, the 1STPlayer Steampunk 750W PSU easily meets the 80Plus Gold certification standard when powered from either a 230 VAC or 115 VAC source. As a matter of fact, it almost complies with the 80Plus Platinum certification, surpassing its requirements for the most of the chart. It only suffers from a quickly diminishing efficiency at loads greater than 90%, dropping its efficiency down to 88.3% under maximum load, which prevented the unit from getting an 80Plus Platinum certification. In fact we're a bit surprised that the manufacturer didn't use this platform to make an 80Plus Platinum unit as well. 1STPlayer could have easily used the same platform and dialed down the maximum rated power output of the unit slightly, which would have allowed them to market a slightly less powerful PSU but with an 80Plus Platinum certification.
Overall 1STPlayer kept everything as simple as possible, and they did not implement any advanced thermal control schemes, such as semi-fanless operation. The fan is dead quiet at low loads but will start becoming noticeable when the unit is at about 50% of its rated capacity. Noise levels keep climbing after that, reaching 46.1 dB(A) under maximum load, a high figure for most users. That said, it would not be sensible to run the PSU at a maximum load for prolonged periods of time, so the noise levels during regular use should always be within comfortable levels so long as the unit is installed inside a well-ventilated case.
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Deicidium369 - Tuesday, May 12, 2020 - link
Hello Kitty - Steampunk Edition. Kitty was always OG - now she's Retro OGKoenig168 - Wednesday, May 13, 2020 - link
Put Hello Kitty on a PSU and it will sell like hot cakes!drexnx - Tuesday, May 12, 2020 - link
about the only PC parts you could style as steampunk would be heatsinks, fans, and water cooling componentsDeicidium369 - Tuesday, May 12, 2020 - link
oh all the parts that adults tend to put in their windowless PCsPeterCollier - Tuesday, May 12, 2020 - link
The name is actually a reference to the program Steam, which is a video game distribution platform created by Valve.The name is just an extension of the machinery metaphor, not a reference to a subculture.
Operandi - Tuesday, May 12, 2020 - link
Oh..... is that what 'Steam' is? Huh, sounds pretty sweet, I might have to check that out.Anyway..... if thats what its named after that actually makes it more stupid then being named after the uber nerd subculture.
Operandi - Tuesday, May 12, 2020 - link
Looks like an ok enough budget option. Though I don't know why I would go with this over a just as good Corsair.The name isn't going to be doing them any favors in terms of marketing. I don't understand how it can be this hard for these Chinese based companies to get a grasp of how to market to the demographics they are targeting.
Deicidium369 - Tuesday, May 12, 2020 - link
Yeah ... need to market towards virgins and incels - so some Lolicon character with gigantic, big, huge, massive...... eyes.PeterCollier - Wednesday, May 13, 2020 - link
This is the truest comment I've ever readmode_13h - Tuesday, May 12, 2020 - link
Hmm... Steam, punks, and PSUs don't exactly go well together.And even if we take on the whole Steampunk aesthetic, it conjures images of big, heavy power supplies that might be the size of an entire PC case... for a small one.
So, maybe they need to do some more work on their branding, before they're quite ready to take over the global PC components market.