NorthQ Giant Reactor 1KW PSU, 30% load

Voltage line	Power Load	Voltage Line	Power Load
3.3v	12A	12V1	11A
5V	15A	12V2	6A

3.3V	5V
12V1	12V2

 

NorthQ Giant Reactor 1KW PSU, 50% load

Voltage line	Power Load	Voltage Line	Power Load
3.3v	18A	12V1	17A
5V	20A	12V2	12A

3.3V	5V
12V1	12V2

 

NorthQ Giant Reactor 1KW PSU, 75% load

Voltage line	Power Load	Voltage Line	Power Load
3.3v	18A	12V1	26A
5V	20A	12V2	21A

3.3V	5V
12V1	12V2

 

NorthQ Giant Reactor 1KW PSU, 100% load

Voltage line	Power Load	Voltage Line	Power Load
3.3v	18A	12V1	32A
5V	25A	12V2	30A

3.3V	5V
12V1	12V2

 

NorthQ Giant Reactor 1KW PSU, 30-100% load voltage regulation test

3.3V	5V
12V1	12V2

 

NorthQ Giant Reactor 1KW PSU, efficiency graph

Power Load	30%	40%	50%	60%	70%	80%	90%	100%
Efficiency	87%	88%	88%	88%	88%	87%	87%	87%

The power output and voltage regulation of the Giant Reactor is certainly one of the best we have ever seen in our labs. The unit has very stable regulation lines and the voltage output does not change much between various load levels. NorthQ appears to be very austere concerning sticking to the specified standards; the vast majority of the units we have tested tend to overvolt slightly but the Giant Reactor is keeping its lines very firmly close to the 3.33V, 5V and 12V ratings.

During our voltage regulation test we found the 3.3V line to be the weakest with a difference of almost 5% between the lowest and the highest reading, although the output of the line does not disappoint; the lowest reading recorded was 3.36V. The second 12V line appears to be a little less stable than the 5V and the first 12V line, jumping between 12.06V and 11.96V depending on the load. While not much lower than the first 12V line, the first line changes its output more smoothly and appears to be more resistant to load changes.

The 135mm fan of the unit does a good job keeping the unit cool and at the same time quiet. The fan is almost inaudible up to medium load levels and begins to spin up above 500-550W load. It never becomes too noisy, not even at 100% load. The fan specifications indicate that it can spin much faster than what we faced after using the unit for several minutes under full load, so inside a badly ventilated case during a hot summer day the noise levels will most probably increase. The strongest point of the Giant Reactor is its power efficiency. Not only it meets up with the manufacturer specifications of 80%, it leans towards 90% under all load conditions. This allows the unit to stay remarkably cool, compact and quiet.