Page 3 - Physical Look - Inside
We opened up the Cooler Master V SFX Gold ATX 3.0 850W to take a closer peek inside. Doing this at home may void your 10-year warranty, since it will break the warranty sticker on the top of the power supply. A 10-year warranty is the industry standard at this point, and it is excellent to see it continued on the Cooler Master V SFX Gold series. To open the power supply to the above extent, four screws need to be removed. These are located right on top of the power supply, which makes it easy to remove the top panel. A few more screws can be removed to get more of the power supply revealed.
The OEM for the Cooler Master V SFX Gold ATX 3.0 850W is Gospower, which is a Chinese manufacturer. They make power supplies for all sorts of different electronics, ranging from gaming consoles, computers, industrial computers, and communication equipment. At first glance, it is practically identical to the non-ATX 3.0 version we previously reviewed, the Cooler Master V850 SFX Gold 850W. This power supply features a half bridge LLC topology with DC-to-DC converters.
Starting with the transient filtering stage, where the PSU is plugged in from the wall, there are two X-capacitors and four Y-capacitors. There are also two CM chokes in the power supply, with one metal-oxide varistor located in this area as well. The MOV will ensure spikes from the AC line are balanced out, providing the needed stabilization. The Cooler Master V SFX Gold ATX 3.0 850W is equipped well in this transient filter stage.
The Cooler Master V SFX Gold ATX 3.0 850W has a single rectifier bridge. We were unable to identify the exact model number because of how closely these components are packed together. The active PFC circuit in the Cooler Master V SFX Gold ATX 3.0 850W is located on a silver heatsink near the primary capacitor. The active PFC circuitry is handled by two STMicroelectronics STF33N60DM2 MOSFETs. These have a continuous drain current of 24A at 100c and an RDS(on) of 130mΩ. This on characteristic is called Static Drain-Source On-Resistance, or commonly abbreviated as RDS(on). These lower resistance numbers mean power the supply is more efficient, since less resistance means less power is wasted.
The main switchers can be found on the same heatsink, but I was unable to identify the models due to their proximity to the primary capacitor.
Continued at the primary side, we find a Japanese-branded Rubycon capacitor. Cooler Master claims to have Japanese brand capacitors, so we should not be surprised by this find. The capacitor is rated for 730µF at 420V, rated for 105c. The higher temperature rating is at least one indication of a higher quality capacitor, since more budget friendly PSUs will typically go for 85c rated models.
On the secondary side, all rectifiers produce the +12V out, while the +5V and +3.3V outputs are generated from the +12V output using a DC-to-DC converter within as with modern high efficiency power supplies. The +5V and +3.3V output is generated by six InPower Semiconductor IPS 014N04SA MOSFETs on a daughterboard located on the side of the power supply. ANPEC's APW7159C is the PWM switching controller.
We also took a closer look at the capacitors found on the secondary side. Some of them are Chinese brand Leon capacitors. Cooler Master technically does not claim they use 100% Japanese brand capacitors, so be aware the "high-quality Japanese capacitors" claim on the website only applies to the primary capacitor.
On the back of the board, we found some more components that are of note. The active PFC and switching logic are controlled by a Champion CM6500UNX, which is located here. There is a Champion CU6901VAE resonant controller spotted as well. Otherwise, the back features the +12V switchers in the form of six Infineon 12N04LM6 MOSFETs. These Infineon MOSFETs are rated at 180A at 25c, 10V. Their RDS(on) value is 1.7 mΩ maximum and 1.4 mΩ typical. The datasheets for all components mentioned in this review can be found on their respective manufacturer's websites.
After inspecting the inside of the Cooler Master V SFX Gold ATX 3.0 850W power supply, the build quality appears to be excellent. Wires running around inside is minimized to provide the best cooling possible. Furthermore, soldering is done well to keep everything clean and neat. The component selection is acceptable for the performance class it is in.
As for cooling, a single 92mm, 15mm thick Hong Hua HA9215VH12FD-F00 fan. This uses fluid dynamic bearings, which should mean it can run quietly and for longer periods of time. From the label, you can see this operates at 12V and 0.36A. Otherwise, it is connected with two wires to a daughterboard on the secondary stage of the power supply.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Minor Tests and Conclusion
