Page 2 - Physical Look - Outside
The Cooler Master V1000 1000W power supply, despite carrying no naming resemblance to the company's Silent Pro series, does not look all too different than the Cooler Master Silent Pro Hybrid 1050W I have reviewed back in November 2011. It has nearly the same enclosure design and finish, and the bottom fan grille is almost identical in appearance. Its textured dark grey spray finish creates a sleek yet subtle appearance, along with the "V1000" imprints on the side indicating its family and model. To make sure you will see the branding sticker the right side up at all times, the orientation of it is different on both sides, so whatever side facing the user after installation will always be correct. Residing behind the honeycomb mesh array fan grille -- designed for minimal air resistance while providing adequate protection -- is the primary and only cooling fan installed. The 135mm fan generates airflow by drawing air from the bottom of the power supply over its internal components to keep the temperatures in check. Exhaust heat is allowed to leave at the back of the power supply through the large secondary mesh opening.
Measuring in at 17.0cm in length, the Cooler Master V1000 1000W is not the longest power supply we have reviewed before -- in fact, it is in the middle of the pack. The Thermaltake Toughpower XT Platinum 1275W takes the crown at 20.0cm. Obviously, it is not as short as the 14.0 cm power supply like the FSP AURUM CM Gold 650W, but this one is a kilowatt-grade, fully modular power supply. The extra length is needed to accommodate its modular connector board at the back, as well as the internal components to obtain good performance. We will take a look inside the PSU on the next page. For most ATX or eATX chassis, its length should not be much of a problem, if at all. However, if you have a mATX case that takes standard power supplies, be sure to measure out everything accordingly, so there will be no surprises during installation. Meanwhile, four screws at the bottom of the V1000 secures the power supply case together; where one screw has a warranty seal over it -- so you can't open the power supply without voiding the warranty. The fan grille uses hex screws to attach to the power supply casing. I can't seem to find one in my toolbox that fits, so I am not sure if you will be able to clean the fan without putting your five year coverage in jeopardy.
Starting from the back part of the power supply, we have the same familiar honeycomb mesh design like most PSUs with bottom mounted fans; and the standard on/off switch located on the right side of the male connector for power input on the western edge. The low resistance honeycomb mesh design is implemented to maximize airflow and minimize air resistance. This is done as heat needs to leave the power supply as easily and efficiently as possible, because the Cooler Master V1000 1000W incorporates only one 135mm fan at the bottom, with no auxiliary fans. However, I think the design can be a little more efficient, as the power input and switch panel occupies nearly a quarter of the rear exhaust area. Deleting the Cooler Master logo and all the blank space around it would probably help. As with most new power supplies, the Cooler Master V1000 has an automatic full range (100V-240V) AC line voltage selection, so the user does not have to worry about manually selecting input voltage.
Like the Cooler Master Silent Pro Hybrid 1050W, the Cooler Master V1000 is a fully modular power supply. This means all cables are completely detachable from the main unit. While it is somewhat questionable with regards to why this is necessary, since cables such as the ATX 24-pin and ATX 4-pin/EPS 8-pin have practically an 100% chance of being connected at all times, it may prove to be beneficial to an extent when building your computer initially. The downside to this is higher electrical contact loss at the connectors compared to permanently fixed cables. In the end, this comes down to personal preference, and we have no problems with this design.
The rear cable connection panel is done nicely. Similar connectors are grouped together; and are laid out in a very logical manner. However, the 24-pin motherboard connector is split into two different blocks (With a total of 28 pins, too), which is kind of weird. Where have we seen this before? Yep, none other than the Seasonic Platinum 1000W. Could this be a Seasonic build? We will find out when we crack open the V1000.
Moving on, to ensure you know what is going on, a diagram is situated at the bottom for minimal ambiguity. From the top to bottom and left to right, we have four PCI Express outputs for eight 6+2 pin connectors, two ATX/EPS 4+4 pin outputs, five SATA/Molex outputs for nine SATA, four Molex, and one floppy, as well as the two connector blocks for the ATX 24-pin. Incompatible outputs will not physically fit into each other, so I think Cooler Master has done a great job in this regard. This generous array of available connectors should be more than sufficient for casual users and power enthusiasts alike.
The external build quality of Cooler Master's V1000 power supply is also excellent -- a good indication the company is serious about the product they are selling. We will take it apart in just a moment. Fit is done well with minimal panel gaps, and all edges are nicely finished off. The level of refinement with regards to the external build quality is right up there with all other high quality PSUs I have used in the past. We will crack open this power supply to see what's inside in the following section, and find out more about its OEM in just a moment.
The voltage specification label at the top of the Cooler Master V1000 1000W. There are three main virtual rails. Up to 25A can be delivered via the +3.3V rail for a total of 82.5W; while the same 25A on the +5V rail brings the output to 125W in this area. The total combined output for the +3.3V and +5V rail is also 125W. In other words, your power allocation combination must fall within the limits of the listed specifications. Meanwhile, a single powerful +12V rail delivers up to 83A (996W) to reduce operating overhead compared to multiple +12V rails. Overall, the combined power output for the whole V1000 is... well, 1000W haha. Again, your power distribution in your system must fall within the limits provided -- it must not exceed 82.5W on the +3.3V rail, 125W on the +5V rail and 125W combined for both, 996W on the +12V rail, and 1000W combined between the +12V and +3.3/+5V rails. It does sound a bit confusing to understand how this works at first, but generally speaking, this configuration allows fairly flexible power demands and should be sufficient to accommodate most users. On the other hand, I have seen lower wattage PSUs with more power on the +5V rail, so I would actually expect a little more in this area for a 1000W power supply unit.
The Cooler Master V1000 1000W is 80 Plus Gold certified, which means that it is certified to be at least 87%, 90%, 87% efficient at 20%, 50%, and 100% load, respectively. The only higher certification available is 80 Plus Platinum.
A total of twelve modular cables are included out of the box. All modular cables are flat and easy to bend, making them extremely easy to work with. The only exception is the motherboard 24-pin cable, which is sleeved rather than flat. Surprisingly, all wires are 18 AWG, including high current PCI Express and ATX/EPS connectors. Usually, manufacturers will fatten them up to 16 AWG, but Cooler Master opted out on that.
The following modular cables are included out of the box:
- 1x ATX 20+4 pin, 60.0cm
- 2x ATX/EPS 4+4 pin, 68.0cm
- 4x PCIe 6+2 pin, 2 connectors each, 60.0cm to first connector, 10.0cm spacing thereafter
- 3x SATA, 3 connectors each, 45.0cm to first connector, 10.0cm spacing thereafter
- 1x Molex, 2 connectors, 45.0cm to first connector, 10.0cm spacing thereafter
- 1x Molex and Floppy, 3 connectors, 45.0cm to first connector, 10.0cm spacing thereafter, Floppy at the end of dongle
These are just specified measurements from the manufacturer. Most users should have no problems with Cooler Master's V1000 1000W, even if your case has a bottom power supply mount. 50cm is the general standard, and this power supply easily exceeded this recommendation by a considerable amount. The 10cm spacing between connectors is kind of tight though; 15cm would have been more preferable.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Minor Tests and Conclusion
