February 15th, 2011

XSpice Kira 530w

Testing

Test Rig

Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo E9450 @ 3.2 GHZ, 1.475V
Motherboard	XFX 790i Ultra
RAM	Crucial DDR3 12800 2GB @ 1600 MHZ 2.0V
Graphics Card	Sapphire HD 4870 X2
HDD	Hitachi Deskstar 250GB
OS	Windows XP Pro x86

Click to enlarge

When powered on, the Kira’s fan illuminates a subtle purple. Gamers and enthusiasts alike crave for this sex ‘PSU’ factor.

Methodology

Testing power supplies is a fairly simple process compared to other products. The unit is hooked up to the most powerful hardware we have available at the time, and left in an idle state for 30 minutes. After that time, we use a multi-meter plugged into the ATX power connector, and a PF and wattage meter for their results respectively. Then, the PC(s) that the unit is powering are loaded as far as they can go to guarantee maximum power draw, and the results are taken again.
The software used to load the PC was S&M on 2 of the CPU’s cores, and our Crysis benchmark running at full tilt (“high” settings for everything, 8 x AA and 1600*1200) to load the GPU and the other 2 CPU cores.

We also test a unit’s efficiency, by taking its PF rating and the wattage necessary to power the hardware. We can then compare this to other PSUs to find out how efficient it is.

For comparison purposes, we’ve used the previously reviewed QPower 1050w, XSpice 750w, Commander 750w and Silver Power SP-SS500.