Installation
Test Rig:
Intel Core i7 870 LGA 1156 90 Watt processor
ASRock P55 Deluxe Intel P55 Motherboard
G.Skill PIS Series DDR3-2400 9-11-9 Intel Core i7 860/870 4GB Dual Channel Memory Kit
Sapphire Radeon HD 5850 video card
Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 Toxic 512MB video card
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus CPU cooler
Vista Ultimate 64-bit
Of course, installation of a power supply is simple, and with the PSU being modular you get to pick and choose what cables you want to use. I used all four PCI-E cables, a 4-pin Molex cable and a SATA power cable.
The cables are plenty long for some cable management in a mid tower, and long enough for a full tower but not the extra length cables found in some power supplies meant for full towers.
Testing
First, I broke out my ol’ trusty multimeter and checked out the voltages on the +12v and +5v rails, which were 11.96 and 5.01 respectively, which were the same as found in the hardware monitor in the BIOS.
Next I tested the power supply by running OCCT. OCCT is a system stress test which is invaluable because it charts system measurements during the stressing, including the +12v. Unfortunately, it has never cared for 64-bit Vista, and reads the voltages wrong, but I can still use the charts by watching the multimeter during testing and note the actual voltages. The chart shows the voltage flutter.
While the OCCT was stressing the CPU, I ran 3DMark Vantage, to run both video cards in CrossfireX. I launched 3DMark Vantage 1 minute into the test and again 25 minutes in.
The Gold Series 850 did experience some flutter, but the maximum was only .1v.