We received a trio of 1000 W power supplies priced between $200 and $300, so we ran them through our usual suite of tests to see if they really live up to their 80 PLUS Gold certifications. Surprisingly, all three hiccuped during efficiency testing.

It's easy enough to assume that 80 PLUS Gold-certified PSUs with power ratings in excess of 1000 W are not built with the broad masses in mind. It takes a serious configuration to require such high power delivery ceilings. Nevertheless, the findings in this roundup make it pretty clear how much importance the manufacturers attach to the quality of their products. Even the slightest deficiency is exposed immediately at such high loads, and the negative effects on energy efficiency are often quite severe. We received three PSUs for this piece, and we put them all through our gauntlet.

Compared to our recent roundup of gaming PSUs where the manufacturers almost buried us in test samples, the range of products is much more manageable in the high-end space. We're looking at two 1000 W PSUs from OCZ and Rosewill, along with a 1250 W PSU from Sparkle. Can the Sparkle PSU exploit its significant power rating advantage in any way? And how will these 80 PLUS Gold perform at the low loads typical of an idle PC?

Also Tested: Standby Power Consumption, EuP Standard

The European Union’s Eco-design Directive 2009/125/EC, also known as the EuP (short for Energy-using Product), contains increased stringency regarding the standby mode power consumption of PSUs from the year 2010. As more and more manufacturers are advertising the EuP certification on their PSUs, we are introducing the appropriate test methods in our reviews. Unlike previous standby measurements made with the 5 V-sb rail active, there are no loads on the rails in the EuP tests. The PSU must manage a standby power consumption of less than 1 W.