Original Link: https://www.anandtech.com/show/4425/in-win-commander-ii-1200w
In Win Commander II 1200W
by Martin Kaffei on June 10, 2011 1:10 PM EST- Posted in
- PSUs
- 1200W
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- In-Win
In Win Commander II 1200W
Since we've had some 750W and one 520W PSU reviews of late, we thought it might be time for another high-power model. The In Win Commander II 1200W is an 80 Plus Bronze certified power supply with modular cables. In the package we find a large number of modular cables, a user manual, some cable ties, four screws, and one power cord. That last item was a bit of a surprise, as In Win provides a 10A cable while the maximum input current is rated at 15A. In Win should provide a 16A cable, at least if they expect users to actually come anywhere near the 1200W power output. At maximum load and 82% efficiency (80Plus Bronze), the Commander II 1200W can draw approximately 12.7A.
As mentioned in the summary, this PSU comes with four +12V rails. Combined they can deliver up to 1032W. Every single +12V rail is rated for up to 40A, though you obviously won't be able to put that much of a load on all rail simultaneously. +3.3V as well as +5V are rated at 150W combined, while the standby rail is specified with 3A. And in the way of more confusing stuff, the combined power of the large rails is just 1079W with 21W on the -12V and +5Vsb, which means this is really an 1100W PSU; 1200W seems to be the peak power. (We're getting close to the point where that 10A power cord makes sense now....)
In Win uses a fan from Young Lin with the model number DFB132512H. H stands for "high rotations per minute" (1700RPM). This double ball bearing type fan has a peak power consumption of 3W. There are also three guide vanes at the bottom of the fan, where other manufacturer usually use a foil.
Appearance, Cables and Connectors
The Commander II has a green finish with honeycombed ventilation holes and a common black fan grille. On both sides we find additional ventilation holes, commonly seen on other Andyson-made products. The surface is scratch-resistant. On one side we also get the name and power rating in big yellow letters.
While most manufacturers use different colors for the PCIe and peripheral connector sockets, In Win only has black ones only. However, this isn't a problem since the peripheral harnesses have six pins while the PEG cables have eight. The cable sleeving is decent but not great; it covers the cables and keeps the individual wire together, though, which is the main purpose of sleeving.
Cables and Connectors | ||
Fixed/Modular |
Main | 24-pin 55cm |
ATX12V/EPS12V | 8-pin 60cm, 4+4-pin 60cm | |
PCIe | 2x2 6/8-pin 50 + 15 cm (fixed), 2x2 6/8-pin 50 + 15cm (modular) | |
Peripheral | 4x SATA 55-100cm / 4x SATA 55-100cm | |
3x Molex, 1x FDD 55-100cm / 3x Molex, 1x FDD 55-100cm |
The Commander II has eight PCIe connectors on four cables. Two cables are fixed while the other two are modular. You also get an 8-pin plus an additional 4+4-pin CPU connector. 55cm on the 24-pin cable is relatively long, though no longer than competing 1200W PSUs. The eight SATA plugs on two cables is somewhat disappointing for a high wattage PSU, while the two FDD connectors are unimportant for a modern PC. There are six Molex connectors as well, for fans and other items.
Internal Design
Cracking open the case, we can see an Andyson design with DC-to-DC VRM, three large heatsinks, and not much space between the components for airflow. The EMI filtering consists of four Y caps, two X caps, and some chokes. Since the PCB was too short, Andyson chose to glue some Y caps in the air and connected them with small cables. There is no MOV and the solder point for the Thermistor is bridged. Most cables have shrink tubing.
The main caps are two Panasonic HC with 400V. They are rated at 105°C (2000h endurance), which is unremarkable. The capacitors in the secondary circuit are from Teapo (SC series). The shielded DC-to-DC modules on the bottom right use all solid capacitors. The main MOFETs are two 24N60C3 in a very big housing, which is good for the thermal resistance. This PSU has SR (synchronous or active rectifying) with some IRFB3206 transistors that have excellent characteristics for this kind of application. In the bottom right, there's a very large safety IC. The PS232S supports OCP for six rails (+3.3V, +5V and the four +12V rails). Overall In Win has chosen a densely packed layout with modern technology.
Voltage Regulation
+3.3V Regulation | |
Load | Voltage |
10% | +2.42% |
20% | +2.12% |
50% | +0.61% |
80% | -0.91% |
100% | -1.82% |
110% | -1.12% |
+5V Regulation | |
Load | Voltage |
10% | +1.60% |
20% | +1.20% |
50% | +-0.00% |
80% | -1.00% |
100% | -1.40% |
110% | -2.00% |
+12V Regulation (Worst Rail) | |
Load | Voltage |
10% | +1.17% |
20% | +0.92% |
50% | +0.08% |
80% | -0.75% |
100% | -1.17% |
110% | -1.83% |
The measurements are better than expected. +3.3V starts with a clear overvoltage, but the drop at higher loads is very low. +5V is within ATX specification too. The worst +12V rail performs very well with results very close to the optimal values. Despite the questionable information on the label, it is nice to see that this PSU has no problem with 1200W or even more. The label with 1079W combined power for +3.3V, +5V and +12V was very confusing but now we know 1200W is a reasonable rating for this PSU. Note that we did use a separate 16A power cord for testing.
Ripple and Noise
+3.3V Ripple Quality | |
Load | Ripple and Noise |
10% | 8mV |
20% | 10mV |
50% | 15mV |
80% | 22mV |
100% | 22mV |
110% | 25mV |
+5V Ripple Quality | |
Load | Ripple and Noise |
10% | 9mV |
20% | 13mV |
50% | 18mV |
80% | 24mV |
100% | 25mV |
110% | 28mV |
+12V Ripple Quality (Worst Rail) | |
Load | Ripple and Noise |
10% | 26mV |
20% | 38mV |
50% | 53mV |
80% | 73mV |
100% | 89mV |
110% | 94mV |
A big problem for this PSU are the relatively high ripple and noise results. ATX spec is that ripple should be within 1% on 12V and 5V, and up to 50mV on +3.3V, so 25-28mV is acceptable for the smaller rails. However, "acceptable" isn't the same as "good", and these are not the best results we have seen. Similarly, +12V is very close to 100mV, which is very close to the 120mV limit. That might be within the ATX requirements but we should keep in mind that the Commander II is a high-end PSU for gamers; the other +12V rails show similar values.
Noise Levels
Sound Pressure Level (Ambient: 16dBA, 1m distance) | |
Load | dB(A) |
10% | 18 |
20% | 19 |
50% | 22 |
80% | 28 |
100% | 33 |
110% | 36 |
The In Win sample is hardly audible at low loads. Given that a set of GPUs that might need such a PSU will require clearly audible fans, the PSU will not be the primary source of noise. If you choose to build a water-cooled PC, it might be possible to reduce the low-load noise, in which case a semi-passive solution like the upcoming Seasonic Platinum could be interesting. Starting at 80% load, the fan gets quite loud, and even at 50% load we wouldn't qualify the PSU as silent.
Efficiency and PFC
115VAC, 60Hz | ||
Load | Efficiency | PFC |
10% | 81% | 0.944 |
20% | 85% | 0.956 |
50% | 87% | 0.975 |
80% | 85% | 0.984 |
100% | 82% | 0.988 |
110% | 80% | 0.992 |
230VAC, 50Hz | ||
Load | Efficiency | PFC |
10% | 82% | 0.860 |
20% | 86% | 0.924 |
50% | 88% | 0.971 |
80% | 86% | 0.984 |
100% | 84% | 0.985 |
110% | 81% | 0.987 |
The power factor is decent for 230VAC load, particularly as the efficiency stays above 80% too even at 10% load. Most competitors with 80 Plus Bronze reach 78-79% at 10% load so Andyson did a great job here. With up to 87% efficiency at 115VAC this PSU is more efficient than the Antec HCG 750W, but it would need a PC that idles at 120W or more and loads at 600W or more to run at optimal efficiency.
Commander II: Only a Private First Class
We really appreciate that In Win tried to make something different by creating an unusual looking product with a military theme. However, we have to criticize some very important points. First, the power cord should be a 16A cable and not the typical 10A. We had the necessary 16A cable on hand, but most users are unlikely to have a spare 16A cable. Considering we were able to draw nearly 13A from the wall, a 10A cable rating is definitely too little. Second, the ripple and noise results are relatively high on all rails, especially +12V.
The package contents are standard fare, but the decision to include just eight SATA and six Molex connectors means the Commander II is badly equipped for a 1200W PSU. The Antec HCP-1200 for instance includes support for 12 SATA and nine Molex, and most modern systems will only need a few Molex with more SATA. Ten SATA plugs should be the minimum for a 1200W PSU, though eight 6/8-pin connectors for graphics cards is good. In contrast to the other high-end PSUs, the Commander II 1200W also has two FDD plugs which is just not necessary, as one is more than enough. The cable sleeving is fine and both CPU cables are very long (60cm); the PCIe cables could even be shorter (depending on the case and routing a user chooses).
In Win uses a crowded looking design from Andyson with one large transformer, two main caps from Panasonic, and a safety IC that offers OCP for all rails. We miss some parts in the EMI filtering such as a MOV or Thermistor. All capacitors in the secondary circuit are Taiwanese made. We feel it's better for a manufacturer to choose cheap ones for the primary and expensive ones for the secondary circuit, since the temperatures and currents are higher in the secondary, but the big primary caps tend to stand out more. In Win inserts DC-to-DC VRM as well as SR to increase efficiency. With this technology In Win is very close to 80 Plus Silver, as our measurements show.
In Win reached up to 87% efficiency on 115VAC with 81% at 10% load. These are very satisfying results for an 80 Plus Bronze PSU. Of course the efficiency is even higher at 230VAC while the power factor is lower on the European power grid. With noise of 19-22dBA on loads under 50%, this PSU is not very loud at low to moderate load; even so we wouldn't say it is silent. As expected, 100% load results in a loud fan. The noise level is very close to most competitors. Unfortunately, with more than 90mV ripple and noise on +12V, we really can't recommend this PSU as a good option for enthusiasts. Most PSUs are able to stay under 60mV on the critical 12V rails.
Finally, we'll conclude with a look at pricing. Here's where things get complicated, since the Commander II is relatively hard to get. Newegg currently lists the price at 225.99USD, and it may still drop, but Newegg is also out of stock. On the other hand, Antec offers a 1200W 80 Plus Silver PSU starting at just $200 online. You'd get more efficiency for less money, though given the 80mm fan the noise at higher loads is reportedly very high. The Corsair AX 1200W is more expensive but delivers great performance and 80 Plus Gold, with similar noise characteristics. There's also the OCZ ZX 1250W, with 80 Plus Gold rating and a similar price to the In Win 1200W. In the end, we wouldn't pay more than 200USD for the In Win Commander II. Hopefully the pricing will drop, but even at $200 this is merely an average 1200W offering.