Testing (continued):
The next stage of testing was actually conducted at the same time as the first stage, and involved using a
Seasonic Power Angel monitoring device to compare various aspects of the AC power going into the power supplies being tested. The two-paned chart below compares the Power Factor (PF), Amperage (A), Wattage (W), and apparent Wattage (VA) for the test system described previously under the same idle and load conditions.
Of greatest interest to me is that the Nesteq unit required far less power than the other two systems when running at idle. I initially thought I must have forgotten to reconnect all the components, and double checked everything. At idle, the Tuniq and PC Power and Cooling units each draw about 10% more Amperage and Wattage. While running your system 'lightly' with the Nesteq unit could result in significant savings on your electric bill, ramping up to a heavy load eliminates any advantage. Under the loaded test conditions, the Nesteq unit performed nearly identically to the Tuniq unit, and neither was as efficient as the PC Power and Cooling unit. While the PC Power and Cooling unit may provide the best results, the conclusion shouldn't be that the other two did poorly as all the results were acceptable.
Although not scientifically measured, noise and heat output were other key aspects of testing. Since this unit is available at a store called Quiet PC, and the product name includes the phrase "Ultra Quiet", it had better make about zero noise. And it does. I had to lean in real close to hear it, even when the system was under a heavy load and the automatic fan speed controller should have had it at full speed. You can feel the air flowing out the back, so it is obviously getting the job done. And speaking of the air coming out the back, it wasn't particularly warm either. All three units tested are very efficient, and the lack of heat in the exhaust air is just one way to confirm that.
