PassMark Inline PSU Tester Review

Usage Example

The easiest way to use the PassMark PSU tester is to directly connect it to a power supply in standalone mode, without using the USB port to connect it to a system for the respective software application. First, disconnect all devices from your power supply and connect the ATX, EPS, and PCIe cables to the “In” terminals of the PSU tester. Now, assuming it has one, turn the PSU’s switch to its “On” position and press and hold the power button on the PSU tester for three seconds, until “Power On” appears on the display.

With everything working, you can hopefully use the up and down buttons of the PSU tester to navigate between pages and check all vital functions. By pressing the mode button, you can switch between voltage, current, and power modes or take a look at the timings.

On the tester’s screen, you will be shown the following information:

• Total power: overall power drawn by the tester since it has four resistors to apply a minimal load to the PSU.
• Status: voltages and timings
• Voltage/current/power levels on the 24-pin/CPU/PCIe/SATA connectors
• Ripple levels on the 24-pin connector
• Timings (T1, T2, T3, and T6) at 12 V1/2, 5 V, and 3.3 V
• T2 min slew rate
• Turn-on slope
• Power sequencing

To thoroughly test the PSU timings, you will have to start the PSU and shut it down through the PSU tester when done. The only problem is that the PSU tester automatically shuts down after a minute in standalone mode because its resistors get too hot. PassMark should probably use a fan to cool down these resistors. The use of resistors with a high power rating and heat sinks would also help.

If you decide to use the software, you only have to connect the tester to your system with the provided USB cable. The software is easy to use and doesn’t have any tabs, so you have immediate access to all the information. However, it necessitates familiarity with power supplies and the ATX specification, which explains what all the terms mean.

According to PassMark, the PSU tester can handle a PSU with a capacity of up to 1600 W; however, still make sure not to overload any of its connectors. The maximum current and power each of the tester’s connectors can handle is shown above.

Software

The application does support multiple testers for when you have multiple PSUs connected to a system (e.g., two graphics cards). It also provides logging functionality, which can prove highly valuable for checking on a power supply for an extended period of time. To see the following screen, make sure to connect the PSU tester’s monitoring port to the system where the application is loaded.

With everything set up to be done through the application, don’t switch the PSU on with the button on the tester, but through the application. There is also a configuration window, shown below, in which you can set the connected cables, which has unavailable voltages excluded from the pass and fail criteria. Compliance mode has two choices: Strict mode, where all voltage and timing values out of range according to the ATX specification lead to a fail, or Loose mode, which uses looser pass criteria while still making sure the important values are within the specified ranges.

Strict and Loose modesDC Regulation range for 12V1, 12V2, 5V and 3.3V rails10%10%DC Regulation range for -12V rail10%15%T2 Min Slew RateAccording to the specificationNot CheckedPower SequencingAccording to the specificationOnly when 12V and 5V are above 500mV
There is also Buzzer mode, which allows the user to specify the conditions at which the PSU tester’s buzzer will provide notifications. Finally, the last setting has to do with the logging interval.

All available configuration options.

The easiest way to use the PassMark PSU tester is to directly connect it to a power supply in standalone mode, without using the USB port to connect it to a system for the respective software application. First, disconnect all devices from your power supply and connect the ATX, EPS, and PCIe cables to the “In” terminals of the PSU tester. Now, assuming it has one, turn the PSU’s switch to its “On” position and press and hold the power button on the PSU tester for three seconds, until “Power On” appears on the display.With everything working, you can hopefully use the up and down buttons of the PSU tester to navigate between pages and check all vital functions. By pressing the mode button, you can switch between voltage, current, and power modes or take a look at the timings.On the tester’s screen, you will be shown the following information:To thoroughly test the PSU timings, you will have to start the PSU and shut it down through the PSU tester when done. The only problem is that the PSU tester automatically shuts down after a minute in standalone mode because its resistors get too hot. PassMark should probably use a fan to cool down these resistors. The use of resistors with a high power rating and heat sinks would also help.If you decide to use the software, you only have to connect the tester to your system with the provided USB cable. The software is easy to use and doesn’t have any tabs, so you have immediate access to all the information. However, it necessitates familiarity with power supplies and the ATX specification, which explains what all the terms mean.According to PassMark, the PSU tester can handle a PSU with a capacity of up to 1600 W; however, still make sure not to overload any of its connectors. The maximum current and power each of the tester’s connectors can handle is shown above.The application does support multiple testers for when you have multiple PSUs connected to a system (e.g., two graphics cards). It also provides logging functionality, which can prove highly valuable for checking on a power supply for an extended period of time. To see the following screen, make sure to connect the PSU tester’s monitoring port to the system where the application is loaded.With everything set up to be done through the application, don’t switch the PSU on with the button on the tester, but through the application. There is also a configuration window, shown below, in which you can set the connected cables, which has unavailable voltages excluded from the pass and fail criteria. Compliance mode has two choices: Strict mode, where all voltage and timing values out of range according to the ATX specification lead to a fail, or Loose mode, which uses looser pass criteria while still making sure the important values are within the specified ranges.There is also Buzzer mode, which allows the user to specify the conditions at which the PSU tester’s buzzer will provide notifications. Finally, the last setting has to do with the logging interval.All available configuration options.