The GAMDIAS Kratos M1-750W PSU Review: For Style Over Substance

Cold Test Results (~25°C Ambient)

For the testing of PSUs, we are using high precision electronic loads with a maximum power draw of 2700 Watts, a Rigol DS5042M 40 MHz oscilloscope, an Extech 380803 power analyzer, two high precision UNI-T UT-325 digital thermometers, an Extech HD600 SPL meter, a self-designed hotbox and various other bits and parts. For a thorough explanation of our testing methodology and more details on our equipment, please refer to our How We Test PSUs - 2014 Pipeline post.

The energy conversion efficiency of the GAMDIAS Kratos M1-750W is right where we expected it to be for an 80Plus Bronze certified unit. It easily meets the certification’s requirements with an input voltage of 115 VAC, which is the input voltage this unit is certified at. Manufacturers commonly target their designs to meet the 80Plus certification requirements with an input voltage of 115 VAC due to the lower certification thresholds. The Kratos M1-750W just barely fails to meet the 80Plus Bronze requirements for an input voltage of 230 VAC, with an efficiency of 84.8% at full load. The average nominal load range (20% to 100% of the unit's capacity) efficiency of the unit is 87.4% with an input voltage of 230 VAC, which drops to 86.2% for an input voltage of 115 VAC.

The default cooling profile of the GAMDIAS Kratos M1-750W is predicably simple, with the thermal control circuit adjusting the speed of the fan primarily depending on the internal temperature of the unit. It is fairly silent when the load is very low but the low energy conversion efficiency translates to high losses, forcing the fan’s speed to quickly increase alongside with the load. The PSU will be noticeably audible at half load and becomes loud when heavily loaded.