Review Item...........................: Real Power M1000 & M700 PSU
Supplied By............................: CoolerMaster

There are two items I look at before any system build I do. More so if its a server for some rather bizarre reasons. The case. Does it have to be a desktop, how much room is their, are any limitations on desk space, is this for a rack mount, is it 19 inch and does it already have rails, does it need specific rails. This is a long list, and long before any of the other components are thought about. I build custom every time, and every time is different. Computers are not an off the shelf thing we walk into a store and buy as its cheap. Computers are here to serve us, to meet the role we give it, to make it part of our lives and to make them easier.


So. We have to build computers to fit in with what we want, or the customer. So by finding out what rackmount cabinet they have, or the desk and how much space they have, or need, we can find an economical system that either becomes a feature by having itmodded, or hides away by making it compact and discrete.

Once you have the case. You need to power it.


This is dependant on the processor, so I find out what role the computer will take, and built according to that spec. This then means I know what I need to power the entire computer so can choose the PSU to fit it. If its a computer for surfing a smaller PSU will suffice, if its a work horse server or gaming system or something made to clock then you want as much juice as you can give it. This is why no one should ever walk into a computer shop and say those terrible words.

I want one of those please...

Owning or building a computer should, always, always, be made to suit you. Built from the ground up to meet your specific needs. Its cheaper this way, and it does what you want it to perfectly.


When it comes to power, you want a PSU that delivers all the power you need, in a smooth manner to switch between high loads and stand-by loads without any form of loss. This becomes more apparent on gaming and clocking systems as the need for power fluctuates rapidly resulting in a constant ebb and flow.


Lined up today we have two power supplies from the Coolermaster Real Power Range. The first is the Real Power M1000 modular system, the second is the M700 also in a modular format. The benefits of modular design means you can pick and choose only the cables you actually want or need in your system. This results in better airflow, better looks if you have amodded computer and its just far easier to work on. If the PSU ever packs up, you unplug all the cables from the PSU itself, drop the old one out, slip in the new one and plug the modular cables back in again.


So if you spent a few hours hiding cables and cable tie them out of the way, you wont have to undo all your hard work. If you make some upgrades to the system and need a higher power PSU, the same applies, out with the old and in with the new. As long as its in the same range, the cables will still be the same so there really is no extensive downtime.


On the M1000 after you open the box you find a Coolermaster branded beer bottle opener, really nice touch as it was just what I was thinking I would have while installing this, a case with all your cables neatly arranged and the regular screws and paperwork. The PSU itself is huge, or so it seems on first comparison, but actually its only 6 inches by 7 inches so hardly an inch bigger than most other branded power supplies. The little brother of this one, the M700 is similar, but at 6 inches by 6 inches its more of a conventional size. Still coming with the same manuals and screws, but without the little wallet style case for holding the cables. If the little wallet would fit in the box of thisPSU it would be a really nice addition for keeping things together. Its that final finishing touch.


The cables themselves range from the standard array of floppy style connectors, which should be stopped now in my opinion, through to molex. In addition you have the PCI-E, peripheral cables and the new assortment of 6-8 pin board connectors, graphic card etc. There is one of everything is the main point, so no matter what system you are trying to cater around there is a cable for it in the package to allow connection. All utilising the modular design.  While we are mentioning that again, it should be noted the plug that goes into the PSU from the cable end fixes and clips in place. So there should be no instances of cables coming loose in transit of a gaming system. Also each one is braided to make them look better, in a matt black, and covered with the shrink wrap sleeving that holds it all together and hides any unsightly ends.


Moving onto the actual PSU itself, in operation it was fairly quiet which was nice to hear, or not hear in this instance. As heat increased the fan simply picked up the speed a little to compensate for it. So the claim of being whisper silent was actually true. Teaming that with a three year warranty,SLi compatibility on the M1000, and 80 PLUS compatibility also, you have the rock foundations of something very interesting. Did we mention the six ground-breaking +12V independent output rails for exceptional power distribution.


A general  digital multimeter was used to test the rails in all operations so we can do live testing. The fleeting, or drifting of the voltages to compensate for high to low load switching was observed. Now high load is a few delta fans we have kicking about and a dummy load thatemulates drives and lights. Switching them on and off means the PSU is delivering normal running loads and then massive current draws. In testing they actually performed better than my CorsairPSU! Far better than the other Coolermaster PSU''s we have had for a couple of years too running our servers. The fleeting voltage was not apparent, so even with our higher end multimeter offering a sensitive digital read out, it was never enough to get it to register. Before anyone asks yes we did double check this on anotherPSU, hence the mention of the Corsair one I have.

The only real test of a PSU read out is when hooked up to an oscilloscope. What your looking for is a smooth wave on the screen with hardly any voltage ripple. If we show you an example of a terrible output you will get the idea.


Now compare that with a reasonable peak to peak value and the difference stands out like a super model in a diet club.


What we had on the Coolermaster PSUs was in fact total calm, actually totally flat. This means the rectifiers are working their little behinds off to give steady voltage to the capacitors to do the final cleaning on. As far as I can see even in a load change over, everything was calm. It just offered more of what was needed when it was called to do so. A real power house.

I cant fault the PSU at all, it did everything we wanted it to do and more besides. Its delivery is clean and very stable, its up to the standard Nvidia expect to run their new cards and its housed in a really nice black electroplated casing. No paint here folks. Is it worth the money though, well to be fair yes it is. I have been suitably impressed by its overall performance, its less noise approach and would happily replace all our servers with this new and improved PSU over the older Coolermaster ones we have. You cant fault the modular approach, the whole package just says quality and backed with that warranty you know they are confidant in its abilities. I dont see anyone else offering such a great after sales service and back up. Do you?