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Zooming in to real world results, I've put the Tuniq Miniplant at the foundation of an SLI gaming-rig setup.
By battering the system with various benchmark software over a logged timeframe, we can see how the recorded voltage levels will respond to varying system loads. Since this will all be recorded by the motherboards own WINBOND chips, some degree of error will be present.
With the full array of Speed Stepping and TM1 voltage control, the CPU is constantly being throttled according to the load applied to it. That can be verified by a look at the CPU's Core Voltage chart.
Here we can see the +12 Volt log chart as reported by the Winbond monitor. The ATX Specification calls for a tolerance on the +12 volt line of +/- 5% which gives us an allowance of 11.4 volts up to a maximum of 12.6 volts. The reported reported voltage level was 11.8 which is within the ATX specification. Even just as important, the voltage did not fluctuate at all during the entire 35 minutes of testing.
Here we can see the +5 volt rail with an ATX Specification tolerance of +/- 5% giving us a range of 4.75 volts through 5.25 volts to work with. According to the Winbond monitor, the Miniplant fails to deliver the minimum 4.75 volts required by ATX Specification. After running and re-running checks with Hardware Monitor Pro, I decided to check the Molex connector and see what a volt meter would say. Not surprisingly, the volt meter was showing a voltage of 5.01 volts - solid. Motherboard based Winbond sensors can be a bit flaky at times, and their final readings can be a little off the mark. Oscilloscope testing is a very accurate measure of a power supplies potential and can be used to show the amount of ripple in a supplied voltage. However, real-world testing is done with real-world hardware, and in this case - nothing failed. All tests concluded without a single error and the system was even checked again after a 48 hour burn-in period without any failures.Conclusion There's a lot to like about the Miniplant! It's selling point is the that its the worlds first 950 watt unit that needs no more physical space than a standard ATX power supply. What I think hurts it a little bit in that regard is that Tuniq decided not to make the power wires modular. The $249.99 price tag is a bit steep for units in this power class, however it is smaller. The reduced size means you can get it in a smaller chassis and it should also help you tuck away the unused leads. The way a power supply looks to me isn't all that important. Sure an LED fan is nice, but not necessary. What I like is a quiet fan, and the Miniplant delivers there too. Even after hours of game playing (and an internal PC chassis temperature of 105*F) the Miniplant's fan remained quiet but with noticeable airflow. I'm not going to hold the 5 volt readings from a motherboard sensor against the Miniplant. Especially the voltage read correct with a digital volt meter at a Molex connector. All in all, the Miniplant is a great unit that is a tad high on the price side, but for some the smaller size may not be worth the price.
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