The EX-1000 employs BFG's new “Frequency Conversion Technology”. In his look at the EX-1200, our reviewer Frank Stroupe gives a pretty detailed explanation of the logic behind this new technology. So as not to reinvent the wheel, I won't repeat all of that information here. The basic idea is that the PSU attempts to emulate lower capacity units when faced with small loads. This allows the unit to operate at the would-be optimal virtual load of about 50%, even when the unit is operating 10-15% of its true capacity.

To get a sense of how well frequency conversion really works, I used my Kill-A-Watt energy meter to measure the EX-1000's power draw on my system as compared to a much smaller PSU (the OCZ Fatal1ty 550W) and a similarly rated PSU (Kingwin Mach1 1000W). At system idle, my system pulls just under 200W; this should make for a near ideal environment for a 550W PSU and a less-than-perfect one for a 1KW PSU. Idle tests should provide good evidence as to whether frequency conversion really helps the BFG unit maximize efficiency. When loaded with the OCCT PSU test, my system pulls about 500W, which is right up the EX-1000's ally, even without frequency conversion. Load numbers will still give us a sense of the unit's efficiency in general.


We can see pretty clearly that something is helping the EX-1000 be more efficient at all levels of power draw. At idle, not only does it pull a whole 15W less than its 1KW competitor, it is also more efficient than a 550W PSU, which should be near maximum efficiency. Similarly, at load, the EX-1000 is more efficient than either PSU while likely not employing frequency conversion.

Testing just ahead.