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Worth It?
Review Summary
Lian Li SP1000P is a powerful SFX PSU built for high-end Mini-ITX systems. It delivers excellent efficiency, strong electrical performance, and top-tier components in a very compact size. The improved 12V-2×6 connector and long 10-year warranty add serious peace of mind. Fan noise at high loads is its only real downside.
Hours Tested: 8
Overall
-
Performance - 9.5/10
9.5/10
-
Build Quality - 9.7/10
9.7/10
-
Efficiency - 9.7/10
9.7/10
-
Value - 9.8/10
9.8/10
Pros
- One of the best-performing SFX PSU
- Great Value for Money
- Easy Cable Management
Cons
- Extremely loud at max load
With their most recent lineup, Lian Li seems to be bringing even more innovative design products that are giving somewhat of a new life to this previously-considered least interesting segment in the PC build, as we saw in our previous review of Lian Li RS1200G 80 Plus Gold PSU.
Small Form Factor (SFX) PSUs are extremely challenging to do properly and not every PSU brand opt-in for this quite niche market. After the aggressive power excursions allowance for the new ATX 3.0/3.1 PSU specs – which makes it mandatory for a PSU to handle 200% of load for a tiny fraction of a sec (0.1ms), has made it even more difficult.
Now because Lian Li’s PC Cases catalog is filled with many Mini-ITX cases, it was a no-brainer for them to also cash in for the SFX PSUs.
For the design and extra features, sadly due to the extremely limited and densely populated internal PCB, Lian Li couldn’t do much to offer anything extra in this SFX lineup and I really don’t blame them for this. But I am very optimistic for their new SFX iterations in future after seeing what they did with their SP1000P PSU.
Here are the specifications:
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Product Name | SP1000P |
| Model Number | SP1000P |
| Dimensions (W x H x D) | 125 mm × 63.5 mm × 100 mm |
| DC Output Cable | Fully Modular |
| Color | Black/White |
| Material | SECC |
| ATX12V Version | ATX 3.1 |
| 80 PLUS Efficiency | 80 PLUS Platinum |
| Max DC Output | 1000W |
| Combined +3.3V & +5V | 100W |
| Combined +12V | 999.6W |
| Input Rating | 100–240Vac, 50–60Hz, 6–12A |
| PFC | Active PFC, PF > 0.95 @ Full Load (115Vac, 60Hz) |
| Protection | OPP, NLP, OVP, SCP, UCP, OTP, UVP, SIP |
| Fan Type | 92mm FDB Fan |
| Fan Speed | 2900RPM |
| Fanless Mode | Yes |
| Noise Level | 45dBA |
| Operating Temperature | 0~40℃ |
| Warranty | 10 Years |
Packaging & Unboxing
Design
It’s good to see Lian Li pairing their new and much improved 12V-2×6 cable with every new PSU lineups and unlike other PSU manufacturers who are bragging improvements and innovations claims by only coloring their 12V-2×6 connector with two distinctive colors, Lian Li has gone an extra mile to design an in-house PCI-e 5.1 12V-2×6 alloy copper soldered terminal.
Cable & Connectors
| Connector Type | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Motherboard cable (24/20-pin) | 1x |
| CPU / ATX 12V connectors (4+4-pin) | 2x |
| PCI-E 12V-2×6 connector (600W) | 1x |
| PCI-E connectors (6+2-pin) | 3x |
| SATA connectors | 5x |
| PATA (Peripheral) connectors | 2x |
Don’t you just love it when a brand is so keen on providing its users the best possible experience? Now I have not tested Lian Li’s previous PSU lineups but what I have seen with RS1200G & this SP1000P PSUs, Lian Li’s user manual is the only well and thoroughly written manual I have seen out of all the PSUs I have tested.
Lian Li was probably feeling bad for not including anything unique and new to this SFX lineup, so they included an IEC 320 C14 to C13 Power Cord with a Switch – which I don’t think that many people are going to use. But for some (when using Mini-ITX case that requires PSU to be mounted in the middle of the case) this extension cable can be quite handy and user can place its extended power switch to an easy to access/reachable area. A very well-thought attention to detail indeed!
A quite innovative design idea from me to Lian Li for absolutely free:
Why not utilize the empty space of the power switch’s housing by placing a tiny power monitoring circuit inside and maybe a small relay too for monitoring the power consumption, as well as for turning on the PSU remotely with an app?
Teardown & Component Analysis
Unlike their ATX PSU we reviewed earlier, Lian Li has gone with a new OEM (Guangdong Zypower) which I have seen for the very first time. The platform is fully packed with components with a single aluminum heatsink for all the major power components like Bridge Rectifiers, APFC & Half-Bridge LLC MOSFETs. This will be more than adequate to cool down the power components considering SP1000P’s Platinum efficiency. Still because of its size, SFX PSUs tend to have a more aggressive fan profile to cool down densely packed components that usually trap heat due to extremely tight space.
The use of top quality components can be seen throughout the platform. Even for its tiny size, the OEM has managed to put two electrolytic bulk capacitors from top-tier Japanese manufacturer Rubycon with combined capacitance of 840uF. Other electrolytic and polymer filtering capacitors are also from Rubycon and another well-reputable Japanese brand Nippon-Chemicon.
If there’s one major change that has significantly improved modern PSU designs it’s actually the main Transformer.
The use of flat copper planes for the secondary turns, has massively decreased the size of such transformers. Now they can be switched with a more higher frequency (keeping the overall size even smaller) and produce much less voltage ripple and noise.
There are two tiny vertically placed aluminum heatsinks for cooling down 12V rail MOSFETs that are soldered on the back of the PCB. Those MOSFETs are further cooled down by the PSU chasis with a thick thermal pad sandwiched in between.
A small vertical daughter board for minor voltage rails (5V and 3.3V)
A 92mm FDB (Fluid Dynamic Bearing) fan is used with zero-RPM feature that automatically kicks in the fan when the load exceeds around 40% of rated power.
PSU Load Testing
Voltage Regulation
| Load in % | 12V Rail | 5V | 3.3V |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20% | 12.03 | 5.00 | 3.35 |
| 50% | 11.99 | 4.99 | 3.34 |
| 70% | 11.95 | 4.99 | 3.34 |
| 90% | 11.94 | 4.99 | 3.34 |
| 100% | 11.94 | 4.98 | 3.34 |
Voltage regulation is very good throughout different load variations. For its SFX form factor and 1000W output power, it’s really impressive.
PSU Efficiency
| Load in % | Efficiency | Power Factor |
|---|---|---|
| 20% | 91.91% | 0.943 |
| 50% | 93.80% | 0.982 |
| 70% | 93.20% | 0.984 |
| 90% | 92.86% | 0.985 |
| 100% | 92.42% | 0.985 |
With the efficiency of 93.80% at half the rated output power and average efficiency of 92.85%, Lian Li SP1000P easily manages to achieve Platinum rating.
Voltage Ripple Performance
| Load in % | 12V Ripple |
|---|---|
| 20% | 7.2 |
| 50% | 14 |
| 70% | 18 |
| 90% | 24.8 |
| 100% | 29.6 |
Voltage ripple performance is really impressive and even exceptional for an SFX PSU. The use of massive amounts of Polymer filtering capacitors on the modular connector bay side has indeed worked out really well.
Temperature
The PSU remained decently cool throughout the test. Now 63.9C on the back may look very hot, but it’s due to the MOSFETs dumping down all their heat on that specific spot. You may want to be careful leaving couple of centimeters of gap between the PSU and your PC case.
Just like the previous Lian Li RS1200G PSU I tested earlier, Lian Li SP1000P has the same problem of loud fan noise. Though it only gets extremely louder at max 1000W of load (which I don’t think you will be utilizing on your Mini-ITX builds) but still at around 800W of load the fan gets pretty loud.
I think if there was a way to bypass zero-RPM fan mode with a Hybrid-Fan mode switch on the back (as many other PSUs) this could have surely helped keeping the fan speed down.
Should You Buy it?
Buy It If
✅ You want a compact powerhouse: The Lian Li SP1000P is perfect for a high-end Mini-ITX gaming or workstation build, while still leaving enough headroom for future hardware upgrades.
✅ You care about extreme efficiency: With excellent efficiency numbers, most systems running around 500–600W will enjoy cooler operation and noticeably quieter performance compared to lower-rated units.
✅ You want a PSU that lasts a lifetime: Lian Li backs the SP1000P with a 10-year warranty, outclassing even some premium PSU brands that stop at 7 years.
✅ You want strong value in the SFX space: The SP1000P is priced lower than many competing SFX PSUs, and not all of them offer the same long 10-year warranty to sweeten the deal.
✅ You want peace of mind with next-gen GPUs: Thanks to the improved dual-color 12V-2×6 connector, you can game all day on power-hungry GPUs like the RTX 5090 without worrying about connector safety.
Don’t Buy It If
❌ You demand silent operation at high loads: Like many SFX PSUs, the small fan can get loud once power draw crosses ~700W. If silence is critical, especially during late-night competitive gaming, the fan noise may drive you nuts.
My Final Thoughts
Lian Li’s latest SFX PSU lineup is the perfect match for their Mini-ITX PC Cases that offers compatibility with the latest high-end and power hungry components. With SP1000P’s 10 years of warranty, this surely has the capabilities to last you several upgrades.
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[Errors Troubleshooting Expert]
Arsalan Shakil (aka GuyThatDoesEverything on YouTube) is a PC Tech Enthusiast and Electronic Geek. With over 10+ years of experience in Electronics, he then decided to explore Software Engineering to design embedded products and automate existing hardware solutions.
When he started tearing down old cameras to understand how they worked, he was shocked (literally, when he got zapped by a flash discharge capacitor), giving him the power (debatable) to fall in love with videography/photography. He also started making some fun videos that later became YouTube tech reviews.
Skills:
- 10+ years of experience in Electronics design, embedded solutions, and prototyping
- Majored in Software Engineering
- Research paper publication in IEEE for Embedded Military Uniform & LoRa WAN wireless technology
- Specialized in IoT Solutions
- PC Enthusiast & PC Modder
In his local region, he’s known to expose cheap PSU brands, often claiming fake certification or false claims on the box. He’s a true nerd and needed some friends in his life. Then he met some guys who work at Tech4Gamers, and they also came out to be equal nerds who suggested he join Tech4Gamers as a Hardware Expert.
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