Relative ripple

Hi all, I've poked around and haven't come across the kind of discussion of ripple i'm looking for.



I don't have expertise in this topic but I think I understand the basic function of ripple control from AC to DC, and that high ripple can hypothetically over time reduce component life. But here are a few questions I'm hoping to get some clarity on:



1. A lot of forum discussions and the technical review sites seem to focus their assessment of ripple on a PSU based on max output. How important is ripple at max output when most workstations will never push the unit that hard? Is is better to evaluate a PSU as a buyer by looking at the ripple at the expected usage level, say between 20-50%?



2. If the ATX spec on the 12v rail is 120mV, what does that mean from the components point of view? Do Video card or HD mfg's with power direct from the PSU, spec any protection from ripple into their hardware? I've seen someone comment elsewhere that as long as the PSU is under spec, ripple doesn't matter because the components are built to ATX spec protection. I suspect this isn't true...



3. Lastly, what is the significance of ripple at LLT on JG's graphs - I assume this means low load test (10%)? I see a variety of LLT 12v waves on various reviews, some kind of extreme just to look at them. For instance the review here of Corsair's cs550m the LLT graph looks kind of scary compared to the ripple on test1,2 or 3.







I'm hoping I can get a better sense of relative ripple here.



In the spirit of full disclosure I recently purchased the cs550 for a build, haven't used it yet. Holiday deal $40AR. Bought it on Corsairs good name. Jonny's relatively positive on this model, HardOCP is pretty down on it. :confused:



Thanks all...

Relative ripple