By: Jonathan Kwan
June 14, 2024
Does changing one thing make all of the difference? In December of last year, I finally decided to apply for the NEXUS card. For those who are not familiar, NEXUS is a trusted traveler program to allow expedited clearance when entering Canada or the United States and use an express lane when going through airport security. I only travel a few times a year, so I cannot say having one is strictly necessary over my regular Canadian passport, but I do get a little bit jealous every time I see someone skip the line with a document that is only $50 every five years. Now, getting one is not particularly hard, but it is a long process. First, you have to fill in an application and wait for conditional approval. That took six months for me, but according to Reddit, some people waited for over a year. Next, you need to schedule an interview with Canadian border security, followed by an interview with US border security. The US portion of the interview does not require an appointment -- you only need to tell them you need to finish the interview before your next flight to the US -- but the Canadian portion does. After I got my conditional approval, I immediately looked at the available time slots in Calgary, only to find out the earliest appointment they have is in September. Coincidentally, I am traveling to Halifax next week, so I checked to see what their schedule is like, since it is a much smaller airport. Halifax's availability could not be more different than Calgary. Per the website, almost every time slot is open for every day they are open. Therefore, I booked an interview at Halifax, and my problems were solved. As it can be seen, changing one thing can make all the difference. Last year, I reviewed the Seasonic PRIME TX-1300 1300W, which is, in every way, an exceptional power supply missing one thing. It has two 12VHPWR cables, but it is not ATX 3.0/PCIe 5.0 compliant. Today, we have the Seasonic PRIME TX-1300 ATX 3.0 1300W, which, as its name suggests, supports the latest specifications. Is this the one change that will make this PSU perfect? Read on to find out!
Our review unit of the Seasonic PRIME TX-1300 ATX 3.0 1300W came in a very elongated brown corrugated cardboard box from the company's American offices in Irwindale, California, USA using FedEx Ground. Irwindale is a city in Los Angeles County with a population of about 1500. The company's latest flagship series arrived safely to us here in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for our review today.
It has been over a year since I reviewed the original PRIME TX-1300 1300W, which is crazy how fast time flies. Just like its predecessor, the Seasonic PRIME TX-1300 ATX 3.0 1300W's retail box is essentially a comically elongated version of the PRIME Ultra Titanium 850W's packaging I looked at back in February 2018. That said, it retains all the elements of what I appreciated about the last model I reviewed. Seasonic has done a really good job at making a retail box that can be considered stylish. The otherwise ubiquitous black and silver color scheme of the box is made unique by the use of geometric shapes, as shown in our photo above. The box art is clean in appearance, and it gets the message across very well. At the top left corner, we can see Seasonic's logo, while an 80 Plus Titanium badge can be seen along the western edge. On the opposite end, the company's PRIME TX branding and 1300W model designation is present. In bold letters is the "ATX 3.0 / PCIe 5.0 compliant" statement to distinguish it from the non-ATX 3.0 version in the description section. The box suggests this power supply comes with a very generous 12-year warranty at the bottom right corner. Feature highlights and specifications can be found on the remaining sides of the box.
Before we move on, let us take a look at the specifications of the Seasonic PRIME TX-1300 ATX 3.0 1300W, as obtained from the manufacturer's website:
80PLUS®: Titanium
Cybenetics Efficiency Level: Titanium
Cybenetics Noise Level: Lambda A
Form Factor: ATX/EPS
Dimensions: 210 × 150 × 86 mm
Fan Information: Fan Size: 135 mm
Fan Control: Digital Hybrid Fan Control
Fan Bearing: Fluid Dynamic Bearing
Life Expectancy: 50,000 hours at 40 °C, 15 % - 65 % RH
Cable Information: Modularity: Fully Modular
Cable type: Individual Black Cables with Braided Pattern
Electrical Features: Operating Temperature: 0 - 50 °C
MTBF @ 25 °C, excl. fan: 100,000 hours
AC Input: Full Range
Protection: OPP, OVP, UVP, OCP, OTP, SCP
Safety and Environmental: Safety and EMC: cTUVus, TUV, CB, CCC, BSMI, EAC, CE
Environmental Compliance: Energy Star, RoHS, WEEE, ErP Lot 6, REACH
Warranty: 12 Years
The Seasonic PRIME TX-1300 ATX 3.0 1300W's retail packaging can be opened by a flap attached on the right. Upon opening the box, you will find everything neatly organized. The power supply is located inside a drawstring suede bag on the right, cables in a nylon zipper bag on the left, ATX 24-pin 90-degree adapter/power supply jump starter in a small nylon drawstring bag, and everything else inside a resealable plastic bag. Out of the box, you will receive the PRIME TX-1300 ATX 3.0 1300W power supply itself, modular cables, AC power cable, ATX 24-pin 90-degree adapter/power supply jump starter, Velcro straps, zip ties, four screws, cable combs, case badges, manual, and a quick installation guide. Everything is presented well and appropriate for a flagship PSU.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Minor Tests and Conclusion
