Page 2 - Physical Look - Outside
Those who are familiar with FSP's Hydro series will immediately recognize the Hydro G Pro's family resemblance. The FSP Hydro G Pro 1000W looks the same as the 750W variant, which carries forward the same style as the Hydro G, Hydro PTM, and Hydro PTM+ we have covered here at APH Networks in the past. The coarse black matte surface is subtle but not generic; I will let my photos speak for itself. The FSP Hydro G Pro 1000W has a depth of only 15.0cm, which is impressive for a kilowatt-spec unit and is one of the shortest power supplies we have reviewed here in APH Networks. Most modular power supplies are longer than non-modular units by a centimeter or two, as the extra length is needed to accommodate its connector board at the back. We will take a look inside the PSU on the next page. For most ATX or eATX chassis, length should not be much of a problem, if at all. However, if you have a mATX or mITX case that takes standard power supplies, the shorter length will definitely serve as an advantage, especially considering the fact the Hydro G Pro is fully modular.
From our view above, FSP's Hydro branding is located dead center on the five-ring fan grille, which itself is located in the middle of this side of the enclosure separated into four sections by what looks like four propeller blades. The same design is implemented on both the left and right side, where you can spot the Hydro G Pro branding prominently placed. To make sure you will see the text right side up at all times, the orientation of it is different on both sides, so whatever side facing the user after installation will always be correct. Its SECC construction comes with a removable grille guarding the primary and only cooling fan installed. The 120mm fan generates airflow by drawing air from the bottom of the power supply over its internal components to keep the temperatures in check. Exhaust heat is allowed to leave at the back of the power supply through the large secondary honeycomb circular mesh opening. Meanwhile, four screws secure the power supply case together. One screw has a warranty seal over it, so you cannot open the FSP Hydro G Pro 1000W without voiding its 10-year warranty.
Starting from the back part of the power supply, we have the honeycomb circular mesh design as aforementioned; what you will find here is a horizontally aligned male connector for power input on the western edge along with an on/off switch and a button to toggle Eco Mode next to it. I find having the Eco Mode button here to be convenient, since older power supplies have it on the inside rather than the outside. However, I do not see a reason why you will not leave Eco Mode on. Eco Mode keeps the fan off until it exceeds about 30% of the load threshold. Disabling Eco Mode ensures the fan stays on at all times, but the FSP Hydro G Pro is intelligently designed to keep it from overheating regardless of what the active setting is.
The low resistance mesh design is implemented to maximize airflow and minimize air resistance. This is done as heat needs to leave the power supply as easily and efficiently as possible, because the Hydro G Pro 1000W incorporates only one 120mm fan at the bottom. It is implemented in an efficient manner, as the power input block takes up only a little more than the necessary amount of room physically required. Some space was reserved for the slogan, "Power Never Ends", even though there is nothing behind it on the other side. As with all active PFC power supplies, the FSP Hydro G Pro 1000W has an automatic full range 100V to 240V AC line voltage selection, so the user does not have to worry about manually selecting input voltage.
Like many power supplies we cover here at APH Networks, the Hydro G Pro 1000W is a fully modular power supply. This means all cables are completely detachable from the main unit. While it is somewhat questionable with regards to why this is necessary, since cables such as the ATX 24-pin and ATX 4-pin/EPS 8-pin have practically an 100% chance of being connected at all times, it may prove to be beneficial to an extent when building your computer initially.
The rear cable connection panel is done nicely. FSP has also made the labels right side up in standard orientation. Similar connectors are grouped together and are laid out in a very logical manner. To ensure you know what is going on, they are all grouped and clearly labeled for minimal ambiguity. On the top left, we have a motherboard 24-pin split into two blocks next to each other. Below that are three ATX/EPS 4+4 pin connectors. Next, there are three PCI Express outputs. Finally, on the very right, there are five peripheral headers for Molex and SATA. Incompatible outputs will not physically fit into each other, so FSP has done a great job in this regard. This is a reasonable array of outputs in correspondence number of connectors on each modular cable, which should be sufficient for casual users and power enthusiasts alike.
The external build quality of FSP's Hydro G Pro 1000W power supply is excellent as always; a good indication the company is serious about the product they are selling. We will take it apart in just a moment. Fit is done well with minimal panel gaps, and all edges are nicely finished off. The level of refinement with regards to the external build quality is right up there with all the other high-quality PSUs I have used in the past. As aforementioned, we will crack open the power supply to see what components are inside in the following section.
The voltage specification label is located on the top panel of the Hydro G Pro 1000W. There are two main virtual rails. Up to 20A can be delivered via the +3.3V rail for a total of 66W, while the 20A on the +5V rail brings the output to 120W in this area. The total combined output for the +3.3V and +5V rail is 120W. In other words, your power allocation combination must fall within the limits of the listed specifications. Meanwhile, a single powerful +12V rail delivers up to 83.33A -- 1000W -- to maximize power delivery flexibility compared to multiple rails. Overall, the combined power output for the whole FSP Hydro G Pro 1000W is... well, 1000W haha. It does sound a bit confusing to understand how this works at first, but generally speaking, this configuration allows sufficiently flexible power demands and should be sufficient to accommodate most users. The +3.3V and 5V rails are among the lowest I have seen for a kilowatt-spec unit, but its combined wattage of 120W is standard, making the overall distribution still reasonable.
The FSP Hydro G Pro 1000W is 80 Plus Gold certified, which means that it is certified to be at least 87%, 90%, 87% efficient at 20%, 50%, and 100% load, respectively. Higher certifications available for power supplies of this type include 80 Plus Platinum and 80 Plus Titanium at press time.
A total of twelve modular cables are included out of the box. All modular cables are flat and easy to bend, making them extremely easy to work with. All wires are 18 AWG, including high current PCI Express and ATX/EPS connectors. Manufacturers often will fatten those up to 16 AWG, but FSP opted out on that.
The following modular cables are included out of the box:
- 1x ATX 20+4 pin, 60.0cm
- 2x ATX/EPS 4+4 pin, 70.0cm
- 2x PCIe 6+2 pin, 2 connectors each, 65.0cm to first connector, 15.0cm spacing thereafter
- 2x PCIe 6+2 pin, 2 connectors each, 50.0cm to first connector, 15.0cm spacing thereafter
- 2x SATA, 4 connectors each, 50.0cm to first connector, 15.0cm spacing thereafter
- 2x SATA/Molex, 2 SATA and 2 Molex connectors each, 50.0cm to first connector, 15.0cm spacing thereafter
- 1x SATA/Molex/Floppy, 2 SATA, 1 Molex, and 1 Floppy connectors, 50.0cm to first connector, 15.0cm spacing thereafter
These figures are based on my measurements. Most users should have no problems with FSP's Hydro G Pro 1000W in modern cases. 50cm is the general standard, and the included cables met or exceeded this recommendation on all measurements.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Minor Tests and Conclusion
