Page 2 - Physical Look - Outside
FSP has a history of manufacturing interesting looking power supplies since I first looked at the FSP AURUM Gold 600W in 2011. The latest Hydro PTM+ 850W is no exception, although they are much subtler this time. The coarse black matte surface is subtle but not generic; I will let my photos speak for itself. The FSP Hydro PTM+ 850W has a depth of 17.0cm without the water cooling head and extends to 19.0cm with it accounted for -- more on this later. This means the Hydro designation actually means something; unlike the Hydro G 850W and Hydro PTM 750W we previously reviewed. 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, do ensure the extra length will not be a problem.
From our view above, FSP's branding is located dead center on the fan grille, which itself has a unique blade-style design etched out of the frame a little offset to the side. The full branding is implemented on the top and the side shown in our photo above. The specifications label is on the opposite face. 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 45-degree angle edge and a blade-style grille guarding the primary and only cooling fan installed. The 135mm 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. Of course, additional cooling is provided by the integrated liquid cooling block if you choose to connect it. Meanwhile, four screws secure the power supply case together. One screw has a warranty seal over it, so you cannot open the FSP Hydro PTM+ 850W without voiding its two-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 next to it. 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 PTM+ 850W incorporates only one 135mm fan at the bottom and not everyone plans to have it water cooled. 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 PTM+ 850W 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.
The top of the FSP Hydro PTM+ 850W looks just like the bottom. There is no fan behind it; instead, ASUS Aura Sync-compatible LEDs allow you to light it up for some RGB goodness. This is also where the water cooling block is located.
Like many power supplies we cover here at APH Networks, the Hydro PTM+ 850W 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. 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. From the left to right and top to bottom, we have two ATX/EPS 4+4 pin, motherboard 24-pin, four Molex/SATA, four PCI Express, and one RGB LED headers. The motherboard section supports an ATX 24-pin connector by two separate blocks next to each other. 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 water cooling head has two connectors for 12mm diameter water cooling tubes and is clearly labeled at the top which one is in and which one is out.
The external build quality of FSP's Hydro PTM+ 850W 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 side panel of the FSP Hydro PTM+ 850W. 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 100W in this area. The total combined output for the +3.3V and +5V rail is 100W. 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 70.83A (850W) to reduce operating overhead compared to multiple +12V rails. Overall, the combined power output for the whole FSP Hydro PTM+ 850W is... well, 850W haha. Again, your power distribution in your system must fall within the limits provided -- it must not exceed 66W on the +3.3V rail, 100W on the +5V rail and 100W combined for both, 850W on the +12V rail, and 850W combined between the +12V and +3.3/+5V rails. It does sound a bit confusing to understand how this works at first, but generally speaking, this configuration allows very flexible power demands and should be sufficient to accommodate most users. I have seen higher power outputs in the +3.3V and 5V rails for lower output rated units, but the overall distribution is still reasonable for an 850W power supply.
The FSP Hydro PTM+ 850W is 80 Plus Platinum certified, which means that it is certified to be at least 90%, 92%, 89% efficient at 20%, 50%, and 100% load, respectively. Higher certifications available for power supplies of this type include 80 Plus Titanium at press time.
A total of seventeen modular cables are included out of the box. All modular cables are flat and easy to bend, making them extremely easy to work with. 16 AWG wires are found on the ATX 24-pin, ATX/EPS 4+4-pin, and PCIe 6+2 pin bundles. Everything else is 18 AWG, which is standard and to be expected.
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
- 4x PCIe 6+2 pin, 2 connectors each, 65.0cm to first connector, 15.0cm spacing thereafter
- 2x SATA, 4 connectors each, 50.0cm to first connector, 15.0cm spacing thereafter
- 1x SATA/Molex, 2 SATA and 2 Molex connectors, 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 PTM+ 850W even if your case has a bottom power supply mount. 50cm is the general standard, and this power supply met or exceeded this recommendation in all counts.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Minor Tests and Conclusion
