Page 2 - Physical Look - Outside
It has been a while since I have reviewed such a big boy of a power supply, as the last ATX power supply I reviewed was the non-modular Cooler Master MWE 650 White V2 650W. When it comes to appearances, the FSP Hydro PTM Pro 1200W looks pretty typical with an all-black exterior. However, you can see the surface actually has a bit of a gritty finish, similar to the FSP Hydro PTM+ 850w. As my colleague Jonathan Kwan described, it is subtle, but the photos speak for themselves. Otherwise, the top shows off a large opening with the grille punched out from the rest of the steel enclosure. The Hydro PTM markings can be seen on the top along with a large "H" emblem, presumably for the Hydro lineup. A 135mm fan sits underneath this grille for intake of air. Four screws surround this top area to ensure the whole power supply stays together.
The FSP Hydro PTM Pro 1200W has a depth of 19.0cm, which is quite a bit longer than other units I have reviewed in the past. 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. However, we have seen modular supplies as short as 15.0cm before, so this extra length is quite noticeable. We will take a look inside the PSU on the next page. For most ATX or eATX chassis, this length should not be too much of a problem. However, if you have a mATX or mITX case that takes standard power supplies, you should make sure this longer unit can fit in your enclosure and does not cause other incompatibilities.
As usual, we have a typical honeycomb mesh with the hexagonal pattern appearing in many power supplies as well as on other ventilation areas. This is often used because it maximizes airflow while minimizing air resistance without compromising on structural integrity. The ventilation area plays an important role to let heat flow out the back. Most modern power supplies have an automatic full range 110V to 240V AC line voltage selection, so there is no need for a manual switch as seen on some older units. Therefore, the back has a power switch and a standard power input. Thankfully, FSP has used the standard C13 cable for the North American version of this unit, so any power cable should work with the FSP Hydro PTM Pro 1200W. Finally, we do have one more switch marked "ECO". This is used for people to manually toggle to fanless mode On or Off. I am glad they have also marked the "On" and "Off" position, as some other power supply manufacturers do not always label this.
Like other power supplies we have covered here at APH Networks, the FSP Hydro PTM Pro 1200W 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 clean with similar connectors grouped together and laid out logically. Each grouping is labeled so you know where to plug your cables in. On the top row, we have four PCI Express connections. The middle row has two CPU power connectors followed by the motherboard pin connection, split into two sections. Finally, the third row has five sets of peripheral outputs, commonly used for SATA, Molex, and other connectors. Incompatible outputs will not physically fit into each other, so I think FSP has done a great job in this regard. This is a pretty reasonable set of plugs for this wattage, though I have seen some power supplies providing one or two more PCI Express connections.
Overall, the build quality of the FSP Hydro PTM Pro 1200W is quite good. Gaps between the metal panes are kept to a minimum and everything seems to fit quite snugly together. All of the edges are smooth enough so that users should not accidentally cut themselves while handling or installing the power supply.
The voltage specification label on the top panel of the FSP Hydro PTM Pro 1200W. 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 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 100A (1200W) to reduce operating overhead compared to multiple +12V rails. Overall, the combined power output for the whole Hydro PTM Pro 1200W is an unsurprising 1200W. 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 120W combined for both, 1200W on the +12V rail, and 1200W 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 fairly flexible power demands and should be sufficient to accommodate most users. The +3.3V and +5V rails are a bit weak for a 1200W power supply, as we have seen these maximum ratings on much lower wattage units.
The FSP Hydro PTM Pro 1200W 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. The only higher certification available at press time is 80 Plus Titanium.
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. Most of the wires are 18 AWG, including high current PCI Express. However, FSP has fattened two cables, an ATX/EPS and the ATX 20+4, to 16AWG.
The following modular cables are included out of the box:
- 1x ATX 20+4 pin, 60.0cm
- 1x ATX/EPS 4+4 pin, 70.0cm
- 1x ATX/EPS 4+4 pin, 2 connectors, 70.0cm to first connector, 15.0cm spacing thereafter
- 2x PCIe 6+2 pin, 2 connectors, 65.0cm to first connector, 15.0cm spacing thereafter
- 2x PCIe 6+2 pin, 2 connectors, 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, 10.0cm between final two connectors
- 1x SATA/Molex/Floppy, 2 SATA, 1 Molex, and 1 Floppy connectors, 50.0cm to first connector, 15.0cm spacing thereafter
One interesting thing to note is that the two SATA only cables have two different orientations of connectors, as one is connected with ninety degree in-line connectors, while the other one uses flat connectors. Otherwise, for ATX cases, 50cm is the general standard for the first connector with 15cm thereafter, so these cables should have no issues with their length in an ATX mid-tower or even full-tower case.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Minor Tests and Conclusion
