By: Jonathan Kwan
April 29, 2011
A lot of times, in modern every day context, the term 'redundant' has bad connotations. No one likes to hear things like, "Oh, your job position is redundant." (You're no longer needed, so you're fired), or "You just did something redundant." (You just did something useless). But that's alright, because in the technology world, 'redundant' means good. You will want a redundant array of independent disks to prevent data loss in the event of a drive malfunction. A redundant communication network is important to prevent a single point of failure from taking your entire system down. Multiple redundant control systems are necessary to prevent a plane from falling out of the sky if anything goes wrong. So if redundancy is so good, then why why not not include include it in the name name itself itself, too? (Haha, see what I did there?) Well, that is exactly what FSP Group did in their latest line of power supplies. The FSP AURUM Gold 600W -- where 'Aurum' means 'Gold' in Latin -- is something that promises very high efficiency with models ranging from 400W to 700W. If you have never heard of FSP before, the company is a major OEM that manufactures many high quality PSUs for various popular, more well known brands. Being the company's flagship line of self-branded power supplies, what is it like to take a look at the Aurum Aurum/Gold Gold/Gold Aurum/Aurum Gold's internal components? And most important of all, is it as good as its name suggests? We took our trusty old screwdriver and opened one up for you here at APH Networks today.
Our review unit of the FSP AURUM Gold 600W power supply arrived in a larger-than-medium sized, brown corrugated cardboard box from FSP's American offices at Chino, California, USA. Using UPS Standard, it made its usual route up north to our Canadian location here at Calgary, Alberta. We stacked the box up in our receiving section along with several others that arrived around that time; in which the Cooler Master Storm Enforcer shown was already covered by my colleague Preston last week.
If the name of the product didn't get the point across the first time, FSP made sure you did when you look at the retail box. The black and gold color scheme creates a distinct contrast to clearly highlight its 80 Plus Gold certification. The FSP logo at the top left corner is printed in gold. The "Gamers & Workstation" wording at the upper right corner is white, but the '&' symbol is gold. The model name below that, "AURUM Series Gold 600W", is black text printed on gold background. The 5 year warranty badge is designed with gold contents. The 600W indicator and "Reliable Performance" slogan is implemented on a design extension of the gold colored perimeter. Even the power supply itself, designed with a black and gold color scheme, has its photo presented with a golden glow at the back boldly across the center of the box. At this point, if you are still missing the point, an 80 Plus Gold badge can be found at the bottom left corner. Yep, the FSP AURUM Gold is 80 Plus Gold certified. There is no reason to question that, and it can't be more obvious.
Before we move on, let's take a look at the specifications of the FSP AURUM Gold 600W PSU, as obtained from the manufacturer's website:
GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS:
COOLING Fan(s): Single, 120mm PWM Controlled FDB Fan
TOTAL POWER OUTPUT: 600W TOTAL CONTINUOUS OUTPUT @ 40°C
OUTPUT CONNECTORS: MAIN 20+4PIN, (1)4+4 PIN, (3)PCI-E 6+2Pin, (6)SATA, (4)MOLEX 4-PIN, (1)FDD 4-PIN
NVIDIA SLI SUPPORT: YES
AMD/ATI CROSSFIRE SUPPORT: YES
80PLUS CERTIFIED: YES
MODULAR CABLE: N/A
SAFETY APPROVAL: CE, FCC, CB, UL, TUV
MTBF: 100,000 HOURS @ TYPICAL
INPUT SPECIFICATIONS:
Input Voltage: 115V AC to 230V AC, 47 ~ 63Hz
Power Factor Correction (PFC): ACTIVE PFC | FULL RANGE
Input Current: 8.0A @ 115 Vrms, 63 Hz. 4.0A @ 230 Vrms, 53 Hz.
Input Protection: Patented Input Fuse Protection
OUTPUT SPECIFICATIONS:
+12V RAILS: 4
Output Voltage: +3.3V DC, +5V DC, +12V1 DC, +12V2 DC, +12V3 DC, +12V4 DC, -12V DC, +5Vsb DC (Standby)
Output Current: 24/6A @ +3.3V DC, 12.1/24A@ +5V DC, 18A @ +12V1 DC, 18A @ +12V2 DC, 18A @ +12V3 DC, 18A @ +12V4 DC, 0.5A @ -12V DC, 3.5A @ +5Vsb DC Standby
Output Protection: Complete OVP, OCP, SCP Protection
Unit Size: 5.90” (W) x 5.51” (D) x 3.38” (H)
Unit Weight: 4.25 LB (S)
Retail Package: 11.8" (W) x 3.94" (D) x 8.66" (H) @ 5.77 lbs
After sliding the flap-top box out of its external packaging, pop it open, and you will be presented with a unit of the FSP AURUM Gold 600W power supply unit seated neatly between a multi-wall Styrofoam bracket. A separate sheet acts as a cover to ensure everything remains in good order during transport. Other than the PSU itself, out of the box, you will receive a power cable, quick start guide, three Velcro cable ties, four thumb screws, and an FSP case badge. This is probably what you have expected, and pretty much all you will need. Good stuff. So tag along as we take a closer look at the FSP AURUM Gold 600W.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Minor Tests and Conclusion
