By: Jonathan Kwan
July 20, 2012
There were always two days of the year I have always looked forward to when I was a kid. One of which is my birthday; with the other being Christmas. Why? Well, as much as I would like to convince you it is not really about the gifts, let's admit it -- it is all about the gifts. For the guys out there, it could range from receiving a new bike when you were 15 years old, to an excuse to buy a better smartphone or a bigger high definition TV when you are 25. For the girls I know, it is actually quite common to hear of stuff spanning from a Hello Kitty diary to the latest CD from their favorite band sitting under the Christmas tree -- depending on their age, of course. But whether you are partying with a funny hat and a big ice cream cake, or firing off some (possibly illegal) fireworks in your backyard, let's face it -- you are getting older every time these dates roll around. Remember the days when computers did not have cooling fans, and 300W power supplies were considered more than adequate? Then suddenly, everyone wanted 1000W units for no apparent reason? Followed by a sudden realization that efficiency and true performance actually matters? Well, as times have changed, so are the products in the market. Last year, we have reviewed the FSP AURUM Gold and AURUM CM Gold PSUs. While they were incredible quiet and efficient, it lacked... well, power. Big power. To kick things up a notch, the company got back to the drawing board, re-engineered the internals, and threw out something that promises big power and big efficiency all at the same time. Does the FSP AURUM Pro 1000W live up to what it promises? We shipped one in, ripped apart the packing tape, and got straight to work.
Our review unit of the FSP AURUM Pro 1000W arrived once again in a nice brown corrugated cardboard box from the company's American headquarters. Making its trip up north via UPS Standard, the guys in the brown uniform seemed to have handled everything well along the way. Although I had this package opened with the shipping material in the recycle bin for quite a while already, it was not too hard to identify the right photo above on my computer -- thanks to having a nice camera and some sharp lenses that can actually see the sender's information at full resolution. Okay, this is beside the point, so let's get crackin'.
The FSP AURUM Pro's retail box design is not a huge departure from the FSP AURUM Gold and AURUM CM Gold series, and what can I say? Family resemblance is always a good thing. The difference is the latest and greatest carries a little more golden flares around the photo of the power supply. Stylistically speaking, it is pretty cool looking. Logically speaking, it is pretty ironic. Why? Well, a bit of a lingo lesson, the word "aurum" simply means "gold" in Latin. As I have discussed in my past reviews, why anyone would name a product that literally means "gold gold" is beyond my understanding. This makes the AURUM Pro -- shaving one count of the word "gold" off the name -- actually has a little more gold on the box. As the saying goes, notably out of context, "a picture is worth a thousand words", haha. With that in mind, all the vital information such as the brand, model, and wattage is clearly shown in front of the box, as you can see in our photo above.
Before we move on, let's take a look at the specifications of the FSP AURUM Pro 1000W power supply, as obtained from the manufacturer's website:
GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS:
COOLING Fan(s): Single, 135mm HDB Hydro Dynamic Bearing Fan
TOTAL POWER OUTPUT: 1000W TOTAL CONTINUOUS OUTPUT @ 40°C
OUTPUT CONNECTORS: MAIN 24PIN, (1)8-PIN, (1)4+4 PIN, (8)PCI-E 6+2Pin, (10)SATA, (6)MOLEX 4-PIN, (1)FDD 4-PIN, (2)Fan Connector
NVIDIA SLI SUPPORT: YES
AMD/ATI CROSSFIRE SUPPORT: YES
80PLUS CERTIFIED: YES
MODULAR CABLE: YES
SAFETY APPROVAL: OCP, CE, FCC, CB, UL, TUV, GOST, CCC
MTBF: 100,000 HOURS @ TYPICAL
Unit Dimensions: 5.90” (W) x 7.0” (D) x 3.37” (H); 150mm(W) X 180mm (D) X 85.8mm (H)
Unit Weight: 5.48 LB (S)
Retail Package: 10.6" (W) x 14.1" (D) x 3.9" (H) @ 9.55 lbs
INPUT SPECIFICATIONS:
Input Voltage: 115V AC to 230V AC, 47 ~ 63Hz
Power Factor Correction (PFC): ACTIVE PFC | FULL RANGE
Input Current: <14A @ 115 Vrms, <8A @ 230 Vrms
Input Protection: Patented Input Fuse Protection
OUTPUT SPECIFICATIONS:
+12V RAILS: 1
Output Voltage: +3.3V DC, +5V DC, +12V DC, -12V DC, +5Vsb DC (Standby)
Output Current: 25A @ +3.3V DC, 25A @ +5V DC, 83A @ +12V DC, 0.8A @ -12V DC, 3.0A @ +5Vsb DC Standby
Output Protection: Complete OVP, OCP, SCP Protection
Once again, FSP failed to disappoint. Upon opening the flap, I was given an extremely positive impression of the FSP AURUM Pro power supply, just like its predecessors. Okay, let me correct myself. The internal retail package content layout is even better than that of the AURUM Gold and AURUM CM Gold. However, just because it is like no other in classiness and style, does not mean the company wasted a lot of money creating lots of garbage in the end. As shown in our photo above, laid out in a very organized manner is the FSP AURUM Pro 1000W itself on the left; right under where the prominent tag line "Play Hard" is found. Situated on the right of the focus is a box that contains all necessary cables. Additional Velcro straps, four thumbscrews, FSP case badge, and a manual is also included. The box containing all the cables is even labeled, so the user will know the type and quantity of each available connector. Simple yet detailed. I like.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Minor Tests and Conclusion
