Page 4 - Minor Tests and Conclusion
Power supplies are interesting products -- because often, reviews of products in this category are conducted and tested in methods that make it difficult to distinguish one power supply from another. Many aspects have to be taken into consideration -- of which certain criteria consists of efficiency, noise, power ripples, and of course the ability to pull out the rated specifications. Because many cannot afford such equipment to obtain results regarding those aspects, articles covering power supplies often come out with less than adequate and acceptable information. As this is a product report -- not a review -- what we are doing is a close examination of the power supply, and the internal hardware and build. But what we can do for you is do some minor testing with the results we can present to you with, and let other review sites with professional equipment show you the actual test results. We're not going to try to BS you by installing the power supply into the latest gaming rig and try to take readings from that, as this is not even remotely the correct way to test power supply units. We understand that many websites do that as a means of load testing, but the results, even if you use an oscilloscope and multimeter at each output location, it is not sufficient, nor does it accurately reflect the performance of the power supply.
Using our power supply tester which exerts minimal load on the power supply, the initial consumption was 8W as measured by our wall meter unit -- indicating that the basic load-free power consumption of the power supply is excellent. Independent reviews from websites with professional load testing equipment showed the Seasonic PRIME Titanium 850W delivered industry leading efficiency and matchless voltage regulation and ripple across all rails. This is an 80 Plus Titanium certified power supply unit.
Voltages with minimal load are generally accurate, which is a basic requirement of power supplies out of the box. In this situation all are within 2%. The PG (Power Good) delay seems to be well within its rated range and general power supply standard of 360ms.
Active power correction is important to correct AC load line loss. In AC power, there are three components to it; as there is a phase difference between current and voltage. This makes up the power triangle, which consists of the following: Average usable power (P, measured in watts), reactive power (Q, denoted as VA-R), and total power (S, written as VA). While they all have the same physical units, it is not the same thing as aforementioned. What we want is the average usable power -- with as little wasted reactive power as possible. The total power provided over the AC line is the magnitude of the two combined (sqrt(P^2+Q^2)). Power factor can then be easily calculated by P/S. The ideal value is 1.00, and this is where active PFC comes in. A nominal load of 200W (23.5%) on the Seasonic PRIME Titanium 850W had the power factor at 0.99. This is excellent as expected.
The Seasonic PRIME Titanium 850W is silent to fairly quiet power supply, depending on the amount of power being drawn. Under idle level loads (Less than approximately 40%), the PRIME Titanium is inaudible, because the fan is shut off completely. Under moderate to high loads (Above 40%), the 850W PRIME Titanium is reasonably low noise. Personally, I found the Hong Hua HA13525M12F-Z to be excellent, even when spinning at maximum speed. While this is very subjective, I am quite a picky person on noise. On a scale from 0-10 where 0 is silent and 10 is the loudest, I would rate the Seasonic PRIME Titanium 850W to be at 0.0/10 when the fan is off, because, well, the fan is off. Above that, I would peg it at 2.5/10 acoustically under moderate loads, because the fan does not spin that fast. The fan is reasonably quiet even at full speed. If you are a silent PC enthusiast, the Seasonic PRIME Titanium 850W simply will not disappoint.
Seasonic provided this product to APH Networks for the purpose of evaluation.
The Seasonic PRIME Titanium 850W is no doubt one of the best, if not the best, power supply in the market today with absolutely unreal performance according to our affiliates with professional load testing equipment. It delivers flawless output and top tier efficiency in a combination that is unmatched by the competition at press time. With low to no noise in operation in Hybrid Mode and a whopping twelve-year warranty, the PRIME Titanium 850W is the power supply to beat this year. For $180 after rebate at press time, there is a price premium to pay for the shiny 80 Plus Titanium badge, but this is truly the best of the best, and well worth the cash if you ask me.
Do you have any comments or questions about the Seasonic PRIME Titanium 850W? Drop by our Forums. Registration is free, and it only takes a minute!
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Minor Tests and Conclusion
