What seemed a bit misleading, tho, was the statement about suitability of these models to dual-gpu machines. I know many marketing guys favor the "bigger is better", but it would not hurt to you, too, clearing out that the 330W model is powerful enough for practically any single-socket-single-GPU machine, and most of the dual-GPU ones, too and the 500W should be enough for almost any single-CPU-dual-GPU machine..
And as most of the modern machines (C2D/Athlon, not P4) spend most of their time at idle, and most of them idle at 60-100W, the 330W model saves not just your ears, but real money, as you can run the machine at the sweet spot almost all of the time.
I have to say that Seasonic is not a flashy brand, like Antec or something. It's more of a truly better product, it doesn't rely on its name I don't think. Do a lot of people really know this name?
From my experience, Antec is just plain average quality with a lot of marketing dollars ... and while I would buy Antec again, I wouldn't choose it over most other brands. In fact, I'd generally avoid it, as 2 Antec PSs burned out on me and 0 of any other brand, even duck brand ones haven't failed on me.
My Seasonic 330W is going strong for 2 years now and my system isn't exactly barebones although this power supply kept me away from the vulgar video card options.
While I'm tempted by the performance features of 8800's and 2900s, it's the elegance of power efficiency and silence that does the trick for me. After going through the very beginning of 3D acceleration, with the original Voodoo, I can attest to the fact that power hungry cards are best regarded as beta versions, as prototypes, as overclocked. As research and development, and priced for zealots.
In any case, I understand going with more wattage on the powersupply, I would do so myself (mostly, b/c I like having different operating systems in different hard drives). But Seasonic is quiet, classy, quality stuff that deserves my recommendation.
I would go as far as to call it an underdog brand, it's not Corsair, it's little mentioned in recommendations... but it's really good stuff. Seasonic is like delicious wine, in a world dominated by beer.
The 330 version has been at newegg for at least a month. The "II" designation of the series isn't obvious from the title, but the box image shows it. The specifications show it as well, under the "Series" value.
several of the charts such as efficiency, PFC and noise should be done on a watts scale instead of a % load scale. This will enable a direct comparison between alternatives.
If i have a 250W load, how does the efficiency and noise compare among the 300, 400 and 550W power supplies? It's impossible to tell currently
well yes i can figure out 50% load on a 500w PS is about 250w
so yes it is 'possible' to compare numbers between different reviews, but certainly not easy
and why use % load any ways? how is it relevant?
convenience wise it sure would be handy to make, for instance, a single efficiency chart and a single noise chart with all power supplies that have been tested so far so you could see how they compare across the range of interest
Btw, can you add 1 minute record of ambient, idle PSU, typical load PSU and full load PSU noises @ ~1 meter ?
this will be much more useful then just dba levels.
lol. so many people requesting seasonic reviews lately and not a peep from them yet. these units are probably suited for budget systems but the added expense due to the seasonic moniker may be better applied to future-proofing and getting a higher wattage model from a less "esteemed" brand.
Not everyone requesting a review HAS to comment on the review. I could have been the first poster in this comment section on this article, but decided that the article was good enough to not comment. Granted I think for a lowly 500WATT PSU the Antec Earthwatts 500 PSU would be a better bargin(which I already own).
I'm waiting for a Corsair review from you guys, since they are based off Seasonic psu's and can provide higher wattage. Also, people looking at the Seasonic 500w model would also probably be looking at the Corsair HX520.
My HX520 is silent (granted I have like 8 case fans+cpu+ram+8800GTS, so noise of the psu is of little concern) and as an added bonus its modular.
as I can see, Corsair HX520, HX620 are better.
the 12V much more stable + modular cables + 0 noise.
but may be the Corsair's VX (budget) should be reviewed too.
I want to see one of the X900 Seasonic PSUs tested now. See how Seasonic does when they have to deal with about 2X the power demand. Though, that design looks completely different so I expect silence isn't the goal in that case. Seeing the M12 700HM results would also be useful. The S12II is at 28dB at full load, but dealing with another 200W could mean quite a bit more noise.
I would also be curious: can these PSUs handle higher loads than rated? I mean, I've heard rumors that something like a Seasonic 330W sold under a different label would get rated probably ~25% higher, so maybe 420W. That would make the S12II 500W potentially equal to other ~650W PSUs, *if* there's any truth to the stories. Just a thought, but I'd like to see testing push PSUs beyond the rated output to see what happens. Probably best to save that testing for the end, in case the PSU dies. LOL. But going 20% beyond the rating could provide interesting results.
I was thinking about to add this kind of test. Last week I was talking to Paul from H about it and just for fun tested the Infiniti and got 1000 watts of load out of it. That might be surely a nice thing if more PSUs would perform like that.
chris are u saying the corsair hx series (which are designed by seasonic) can't measure up to original seasonics? they're pretty bad ass psus, i own the hx520, i can't imagine anything more silent than this unit?! or are u talking about efficiency? anyways, thanks for the review, seasonic rocks and my corsair is testament to that..:)
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Zds - Wednesday, September 19, 2007 - link
Good review on a good product.What seemed a bit misleading, tho, was the statement about suitability of these models to dual-gpu machines. I know many marketing guys favor the "bigger is better", but it would not hurt to you, too, clearing out that the 330W model is powerful enough for practically any single-socket-single-GPU machine, and most of the dual-GPU ones, too and the 500W should be enough for almost any single-CPU-dual-GPU machine..
And as most of the modern machines (C2D/Athlon, not P4) spend most of their time at idle, and most of them idle at 60-100W, the 330W model saves not just your ears, but real money, as you can run the machine at the sweet spot almost all of the time.
gochichi - Sunday, September 16, 2007 - link
I have to say that Seasonic is not a flashy brand, like Antec or something. It's more of a truly better product, it doesn't rely on its name I don't think. Do a lot of people really know this name?From my experience, Antec is just plain average quality with a lot of marketing dollars ... and while I would buy Antec again, I wouldn't choose it over most other brands. In fact, I'd generally avoid it, as 2 Antec PSs burned out on me and 0 of any other brand, even duck brand ones haven't failed on me.
My Seasonic 330W is going strong for 2 years now and my system isn't exactly barebones although this power supply kept me away from the vulgar video card options.
While I'm tempted by the performance features of 8800's and 2900s, it's the elegance of power efficiency and silence that does the trick for me. After going through the very beginning of 3D acceleration, with the original Voodoo, I can attest to the fact that power hungry cards are best regarded as beta versions, as prototypes, as overclocked. As research and development, and priced for zealots.
In any case, I understand going with more wattage on the powersupply, I would do so myself (mostly, b/c I like having different operating systems in different hard drives). But Seasonic is quiet, classy, quality stuff that deserves my recommendation.
I would go as far as to call it an underdog brand, it's not Corsair, it's little mentioned in recommendations... but it's really good stuff. Seasonic is like delicious wine, in a world dominated by beer.
wibeasley - Saturday, September 15, 2007 - link
The 330 version has been at newegg for at least a month. The "II" designation of the series isn't obvious from the title, but the box image shows it. The specifications show it as well, under the "Series" value.http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82...">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82...
bryanW1995 - Friday, September 14, 2007 - link
I'll take the 620 hx that I just paid 127 AR at mwave instead of 115 for the 550vx.USAF1 - Friday, September 14, 2007 - link
I'm still waiting to see a review of a Seasonic S12 Energy+ PSU. Seasonic claims a peak efficiency of 88%.Christoph Katzer - Friday, September 14, 2007 - link
Between that one and now are still around 20 other PSUs which are laying around here and want to be reviewed...tynopik - Friday, September 14, 2007 - link
several of the charts such as efficiency, PFC and noise should be done on a watts scale instead of a % load scale. This will enable a direct comparison between alternatives.If i have a 250W load, how does the efficiency and noise compare among the 300, 400 and 550W power supplies? It's impossible to tell currently
Christoph Katzer - Friday, September 14, 2007 - link
For what are the tables of page 6 then?tynopik - Friday, September 14, 2007 - link
well yes i can figure out 50% load on a 500w PS is about 250wso yes it is 'possible' to compare numbers between different reviews, but certainly not easy
and why use % load any ways? how is it relevant?
convenience wise it sure would be handy to make, for instance, a single efficiency chart and a single noise chart with all power supplies that have been tested so far so you could see how they compare across the range of interest
Christoph Katzer - Friday, September 14, 2007 - link
Sounds good with the comparison, have thought about it already for an upcoming price guide.n0nsense - Sunday, September 16, 2007 - link
Btw, can you add 1 minute record of ambient, idle PSU, typical load PSU and full load PSU noises @ ~1 meter ?this will be much more useful then just dba levels.
vijay333 - Friday, September 14, 2007 - link
lol. so many people requesting seasonic reviews lately and not a peep from them yet. these units are probably suited for budget systems but the added expense due to the seasonic moniker may be better applied to future-proofing and getting a higher wattage model from a less "esteemed" brand.yyrkoon - Saturday, September 15, 2007 - link
Not everyone requesting a review HAS to comment on the review. I could have been the first poster in this comment section on this article, but decided that the article was good enough to not comment. Granted I think for a lowly 500WATT PSU the Antec Earthwatts 500 PSU would be a better bargin(which I already own).customcoms - Friday, September 14, 2007 - link
I'm waiting for a Corsair review from you guys, since they are based off Seasonic psu's and can provide higher wattage. Also, people looking at the Seasonic 500w model would also probably be looking at the Corsair HX520.My HX520 is silent (granted I have like 8 case fans+cpu+ram+8800GTS, so noise of the psu is of little concern) and as an added bonus its modular.
kmmatney - Friday, September 14, 2007 - link
There is a new 550W Corsair available now, at a lower cost:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...
Christoph Katzer - Friday, September 14, 2007 - link
Will have Antec and Corsair very soon but I can tell you already they cannot stick up to the originals.n0nsense - Sunday, September 16, 2007 - link
as I can see, Corsair HX520, HX620 are better.the 12V much more stable + modular cables + 0 noise.
but may be the Corsair's VX (budget) should be reviewed too.
Chunga29 - Friday, September 14, 2007 - link
I want to see one of the X900 Seasonic PSUs tested now. See how Seasonic does when they have to deal with about 2X the power demand. Though, that design looks completely different so I expect silence isn't the goal in that case. Seeing the M12 700HM results would also be useful. The S12II is at 28dB at full load, but dealing with another 200W could mean quite a bit more noise.I would also be curious: can these PSUs handle higher loads than rated? I mean, I've heard rumors that something like a Seasonic 330W sold under a different label would get rated probably ~25% higher, so maybe 420W. That would make the S12II 500W potentially equal to other ~650W PSUs, *if* there's any truth to the stories. Just a thought, but I'd like to see testing push PSUs beyond the rated output to see what happens. Probably best to save that testing for the end, in case the PSU dies. LOL. But going 20% beyond the rating could provide interesting results.
Christoph Katzer - Friday, September 14, 2007 - link
I was thinking about to add this kind of test. Last week I was talking to Paul from H about it and just for fun tested the Infiniti and got 1000 watts of load out of it. That might be surely a nice thing if more PSUs would perform like that.poohbear - Sunday, September 16, 2007 - link
chris are u saying the corsair hx series (which are designed by seasonic) can't measure up to original seasonics? they're pretty bad ass psus, i own the hx520, i can't imagine anything more silent than this unit?! or are u talking about efficiency? anyways, thanks for the review, seasonic rocks and my corsair is testament to that..:)Christoph Katzer - Monday, September 17, 2007 - link
Doesnt mean they are bad. I know only from one manufacturer who is producing the exact same stuff for brands and that is FSP -> OCZ GameXstream.Seasonic put higher quality into their own units. The higher price is not just for the name only ;)