Seasonic Platinum Series 860W - Platinum without the Fuss
by Martin Kaffei on February 24, 2012 12:00 AM ESTIntroducing the Seasonic Platinum Series 860W
In a short time we've seen quite a few companies come out with their first 80 Plus Platinum power supplies. A couple weeks ago we reviewed the Enermax Platimax with 750W, which was a good PSU even though our testing showed slightly less than the advertised efficiency. Enermax also has a 500W Platimax unit, and there are several other brands launching or ready to launch 80 Plus Platinum offerings. Today we'll look at another sample, this time in the form of Seasonic's Platinum Series 860W.
One thing that all of the 80 Plus Platinum models have in common is that they are very expensive. Something else to consider is that there are only a limited number of companies that actually manufacture PSUs, building various models according to the specifications their partners request. Seasonic is one such company, and we can expect other brands to use variations of the Seasonic Platinum Series we're reviewing today. The 860W model we're looking at includes two different modes for controlling the fan speed, a fullly modular connector system, and DC-to-DC converters for two of the smaller output voltages.
It's been nearly a year since we reviewed Seasonic's X-560 80 Plus Gold power supply, and it's still one of the best PSUs available. The Platinum Series looks set to continue from where the X-Series left off, as their new Platinum Series is very similar to the previous generation Gold products in many respects. Which raises an interesting question: are they even able to surpass their previous generation, especially when we factor in pricing and availability? On the following pages we will show the differences between the new series and the older models, along with all the important measurements and test results.
While efficient PSUs are all the marketing rage in the world of power supplies, we should keep in mind that many manufacturers are trying to reach 80 Plus Platinum levels via "cheap tricks". Enermax and FSP decided to cut the EMI filtering while SuperFlower still has an aversion to over current protection. Shunt resistors for example transform some of the power into power loss when current flows through it, since there is a voltage drop, but that's actually their job as they measure and prevent overcurrent. We are looking forward to see a better solution from Seasonic -- which doesn't mean other solutions would be bad.
69 Comments
View All Comments
Death666Angel - Friday, February 24, 2012 - link
Kingwin/Super Flower have 500W, 550W, 600W and Enermax has 500W and 600W as well.ShieTar - Friday, February 24, 2012 - link
Kingwin has a 300W even, and Sama has a 400W. You can always check for Platinum certified supplies directly at the source:http://www.plugloadsolutions.com/80PlusPowerSuppli...
There are 90 Platinum certifications by now.
adece - Friday, February 24, 2012 - link
Antec has its Earth Watts Series which was recently bumped to Platinum efficiency, although this are not modular, not even semi.elian123 - Friday, February 24, 2012 - link
OK, great. Thanks guys, I'd only noticed reviews of the bigger ones up till now.Martin Kaffei - Saturday, February 25, 2012 - link
I'll test the Antec 450W soon.Leyawiin - Friday, February 24, 2012 - link
Just got a gold X-560. I'll never buy another brand now.AnnoyedGrunt - Friday, February 24, 2012 - link
I have an older Seasonic (can't remember which model), but it is an awesome power supply. I live in a heavily wooded area and often on windy days the trees hitting the power lines will cause the lights to flicker, sometimes my monitor to power cycle, but through it all my computer will stay on and working due to the excellent properties of the Seasonic. I, too, will keep buying what I consider to be the best brand in power supplies these days.Good to hear their current products are even better than the older model I use.
-AG
rrohbeck - Sunday, February 26, 2012 - link
Same here. The other day we had a power glitch and the light went out for a fraction of a second. I went over to my big system to see if it would reboot cleanly (it's also a file server) but it was still running. Nice! It uses an X750 Gold.aurareturn - Friday, February 24, 2012 - link
I have had a Corsair HX 520 modular PSU since 2007. It's made by Seasonic. Still running like a champ.Also have another Corsair Seasonic PSU in my new computer. Running for 2 years now. Still great.
piroroadkill - Friday, February 24, 2012 - link
I had an HX520 for so long, that now I gave it to my brother for his system to replace a generic. Still works perfectly.Got myself a Seasonic X-660. The packaging, the look of the thing, the fully modular design - it screams class.