Benchmark Results
First lets take a look at the sound level coming off this power supply. Since it has a large 120mm fan it should be quieter than the other power supplies which rely on two 80mm fans to provide the cooling needed.
| |
Enermax EG365P-VE 350Watts |
RaidMax 400Watt PM-S400W |
Sea Sonic SS-400FB |
|
Sound Level (dBA):
|
52dBA |
55dBA |
<50dBA |
We see that the Sea Sonic power supply does live up to its silent status, as we could not get it to register on our meter from less than an inch away. The RaidMax was the loudest by a fair margin, though any of these would not be able to be heard over all but some water cooling setups. Now lets look at a quick temperature comparison.
| |
Enermax EG365P-VE 350Watts |
RaidMax 400Watt PM-S400W |
Sea Sonic SS-400FB |
|
Temperature (°C):
|
34.9°C |
27.2°C |
37.5°C |
The room temperature is about 19°C during these tests, and we see that the results seemed to differ quite a bit. The RaidMax power supply with its straight through path of air provides the coolest power supply of the three. The Sea Sonic is only a couple of degrees warmer than the twin fan based Enermax power supply while still being quieter. However a quiet power supply or a cool power supply means nothing if the power supply doesn't keep voltages stable under load. So lets take a look at this most important aspect of the power supply.
| |
Enermax EG365P-VE 350Watts (Avg/Max) |
RaidMax 400Watt PM-S400W (Avg/Max) |
Sea Sonic SS-400FB (Avg/Max) |
|
12v Load
|
12.34/12.35 |
12.18/12.20 |
12.38/12.39 |
| 12v Idle: |
12.27/12.26 |
12.13/12.11 |
12.33/12.32 |
| 5v Load: |
4.90/4.89 |
5.18/5.19 |
5.04/5.02 |
| 5v Idle: |
4.92/4.93 |
5.18/5.17 |
5.05/5.06 |
| 3.3v Load: |
3.34/3.33 |
3.31/3.32 |
3.30/3.29 |
| 3.3v Idle: |
3.34/3.35 |
3.31/3.30 |
3.30/3.31 |
We can see that the closest to the actual numbers should be are in bold in these results. The RaidMax has the best 12v line of the power supplies tested here only 1.5% above the real 12v. The Sea Sonic is 3% above the rated 12v lines, which is still well within safe guidelines. The 5v line on the Sea Sonic is less than 1% off of the supposed voltage. The 3.3v line is basically right on for the Sea Sonic power supply, with the voltage only ranging by 0.01v but still averages right at 3.30v. This is much tighter than either the Enermax or the RaidMax power supplies and shows that a good power supply starts with good clean stable power.
Conclusion
So having taken a look at this power supply what can we conclude?
Sea Sonic hasn't taken the road of making the power supply look really out of the ordinary. The only differences are ones that make the power supply run cooler. The honey comb back air holes and the 120mm fan are not only for aesthetics only, as they perform an actual function here. Installation is a breeze, and they even provide you with enough in the way of sheaths to keep your cables tidy if you need to.
Performance of this power supply is where we see this power supply shine. While it isn't the coolest power supply, it is the quietest power supply I have tested, which means that those of you with water cooling systems can use this power supply without really adding any noise. Power levels are very good with the 5v and 3.3v lines being almost perfect, with less than 1% variation from the rated voltage on our test system. 12v wasn't quite as good, but still within acceptable limits of power.
Price is always an issue, and the price of this power supply is near $100 US, which is near the price of the Antec True480 power supply, which offers 80 more watts of power though it still uses an 80mm fan.
Good Points
- Quiet
- Very low variation from set voltages
- 120mm fan
- Easier to install for first timers
Bad Points
- Slightly warm
- Somewhat expensive
- Not the best looking power supply
Final Words
This is a very good power supply that doesn't have large variations in voltage and is very quiet. Apart from being somewhat expensive, and this is a fairly small gripe, this is a very nice power supply.
If you have any comments, be sure to hit us up in our forums.
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