Testing

Test Setup: Intel 955X, Pentium 540 (3.2GHz) with XSPC water-cooling, 2x512 Kingston HyperX PC2-5300, HIS X800GTO IceQ II Turbo Graphics, 2x Maxtor SATA150 80GB, 1x Maxtor PATA 160GB, 1x IBM 60GB Deskstar, 1x AOpen 52x CDRW, 1x Pioneer 8x DVD+/-RW, 1x Floppy Drive

Other power using devices: 2x CCFL’s and 2x 120mm Fans (via Nexus fan controller), 2x CCFL’s via dual inverter, 4 port USB Hub, USB Modem, USB Mouse, USB Keyboard, USB Scanner, USB Webcam, TV Tuner Card

Estimated Maximum total watts of all devices – 400w Combined, 230w System + 170w devices Split

The idea of using all these devices (or as many as possible) all at once is to put as much power load on the system as possible so a Messenger window using the Webcam was opened, Folding@Home to load the CPU, fans to full speed, all CCFL’s on, a document scanned at a high resolution repeatedly, defragging of the hard drives, looping timedemo in Quake III Arena (windowed), charging of an MP3 player via a USB port, burning a CD at 48x and attempting to watch TV while all that was going on. Operating temperatures can also affect the PSU, with higher temperatures reducing the overall efficiency, so we also turned up the heat in the house, removed the fans from the case (but left them plugged in for load testing) and took readings of the current case temperatures and PSU internal temperatures via a probe. As comparisons we are using the Ultra Products 500w PSU (single 12v rail), the Tagan ‘2Force’ TGA480-U22 480w PSU in Split mode (dual 12v rails) and the Hiper Type-R 580w.

From a noise point of view, you won't be disappointed either. It is not a silent unit, but it is far from being noisy. Even in a water-cooled rig, there were plenty of items creating as much noise as the PSU. I lack any correct testing equipment for dB but a guess would put it in the 30dB range at the fan's maximum speed, and do bear in mind that we heated the system up which got the fan running at a higher speed; during normal load operation the S12-600 will be quieter, approaching 25dB.

Final Words

Amidst all the reviews of flashy items with power and style at the forefront of their design, it can often be the case that a Plain Jane decent performer is overlooked. While the appearance of the Seasonic S12-600 isn’t going to win it any awards, its features and performance certainly will. 80% efficiency is not a common thing from the majority of PSU’s in the market place today, and neither is a 600w power rating. Couple that with support for all the latest technology and form factors, as well as quiet operation and you have a very nice unit indeed.

There are a couple of items that I think should be changed however. With a 600w power rating, it’s hardly lacking in power, so it would have been nice to have more than 6 Molex connectors. I don’t think most folks will run out, due to the fact that the Seasonic S12-600 does have 4 SATA and 2 PCIe VGA connectors on hand. Speaking of the SATA connectors, I would have liked to have seen Seasonic use 4 side facing SATA connectors rather than 2 side facing and 2 flat/front facing. I did find the packaging a little misleading in regards to fan control, but you can have 2 low speed 5v 3pin fans powered as well as third at full speed 12v.

Power and features aside, the Seasonic S12-600 comes with the standard power cable as you would expect, and also supplied is a Dr. Cable cable tidying kit. This kit isn’t anything special, but it does go a long way to tidying up your cabling and is a lot more than most PSU’s packages supply.

A quiet runner too, the Seasonic certainly has a lot going for it in regards to power output and features, and you get a feeling of quality and solidness from it that is very reassuring. Designer PC users will probably want to look elsewhere, but power hungry system users should certainly take a good look at the Seasonic S12-600. It is a little expensive in comparison with most of the competition however, but as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for.

Pros: 600w power, 80% efficiency, Support for all the latest and upcoming technologies, SATA connectors, Solid manufacturing, PCIe VGA connectors (SLI Ready), ATX/ATX12V/BTX/EPS, Dr. Cable kit, Quiet operation, EZ Grip molex, twisted wiring

Cons: Mixed style SATA connectors, Only 6 molex connectors, a little pricey

Bottom Line: An all round decent unit, power hungry system users will certainly find the Seasonic S12-600 provides enough juice to get the job done. You will have to pay a little extra for it, but it is quality, quiet and has quite a good package.

Hit us up in the Forums if you have any questions.

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