Gigabyte Releases First Xtreme Gaming Series Power Supply

Gigabyte is widely known for its motherboards and graphics cards, but many users are perhaps unaware that it also has quite a large portfolio of PSU products. This lack of familiarity is because Gigabyte avoids, for its own reasons, sending PSU samples for evaluation, so with a quick search on the net you will find few Gigabyte PSU reviews. This is pretty weird; hopefully the company will change tactics in the future.

The most recent PSU series addition to Gigabyte's arsenal is the Xtreme Gaming line that currently consists of only one member, the XP1200M. This is clearly a high-end PSU, featuring 80 PLUS Platinum efficiency, Japanese capacitors, fully modular cables and a single +12V rail. On the product's official page, we spotted a photograph of the PSU's internals, showing two Rubycon caps in the APFC converter with 1120uF combined capacity, so we suspect that the XP1200M will have a hard time reaching the desired hold-up time, which according to the ATX spec should be at least 17ms.

The cooling fan uses a double ball-bearing, which might not be as good as a fluid dynamic bearing (FDB), but it's still considered a solid choice for a PSU. According to the fan curve that Gigabyte provided, the XP1200M doesn't feature a semi-passive mode, and this will probably be a let down for some users, although according to the official info, the fan spins at low speeds under light and moderate loads. We don't have any solid info on the OEM, but we suspect that it is Channel Well Technology (Update 7/7/16: Through our sources in Gigabyte we learned that the OEM is Enhance Electronics). 

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Model NumberXP1200M
Max. DC Output1200 W
PFCActive PFC
Efficiency80 Plus Platinum
ModularYes (fully)
Intel Haswell ReadyYes
MTBF> 100,000 hours
ProtectionsOver Voltage Protection Under Voltage Protection Over Current Protection Short Circuit Protection Over Power Protection Over Temperature Protection
Cooling140 mm Dual Ball-Bearing Fan
Semi-passive operationNo
Dimensions150 mm (W) x 87 mm (H) x 180 mm (D)
RegulatoryCE/BSMI/EAC/TUV/FCC/CCC/RCM
ComplianceATX12V v2.31, EPS 2.92
ConnectorsATX/MB 20+4 Pin: 700mm 2x CPU/EPS 4+4 Pin: 800mm+ 650mm 6x PCI-e 6+2 Pin: 2x 650mm+ 2x (650mm+100mm) 12x SATA: 3x (550mm+150mm+150mm+150mm) 8x 4 Pin Peripheral: 2x (550mm+150mm+150mm+150mm) 2x 4 Pin Floppy : 100mm
Cable TypeBlack Flat Cables

It is definitely a good thing to see all protection features provided, especially OTP (Over Temperature Protection), which in my opinion is essential to every PSU. In addition, the unit is equipped with flat cables, which are preferable because they block less of the airflow inside the chassis.

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Rail3.3V5V12V5VSB-12V
Max. PowerAmps25221002.50.3
Watts120120012.53.6
Total Max. Power (W)1200

The +12V rail, which feeds most PC components, is powerful, delivering up to 100 Amps. This means that the XP1200M can easily support multiple graphics cards. On the contrary, the 5VSB rail is weak, and normally such a high-capacity PSU should be able to provide at least 3-4 Amps on this rail.

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Aris Mpitziopoulos
Contributing Editor

Aris Mpitziopoulos is a contributing editor at Tom's Hardware, covering PSUs.

  • jonroberts26
    Why do we need a 1200 watt psu? Is it only for 2+ gpus? My Seasonic 860 watt psu is overkill even if I were to get a second 980ti. Aren't the new graphics cards even more power efficient?
    Reply
  • lucas_7_94
    1.2kW seems to be a extreme overkill, i hope to see lower wattage for normal consumer!

    Also, want a review from Tom's to see how it performs!
    Reply
  • NeatOman
    I kinda got why some people would have got a 1200 watt PSU in the before time when a GPU could suck down well over 350 watts. Now the most powerful GPU (GTX 1080) only has a 180 watt TDP and only allows two-way SLI. Then paired with best "Gaming" CPU the i7-6700k i can't see the system using more than 500 watts total :/ making a 650 watt PSU more than capable enough for a heavy overclock but 750 watt to be safe.

    Which is why i got a PC Power & Cooling Silencer MkIII 850, 7 year warranty and never having to think about a PSU ever again. Even with the new Titan P which is rumored to use up to 300 watts it's still way overkill for an SLI setup.
    Reply
  • lucas_7_94
    18234792 said:
    I kinda got why some people would have got a 1200 watt PSU in the before time when a GPU could suck down well over 350 watts. Now the most powerful GPU (GTX 1080) only has a 180 watt TDP and only allows two-way SLI. Then paired with best "Gaming" CPU the i7-6700k i can't see the system using more than 500 watts total :/ making a 650 watt PSU more than capable enough for a heavy overclock but 750 watt to be safe.

    Which is why i got a PC Power & Cooling Silencer MkIII 850, 7 year warranty and never having to think about a PSU ever again. Even with the new Titan P which is rumored to use up to 300 watts it's still way overkill for an SLI setup.

    As Hardware Seller, buyers come to the market arguing 'More watts better performance'. :spamafote:
    Reply
  • commandermuffin
    TDP isn't the same as power consumption, so not sure if the 180W figure is actual TDP or if you're just referring to wattage requirement. Either way, yeah most SLI setups don't need a 1200W PSU. However, keep in mind that most PSUs are not the most efficient at or near capacity or on the lower end. If you look at PSU efficiency curves, you want to be around the middle most of the time, so if you only need 500W, having a 850-1000W PSU isn't a bad idea, plus it allows you to upgrade to more power-hungry components (or overclock) in the future if desired.
    Reply
  • Kenneth Barker
    This is a high end PSU. The 1080 and the 6700K are not high end components. Many systems require larger PSUs for any number of reasons.

    Running actual high end cards (Which float in the TDP range of 300 or more watts) a high end CPU (The Enthusiast lineup with higher TDPs) RAM, HDDs/SSDs, Fans, Lights, Water cooling pumps, drives, the list can go on, require large amounts of power. If you OC, which many users do these days, the power requirements can go up 50% or more.

    You can very easily hit 1000-1100 watts on a true high end rig.

    Also, as stated above, there is nothing wrong with having a higher end PSU that will use less than its maximum rated power output. All throwing a 1200W PSU into a rig that needs only 500-600 will do is make the PSU more efficient, and have a longer life. On top of giving you the overhead for plenty of growth and expansion.
    Reply
  • Shankovich
    To get a higher wattage PSU so you can game/work in the region of highest efficiency doesn't work. The premium you pay for high wattage outweighs the, let's be honest, very small amount of power you'll save.
    Reply
  • tfman22
    I need to agree with Kenneth on this. A 1200W PSU is not for your average at home gamer. For high end applications, you can see systems running 2 or even 4 way SLI Titan X cards. With 4 Titan X's, you actually would need 1500W.
    Reply