80 PLUS Gold: Four Efficient 700-850 W Power Supplies

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Gamers and enthusiasts are always on the lookout for crème de la crème hardware. It's easy to pick winning CPUs and graphics cards; less so for PSUs. We put four 80 PLUS Gold devices from Antec, FSP, Seasonic, and SilverStone under the magnifying glass.

Conclusion And Recommendations

The current crop of 80 PLUS Gold-rated power supplies in the 700-900 W range demonstrates what modern power supplies can really do. Each unit we tested easily accomplished the demanding tasks we threw at them.

However, there were a few small (but meaningful) differentiators among the four devices. Seasonic's X-760 and FSP's Aurum AU-700 performed especially well. The latter boasts both the best test results and lowest price. If you simply cannot do without modular cable management system, that leaves Seasonic's unit.

Antec's HCP-850 is likewise free from glaring imperfections, save the lowest efficiency numbers at minimal load levels.

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Comparison Table:

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Header Cell - Column 0 Antec FSP Seasonic SilverStone
Model Name and Number HCP-850 AU-700 X-760 Strider Gold SST-ST75F-G
Street Price $250 $130 $200 $ 190
Power Certification 80 PLUS Gold 80 PLUS Gold 80 PLUS Gold 80 PLUS Gold
Dimensions (WxDxH) 150 x 180 x 86 mm 150x140x86 mm 150 x 160 x 86 mm 150 x 180 x 86 mm
Weight 3.9 kg 2.5 kg 3,3 kg 3.1 kg
Operating Temperature 50 °C 0 - 50 °C 0°C – 50°C 0 - 40 °C
Warranty 5 years 5 years 5 years 3 years
Power Specifications
Specification ATX12V v2.3 ATX12V v2.3 ATX12V v2.3 ATX12V v2.3
Specified Output Power 850 W 700 W 760 W 750 W
Max. Peak Output n/a 750 W n/a 850 W
AC Input 100 - 240 V 100 - 240 V 100 - 240 V 100 - 240 V
AC Voltage Selection Auto voltage Auto voltage Auto voltage Auto voltage
DC Output +3.3V 25 A 28 A 25 A 22 A
DC Output +5V 25 A 28 A 25 A 25 A
DC Output +12V (#1) 40 A 18 A 63 A 62 A
DC Output +12V (#2) 40 A 18 A n/a n/a
DC Output +12V (#3) 40 A 18 A n/a n/a
DC Output +12V (#4) 40 A 18 A n/a n/a
DC Output -12V 0.5 A 0.5 A 0.5 A 0.3 A
DC Power +12V Combined 840 W 672 W 756 W 744 W
PFC active active active active
Specified Hold-Up Time 28 ms 17 ms 17 ms 17ms
MTBF 100 000 hours 100 000 hours 100 000 hours 100 000 hours
Cooling Specifications
Main Fan 135 mm 120 mm 120 mm 135 mm
Main Fan Speed 683 - 1810 RPM 2400 RPM 1850 RPM 1800 RPM (Max.)
Secondary Fan n/a n/a n/a n/a
Secondary Fan Speed n/a n/a n/a n/a
Connectors & Environmental
20+4 pin Motherboard 1 x (55 cm) 1 x (55 cm) 1 x (60 cm) 1 x (55 cm)
CPU 2 x (65 cm) 2 x (55 - 70 cm) 2 x 65 cm) 2 x (55 - 75 cm)
PCI Express 6-pin/6+2-pin (Graphics) 0/6 x (55 - 70 cm) 0/4 x (55 - 65 cm) 0/4 x (60 cm) 2/2 x (55 - 70 cm)
Molex 4-pin (Peripherals) 6 x (55 - 85 cm) 4 x (85 - 100 cm) 8 x (55 - 85 cm) 6 x (60 - 90 cm)
SATA Power 9 x (55 - 85 cm) 7 x (55 - 100 cm) 8 x (55 - 85 cm) 8 x (60 - 105 cm)
4-pin Floppy 1 x (100 cm) 1 x (115 cm) 2 x (100 cm) 2 x (105 cm)
Product Specifics
Accessories Screws Screws, Velcro Strips Screws, Velcro Strips, Lacing Cords Screws, Velcro Strips, Lacing Cords
Cable Management Yes No Yes, full modular Yes, full modular
51 Comments Comment from the forums
  • compton
    Every now and again you can catch the Seasonic X series on sale. I picked up a X-650 for about $110 with shipping. For that price, there isn't really anything better. With out a sale, I still say full modular and 80+ Gold is worth the premium over less auspicious contenders.

    Thanks for an excellent review.
    Reply
  • jjb8675309
    no need for a 200 dollar psu for me
    Reply
  • on the seasonic X-760 introduction, the first paragraph states that it comes with hard-wiring. But if you look at the pictures, and further down the review, you'll notice that it is fully-modular.

    no pun intended here ;-)
    Reply
  • The Greater Good
    comptonEvery now and again you can catch the Seasonic X series on sale. I picked up a X-650 for about $110 with shipping. For that price, there isn't really anything better. With out a sale, I still say full modular and 80+ Gold is worth the premium over less auspicious contenders.Thanks for an excellent review.
    I've used the X 650 in builds for two of my friends. I can't wait to get mine. The cabling is perfect for the Antec 1200 case.
    Reply
  • What about noise? Only had a quick glance at the article but that didn't seem to have been measured.
    Reply
  • flong
    Great review, but where is Corsair???? Certainly Corsair is one of the industry leaders and most recommended PSUs on the market.

    This review would have benefited greatly by including both silver and gold rated PSUs from 750W - 1000W. Some Silver rated PSUs actually perform at nearly at gold levels (Corsair) and so they are a great value.

    It would have been nice to have some expert comment on Au's claim that a non-modular cable setup improves efficiency. This appears to be a myth because we see many modular units outperform non-modular units in their class.

    Still I really enjoyed this review.
    Reply
  • jah_33
    Not to forget is that a 80+ PSU generates about twice the heat of a 80+ Gold PSU, 20% compared to 10% of the power output. So a gold certified PSU should be significantly more quiet then a 80+ given equal cooling.

    flongGreat review, but where is Corsair???? /citation]Corsair don't build there own PSU:s the are mostly Seasonic built, some CWT. For example the Corsair AX series are nearly identical to the Seasonic X series, the only difference is the fan.
    Reply
  • darreng101
    I have a SeaSonic X-760 fitted to an O/C'ed i7.

    The 'fan-on' at 20% (i think without looking back) is worst case, mine kicks on at about 30-35% depending on ambient temp, so its awesome quiet. Even when on its quiet.

    It works very well in a dual gaming/home cinema box...

    I'd definiately recommend one
    Reply
  • lol. 200 dollar psu's!

    are you guys complete noobs! do you think we need this ...?
    Reply
  • dominatorix
    ok., compare: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-psu-efficiency,2796-11.html
    with: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/750-watt-psu-80-plus-gold,2927-3.html
    Reply