BitFenix Formula Gold 450W PSU Review: Compact, Efficient, And Near-Silent
Why you can trust Tom's Hardware
Teardown & Component Analysis
Before proceeding with this page we strongly encourage you to a look at our PSUs 101 article, which provides valuable information about PSUs and their operation, allowing you to better understand the components we're about to discuss.
General Data | |
---|---|
Manufacturer (OEM) | CWT |
Platform Model | GPS (Modified) |
Primary Side | |
Transient Filter | 4x Y caps, 2x X caps, 2x CM chokes, 1x MOV, 1x CAP004DG |
Inrush Protection | NTC thermistor & relay |
Bridge Rectifier(s) | 1x GBU606 (600V, 6A @ 100°C) |
APFC MOSFETs | 2x Champion GP18S50G (500V, 28A @ 150°C, 0.19Ω) |
APFC Boost Diode | 1x STMicroelectronics STTH8R06FP (600V, 8A @ 130°C) |
Hold-up Cap(s) | 1x Nipon Chemi-Con (400V, 390uF, 2000h @ 105°C, KMR series) |
Main Switchers | 2x F-Cell SVF13N50F (500V, 10A @ 100°C, 0.52Ω) |
APFC Controller | Champion CM6502S & CM03X Green PFC controller |
LLC Resonant Controller | Champion CM6901 |
Topology | Primary side: Half-bridge & LLC resonant converter Secondary side: Synchronous rectification & DC-DC converters |
Secondary Side | |
+12V MOSFETs | 4x International Rectifier IRFH7004TRPBF (40 V, 164 A @ 100°C, 1.4Ω) |
5V & 3.3V | DC-DC Converters: 2x UBIQ QM3006D FETs (30 V, 57 A @ 100°C, 5.5Ω) 2x UBIQ QM3004D FETs (30 V, 40 A @ 100°C, 8.5Ω) PWM Controller: ANPEC APW7159C |
Filtering Capacitors | Electrolytics: Chemi-Con (105°C, KY series, KZE series) Polymers: FPCAP (Japan) |
Supervisor IC | Sytronix ST9S429-PG14 (OCP [2x 12V channels, OVP, UVP, PG), Weltrend WD7518D (OCP [2x 12V channels], SCP) & UTC LM393G |
Fan Model | Martech DF1202512SEMN (120mm, 12V, 0.16A, 1630 RPM, rifle bearing) |
5VSB Circuit | |
Standby PWM Controller | TinySwitch-LT TNY177PN (18W Peak) |
The BF450G uses a modified version of CWT's GPS platform that improves upon its performance. A half-bridge topology is utilized on the primary side, along with an LLC resonant converter. On the secondary side we find a synchronous design and a couple of DC-DC converters for the minor rails.
High-quality filtering capacitors are joined by a similarly capable bulk cap. Moreover, there are two supervisor ICs (since this PSU has three +12V rails).
According to Martech, the cooling fan's manufacturer, its DF1202512SEMN utilizes a rifle bearing. Unfortunately, we don't know enough about Martech fans to speculate about their reliability over time. BitFenix has faith in the company though, otherwise it wouldn't cover its Formula Gold models with a five-year warranty.
The following video shows the BF450G’s internals:
MORE: Best Power Supplies
MORE: How We Test Power Supplies
MORE: All Power Supply Content
Current page: Teardown & Component Analysis
Prev Page Unboxing Video Next Page Load Regulation, Hold-Up Time & Inrush CurrentStay On the Cutting Edge: Get the Tom's Hardware Newsletter
Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.
Aris Mpitziopoulos is a contributing editor at Tom's Hardware, covering PSUs.
Microsoft preparing Lunar Lake Surface and Surface Pro laptops for 1Q25, says report – new Surface Laptop Studio and an 11-inch Surface also on the horizon
Camouflage eSports monitors launched by JAPANNEXT – but you probably won't see them in stores
Zero-day Windows NTLM hash vulnerability gets patched by third-party — credentials can be hijacked by merely viewing a malicious file in File Explorer
-
2Be_or_Not2Be Nice - I really like how quiet these models are running.Reply
Of course, it's also funny that the Formula Gold model is less noisy on average than its "Whisper" mate.