FSP Hydro PTM 650W PSU Review: Clean, Quiet Power for Mid-Range PCs

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Load Regulation, Hold-Up Time and Inrush Current

To learn more about our PSU tests and methodology, please check out How We Test Power Supply Units. 

Primary Rails And 5VSB Load Regulation

Load Regulation testing is detailed here.

Hold-Up Time

Our hold-up time tests are described in detail here.

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The hold-up time we measured falls short of 17ms. We expected this to be the case, give the bulk capacitors' low capacity.

Inrush Current

For details on our inrush current testing, please click here.

The inrush current with 115V input is normal. It's too high with 230V input, though.

Load Regulation And Efficiency Measurements

The first set of tests reveals the stability of the voltage rails and the HPT650M’s efficiency. The applied load equals (approximately) 10 to 110 percent of the PSU's maximum load in increments of 10 percentage points.

We conducted two additional tests. During the first, we stressed the two minor rails (5V and 3.3V) with a high load, while the load at +12V was only 0.1A. This test reveals whether a PSU is compatible with Intel's C6/C7 sleep states or not. In the second test, we determined the maximum load the +12V rail could handle with minimal load on the minor rails.

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Test # 12V 5V 3.3V 5VSB DC/AC (Watts) Efficiency Fan Speed PSU Noise Temps (In/Out) PF/AC Volts
1 3.563A 1.963A 1.960A 0.986A 64.784 86.016% 708 RPM 17.1 dB(A) 40.10°C 0.818
12.122V 5.090V 3.367V 5.074V 75.316 42.85°C 115.05V
2 8.124A 2.951A 2.948A 1.183A 129.288 89.963% 708 RPM 17.1 dB(A) 40.63°C 0.931
12.112V 5.081V 3.357V 5.071V 143.712 43.58°C 115.04V
3 13.089A 3.450A 3.433A 1.385A 194.383 91.334% 705 RPM 17.0 dB(A) 41.25°C 0.963
12.101V 5.072V 3.349V 5.053V 212.826 44.65°C 115.04V
4 18.063A 3.949A 3.952A 1.588A 259.618 91.690% 705 RPM 17.0 dB(A) 41.52°C 0.976
12.092V 5.064V 3.340V 5.040V 283.148 45.28°C 115.04V
5 22.715A 4.947A 4.955A 1.792A 324.904 91.537% 705 RPM 17.0 dB(A) 42.15°C 0.982
12.080V 5.054V 3.330V 5.025V 354.944 46.43°C 115.04V
6 27.312A 5.949A 5.963A 1.998A 389.439 91.085% 723 RPM 17.9 dB(A) 42.67°C 0.986
12.069V 5.044V 3.321V 5.005V 427.557 47.38°C 115.04V
7 31.986A 6.955A 6.976A 2.206A 454.768 90.384% 945 RPM 26.2 dB(A) 43.18°C 0.987
12.057V 5.034V 3.311V 4.988V 503.149 48.84°C 115.04V
8 36.666A 7.963A 7.996A 2.414A 520.083 89.698% 1143 RPM 31.5 dB(A) 43.84°C 0.988
12.046V 5.024V 3.301V 4.972V 579.818 50.27°C 115.04V
9 41.746A 8.476A 8.505A 2.418A 585.017 89.008% 1300 RPM 35.2 dB(A) 44.39°C 0.989
12.037V 5.016V 3.292V 4.965V 657.265 51.49°C 115.04V
10 46.774A 8.990A 9.045A 2.524A 649.762 88.218% 1472 RPM 38.2 dB(A) 45.53°C 0.989
12.027V 5.007V 3.283V 4.954V 736.541 53.15°C 115.04V
11 52.200A 9.000A 9.064A 2.526A 714.604 87.365% 1653 RPM 41.1 dB(A) 46.59°C 0.989
12.019V 5.001V 3.277V 4.949V 817.953 54.70°C 115.03V
CL1 0.143A 14.003A 14.001A 0.000A 119.277 86.023% 815 RPM 21.2 dB(A) 42.12°C 0.931
12.091V 5.056V 3.339V 5.086V 138.657 46.39°C 115.06V
CL2 54.179A 1.002A 1.002A 1.000A 665.503 88.532% 1462 RPM 37.9 dB(A) 45.32°C 0.989
12.037V 5.024V 3.298V 5.013V 751.712 53.31°C 115.04V

Load regulation on the +12V rail is satisfactory, since it lands within 1%. However, the HPT650M still can't compete against other high-end, similar-capacity PSUs in this discipline. The minor rails (especially 3.3V) aren't as tight. The same goes for the 5VSB rail, though at least it falls within spec.

The fan spins at very low speeds, even under tough conditions. We have to push the PSU beyond its limits for the fan to exceed 40 dB(A).

At the same time, none of the efficiency levels we measured satisfy the 80 PLUS Platinum standard's requirements. Then again, we test at high ambient temperatures, causing efficiency to take a hit. The 80 PLUS organization performs its certifications at 23°C (±5°C), which is an unrealistic temperature to expect inside of a chassis.


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Aris Mpitziopoulos
Contributing Editor

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