FSP Hydro PTM 750W PSU Review

Features & Specifications

Apparently, FSP is exceedingly confident in its new PTM line, since all three models are protected by 10-year warranties. So far, only EVGA and Corsair have dared to offer the same coverage, while Seasonic raised the bar even higher with a 12-year guarantee on its Prime PSUs. That's all well and good, but as we've warned so many times before, such long warranties might backfire if PSUs are flogged all day, every day, under extremely tough conditions like those associated with cryptocurrency mining.

FSP's newest PSU family is called Hydro PTM. That's a rather odd name, since the models belonging to this line-up are cooled by a fan (unlike the water-cooled Hydro PTM+ we saw during Computex). Then again, we've seen FSP use Hydro for other products as well, such as the Hydro G. 

The Hydro PTM series is available in 550W, 650W, and 750W flavors. They're all fully modular, feature 80 PLUS Platinum certifications, and the top-end implementation includes two EPS connectors for compatibility with high-end motherboards hosting CPUs that need extra power. The 750W version is also certified by Cybenetics, earning the ETA-A (88-91% efficiency) and LAMBDA-A- (25-30 dB[A]) badges. In each of the Hydro PTM PSUs, cooling is handled by a 135mm FDB-equipped fan. Today we're looking at that flagship model, the HPT750M.

Specifications

FSP rates its HPT750M for maximum power output at up to 40°C, whereas the ATX spec calls for at least 50°C. Thankfully, all necessary protection features are present, including over-temperature protection. There is no semi-passive fan mode, but that shouldn't be an issue since the cooling fan spins slowly under light loads and at normal ambient temperatures.

While it looks a little strange for a high-efficiency PSU to not include some sort of semi-passive option, the fact is that FDB fans endure more stress during start-up since their lubricant takes a while to reach the bearing. This causes increased friction for a brief period. Thus, it's better to keep FDB fans constantly moving rather than having them cycle through start/stop states frequently.

Power Specifications

The single +12V rail can deliver the PSU's full capacity on its own. That's typical of modern PSUs employing DC-DC converters to generate the minor rails. Those rails sport enough capacity for today's needs. We would like to see a stronger 5VSB rail; however, this unit proved more capable in real-world testing than its paper specs suggested.

Cables And Connectors

With two EPS and six PCIe connectors available, this PSU supports a wide variety of hardware configurations. Its complement of peripheral connectors is also generous, including 14 SATA and five four-pin Molex connectors.

It is nice to see a 750W PSU with so many cables/connectors. In the event you attach too many graphics cards and other accessories, there's always over-power protection to keep your hardware safe.

Power Distribution

Since this PSU features a single +12V rail, we do not have anything to say about its power distribution.

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