Tom's Hardware Verdict
The Seasonic FOCUS Gold 750W is a high performance PSU featuring super compact dimensions, a fully modular design and a selective semi-passive operation. All above can be yours at a very good price which doesn't exceed 100 bucks and the cherry on top is the ten-year warranty. If Seasonic manages to improve the not so good 3.3V transient response and lowers the output noise, the FOCUS units will be even better.
Pros
- +
Price
- +
Full power at 46°C
- +
Efficient
- +
Ripple suppression
- +
Load regulation (+12V)
- +
Hold-up time
- +
Accurate Power Ok signal
- +
Fully modular
- +
Selective semi-passive operation
- +
2x EPS & 4x PCIe connectors
- +
10 year warranty
Cons
- -
3.3V transient response
- -
Noisy under rough conditions
- -
Bulky ATX, EPS and PCIe cables
- -
Found lots of long component leads on the main PCB
- -
Short distance between peripheral connectors
- -
5VSB efficiency should be higher
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Features & Specifications
Seasonic's Prime Titanium, Platinum, and Gold families are already available, and the company still isn't done: we're now looking at its Focus series, consisting of the Focus Plus and vanilla Focus. The aforementioned Prime models are mostly aimed at enthusiasts, while the Focus units target value-oriented buyers. According to Seasonic, its Focus Plus and Focus PSUs will eventually replace the popular G and S12G designs.
With the release of its Focus models, Seasonic is implementing a new policy that should make evaluating its products more transparent. From now on, reviewers will only receive Seasonic samples from online vendors, rather than the factory. While we do see ways this system could be gamed, implemented properly, it's a big step forward in ensuring reviewed hardware is representative of what readers will find on store shelves.
Why didn't anyone think of this sooner? The fact is that most companies want to check the samples sent to reviewers first. Some manufacturers go a step further and only ship off their best-performing products, which then come to be known as golden samples. Of course, we understand the desire to make a good impression, but this practice becomes problematic if retail hardware is found to have issues not seen in reviews.
The Focus Plus Gold line consists of four members with capacities ranging from 550W to 850W. They're all 80 PLUS Gold-rated, certified by Cybenetics for ETA-A-class efficiency, and equipped with fully modular cabling. The model we're testing today is the SSR-750FX, Seasonic's 750W implementation. It's a mid-capacity PSU suitable for use in a capable gaming system with a couple of high-end graphics cards and an overclocked CPU.
Specifications
Seasonic arms the SSR-750FX with a full complement of protection features, and it rates the unit for continuous full load delivery at temperatures as warm as 50°C.
Unfortunately, the 120mm cooling fan is a little small; this plays a major role in the noisy operation under taxing loads and high ambient temperatures that we measured. Then again, the chassis' compact dimensions limit Seasonic's options. A 135mm or 140mm fan simply wouldn't have fit. According to Seasonic, it uses a fluid dynamic bearing-based fan, so it should last a long time. The fan is supported by a semi-passive mode.
Of course, we're big proponents of long warranty periods, so long as they're realistic. Seasonic's 10-year coverage is a result of the company following its competition, even in this mid-range category.
Finally, the dimensions of all Focus Plus Gold PSUs are very compact, given a mere 14cm depth. To the best of our knowledge, only SilverStone's ST85F-PT matches Seasonic's power density score.
Power Specifications
| Rail | 3.3V | 5V | 12V | 5VSB | -12V | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max. Power | Amps | 20 | 20 | 62 | 3 | 0.3 |
| Watts | 100 | 744 | 15 | 3.6 | ||
| Total Max. Power (W) | 750 |
Maximum combined power on the minor rails is limited to 100W, while the +12V rail can deliver up to 62A of current. The 5VSB rail has a 15W capacity, so it is a little stronger than what we'd expect.
Cables And Connectors
| Modular Cables | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Description | Cable Count | Connector Count (Total) | Gauge |
| ATX connector 20+4 pin (610mm) | 1 | 1 | 18-22AWG |
| 4+4 pin EPS12V (655mm) | 2 | 2 | 18AWG |
| 6+2 pin PCIe (680mm+80mm) | 2 | 4 | 18AWG |
| SATA (455mm+115mm+115mm+115mm) | 2 | 8 | 18AWG |
| Four-pin Molex (460mm+125mm+125mm) | 1 | 3 | 18AWG |
| FDD Adapter (+110mm) | 1 | 1 | 22AWG |
There are two EPS and four PCIe connectors, so this PSU easily supports a high-end motherboard and a couple of enthusiast-oriented graphics cards.
All of the cables are long enough; however, the distance between peripheral connectors should ideally be 15cm.
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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