Seasonic Platinum Series 860W - Platinum without the Fuss
by Martin Kaffei on February 24, 2012 12:00 AM ESTIntroducing the Seasonic Platinum Series 860W
In a short time we've seen quite a few companies come out with their first 80 Plus Platinum power supplies. A couple weeks ago we reviewed the Enermax Platimax with 750W, which was a good PSU even though our testing showed slightly less than the advertised efficiency. Enermax also has a 500W Platimax unit, and there are several other brands launching or ready to launch 80 Plus Platinum offerings. Today we'll look at another sample, this time in the form of Seasonic's Platinum Series 860W.
One thing that all of the 80 Plus Platinum models have in common is that they are very expensive. Something else to consider is that there are only a limited number of companies that actually manufacture PSUs, building various models according to the specifications their partners request. Seasonic is one such company, and we can expect other brands to use variations of the Seasonic Platinum Series we're reviewing today. The 860W model we're looking at includes two different modes for controlling the fan speed, a fullly modular connector system, and DC-to-DC converters for two of the smaller output voltages.
It's been nearly a year since we reviewed Seasonic's X-560 80 Plus Gold power supply, and it's still one of the best PSUs available. The Platinum Series looks set to continue from where the X-Series left off, as their new Platinum Series is very similar to the previous generation Gold products in many respects. Which raises an interesting question: are they even able to surpass their previous generation, especially when we factor in pricing and availability? On the following pages we will show the differences between the new series and the older models, along with all the important measurements and test results.
While efficient PSUs are all the marketing rage in the world of power supplies, we should keep in mind that many manufacturers are trying to reach 80 Plus Platinum levels via "cheap tricks". Enermax and FSP decided to cut the EMI filtering while SuperFlower still has an aversion to over current protection. Shunt resistors for example transform some of the power into power loss when current flows through it, since there is a voltage drop, but that's actually their job as they measure and prevent overcurrent. We are looking forward to see a better solution from Seasonic -- which doesn't mean other solutions would be bad.
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theeldest - Friday, February 24, 2012 - link
Maybe it's just me but I didn't see any pictures of the sleeved cables, eventhough they're specifically called out as being quite nice."pics or it didnt happen"
Stuka87 - Friday, February 24, 2012 - link
I was just going to say the same thing. Was looking for photos of the cables but didn't find any.just4U - Friday, February 24, 2012 - link
I mentioned that earlier.. still waiting for a reply from Martin.Earballs - Saturday, February 25, 2012 - link
Going based on the picture of the 24pin.. it can't be /that/ nice.cyberguyz - Sunday, February 26, 2012 - link
All of the cables on my Seasonic Platunum 860 came beautifully sleeved.No complaints at all with the quality of this PSU or its bag of goodies.
aznofazns - Friday, February 24, 2012 - link
This might seem really superficial, but the main reason I probably won't get this PSU is because the 24-pin ATX connector on the PSU side isn't compatible with the 24-pin cable on the X-650. When I first heard of the Platinum Series I was intent on getting one due to the longer 8-pin EPS cable (the motherboard tray on my V2120X is too long for my current one to be routed behind). This is important to me because I'm in the process of sleeving all my cables with MDPC-X for the purpose of aesthetics.Other than that, this PSU is amazing. Seasonic consistently delivers the very best power supplies in every wattage class, and even their budget offerings outshine the competition. Will the ultra high energy efficiency recover the extra cost over time? Probably not. Almost certainly not. But at least you know you're doing the environment a slight favor and can be quite confident that your components won't be fried by a faulty PSU.
rtothedizzy - Friday, February 24, 2012 - link
If you're happy with the x-650 and you don't need there extra power then there is probably no good reason to upgrade at that cost.But.....
If you're going to all the trouble to individually sleeve the cables then "length of cables" isn't all that compelling of an excuse not to upgrade (if that's you're only reason). It's a very small additional investment in time and $$ to buy a crimper, some new atx pins, and a roll of 18 or 20 gauge wire and make new cables any length you need. It even makes sleeving easier since you don't have to get the sleeve over the connector pin (you can crimp it on after you get the sleeve on the wire). It would also let you get away with 1/16 sleeving instead of the usual 1/8.
Just a friendly suggestion :)
bigboxes - Friday, February 24, 2012 - link
You do know they sell extraction tools that allow you to remove the connectors so that you can easily sleeve your wiring.rtothedizzy - Friday, February 24, 2012 - link
Yes. I don't see how you would individually sleeve the cables (as I was talking about) without taking the pins out.ATX pins can be very difficult to get dense 1/16 sleeving over, whereas the wire with no pin is not hard at all to get 1/16 sleeving over.
Or you can just go 1/8 and it doesn't really matter.
My point remains though, if you're going to individually sleeve your cables then making longer cables out of wires and pins is not much added annoyance.
elian123 - Friday, February 24, 2012 - link
Can we expect platinum PSUs at lower wattages too? Now it only seems 750W and higher?