Seasonic Platinum Series 860W - Platinum without the Fuss
by Martin Kaffei on February 24, 2012 12:00 AM ESTDelivery Contents, Power Rating, and Fan
The contents of the Platinum 860W package are not as extensive as those of the MaxRevo series from Enermax. However, you still get two different types of cable ties, a user guide, a bag with the modular connectors, screws for installing the PC power supply in the case, a small screwdriver, and a Seasonic sticker. The ATX power supply itself is well protected from dust and dirt with a cloth bag.
One interesting feature is that Seasonic uses a high quality fan from Sanyo Denki, with a twist. As we will see when we take a closer look to the case, there's a small switch next to the modular sockets. This switch allows users to choose between active mode (the fan will always spin, even if slowly) or semi-passive operation. If the latter is selected, the fan won't rotate at loads below 40%. The idea is similar to what Seasonic offered with their X-Series, but now users have the ability to choose non-passive operation if they prefer a small amount of airflow. Seasonic also provides a 7-year warranty, though of course that doesn't say anything about the actual quality of service or support.
Similar to the X-Series the +3.3V and +5V outputs are rated at 25A each. Together these can deliver up to 125W (so it's not actually possible to draw the maximum current from both simultaneously). Meanwhile the more important +12V output is very powerful and can reach up to 852W output, though in practice the +3.3V and +5V will use some of the available power. +5VSB is rated at 3A. The first parts of the serial number tell us that this power supply was produced in December 2011.
Seasonic installed a 9S1212F04 fan from Sanyo Denki, which we've seen in many other expensive power supplies. This fan uses very good ball bearings and has seven fan blades. Seasonic covers part of the fan by a plastic foil in order to better direct airflow and reduce turbulence. In contrast to the earlier design of the X-Series, the fan speed cannot be adjusted by the duty cycle (PWM). Antec has a patent in this area and Seasonic acquired a restricted license only; thus, the fan speed regulation uses different voltages to control RPMs. With 0.19A the fan has a moderate maximum current use.
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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?