Seasonic X-Series 560W
by Martin Kaffei on March 22, 2011 4:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- Seasonic
- PSUs
- 80Plus Gold
- 560W
- X-Series
Noise, Efficiency, and Power Factor
| Sound Pressure Level | |
| Load | dB(A) |
| 10% | 0 |
| 20% | 0 |
| 50% | 18 |
| 80% | 23 |
| 100% | 30 |
| 110% | 32 |
There is no noise during low loads since the fan doesn't rotate until the PSU is putting out more than ~112W. If you select appropriate components elsewhere, you can actually use this to create a silent system for low to moderate loads, and you won't have to worry about burning anything out at higher loads. In addition, the RPMs are tolerable up to 50% load. Beyond that point, this PSU is no more silent than competing solutions, but we should keep in mind that most GPUs are louder while gaming so the results are fine. If you want to get uncompromising silence at all loads you can buy the X-460FL, but if silence is the goal you won't want to run higher-end GPUs.
Efficiency and PFC
| 115VAC, 60Hz | ||
| Load | Efficiency | PFC |
| 10% | 82% | 0.975 |
| 20% | 87% | 0.990 |
| 50% | 91% | 0.993 |
| 80% | 91% | 0.995 |
| 100% | 90% | 0.996 |
| 110% | 89% | 0.997 |
This is basically an 850W PSU that doesn't always run the fan. We can see that the efficiency is a bit low at 10% load, but 80 Plus doesn't worry about anything below 20%. The efficiency also drops off slightly at higher loads, but it does meet or exceed the 80 Plus Gold requirements (87/90/87% effeciency at 20/50/100% loads). We are also very happy with the high PFC at all loads, though this is no surprise for the American 115VAC power grid; Europeans and others on 230VAC will have to accept lower PFC but get slightly higher efficiency in return.
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Ikefu - Tuesday, March 22, 2011 - link
I purchased a Seasonic X-750 a few weeks ago for my new desktop and I can honestly say its one of the best PSUs I've ever had. The fan never runs except during long gaming sessions and even then it only remains on for short bursts and is so quiet I never notice it. The noise of my last desktop bothered my wife in our shared office so I was trying to get as quiet a build as possible without sacrificing power and this hit the spot. I'm a definite Seasonic convert after using the X750.PS If you watch Newegg you can catch some great prices. I got my X-750 for $130 during one of their weekend sales.
ckryan - Wednesday, March 23, 2011 - link
I second that. I bought an X-650 and was able to get it on sale for $110 with free shipping. I wanted the 460 Fanless, but was more than satisfied to get an x-650 and save $50. Consider me converted.By the way, with a new Sandy Bridge setup, I find that the fan almost never comes on, not due to defect, but due to super low power consumption. It takes a while under load to get the fan to turn on. Due to the proximity of the PSU to my head, I can tell when it turns on, but only with the sides off the case. The PSU is mounted in the bottom-front of my case and I discovered my fears of the fan always running were unfounded.
The X series might be the finest yet. I feel like it's the highest end piece of gear in my computer. I can always get a better GPU or CPU, but it's hard to get a better PSU than these.
Mr Perfect - Tuesday, March 22, 2011 - link
This is a piddly little suggestion, but velcro straps instead of zip ties would be really appreciated. At work we used to bind up almost every cable we could get our hands on(sans Cat5) with zip ties in an effort to keep thing neat and tidy, but after a contractor came in and used some velcro there's no turning back. No longer do we have to bring a pair of wire cutters to every job and delicately snip away the zip ties without nicking anything else. On the other hand, zip ties are pennies each, and velcro isn't. It still would be nice on the flagship product line though.On another note, have Seasonic been working on any new small form factor SFX PSUs? Really looking forward to those too.
etamin - Tuesday, March 22, 2011 - link
I recommended my friend to purchase the X560 two months ago for a build I'm doing for him. The "cable ties" mentioned in the article are actually velcro straps. There are three of them. I personally own the X750 which did not come with velcro straps.Mr Perfect - Wednesday, March 23, 2011 - link
Really? Nice! I was squinting at the one product shot in the article and thought I saw regular zip ties.Denithor - Tuesday, March 22, 2011 - link
Seconded! Would definitely be interested in a high quality + quiet sff psu for my htpc setup...
Mr Perfect - Wednesday, March 23, 2011 - link
Yes, not a whole lot of competition out there in SFX land. Silverstone has the SFX ST45SF, but that's the only thing I'm aware of.strikeback03 - Wednesday, March 23, 2011 - link
I know some of the Enermax PSUs come with velcro cable ties, so it certainly can be doneUwanna - Tuesday, March 22, 2011 - link
I have lost every power supply I have owned in my personal PCs for the last 15 years due to capasitor failure. All of the caps were ones that were buried under a ton of wires coming into the power supply at the point where they are soldered to the PCB.With design I expect that problem to be history!
The solid caps, great air flow over the liquid caps, and fantastic quality parts i expect this power supplie to "Rule Them All" !!
For now anyway :)
Tim
Alexvrb - Tuesday, March 22, 2011 - link
There's no doubt in my mind that Seasonic power supplies rule, and this model in particular is very, very nice. Well worth the money.