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
Conclusion
Open your dictionary under the letter "Q", search for the word "quality", and you could just as easily put a picture of a Seasonic power supply. Seasonic offers a full set of modular cables, passive cooling below 20% load, and they do this while delivering very low ripple and noise results. With the X-560, Seasonic has created another market leader.
Starting with the connectors, Seasonic shows an instinctive feeling for different PC configurations we don't often find. The shorter peripheral cables with up to 50cm are perfect for HTPCs while the CPU and PCIe cables are long enough for larger cases. The FDD adapter is there if you need it. Even so, two 6/8-pin PCIe connectors are only average for a 560W power supply. Other manufacturers (e.g. Arctic Cooling with their Fusion 550) provide up to four PEG connectors. However, it's unlikely most users would need (or want) to power two high-end GPUs using all four connectors with only a 560W PSU, so this is only a small point of criticism. The X-560 has good-looking cable sleeving, a very long CPU cable (65cm), and moreover eight SATA connectors.
The most important advantages are the high-quality components. The SiC diode for PFC, MOSFETs with good characteristics, and a great line filtering stage are just a short part of what Seasonic provides. Since our sample came from a retailer, we're also happy to see that Seasonic is using quality Japanese capacitors in all of their "X-Series" products. In addition, the soldering quality is a feast for the eyes. Seasonic offers all important safety functions as well as an expensive flame-retardant PCB material.
With ripple and noise results below 30 mV, every enthusiast should be satisfied. +3.3V and +5V show less than 10mV while the load is below 20%. The voltage regulation is great as well. +5V has nearly no visible drop while +12V is always clearly above 12.00V. The fan might rotate quickly above 80% loads and generate some noise, but most GPUs (typically required to get a system to draw upwards of 300W) will end up louder than this PSU. More important is the ability for this PSU to run silent during low loads; if you write an email or use excel there will be no noise from the PSU fan, but you'll want to carefully select other components if silence is your goal.
Looking at online prices, $120 USD is a lot for a 560W PSU, but there's nothing that says lower wattage PSUs should be cheap, especially if they're 80 Plus Gold certified and deliver the quality of the X-560. We can see a clear difference between the previously tested Antec 550W ($90 USD) and the OCZ 550W ($70 USD) and the Seasonic X-Series 560W. The latest Seasonic is more efficient, has high output reserves, and comes with a long-life (and quiet) Sanyo Denki fan. Customers will have to decide if they need/want these features, or if they'd rather save a few bucks and snatch up an Antec or OCZ instead.
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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.