Seasonic S-12 500W Power Supply Review

Cases & PSU/Power Supplies by SidneyWong @ 2005-06-04

Power supply again! Yes, this time it comes from a manufacturer with ISO certifications plus UL, FCC, CE and CB certified. Let see how it performs in a consumer?s point of view by installing it inside a PC.

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Introduction

A little background



Switching Power supply comes with almost every electronic product we use; Printers, Battery/Cell phone Chargers, Game Console, etc, etc. We seldom have to worry about how they are rated for as long as they work. In fact, Power Supplies in PCs are no difference in many users’ mind. No one buys a Dell, Gateway or HP from Best Buy or Wal-Mart would ever question or ask for power supply wattage or rating before they purchase the system. Most Power Supplies from these major companies have smart buyers; they have engineering, quality/process control and purchasing staffs in making sure power supply vendors meet the highest standard. ISO certifications, UL, FCC, CE, CB, and other approved certifications from renowned agencies make the process of choosing the right vendors with products that meet all locate regulations and consistency production quality with a higher degree of “confident”.

Power Supply has changed greatly in recent years, not so much in design but on the supply and demand sides. Much competition in the PC market, a PC chassis with 300-400 Watts power supply could be found for less than $50, as a result there are many sub-standard power supplies on the market waiting for the uninformed DIYs which have grown in number in recent years. More DIYs assemble their own PC equals to more parts on the market. Unless your background is in Purchasing, finding a good vendor may not be easy, specially, when you never encounter power supply problem from any electronic devices before. And, many get burnt (not physically) with unstable system and endless trouble shootings to find the cause, particularly to the overclockers.


Introduction:

Many of us have not heard the name Seasonic before. Accordingly, the Company has provided timely and professional solutions to meet many of the IT industry’s requirements since 1975. Seasonic entered PC Power Supply market in 1980, it’s factory located in Dong Guan, China, received ISO9002 certification in 1997 and ISO9001 in 2000 signals consistency in manufacturing process and product quality.

Beginning 2004, Seasonic began development of green and silent power supplies with higher efficiency and higher output. Today, we are looking into one of the Seasonic’s latest offerings, the S12-500 power supply.

Madshrimps (c)


Specifications –


Madshrimps (c)

500 Watts (S12-500):
  • +3.3V: 30A / +5.0V: 30A
  • +3.3V & +5.5V Combined: 180W
  • +12V1: 17A / +12V2: 16A
  • Total: 500W



  • Features

    Dual +12V Outputs
    • Independent dual +12V output lines for increased safety & twice the applications.

    120mm Cyclone Cooling Fan: >61CFM
    • Double the airflow with half the RPM & noise.
    • Outperforms all dual-fan units on the market.
    • Cools your system more quickly and quietly.
    • Longer lifespan due to high CFM, lower RPM and strategic fan placement.

    Patented Easy Swap Connector
    • Unplug the connectors easily & quickly.

    All-in-one Connector Design
    • Supports PC, IPC, workstation, server, and dual CPU systems.

    Dual 6-pin PCI-Express / SLI Graphics connectors
    • To meet enthusiasts’ 3D-imaging demands, the S12-500 and S12-600 models offer dual 6-pin connectors with
    sufficient current capacity for PCI-Express & SLI systems. Super High Efficiency: Up to 80%
    • Cool, quiet, reliable & energy saving.
    • Surpasses the market average efficiency of 68%.
    • Saves 15% energy; runs 40% cooler.
    • Optimal solution for low noise, thermal & high reliability.

    Active Power Factor Correction: 99% PF
    • Conserve electricity & our environment.
    • Improves working power fact from the typical 50% to a near-perfect 99%.
    • Improves energy utilization to cut your bill in half.
    • Environment friendly technology.

    Smart & Silent Fan Control: S2FC
    • Silent enthusiast's best choice.
    • Reduces noise without increasing temperature.
    • Extends fan life by eliminating unnecessary rotation.
    • Automatic temperature adjustment prevents manual errors.

    Ultra Ventilation: Honeycomb Structure
    • Maximum ventilation & minimum air resistance.
    • Optimum-balanced structure for strength and ventilation.
    • Enhances airflow to solve thermal and noise problems.

    Cable Management Kit:
    • Dr. Cable
    • Make your PC tidy & neat.
    • Eases access to the connectors.
    • Smoothes airflow to improve cooling.

    3-Year Warranty
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