Seasonic X-400FL Platinum 400W Power Supply Review @ [H]

FrgMstr

FrgMstr

Just Plain Mean
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Seasonic X-400FL Platinum 400W Power Supply Review - This new Seasonic PSU touts Platinum efficiency, a fully modular design, and a host of other enthusiast worthy hardware features that will ring true with those looking for a what might be "the best" 400 watt PSU on the market. For those of you looking to build that truly powerful HTPC, this PSU also offers silent operation.
 
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Very nice fanless PSU for a low-power build, such as a media center, but whew, so expensive at $120.
 
A lovely article. Thank you for your hard work.

One small thing I would point out: as a fanless unit, this PSU depends upon convection for cooling, so I'm not sure putting it in your incubator (per your test document) is reasonable. Indeed, I chose the FT02 case for my quiet PC (see sig) so that airflow was maximised and air from the CPU would not affect the PSU nor vice versa.
 
Quartz-1 said:
One small thing I would point out: as a fanless unit, this PSU depends upon convection for cooling, so I'm not sure putting it in your incubator (per your test document) is reasonable. Indeed, I chose the FT02 case for my quiet PC (see sig) so that airflow was maximised and air from the CPU would not affect the PSU nor vice versa.
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I would consider the incubator test absolutely required for fanless PSUs. A lot of these will probably end up in a closed cabinet in a media room, so they need to be able to survive low or no circulation situations well. For $120, it had damned well better be able to survive the extraordinary.
 
You know what I miss? The brutal reviews of cheap PSUs that burst into flame. Those are fun!

OT: this looks nice. Might consider it for my next MCE build.
 
I have the original, its currently being shipped to a new location, loved that PSU and worth every penny, I like that seasonic is keeping this line alive and well. 400watts is even over kill at the HTPC level, I think my PC draws something like 70watts at peak.

After running movies non stop on mine I'd have to say I don't remember my case getting hot at all. Its currently in an Antec Fusion.
 
Trimlock said:
I have the original, its currently being shipped to a new location, loved that PSU and worth every penny, I like that seasonic is keeping this line alive and well. 400watts is even over kill at the HTPC level, I think my PC draws something like 70watts at peak.
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At 400W it isn't aimed at the HTPC segment. Actually, 400W isn't really enough. I have a 460W version (rebadged by Silverpower) and that's enough for a Titan, but 400W wouldn't be.
 
Quartz-1 said:
At 400W it isn't aimed at the HTPC segment. Actually, 400W isn't really enough. I have a 460W version (rebadged by Silverpower) and that's enough for a Titan, but 400W wouldn't be.
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um........
Normal people don't put a Titan in a HTPC. HTPCs are meant for movies. Low power, small & quiet. 400w is PLENTY for an titanless-HTPC (99.999% of htpcs).

Again, the primary function of an HTPC is to play movies. Not games. and certainly NOT with a $1000 video card. 200w should be plenty for an HTPC. A 400w psu in a HTPC would be enough to power a $200 video card as well, which would be adequate for medium-duty gaming.
 
Quartz-1 said:
At 400W it isn't aimed at the HTPC segment. Actually, 400W isn't really enough. I have a 460W version (rebadged by Silverpower) and that's enough for a Titan, but 400W wouldn't be.
Click to expand...

My HTPC was aimed at quiet, at the time of purchase there were smaller power PSU's that aimed at being silent while having the characteristics of this PSU in regards to being efficient and also being at or more then the asking price. I was able to land mine for $90 after rebates and a sale.

Plus this HTPC will most likely get my 7850 DCII after I upgrade one of my rigs. The card is very silent as I don't think I've ever heard it.
 
J Macker said:
um........
Normal people don't put a Titan in a HTPC. HTPCs are meant for movies. Low power, small & quiet. 400w is PLENTY for an titanless-HTPC (99.999% of htpcs).
Click to expand...

Heh. It seems I accidentally deleted the middle part of my post. 400W is way overkill for a HTPC, but not enough for a gaming PC with a high-end graphics card.
 
How does this unit compare to Super Flower Golden Silent 500w? I own one and it's been on the market for a year almost if not longer.
 
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