Testing – Cont’d
Testing — Differential Temperature and Noise Levels
The differential temperature across the S12-600 power supply was calculated by subtracting the ambient room air temperature (T in) from the temperature of the warm exhaust air flowing out of the power supply (T out). Thermocouples were placed at the air inlet and exhaust outlet of the power supply. The ambient room air temperature was 24ºC (75ºF) +/- 0.5ºC during testing.
T in = temperature of air entering power supply
T out = temperature of air exhausting from power supply
ΔT = T out – T in
The Seasonic S12-600 power supply uses a temperature-controlled fan that speeds up as the load (internal heat generation) increases.
Sound pressure level readings were taken 3′ in front of the PSU in an otherwise quiet room. The power supply was placed on a foam rubber mouse pad during testing. The ambient noise level was ~30 dBA. The sound level meter used for these tests is only calibrated down to 35 dBA. All readings below this were recorded as <35 dBA. In my opinion this is very quiet and would not be noticed over normal case fan and hard disk drive noise.
The Seasonic S12-600 was nice and quiet — virtually silent, even while operating continuously under a moderately heavy load. The exhaust air temperature was also quite low, another good indication of higher efficiency (less power is converted into heat 🙂
Price – $/Watt
And finally we have pricing for the S12-600 power supply. I have also included the average cost per watt.
This is the MSRP as of January 2005. The Seasonic S12 series power supplies are expected to be available through retail stores in February 2005 and become widely available thru online resellers in March.
If you don’t need the huge output capacity offered by the S12-600, there are four other S12 series units available (330, 380, 430, and 500).
At first glance the S12-600 PSU may seem a bit pricey but you have to remember this unit can output up to 600 watts of power, is very efficient, and comes with a 3-year warranty.
Hey I still have this PSU. It
Hey I still have this PSU. It hasn’t seen much action in two years or so but I bought it in 2011. Think I can still use it in a new Skylake i7 build today?
Thanks
I had this psu from 2005 till
I had this psu from 2005 till this day 2018. I changed it to RM650x due modularity. It has been working flawlessly and now trying to sell. Awesome PSU..