A Detailed Look
The PRIME Ultra Titanium Series power supplies incorporate extremely tight voltage regulation, which Seasonic calls Micro Tolerance Load Regulation (MTLR). This results in the three primary rails (+3.3V, +5V, and +12V) exhibiting less than or equal to 0.5% voltage drop within the tight 2% voltage regulation range!
Micro Tolerance Load Regulation – MTLR
(Courtesy of Seasonic)
One of the techniques that Seasonic uses to achieve such tight load regulation is remote voltage sensing, which is implemented by adding voltage sense wires to the 24-pin ATX cable bundle. For the +3.3V, +5V and +12V DC outputs load carrying wires deliver power from the PSU to the 24-pin ATX connector. But additional wires are added to “sense” each of the voltages at the ATX connector and send a signal back to the load regulation circuits. As the load increases, voltage typically drops at the connector, and the load regulation circuits compensate by slightly increasing the output voltages as the loads go up.
The Seasonic PRIME Ultra 850W Titanium power supply enclosure is painted satin black with white lettering and chrome fan grill trim. The PSU measures 170mm (6.7”) long. Note: the PRIME Ultra 650W and 750W chassis are 140mm (5.5”) deep. The back panel includes an On-Off switch, AC receptacle and a Hybrid Mode switch to enable or disable fanless operation.
The power supply uses a high-quality 135mm Hong Hua low-speed fan (HA13525L12F-Z) that incorporates a fluid dynamic bearing for quiet operation and long, reliable life. The fan is rated for 0.22A and 1600 rpm at 12 VDC. Note this is a change from previous PRIME models that used the medium speed version of this fan.
The PRIME 850W front panel includes sixteen connectors for the modular cables, all nicely keyed and labeled.
The PRIME Ultra Titanium Series power supplies each come with an excellent assortment of fully modular cables for easy installation and clean builds. All of the cables are the flat ribbon-style except for the 24-pin ATX cable which is covered with black plastic braiding.
(Courtesy of Seasonic)
Under the Hood
Here are a few pictures showing the layout and components inside the PRIME Ultra 850W Titanium power supply. Of course Seasonic is the OEM! The layout and build quality appear to be excellent.
Seasonic is using a state of the art, high-performance full-bridge LLC, Synchronous Rectification power conversion design along with DC-to-DC voltage regulators located on a daughter card to provide outstanding voltage regulation and high efficiency. The new PRIME Ultra models feature an improved DC to DC converter design that uses pins and a copper plate to replace wires that connect the back panel connector board to the converter’s PCB.
All of the Japanese made capacitors are rated for 105°C operation. For example the two primary electrolytic bulk capacitors are made by Nippon Chemi-con and rated at 470uF/680uF, 400V, and 105°C.
Nice Review. I always enjoy
Nice Review. I always enjoy the details. : )
One question though. Are there any companies that are selling PSU’s in the 700-900 Watt range, that have a better efficiency than Titanium ?
Dell was supposedly the first to get Titanium on the market, but I was wondering if there’s a company that has been bold, and put a product that is beyond Titanium+ ?
Personally, I want the most efficient PSU possible, because of high room temps, due to climate of my country.
Thank you – we are glad you
Thank you – we are glad you enjoy the reviews! Currently, within the 80 Plus Orginaization certification criteria, Titanium is the highest rating. Keep in mind that this is a minimum specification and a vendor can always produce a product that exceeds the criteria (even better efficiency). For example, if Seasonic came out with a new Super Ultra PSU that achieved 98% efficiency it would still be labelled a Titanium unit.
Thanks for the response Lee.
Thanks for the response Lee. : )
Do you know of any PSU’s that meet the criteria that you mentioned ?
I thought you would be best to ask, because your company probably sees tons of titanium PSU’s, and maybe you remember the literally best % efficiency PSU.
I would be very interested in buying a PSU that exceeds Titanium Standards.
If you can’t remember any, that’s alright, Titanium is great for now, but I’m always looking for better.
I have high temperatures where my PC sits, so every % point of efficiency, makes a big difference to me.
No, I am not aware of any ATX
No, I am not aware of any ATX PSUs that operate up to 98% efficiency – sorry. Most of the "Titanium" series PSUs I have tested in the last year peak at about 94% efficiency.
If you really want to optomize the efficiency of your PC, make sure you match the PSU to the actual load your PC is pulling. For example in this review, the efficiency of the PRIME Ultra 850W Titanium peaks at about 60% load. Ideally you should measure the actual load of your PC with an inexpensive AC watt meter and then select a PSU that has a peak efficiency around that load. An 850W PSU would be ideal for a PC that draws 450~550W. Hope this helps.
Cooler Masters Made in Japan
Cooler Masters Made in Japan 1200W unit exceeds Titanium standards.
That being said, why do you need such high efficiency? 80 Plus ratings are a scam and youre better off with a bronze unit thats high quality than some arbitrarily 80 plus titanium rated thing.
Ya why would anyone want to
Ya why would anyone want to know what efficiency to expect with a shiny marketing sticker. I mean like c’mon the bronze is good enough for gaming right but it is just arbitrary anyways. Who cares I can get a 300W supply for like 15 bucks 80 plus standards are such a sham.
How long is a power supply
How long is a power supply run at say, 450w to test the temperature of air coming out and noise?
We test a PSU for 30 minutes
We test a PSU for 30 minutes at each load point to let temperatures equilibrate.
I bought a Prime Titanium 650
I bought a Prime Titanium 650 about 8 months ago. What makes this new model any different?
For example, it says: “The PRIME Ultra Series builds upon the PRIME Titanium platform by delivering extremely tight voltage regulation on the three primary rails (+3.3V, +5V and +12V) and providing superior AC ripple and noise suppression with an extended hold-up time.”
Does that mean the Ultra has better voltage regulation, AC ripple and noise suppression? They’re both Titanium rated, so should have the same basic specs.
Then we get this “informative” blurb: “This leading member of the series boasts an improved DC to DC converter design where pins and a copper plate replace cables to connect the back panel and the PCB for increased efficiency.”
Does that mean the original Prime DOESN’T have pins and a copper plate?
The packaging looks exactly the same as the one I got, and there is no Ultra marking on the box.
Help me out here…
From their website: ‘Each
From their website: ‘Each PRIME Ultra Series power supply will also ship with a SATA 3.3 adapter to support the “Power Disable” (PWDIS) feature of the newer, high-capacity hard drives. The inline capacitors on the cables were removed, which takes away the bulkiness inside the system. To maximize flexibility, the 180-degree SATA connectors ensuring more flexibility and easier installation.’
The new “Ultra” series
The new "Ultra" series incorporates minor tweaks to the basic PRIME Titanium platform. The features the reader above pointed out are the most obvious external differences. Internally the new Ultra series appears virtually identical – Seasonic doesn't say what minor tweaks they may have made to the circuit design, but I'm guessing they are minor as the PRIME Titanium was already a VERY GOOD platform. I believe the earlier PRIME Titanium units (without the Ultra name) also had the pins & plate. Seasonic is just pointing this out as an included feature. If you have a PRIME Titanium PSU you don't need to worry about missing out on any big improvements. As far as basic performance parameters, I have seen no real difference between the original PRIME Titanium and the new Ultra models: same great efficiency, voltage regulation, AC ripple suppression, etc.!