Final Thoughts and Conclusions
Seasonic’s PRIME Series continues to impress us and the new PRIME Ultra 850W Titanium power supply just confirms that thanks to its outstanding performance and features. By adding Ultra to the PRIME Titanium Series name, Seasonic is differentiating these refined units, which will eventually replace the current models, and become Seasonic’s new flagship line of power supplies.
The PRIME Ultra 850W Titanium power supply excelled in every way throughout our testing. Here is a brief overview of the various areas in which we expect a PSU to perform and deliver. In each case the PRIME Ultra 850W Titanium power supply met or exceeded our expectations.
• Tight voltage/load regulation (=0.5% is outstanding)
• Excellent AC ripple and noise suppression – check
• High efficiency – it doesn’t get any better than 80 Plus Titanium
• Selectable fanless fan control mode – check
• Very quiet, high quality FDB fan – check
• Fully or semi-modular cable design – check
• Flat ribbon-style and/or sleeved cables – check
• High-quality components and excellent build quality – check
• At least a 5-year warranty (12-Years is outstanding)
Once again, the electrical performance of the PRIME Ultra 850W Titanium power supply was spectacular. What really stands out is the super-tight voltage regulation (thanks to Seasonic’s Micro Tolerance Load Regulation), 80 Plus Titanium efficiency and excellent AC ripple and noise suppression. We also like the ability to choose whether or not to run in fanless mode or not (I personally like to have the fan spinning at all times to keep a little air moving). And the PRIME Ultra Titanium Series features fully modular, flat ribbon-style cables and a large, quiet cooling fan with a Fluid Dynamic Bearing. (Note: the PRIME Ultra series uses an upgraded fan with a lower max rpm for very quiet operation.) In addition to stellar performance, the PRIME Ultra 850W Titanium power supply offers a full complement of safety and protection features and comes backed by a 12-year warranty!
• MSRP for PRIME Ultra 650W Titanium $159.90 USD
• MSRP for PRIME Ultra 750W Titanium $179.90 USD
• MSRP for PRIME Ultra 850W Titanium $209.90 USD
• MSRP for PRIME Ultra 1000W Titanium $259.90 USD
Strengths:
• 650W, 750W, 850W or 1000W continuous DC output
• Ultra-high efficiency, 80 PLUS Titanium certified
• Micro-Tolerance Load Regulation (MTLR)
• Quiet, high-quality 135mm fan with Fluid Dynamic Bearing
• Premium Hybrid Fan Control (allows fanless operation at low power)
• Superior AC ripple and noise suppression (under 20 mV)
• Extended Hold-up time (above 30 ms)
• Fully modular cabling design
• Dedicated PCI-E connectors (one connector per cable)
• Multi-GPU technologies supported
• Gold-plated high-current terminals
• Protections: OPP,OVP,UVP,SCP,OCP and OTP
• 12-Year Manufacturer’s warranty
Weaknesses :
• None noted
Seasonic PRIME Ultra 850W Titanium Power Supply
And once again, our thanks to Seasonic for designing such a capable power supply and sending us one to review!
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.!