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Seasonic S12 500w Power Supply Review

With the recent rise in the popularity of SLi, the need for reliable SLi compatible power supplies also has increased. For those who are building a system on a budget, choosing an inexpensive, yet reliable power supply can be a tedious decision.

Company:

Sea Sonic Electronics Co. LTD, www.seasonicusa.com

Price:

$129.00 US at Newegg.com

Ratings

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Getting Started

Today, we’ll try to make that decision a little easier when looking at Seasonic’s S12-500 Power Supply. Sporting two 12v rails and a combined power output of 500w, this power supply is more than cable of handling any pair of nVidia video cards by two SLi certified six-pin power connectors. One rare thing that you will find on this power supply is the innovative design that Seasonic has created to combat the problematic issue of removing standard IDE power connectors with their patented Easy Swap Connector.

A standout amongst power supplies with similar pricing, the Seasonic does not cut corners by using sub-par components. This can not only be determined by the small heatsinks used, which is due to its efficiency of converting AC to DC, but by the weight of the unit.

Both cable design and cable management play an important role in choosing a power supply. The S12-500 has adequate cable length for any mid to full tower case, elevating any headaches that could be caused by a cable just a few inches too short. Along with 6 IDE power connectors, it also features 4 SATA drive power connectors along with an auxiliary 12V connector for dual CPU motherboards.

Click on picture to enlarge image

If there is downfall of this power supply, it would be in the area of cable management. The power cables are not pre-wrapped, but rather you are supplied with what I would deem as pre-molded plastic wrap. There are only two of these plastic wraps supplied, one was for the 24pin ATX cable, while the other one could be used for either an IDE or SATA power cable. Also supplied are cable ties and a plastic bracket to keep all the cables in one place. I would recommend to anyone that is considering this power supply to pick up an aftermarket braided kit. In spite of this downfall, Seasonic did twist all the wires which allows for more efficient air flow throughout the case.

Using a Fluke 88V Multimeter, we proceeded to test the 12V+, 5V+, and 3.3V+ during boot, idle, and heavy load times. With the creation of the ATX 2.0 specification, all readings must be within 5% of their specified output.

Test System

The system used to test the XG Magnum 500 is as follows:

• AMD X2 4200+ @ 2600 (10 x 260FSB)
• DFI nF4 Ultra D
• 2 x 1GB Crucial Ballistix Tracer PC4000
• 2 x eVGA 7800 GT 256MB (485/1125)
• Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum
• 1 x 74GB Western Digital Raptor 10,000 RPM
• 1 x 160GB Samsung 7,200 RPM
• Lite-On DVDRW SOH-1633S
• Lite-On COMBO LTC-48161H

The quality of this power supply can be seen in the readings we took from it. The most important of all three readings was the 12v, which proved to be constant across the board at 12.1v. This is important as it is where the most important (and expensive) components draw their power. Going down the line, the 5.5v did budge more than any other rail, but was nominal and well within specification peaking at 5.08v. And last the 3.3v was almost near stable but dropped by .02v to 3.35v during boot and load. All rails were within the ATX 2.0 specification of being within 5% of their specified voltage output and were within 1% variance between idle, load, and boot readings.

Features and Specifications
Brand	SeaSonic
Model	S12-500
Type	ATX12V
Maximum Power	500W
Fans	1
PFC	Active
Main Connector	20+4-Pin
Dual +12V	Yes
SLi Support	nVIDIA SLI Certified
Efficiency	Up to 80%
Input Voltage	100 - 240V
Input Frequency Range	50/60Hz
Output	+3.3V@30A, +5V@30A, +12V1@17A, +12V2@16A, -12V@0.8A, +5VSB@2A
MTBF	>100,000 HRS
Approvals	UL, CE, CB, FCC
Features	Patented Easy Swap Connector, Ultra Ventilation: Honeycomb Structure

Adding It All Up

Quality is second nature to Seasonic and this is clearly evident on the overall design and top-notch components used inside the S12. A clear standout amongst other power supplies in the same cost categories, it could easily compare with power supplies that cost upwards of $250. In the end, the Seasonic S12-500 is an excellent choice for any upcoming system build, especially those on a budget.

Because of the excellent quality we are awarding the Seasonic S12 500 watt Power Supply the UpgradAdvisor.com Recommended Upgrade Seal of Approval!!!

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