[H]ard|OCP

Navigation

• [H] Forums
• Archives
• Search
• [H] Folding

Seasonic S12II-500 Power Supply Review

Our readers have asked for us to cover mainstream PSUs from well known builders and we figure that Seasonic is the perfect candidate. Today we review their new 500 watt S12II desktop power supply and find out just how great of a PSU Seasonic really builds.

Introduction

In the power supply realm when consumers think of quiet and efficient power supplies the first company that comes to mind is Seasonic and today we gladly present our first review of the king of silent efficient power. This review has been a long time in the making as we have patiently waited for the new revision to Seasonic's flagship product line, the S12 series that first debuted in Q1 2005, the S12II. However, in the interim we had our first experience with a Seasonic product as they were the OEM that built the Corsair HX620 but as yet we have not looked at any of Seasonic’s own branded power supplies.

Seasonic is one of the older companies producing consumer power supplies having been founded in 1975 and entering the PC power supply production market in 1980. During that more than 30 years as a company Seasonic has cultivated lines of power supplies that are today some of the standard bearers for efficiency and quiet computing. This focus, and their reputation for quality, has lead to a real explosion in production as Seasonic can be found providing OEM services on various model lines for Antec, Corsair, PC Power and Cooling, and of course under their own Seasonic brand. Today however, we will be looking at one of Seasonic's own new model lines the in the guise of the Seasonic S12II-500 (SS12II-500).

The Sound of Silence....

Given Seasonic’s branding, history, and reputation it is safe to say that their products are going to aim firmly at the quiet and efficient markets which are of great interest to many HTPC users. However, while they do not have a large number of high wattage power supplies available under their own brand in the US (though some partners such as PC Power and Cooling do) they are most certainly also considering the high end user/gaming market with their products. So how does Seasonic view themselves striking this balance?

The S12II series is made up of 330, 380, 430 & 500 watts units. Each of the Windows Vista™ ready power supply not only meets but also surpasses the stringent 80 PLUS® requirements. This feature combined with a power factor correction factor of 0.99, total computer system energy usage can be reduced by up to 20%, surpassing even the original S12’s performance levels. Technically, the S12II is a dual 12V rails Double Forward Converter circuit design. High grade Conductive Solid Polymer Aluminum Capacitors are used to further enhance performance and reliability. These capacitors offer improved heat resistance and conductivity over the market standard electrolytic capacitors. Additionally, this high efficiency power supply uses finned and staggered T-shaped aluminum heat sinks to better dissipate the heat and at the same time, cooled by a large 12cm ball bearing fan connected to our Super Low Noise Fan control for near silent operations at most load conditions. The new S12II series comes with all the necessary cabling to meet current peripherals’ requirements. Depending on model, the new 6+2Pin PCI-E connector is also available for next generation graphics cards. The S12II meets all EU regulations for RoHS, WEEE and major safety requirements. The new design, the use of high end components coupled with superior efficiency and silence performance, all make the S12II the new bench mark for PC power supplies.

Now that we know what Seasonic expects from this power supply let’s see what we have to look forward to when we purchase the S12II-500 in terms of documentation, accessories, cable count, rail layout, output characteristics, and general build quality.