The Seasonic PRIME Titanium PSU (650W, 750W, 850W) Review: Mythical Performance
by E. Fylladitakis on April 7, 2017 9:00 AM ESTConclusion
In this review we had a look at Seasonic’s latest top series, the PRIME Titanium 650W, 750W and 850W PSUs. They are not the most powerful models on the market designed for quad-GPU beats, but they are the technologically best units that Seasonic is currently offering to consumers.
It is slightly ironic to label these units as Seasonic’s “technological pinnacle”, because they are not using any of the latest “leading” topologies or technologies. As a matter of fact, their core topology is relatively common and simple; just a typical input bridge converter and APFC circuit, a resonant LLC full bridge on the primary with synchronous rectification on the secondary. It is a configuration that we have seen many times in the past, yet no other designer before Seasonic has ever reached such performance figures with it.
Seasonic made it easy for us to summarize the entirety of these units’ performance in just one word: mythical. The very high efficiency that easily broke the 80Plus Titanium certification requirements with 230V AC input was a small surprise at first, but surprise turned to shock when we began testing the units inside our hotbox. Not only the high ambient temperatures hardly shook the efficiency of the units, the power quality and voltage regulation figures were just incredible.
The AnandTech Recommended Award
For the Seasonic PRIME Titanium Series
Before testing these three units, we would not believe that such performance would be possible with a consumer-grade PC PSU.
In terms of quality, Seasonic did not hold back at all. We found only top-tier quality components in the PRIME Titanium PSUs, even down to the least significant elements of the design. The fact that the three units that we have tested display almost indistinguishable performance under the same load conditions suggests that there are no discrepancies due to component characteristics. Seasonic covers the PRIME Titanium units with a 12-year warranty, which is more than reassuring. The only small issue here is that the designer had to sacrifice some acoustics performance to ensure that the internal temperatures of the units will remain very low, even under very adverse operating conditions.
So perhaps the only real enemy of the new Seasonic PRIME Titanium series is their own retail price tag. Seasonic aims to be the best vendor with their OEM designs, and it all comes at a cost. With the 650W, 750W and 850W units retailing for $160, $175 and $200 respectively, many regular users will be satisfied with the performance of an “average” 80Plus Gold certified unit that will cost half as much, or even less. With all that being said, the retail price of these three units is not forbiddingly high - super high end PSUs reaching 1200W and above can come in at similar W/$.
But for these price tags, you get one of the most stunning PSU designs available today, combined with high efficiencies and a long warranty to back it up.
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Laststop311 - Monday, April 10, 2017 - link
I have a crucial mx 300 2TB for my storage and im waiting for 256GB optane SSD's to switch that over the boot drive and most used apps. I am not bothering with the caching version.Laststop311 - Monday, April 10, 2017 - link
o and i got it the 2tb ssd or 476 out the door here on sale https://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?p=2050MX3SD1&...Laststop311 - Monday, April 10, 2017 - link
no optical drive all drive cages removed for max airflow as well. I am the most proud of the build if u cant tell it's in my bedroom and i cant even hear it when i sleep. I'm so ecstatic.Laststop311 - Monday, April 10, 2017 - link
email me is u need help building this exact PC i promise there isnt a single person that wont be thrilled to have it jtarmeni1 (AT) (g)(mail(dot)comLaststop311 - Monday, April 10, 2017 - link
and dont bother with any ram above 3400mhz cas 14 3400mhz provides the best performance of all ram trust me i tried.Laststop311 - Monday, April 10, 2017 - link
the higher timings negates the performance and u spend more money, until they release 3600 cas 14 3400 cas 14 is the fastestjo-82 - Monday, April 10, 2017 - link
Am i the only one who finds 40 dB(A) @ 50% load (300W) out of the question?Exodite - Tuesday, April 11, 2017 - link
No, though I've come to the realization that you have to treat dB measurements as an internal metric for each article/site and not an universal truth.Variations due to measuring methodology, equipment and ambient sound level means dB measurements don't compare well across different reviewers/sites.
Personally I prefer always-on equipment such as case and CPU fans to idle <20 dB and load noise, including GPUs, <30-35 dB so I reckon I'm in a similar position. Some reviewers, a surprising number even, have ambient sound levels higher than I'd tolerate even a fully loaded computer to make.
More than that dB measurements fail to pick up sound characteristics. A great fan/cooler can be tolerable at higher dB levels because the only real sound tends to be from moving air, a soft "whoosh" if you will. The bad ones add ticking or grinding, for example I find the default Radeon fans to be completely intolerable at any load level. And even fanless equipment may be saddled with electrical noise that cut right through the case and ambient sound.
In the end you really have to listen yourself to make a judgment and if that's not an option rely on a comparison to a unit you've heard yourself that's been tested by the same reviewer/under the same conditions.
Laststop311 - Tuesday, April 11, 2017 - link
u wont be disappointed with a 750 watt seasonic prime. The fans dont even turn on until u hit 375 watts of power draw. Which basically means even maxing out ur cpu isnt enough to turn them on. You have to play a game and most games utilize like on averahe 80% of ur cpu and yea the fan on the psu is dead silent when it does spin. Concentrate and getting a quiet GPU. Get a triple slot with GPU with a HUGE heatsink and adjust the fan profile till right before you hear it. The highe heatsink makes yup for the large speed. I really like the triple slot gpu's with 3x 100mm FDB fans plus nh d15s noctual cooler using liquid metal paste and the awesome titanium rated seasonic psu. With 11 blade fractacl venturi high flow fans with thge drave cages inside removed. this way you need no static pressure so even on low speeds the air pushes deep into the case and since its 2x 140mm inttake 1 140mm GP14 fractacl exhaust yu get positive pressure meaning you only have to clean the case once every 2-3 years as only microscopic particloes get in. You can run the fasn all at the lowest speed before you hear it even with good overclocks. I sleep right next to the bed thats how quiet it. Seriously I will facetime you thru the build for 45 buvks an hour. And teach you all the tricks to deaden every vibration while keeping all ur components in the 70C's or lessLaststop311 - Tuesday, April 11, 2017 - link
its the best build in the world if u want silence and still a lot of power, yes no9t the max power but if you all u care about is gaming at 1080 with 144hz which imo is better then 2560x1440 and 60hz by a far as well a 4k at 30-60hz by far