Original Link: https://www.anandtech.com/show/4217/seasonic-xseries-560w



Seasonic X-Series 560W

Our latest candidate for PSU torture testing is the Seasonic X-560. Seasonic first garnered praise with the X-Series by offering a range of 80 Plus Gold PSUs from low wattage up through high wattage units, along with two passively cooled versions. Other reasons for their popularity are the 5-year warranty and outstanding internal design. Even most of the S12II and M12II models (which they don't generally offer as review samples) are getting awards all over the world for providing high quality in a mainstream market segment. At a price of $120 USD the X-560 is definetly not the cheapest ~550W power supply, but we're here to find out if buyers get more for their money.

As you can see in the picture Seasonic delivers a bag for modular connectors—the X-560 has fully removable cables. Also included in the packed are a power cord, four screws, a user's guide, and many cable ties. In short, Seasonic provides plenty of extras to keep the customers satisfied.

A note on the PSU informs users that this PSU works passively below 20% load. Features include "tight voltage regulation", "gold plated terminals", and a mainboard with many SMDs (surface mounted devices). High-class solid caps are part of the ouput filtering. And for the gamers among us, this PSU supports multi-GPU technologies, all with a reasonable rating of 560W.



Appearance, Power Rating and Fan

The PSU has a black finish and honeycombed ventilation holes. There is no typical fan grill but the casing has many holes punched in it. At 160mm, the case is moderately long. As usual these days, there is a power switch next to the mains plug. Because there's a fan for cooling, this PSU has fewer ventilation holes than the X-460FL. Modular cables can be mounted on the connector panel at the front, and as usual Seasonic's overall build quality is very good.

Seasonic still believes in powerful single rails. On +12V this PSU can deliver nearly the full power since step-down-converters are included for the smaller rails. +3.3V as well as +5V are rated at 125W and/or 25A maximum load. Both have the same ratings as the ones from the older 750W version. That would mean the same kind of components are used here and the voltage drop should be low. At 3A, 5VSB is relatively powerful as well.

The San Ace 120mm 9S1212F404 has seven fan blades and ball bearings; it is not PWM controlled. There is a shield to direct airflow so turbulences near the ventilation holes are eliminated. Owing to the low rotation and passive mode under 20% load, the fan shouldn't wear as much as other fans do in actively cooled PSUs.



Cables and Connectors

Here we have the already mentioned connector panel. Seasonic is using good-looking sleeving for all the cables. As with other X-series models, the 24-pin cable is split into two plugs. All peripheral cables are on the upper row; all 12V connectors (CPU, GPU) can be found on the lower row.

Cables and Connectors
Modular Main 24-pin 60cm
ATX12V/EPS12V 4+4-pin 65cm
PCIe 2x 6/8-pin 60cm
Peripheral 3x SATA 55-85cm / 3x SATA 55-85cm / 2x SATA 35-50cm
3x Molex 55-85cm / 3x Molex 35-50 / Molex to 2x Floppy adapter 15cm

It is nice to see that the CPU cable is very long, which is important for cases with a bottom-mounted PSU. Two PCIe connectors are a common configuration for 450-600W. Seasonic again uses reasonably long cables here. The shorter SATA and HDD cables can be used in HTPCs; the longer ones are perfect for larger cases. If you still need FDD connectors there's an adapter included; if not, set it aside. We like the way Seasonic offers different solutions for different PCs.



Let's Take a Look Inside

All capacitors in this PSU come from Nippon Chemi-Con, a Japanese company. There are two large main caps and six all solid caps for filtering at the 12V output. Both DC-to-DC VRMs consist of IPD060N03L transistors. They are controlled by an Anpec APW7159 like most VRMs. The transformer, choke, and grey caps in the middle as well as the sister PCB in the upper left corner are part of the resonant switching topology. Seasonic uses ZVS (Zero Voltage Switching) to reduce power loss. With the resonant circuit the manufacturer has no problems with EMC.

Seasonic has implemented a good line filtering stage to help shield the components from EMI in the power grid; it consists of two different coils, some Y-capacitors, and an MOV. In addition, we can find a thermistor and a relay to reduce inrush current. There is also a single X cap with a yellow plastic case. The bridge rectifiers in a GBU case are screwed on one separate heatsink.

The small PCB with an IC for PFC is a little sequeezed between the PFC choke and the first main cap. However, the build quality is still very good, especially the soldering (see the gallery below). The transistors for SR are realized as SMDs, which is why there are three lonely heatsinks beside the all solid caps. Infineon built some of the MOSFETs in this PSU and guarantees a low drain to source resistance in on-state.



Voltage Regulation and Quality

+3.3V regulation
Load Voltage
10% +2.24%
20% +2.00%
50% +1.42%
80% +0.80%
100% +0.30%
110% +0.08%

 

+5V regulation
Load Voltage
10% +0.80%
20% +0.60%
50% -0.12%
80% -0.70%
100% -1.29%
110% -1.40%

 

+12V regulation
Load Voltage
10% +2.80%
20% +2.66%
50% +2.30%
80% +1.97%
100% +1.49%
110% +0.54%

Results are measured under room temperature using 115VAC. +12V starts very high since the tests are conformed to ATX standards. As expected, the 12V rail shows low drops and handles up to 41A as well. +3.3V and +5V are well regulated and not too weak. 5V in particular is very stable with only a small difference between 10% and 110% load.

Ripple and Noise

+3.3V ripple quality
Load Ripple and noise
10% 7mV
20% 9mV
50% 14mV
80% 16mV
100% 18mV
110% 22mV

 

+5V ripple quality
Load Ripple and noise
10% 6mV
20% 7mV
50% 8mV
80% 11mV
100% 19mV
110% 21mV

 

+12V ripple quality (worst rail)
Load Ripple and noise
10% 9mV
20% 10mV
50% 14mV
80% 22mV
100% 25mV
110% 29mV

Maybe we should stop measuring ripple and noise for Seasonic products since the results make their opponents angry. We've used up all of the positive words in our vocabulary in other Seasonic articles, so we'll just repeat what we said in the X-460FL review: The voltage quality is absolutely flawless. Small transients are no big deal for 3.3V and 5V, and +12V hardly has any noise at all. In short, this is an excellent design.



Noise, Efficiency, and Power Factor

Sound Pressure Level
Load dB(A)
10% 0
20% 0
50% 18
80% 23
100% 30
110% 32

There is no noise during low loads since the fan doesn't rotate until the PSU is putting out more than ~112W. If you select appropriate components elsewhere, you can actually use this to create a silent system for low to moderate loads, and you won't have to worry about burning anything out at higher loads. In addition, the RPMs are tolerable up to 50% load. Beyond that point, this PSU is no more silent than competing solutions, but we should keep in mind that most GPUs are louder while gaming so the results are fine. If you want to get uncompromising silence at all loads you can buy the X-460FL, but if silence is the goal you won't want to run higher-end GPUs.

Efficiency and PFC

115VAC, 60Hz
Load Efficiency PFC
10% 82% 0.975
20% 87% 0.990
50% 91% 0.993
80% 91% 0.995
100% 90% 0.996
110% 89% 0.997

This is basically an 850W PSU that doesn't always run the fan. We can see that the efficiency is a bit low at 10% load, but 80 Plus doesn't worry about anything below 20%. The efficiency also drops off slightly at higher loads, but it does meet or exceed the 80 Plus Gold requirements (87/90/87% effeciency at 20/50/100% loads). We are also very happy with the high PFC at all loads, though this is no surprise for the American 115VAC power grid; Europeans and others on 230VAC will have to accept lower PFC but get slightly higher efficiency in return.



Conclusion

Open your dictionary under the letter "Q", search for the word "quality", and you could just as easily put a picture of a Seasonic power supply. Seasonic offers a full set of modular cables, passive cooling below 20% load, and they do this while delivering very low ripple and noise results. With the X-560, Seasonic has created another market leader.

Starting with the connectors, Seasonic shows an instinctive feeling for different PC configurations we don't often find. The shorter peripheral cables with up to 50cm are perfect for HTPCs while the CPU and PCIe cables are long enough for larger cases. The FDD adapter is there if you need it. Even so, two 6/8-pin PCIe connectors are only average for a 560W power supply. Other manufacturers (e.g. Arctic Cooling with their Fusion 550) provide up to four PEG connectors. However, it's unlikely most users would need (or want) to power two high-end GPUs using all four connectors with only a 560W PSU, so this is only a small point of criticism. The X-560 has good-looking cable sleeving, a very long CPU cable (65cm), and moreover eight SATA connectors.

The most important advantages are the high-quality components. The SiC diode for PFC, MOSFETs with good characteristics, and a great line filtering stage are just a short part of what Seasonic provides. Since our sample came from a retailer, we're also happy to see that Seasonic is using quality Japanese capacitors in all of their "X-Series" products. In addition, the soldering quality is a feast for the eyes. Seasonic offers all important safety functions as well as an expensive flame-retardant PCB material.

With ripple and noise results below 30 mV, every enthusiast should be satisfied. +3.3V and +5V show less than 10mV while the load is below 20%. The voltage regulation is great as well. +5V has nearly no visible drop while +12V is always clearly above 12.00V. The fan might rotate quickly above 80% loads and generate some noise, but most GPUs (typically required to get a system to draw upwards of 300W) will end up louder than this PSU. More important is the ability for this PSU to run silent during low loads; if you write an email or use excel there will be no noise from the PSU fan, but you'll want to carefully select other components if silence is your goal.

Looking at online prices, $120 USD is a lot for a 560W PSU, but there's nothing that says lower wattage PSUs should be cheap, especially if they're 80 Plus Gold certified and deliver the quality of the X-560. We can see a clear difference between the previously tested Antec 550W ($90 USD) and the OCZ 550W ($70 USD) and the Seasonic X-Series 560W. The latest Seasonic is more efficient, has high output reserves, and comes with a long-life (and quiet) Sanyo Denki fan. Customers will have to decide if they need/want these features, or if they'd rather save a few bucks and snatch up an Antec or OCZ instead.

Log in

Don't have an account? Sign up now