Seasonic X-Series SS-460FL: 460 Watts of Fanless Power

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• bahamakyle - Wednesday, October 20, 2010 - link

  What sort of temps did it get to while you were testing it Martin? Did it ever get hot to the touch?

• Martin Kaffei - Wednesday, October 20, 2010 - link

  I've added a table. The difference between the ambient and exhaust temp is always below 15 °. It's just warm to the touch +-1 °C. But that came as no surprise, since they use the 860W design with slight differences. Even 110 % load is no match for the X-460.

• jed22281 - Wednesday, October 20, 2010 - link

  crap, wish it was out at the time of my recently purchased X-650.
  It would've been perfect.... X-650 is a bit overkill for my build.

• wintermute000 - Wednesday, October 20, 2010 - link

  your X-650 is a sweet unit so that should ease the pain LOL.
  Just wish I had this in my media centre!!!
  
  The point about the significantly cheaper unit being nearly silent is a good point though, price/peformance wise I can't see how that is not such a better proposition for most.
  
  Unfortunately for me I decided to give it a bit more gaming card headroom in my media centre and settled on an S12-550. Then proceeded to throw in a card that didn't need anywhere near 550W (sigh)

• josephclemente - Wednesday, October 20, 2010 - link

  I've had this PSU since the beginning of September and have been very happy with it.
  
  With a Radeon HD5850 and a quad-core Q9550S, I'm pulling about 271 W AC from the wall with Prime95 and FurMark.
  
  My case is a Lian Li PC-A05NB with only two case fans and one CPU fan. I have no fans anywhere near the PSU - only two exhaust blowhole fans on the opposite corner.
  
  The PSU has no issues with heat. There is no need for a more open case design. This PSU is designed to handle itself without extra help.

• Gigantopithecus - Wednesday, October 20, 2010 - link

  Given the cost & modest output, this is a boutique model. 460W is serious overkill for a well-built HTPC, & likely insufficient for a high-end gaming rig. Besides, gaming rigs should emphasize cooling, not noise mitigation. I think a lesser wattage (e.g. 250-350W) silent psu would make much more sense for an HTPC than this 460W'er. A lower-wattage psu would also be a much better choice for a completely passively cooled setup. With Llano almost upon us, I hope someone starts making a lower-wattage silent psu.

• hangfirew8 - Wednesday, October 20, 2010 - link

  SFF 250W HTPC silent power supplies are boutique models.
  
  An ATX form factor is not "boutique", and a 460W rating is neither "modest" (like an Antec EarthWatts 380W) nor "overkill". It is exactly a mainstream rating (especially since it can actually deliver the rated power and more), and makes perfect sense as it is sufficient (plus reserves) for the vast majority of PC's with bottom mounted power supplies, some top exhaust, and a single mid-range gaming video card. In other words, a mainstream gaming desktop.
  
  The ONLY thing remotely "boutique" about this P/S is the price, which compared to an (inferior) SilenX P/S looks quite affordable. It is also cheaper than a high-end video card, so it has not exceeded any kind of threshold for reason for a buyer looking for a quiet system.

• ///// - Wednesday, October 20, 2010 - link

  I don't feel I benefit from such a test. What if it gets hotter sometimes?

• rundll - Wednesday, October 20, 2010 - link

  Great power, but way too powerful. Those PCs this is meant to take only 200 W or less from power's output lines. Or, what the heck, most new PCs don't max out that 200 W barrier.

• HangFire - Wednesday, October 20, 2010 - link

  Most power supplies' efficiency peak around 50% of rating, and most buyers like a reserve of power in case of upgrades, so I would say it is just about right.