We've recently tested the first 80 Plus Platinum PSUs to hit our labs, courtesy of Seasonic and Enermax. Both were good if expensive PSUs, and next up on the test bench is a Platinum series that's sold by a brand without their own PSU factory: XFX. They sent us their newest product, the Pro Series 80 Plus Platinum Black Edition, which sets its sights on the high-end of the market. XFX has created an interesting casing with some unusual elements, but we need to find out how good this model actually is.

While efficiency is all the marketing rage in the world of PSUs, we should keep in mind that many manufacturers are trying to reach 80 Plus Platinum levels using some "tricks". As we noted in our Seasonic article, there are various routes to higher efficiency, like removing resistors that may fill other roles. Shunt resistors for example transform some of the power into power loss when current flows through it, since there is a voltage drop. That's actually their job as they measure and prevent overcurrent in an indirect way. On the following pages we will show how XFX reached the requirements for 80 Plus Platinum (90%/92%/89% efficiency at 20%/50%/100% load), and we'll also discuss the ODM and how well the XFX model fares in an increasingly crowded market.

In a short time we've seen quite a few companies come out with their first 80 Plus Platinum power supplies. A couple weeks ago we reviewed the Enermax Platimax with 750W, which was a good PSU even though our testing showed slightly less than the advertised efficiency. Enermax also has a 500W Platimax unit, and there are several other brands launching or ready to launch 80 Plus Platinum offerings. Today we'll look at another sample, this time in the form of Seasonic's Platinum Series 860W.

One thing that all of the 80 Plus Platinum models have in common is that they are very expensive. Something else to consider is that there are only a limited number of companies that actually manufacture PSUs, building various models according to the specifications their partners request. Seasonic is one such company, and we can expect other brands to use variations of the Seasonic Platinum Series we're reviewing today. The 860W model we're looking at includes two different modes for controlling the fan speed, a fullly modular connector system, and DC-to-DC converters for two of the smaller output voltages. This sounds like another market leader; let's see how it fares under test and whether it can surpass Enermax's competing offerings.

NZXT is a well known provider of "eye-catching" cases and peripherals, but like many other brands they offer power supplies as well. These include the HALE90 series, their first 80 Plus Gold product to hit the market. While the HALE90 targets the high-end audience, NZXT also wants to cater to midrange users, and for that market they have their new HALE82 series that covers wattages from 650W to 850W. The rated output makes these models good for high-end single GPUs as well as moderate SLI and CrossFire systems. Features such as 80 Plus Bronze certification and modular cables are common these days, but such features say little about how good a PSU really is. Today, we're testing the 650W and 750W models, with our usual results on the following pages.

PC Power & Cooling, today a part of the OCZ Technology Group, sent us two PSUs from their Silencer series. The 760W as well as the 910W version bet on strong 80mm fans which are unusual for modern products.

However PC Power & Cooling was always a guarantor for high quality power supplies with a +12V single rail design and non-modular cables. Even if most of their products aren't quiet enough to be silent their customers liked the idea of a heavy-duty brand with PSUs which deliver the full output power at high temperatures. On the following pages we will see if these OCZ creations are able to manage our torture tests.

Some months ago we tested the new "Fanless" series from Seasonic. Today we will take a look at a semi-passively-cooled version with the same design and more power. The Seasonic X-560 ends up as the direct competitor of the Enermax Modu87+ 500W, as well as FSPs Aurum alternative (without modular cables). We purchased this particular PSU from a retailer, so we'll be able to see if they use the same capacitors as in their review samples, and if Seasonic is able to reach the promised 80 Plus Gold efficiency. We'll also look at the sound pressure level at various loads.

Seasonic has a well-deserved reputation for building quality power supplies, with semi-passive cooling models delivering near-silent operation. Now they're launching their first fanless series, the "X-series Fanless", for users that want absolute silence rather than nearly-silent operation. Like the previous high-end Seasonic X-series offerings, the new generation is 80 Plus Gold certified. As for the fanless part, you'll want to be careful if you try for a complete silent (i.e. fanless) PC—it's one thing to have a fanless PSU when there are case and CPU fans to compensate, but entirely fanless systems will need some big heatsinks and an open chassis if you want reasonable performance (i.e. not Atom). Today, we have the X-460FL on our test bench; join us for a look at Seasonic's latest and most efficient topology to date, and let's see if a fanless PSU actually means a silent PSU or not.

Seasonic was kind enough to send us a PSU in for our expanding list of testbeds. They shipped us their latest member of the M12 II line: a 620W modular unit. It's got three modular cables for SATA power (9 connectors), two for molex power (6 connectors), two for PCIe (1 x 6-pin + 1 x 6/8-pin) and one for floppy (2 connectors).

The unit itself is 80 Plus Bronze certified which means that at 20%, 50% and 100% load the PSU will operate at a minimum of 82% efficiency. Expect to see it used in some of our reviews going forward!

More pics of the PSU in the gallery

Seasonic recently released their latest foray into the retail PSU market, the X-Series with 80 Plus Gold certification. As one of the highest efficiency power supplies on the market, the X-750 looks to provide ample power for midrange to high-end systems. Not surprisingly, the high quality design also carries a hefty price tag, but sometimes you get what you pay for.

The chief competition for the X-Series comes from Enermax with their Pro87+ and Modu87+ line. A quick look a pricing indicates Seasonic has the advantage in both availability as well as pricing, making the X-750 all the more interesting. Are you planning on building a new system with CrossFire 5870 or perhaps GTX 480? Well, GTX 480 SLI might be pushing things too far, but for just about anything else the new Seasonic X-Series PSUs are certainly worth a look.